James Sinclair- "Canis the Warrior"

Now here's a real slab of a book! Canis the Warrior by James Sinclair, 1979. The hardcover must not have sold very well, as the Charter Novel mass market edition didn't come out until 1986. At first glance this may look like a Conan the Barbarian rip off, the cover is certainly in this vein. However, this is actually a historical tale, taking place in Britain, concerning now-extinct British tribes struggling against the Roman Empire. 

Though the page count isn't extreme, this is dense writing, and the text is small. Sometimes a single paragraph may take minutes to read and dissect. Also the chapters themselves are long chunks, one in particular took me three hours to get through. The prose is elegant, heady stuff. 

Canis, general of the Iceni, leads his people against Rome as the Empire invades Britain. He was once betrothed to Queen Bodacia, who led a rebellion against Rome. She was killed before the events of the novel. Canis, looked to as a leader among the scattered Iceni and Trinovante tribes, wishes to lead these people from the lands bloodied by the Romans and found their own kingdom in the name of the Queen. The journey they plot will take them across the westward mountains. 

Now, Canis has many parallels with Conan. He is very charming, not what I'd call barbaric. He is a dedicated warrior nonetheless. He gets a fair bit of action- giving kisses to women left and right, getting women hot to the point of one seeing him as a God incarnate. Though betrothed to Cea, daughter of his late beloved Queen, he actually impregnates Lydia, a meddling Roman woman head over heels for Canis. Canis, who truly only loved Queen Bodacia, remains loyal to Cea in terms of marriage if not strictly in romance.

There are battles, plots and warfare, but it's not made to be the focus as perhaps with a Conan tale. Marriage is made to be just as important an element as fighting. In a particularly lengthy segment in the middle of the book, a detailed and complex plan is played out by Canis to evade capture by Paullinus' forces. It involves Canis posing as a southerner, and winning the hand of a princess while undercover. As his dowry he asks of the Queen (her mother) for five hundred horse, a hundred chariots, and a hundred sacks of flour. With this procession Canis travels across Britain, right under the Romans' nose and indeed under their very guard. The Iceni and Trinovante are mingled within this crowd. Soon they are able to abandon the princess, break free of the Romans using drugged wine to put their foes to sleep. 

In the final segment of the book, Canis' people, the Iceni, Trinovante, and a few Brigantes, make their way further to the mountains, clashing with the Romans on the plains. At last they reach the western mountains, and stumble on a luxurious valley, seemingly untouched. The advance guard finds a small group of mountain-dwellers, who don't immediately cooperate. Canis bluffs that the advance guard are their only forces, when in truth the other three thousand horsemen were well on their way. The next day the two gathered forces meet again and Canis is the clear victor, his force able to stand off the mountain men, who are reluctant to share their hidden valley with the outsiders.

In the final chapter, Lydia is devastated due to Canis' marriage to Cea. Both live in the end and both seem to remain with Canis after the events of the novel. Lydia will never have the satisfaction of being formal wife to Canis, yet she stays at his side, in his new kingdom, instead of denouncing him and returning to Rome. She finds a place studying at the side of Grud, Canis's physician, and soon takes over parentage of her daughter, releasing the nurse who was serving as her caretaker. This she does in a bitter and vengeful manner, still outraged that Canis would wed Princess Cea, promising to match him cruelty for cruelty. Personally I would rather Lydia be wed Canis as well, rather than Cea the spoiled child, who doesn't have much going for her other than being the daughter of Queen Bodacia. Canis makes his decision based on his loyalty to the Queen. Not a whip-cream-on-top ending, but historical adventures rarely are.

There's no Fantasy elements to be found here(besides certain dream sequences, particularly Lydia's). The characters encounter no monsters or curses, except maybe bad luck. Characters believe in certain superstitions, but there are no Gods intervening the plot. Lydia for example, worships the Goddess Diana. All of her internal prayers are to Diana. She is willing to denounce all other Gods in favor of this deity. But Diana herself never appears in the story except through her dreams. This is a human story, about a war-torn people searching for a new homeland, here on our very Earth. 

Another one off the list. For only 374 pages, it sure felt like a lot longer. I think I'll read something lighter next. Till then! 

Fred Saberhagen- "Dancing Bears"

Last book I read cover to cover. This is a Fantasy novel leaning into Historical fiction. [TOR Fantasy, 1994, 378 pages] It takes place in Russia in the year 1908. A noble Russian family, the Lohmatzkis, is rumored to have the power to become werebears. News of a man eating bear on the loose at the estate of Padarok Lessa calls Gregori (a member of this family) home, and he invites a friend, an American Big-game hunter named John Sherwood, to join him on this dangerous hunt. Dancing Bears concerns his journey through the region.

