Book Reviews: Adventures, Fantastical and Real
Two adventure books feature in the blog this time around. One is somewhere in Faerie, and the other is in this world as it was a couple of centuries ago.
The Bane of Ashkirith, by Ariel Paiement
From the beginning of this YA novel, we’re immersed in a strange world where archeology, adventure, and myth intertwine. That in itself is perhaps not new (we’ve seen it in the Indiana Jones movies, of course), but what is new is the setting for this kind of tale: this is a detailed imaginary world where archeological discoveries, technology, myths (and later, magic) are all bound up in the made-up cultures. There are surprises. There is danger. There is truth to be uncovered and millennia-old lies to be debunked (and you can be sure that the status quo will not look kindly upon the debunkers). There are strange animals: some cute and some mysterious. There are new civilizations to be found, and the reader is taken along on the journey. I also liked how the echo of Lovecraft is worked out (the manner in which sinister places can drive one mad is actually explained). The book is not perfect: I at least would have liked a little more concrete descriptions of sights and sounds, a little less about the (PG) physical relationship of the protagonists, and perhaps a little more about the “point” of the story – we don’t know who the aforementioned status quo “really” is though it has obvious parallels in history and in modern politics. Maybe this latter aspect doesn’t matter; this is not the only detail left unexplained, and there are more books in the series. Those minor flaws ignored, I’d say all in all this makes an exciting read.
Journals of Lews and Clark, edited by Bernard DeVoto
I’ve often had to teach about this in history classes, and I finally checked out this book to read some of the primary source material. It’s not just interesting from a historical viewpoint – it actually makes an engaging read (though that could be partially because this book is heavily edited, with what I’m assuming are the more tedious or repetitive sections left out). The anthropological, geological, and biological details are fascinating, even if a small amount of it is erroneous – there is, for example, mention of an herbal “cure for the bite of the rattlesnake and the mad dog”, and an inexplicable mistake about the anatomy of a brown bear that is supposedly drawn from life. Leaving aside those occasional errors... Customs of local peoples are chronicled in some detail, and there is little of the expected racism from that less-enlightened era (until the party reaches their destination on the Pacific Coast). One particularly interesting detail is the use of the well-developed sign-language, understood and used as a lingua franca by most of the tribes west of the Mississippi. There is also some humor: prairie dogs are called “barking squirrels”, and members of one tribe state that they’d met some people who’d come up the coast in a boat and spoke the same language as Lewis; they prove this contact by repeating some English swear words. (The more things change, the more they stay the same…!) The older, and often idiosyncratic, spellings are left in, as well as some of the unfinished syntax; at times it almost seems like a modern experimental or stream-of-consciousness narrative, though this of course is an anachronistic judgment. Anyway it’s worth at least a glance, and not just for historical significance.
And of course a self-promo:
Tond is an adventure story too... Here's what one reviewer had to say about Book Three. "This is a bigger book than either book 1 or book 2, dense with peril and hardship, but also with loyal friendship and the cultural details of language, music, food, and folklore that make this series so satisfying. The journey through several different lands allows a variety of these cultural elements to come into play. Rolan, a young fish out of water, is encountering many of these things for the first time along with the reader, which allows for believable and appropriate exposition. I (and Rolan) particularly enjoyed the passages describing the Shervanya Nocturnal Music, which is played all night to help people sleep. I also found the visit to the mysterious City that Moves a welcome and encouraging respite.
Characters from several cultures join together for the journey into the far-north land of Borrogg (to attempt a rescue), where they have reason to believe Arnul is being held. The way the characters bicker but support each other lends warmth and humor to an otherwise serious plot. They soon discover that use of mechanas, the ancient objects of power prized and used by the loremasters, draws the minions of Gaeshug-Tairanda—grosks, gruntags, mordhs, karghouls. These monsters have attacked towns along the way, preparing for a larger action against all of Tond. The adventurers also encounter hostility from humans who blame them for the monsters, so there are plenty of fights and narrow escapes even before they reach Borrogg and really serious danger.
Meanwhile Rolan's sweetheart, the clever and resourceful Shillayne, discovers an effective groskbane and plans and implements an ambitious rescue effort. This leads to a hopeful but unresolved ending, so this series must have at least one more book. Catch up now so you'll be ready for it!"
