Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven (SF KAY) first piqued my interest with its cover, an ancient horse sculpture against a background of scrawled Chinese calligraphy and rough-hewn stone.

I totally thought this book was going to be about horses. I was wrong. But Kay, a historical fantasist, made it more than worth my while. He takes those horses and shoves them to the distant background, making them simply a vehicle for an epic story about the channels carved by political power and the spectrum of people who navigate them. Moreover, he sets that drama amidst a world very concretely inspired by the rich, nuanced tapestry of 8th century Tang Dynasty China.

This is not the kind of story that I normally gravitate toward, but Kay's storytelling ability and his mastery of language and detail kept me enthralled.

Although there are multiple points of view represented in Under Heaven, the main character is Shen Tai, second son of a renowned general of the empire of Kitai. Tai has spent the last two years by himself on the outskirts of civilization burying the remains of the war-dead from both Kitai and its neighboring enemy to the west, Tagur.

As reward for his labors, he learns that Tagur wishes to bestow him with 250 magnificent Sardian horses. Coming from a country that must make do with the stubby horses of the steppes, Tai realizes this is a gift that defies all sense of scope and proportion.

Two hundred and fifty Sardian horses, Tai was thinking, from within the sandstorm of his forever-altered life. Being brought by him to a court, an empire, that gloried in every single dragon steed that had ever reached them from the west. That dreamed of those horses with so fierce a longing, shaping porcelain and jade and ivory in their image, linking poets’ words to the thunder of mythic hooves.

It goes without saying that Tai will donate them to the empire's cause. He sets out on one of those Sardian steeds for the Kitan capital to first bring the news to the emperor before he goes to collect his reward from Tagur. His newfound wealth has not gone unnoticed, though, and after a failed assassination attempt on his life, Tai hires the Kanlin warrior Wei Song to ensure he makes it alive to court.

Nevertheless, the Tagurans’ gift sets in motion an inexorable slide toward war as we see the ruling factions at court jockey for dominance. We see the submissive role women are largely relegated to and how the clever ones and the determined ones manage to still shape and influence their fate as well as that of the empire's.

Kay brings the world of Kitai life with breathtaking lyricism and studied research. The details don't overwhelm but rather effortlessly flesh out social constructs and culture. His characters, too, are never one-dimensional. We see them as complex beings with foibles, fears, ambitions and strengths. For added measure, he even throws in a dose of the supernatural in a seamless way that doesn’t distract from the story.

Under Heaven was a wonderful introduction to Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay and a welcome reminder that it sometimes pays off to venture outside your reading comfort zone. Even if it does mean judging a book by its cover.

Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik

This is the seventh of the Temeraire series, set in the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Novik has made some changes in the events of that time, and also determined that those mythical creatures, dragons, are a strategic component of many countries’ military might. Western nations have Aerial Corps, using dragons instead of planes for battles both on land and at sea. A captain in the Aerial Corps forms a bond with a dragon when it is hatched from the egg, but each dragon also has a crew that rides it by locking onto a web of harnesses, dropping bombs and firing weapons. While the concept sounds a bit whimsical, Novik’s detailed knowledge of that historical era, coupled with her ability to spin an exciting narrative, makes the series a success.

The dragons are fully capable of thought, speech and action when they are hatched, although they are able to mature with experience, like humans. They are characters in their own right and Temeraire, who the series is named after, is both noble and yet touching in his desire to help his own captain, Will Lawrence be successful and be looked up to both in the Corps and in society at large.

What has stymied Temeraire’s goal is the corruption and treachery that is part of human endeavor, so that Will and Temeraire both have found themselves outside the Corps and even banished from England. In this novel they have been asked to join the Corps again to help fight against Napoleon’s latest venture in Brazil. Many African dragons closely bound with village communities in their native country suffered the depredation of the slave trade, losing men, women, and children taken by the Europeans to the New World. (In an earlier book, Empire of Ivory, we met one of those dragons.) Napoleon has enlisted the African dragons to attack and lay waste to Brazilian colonies, giving them the inducement of finding and recovering their lost villagers.

In South America we see a culture permeated with dragons, like China, but with a different slant. Novik is not content to leave dragons (or people, for that matter) in one state of development, but keeps devising historical scenarios that allow for new characteristics to emerge. Because so many native peoples were stricken and died by disease brought to them by Europeans, the dragons set great store on those that remain, and care for those in their community like brooding hens, eager to have them raise descendents to continue their close companionship.

All of this makes for some complicated plots and subplots, yet the careful reader is rewarded with a panorama of political intrigue and simple soldiering that rings true. We can feel how long it takes to sail at these latitudes, in those ships, and how long it takes to struggle through mountainous passes. The series is rumored to be drawing to a close, and I will not be the only reader sorry to have it end.

Click here for catalog listing.

HBO boosts book sales (again) with latest book-TV series

With their latest foray into fantasy, HBO's "Game of Thrones", based on author George R.R. Martin's epic novels, was nominated for an Emmy for best drama series on Thursday. The author's series itself is titled A Song of Ice and Fire, of which Dance with Dragons (SF MARTIN) is the fifth of what will likely be seven or eight total volumes. "Game of Thrones" has not only renewed interest in the books, it has made Martin the latest celebrity author on a level rarely seen by writers--J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, John Grisham, Stephenie Meyer are a few exceptions--as was witnessed only a few days ago at an author book signing in NYC. You can read about it here in this article and see what Martin himself thinks of his success.