Karen Eisenbrey, author of "The Gospel According to St. Rage"
The Bane of Ashkirith, by Ariel Paiement
From the beginning of this YA novel, we’re immersed in a strange world where archeology, adventure, and myth intertwine. That in itself is perhaps not new (we’ve seen it in the Indiana Jones movies, of course), but what is new is the setting for this kind of tale: this is a detailed imaginary world where archeological discoveries, technology, myths (and later, magic) are all bound up in the made-up cultures. There are surprises. There is danger. There is truth to be uncovered and millennia-old lies to be debunked (and you can be sure that the status quo will not look kindly upon the debunkers). There are strange animals: some cute and some mysterious. There are new civilizations to be found, and the reader is taken along on the journey. I also liked how the echo of Lovecraft is worked out (the manner in which sinister places can drive one mad is actually explained). The book is not perfect: I at least would have liked a little more concrete descriptions of sights and sounds, a little less about the (PG) physical relationship of the protagonists, and perhaps a little more about the “point” of the story – we don’t know who the aforementioned status quo “really” is though it has obvious parallels in history and in modern politics. Maybe this latter aspect doesn’t matter; this is not the only detail left unexplained, and there are more books in the series. Those minor flaws ignored, I’d say all in all this makes an exciting read.
Journals of Lews and Clark, edited by Bernard DeVoto
I’ve often had to teach about this in history classes, and I finally checked out this book to read some of the primary source material. It’s not just interesting from a historical viewpoint – it actually makes an engaging read (though that could be partially because this book is heavily edited, with what I’m assuming are the more tedious or repetitive sections left out). The anthropological, geological, and biological details are fascinating, even if a small amount of it is erroneous – there is, for example, mention of an herbal “cure for the bite of the rattlesnake and the mad dog”, and an inexplicable mistake about the anatomy of a brown bear that is supposedly drawn from life. Leaving aside those occasional errors... Customs of local peoples are chronicled in some detail, and there is little of the expected racism from that less-enlightened era (until the party reaches their destination on the Pacific Coast). One particularly interesting detail is the use of the well-developed sign-language, understood and used as a lingua franca by most of the tribes west of the Mississippi. There is also some humor: prairie dogs are called “barking squirrels”, and members of one tribe state that they’d met some people who’d come up the coast in a boat and spoke the same language as Lewis; they prove this contact by repeating some English swear words. (The more things change, the more they stay the same…!) The older, and often idiosyncratic, spellings are left in, as well as some of the unfinished syntax; at times it almost seems like a modern experimental or stream-of-consciousness narrative, though this of course is an anachronistic judgment. Anyway it’s worth at least a glance, and not just for historical significance.
And of course a self-promo:
Tond is an adventure story too... Here's what one reviewer had to say about Book Three. "This is a bigger book than either book 1 or book 2, dense with peril and hardship, but also with loyal friendship and the cultural details of language, music, food, and folklore that make this series so satisfying. The journey through several different lands allows a variety of these cultural elements to come into play. Rolan, a young fish out of water, is encountering many of these things for the first time along with the reader, which allows for believable and appropriate exposition. I (and Rolan) particularly enjoyed the passages describing the Shervanya Nocturnal Music, which is played all night to help people sleep. I also found the visit to the mysterious City that Moves a welcome and encouraging respite.
Characters from several cultures join together for the journey into the far-north land of Borrogg (to attempt a rescue), where they have reason to believe Arnul is being held. The way the characters bicker but support each other lends warmth and humor to an otherwise serious plot. They soon discover that use of mechanas, the ancient objects of power prized and used by the loremasters, draws the minions of Gaeshug-Tairanda—grosks, gruntags, mordhs, karghouls. These monsters have attacked towns along the way, preparing for a larger action against all of Tond. The adventurers also encounter hostility from humans who blame them for the monsters, so there are plenty of fights and narrow escapes even before they reach Borrogg and really serious danger.
Meanwhile Rolan's sweetheart, the clever and resourceful Shillayne, discovers an effective groskbane and plans and implements an ambitious rescue effort. This leads to a hopeful but unresolved ending, so this series must have at least one more book. Catch up now so you'll be ready for it!"
Karen Eisenbrey, author of "The Gospel According to St. Rage"
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