First Lines Quiz: Week #5: Fantasy

First Lines Quiz -- Week #5 - FANTASY » ProProfs Quizzes

2009 Cover Art for Fantasy Books -- yes, there are still plenty of hooded figures

Every summer, Orbit Books (an SF publisher) charts the progression of fantasy cover art for the last year. Apparently 2009 saw a serious decline of damsels in distress and a rise in damsels not in distress. It was a bad year for unicorns, too. Take a look here for the whole thing. It's pretty amusing, even for an SF fan like myself.

Monster Blood Tattoo: Book One: The Foundling / by David M. Cornish

Rossamünd Bookchild already has it tough being a boy with a girl's name. The fact that he's one of the oldest boys at the orphanage makes it all the worse. It isn't long though before things change when a local seagoing outfit hires up the fourteen-year-old as a midshipmen, embarking him on the voyage which will begin what Rossamünd expects (from all the stories he's read and heard) to be a very adventurous life. The world Rossamünd enters for the first time, the world of Half-Continent, is indeed very new and exciting, but also very treacherous. Humans are not the only wayfarers upon the high seas. The prowling, shadowy figures of hideous, unearthly beasts cohabit the world, living on land and sea, mercilessly preying upon mankind. Men like Rossamünd's shipmate Poundinch, possessing an image of the creature tattoed on his arm (men bearing the tattoo have slain one of the monsters), aim to kill the beasts or be killed themselves. Something Rossamünd learns, in the coming months, is no easy feat.

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Australia native Cornish apparently spent over 14 years perfecting his fantastical world of Half-Continent, an imaginary world so detailed and precise that a lengthy appendix with glossary is tacked on to this volume, the first of a trilogy, for the purpose of enlightening the reader as to all of the series' intricate details and inventive vocabulary. But it doesn't take a fantasy buff or even an older reader to enjoy the author's magical tale and vivid descriptions set in a time and place mirroring something from 18th century Georgian English society with ships and maritime aspects of the era well-entailed. The book, truly a labor of love, is well worth it as a exceptionally unique and original story. Also look for Cornish's 2nd volume, Lamplighter, which is already available on the shelves and the third, Factotum, due out soon. (SF CORNISH)

Fragile Things / by Neil Gaiman

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Hardened rationalists desperately needing to broaden their imaginations should look no further. Where else could ever be found such a mind-blowing—and mind-bending—array of manifold literary vignettes? A mystery carnival vanishing into the night sky, a Friday night party where two friends are introduced to some “out-of-this-world” girls, Beowulf transplanted into the modern-day, a mimicked acceptance speech following a VooDoo ceremony, a clan of quirky pedestrian zombies and a side of Sherlock Holmes you’ve never seen. Such is the world of Neil Gaiman and his eclectic blend of tales, poems and filler sketches in this, his third collection of short stories.

As inventive as any Sci-Fi/Fantasy author—now or otherwise—and yet incomparably fanciful with his brilliant wit and darkly humorous angle, this volume lets the reader in on a generous sample (though certainly not the whole) of Gaiman’s world of enchantment and storytelling. Less distinct, perhaps than more long-revered stalwarts like Ray Bradbury or Philip K. Dick, Gaiman may not connect with all readers the same way. His writing isn't as spelled-out and storylines--though never failing to convey continuity--often derive from multiple perspectives. Veterans of the genre along with a good many novices won't be able to miss a good thing when they see it though.

Black Powder War (Temeraire, Book 3), by Naomi Novik

Although I started this series with book three, that was no obstacle to my enjoyment. While I might have been briefly confused as to plot, the main character, Captain Will Laurence, is quickly caught up in one predicament after another, and my interest in his fortunes never waned. Naomi Novik has created an alternate history fantasy series, which is set in the time of Napoleon. The actual flavor of that era and its military details felt authentic to me, due to Novik’s special interest in that era. The only difference is that dragons are present and utilized by different countries in different roles. The Captain is British and acquired his dragon, Temeraire, by chance as chronicled in the first book of the series, His Majesty’s Dragon. England does not afford its dragons the respect and rights as China does, and one of Temeraire’s main concerns is to rectify that situation. But first the Captain receives orders to leave China, where the book opens, and to travel to Istanbul to pick up three dragon eggs and transport them to England.

Temeraire’s character and his close relationship with Laurence are some of the most delightful aspects of the book. All the dragons and companions are well-sketched, with surprises at every turn throughout their journey. With the first two books to be read, as well as two more now following in the series (Empire of Ivory and Victory of Eagles), I look forward to spending many more entertaining hours in her characters’ company.

Weaveworld / by Clive Barker

Weaveworld is the story of a rug ... like no other. Its seams magically woven with the strands of time, it fabricates a strange and enchanted otherworld. It is the world of the Seerkind, an ancient race far older than man, who wield an awesome power to devise magic. It was long ago that the Seerkind were nearly wiped out by a horrendous evil known as the Scourge until, on the brink of extinction, they wove themselves into the rug for safekeeping. Since that time the rug has had human caretakers--guardians worthy of its untold potential. The last caretaker, having died before the rug’s succession, allows a diverse mix of characters (some good, some evil) to now pursue possession of the rug and the power it contains.

This is fantasy at its best. Clive Barker has an incredible ability to illuminate the extraordinary and Weaveworld, written in 1987, demonstrates just that. It's a story which stays grounded through suspended reality, even while it constantly strains the boundaries of the abstract, making the un-realistic believable.