The superstitious peasants of Padarok Lessa (the estate of Greg's brother Maxim) are in fear due to the legends surrounding the Lohmatzkis. They rightfully suspect that Greg's brother Maxim is the werebear(orabaten), and responsible for the killings. Maxim himself has been missing from his own estate for some time now. He then displays his horrid shape changing to Sherwood and Natalya. Sherwood fires a gun he was borrowing from Natalya's father's collection. It was loaded with silver bullets, the only type that can wound a werebear; the Lomatzkis were well aware of their secret family curse. During this struggle, Maxim (in bear form) is wounded from the silver bullets, while Sherwood sustains a terrible mauling. Sherwood himself soon shows signs of becoming a shape changer. 

Greg's sister Natalya is a revolutionary on the run from the Russian government. Soon Gregori is arrested, whisked off to Siberia on a convict train. Sherwood and Natalya join forces and make way to Petersburg to leave the country. Soon they learn of Gregori's fate and decide to follow the convoy to Siberia, taking the help of a master Forger. Romance is sprouting between them- (on Saberhagen's part, a little rushed if you ask me) Natalya and Sherwood make use of Sherwood's shapeshifting power to evade the Russian police, as well as to make money at a fair, putting on an act of a Dancing Bear. These bears are tamed to dance, and walked around by a ring through their nose. Sherwood (his performance name Napolean) is the most tame bear ever seen at the fair and earns them a bit of money.

The Russian police are on a ruthless hunt for Natalya and Sherwood. Telegram wires and word of mouth are the most common communications. Thus, a lot gets lost in translation as word travels across the country. This causes much confusion for the police. Espionage, secret motives and communication are common in this novel. The very fact that Werebears exist, is almost a political secret; there are officials who are aware of this, but on a surface level it is mere superstition. In the city of Irkutsk, Sherwood is captured in his bear-form, given silver bonds so that he could not escape. Soon the official interrogating Sherwood is car-bombed, and his replacement doesn't believe in the supernatural. Natalya, who had been captured as well, manages to escape with Sherwood. They head into the Siberian wilderness searching for the settlement of Taimyr, where they believe Gregori was brought after his arrest. This is near an estate founded by Maxim & Natalya's grandfather, also a werebear.

Maxim has recovered the health of his bear-form, finding that the cure was to eat human flesh as an obaraten. He arrives at Padarok Sivera before Sherwood & Natalya. His Grandfather, who had been worshipped there as a God called The Great Bear, had commanded a castle of ice to be built in his honor; it is already partly constructed by his underlings. Maxim finds him dead, frozen in the middle of a transformation between bear and man. Upon his return, Maxim takes over the panicked estate as The Great Bear. Indeed he has Gregori with him, who has suffered a debilitating head wound. Natalya and Sherwood finally reach Padarok Sivera and a final conflict occurs. In the spring thaw, the ice castle could not survive, it cracks and melts away. The survivors left on the estate are left to carry on their own, as Sherwood and Natalya wish to leave the country together.

The historical setting provides a fair portion of the suspense, intrigue, and mystery. False accusations being thrown around, false and meaningless arrests and convictions, a brutal penal system where people just disappear with no reason or explanation. The Russian government seems to suspect a conspiracy where the United States would buy a remote portion of Russian land. They interrogate both Natalya and Sherwood regarding this, pushing relentlessly to get confessions.

I did enjoy this novel, the premise and the story were interesting. I can't say that Fred Saberhagen made it onto my favorites list, however. His writing style is a bit too modern for the time period. There are a lot of interactions and conversations that are merely glossed over with a few sentences rather than played out in full. A good historical fiction can't be lacking in detail. In addition the ending seemed pretty rushed, there are still loose ends left. Nothing stellar here; as a whole though, not a bad quick historical fantasy tale. If pre-revolutionary Russia the sort of historical setting you're after. 

Another one down! Check back!

Book hunt update (5/21)

Another list of random paperbacks I'm looking out for.

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Frank Herbert- Destination: Void (One of the few Frank Herbert books I don't already own)

Rose Estes- Hunter on Arena

Patricia Kennealy- The Oak Above the Kings (A Tale of Arthur Volume 2)

Piers Anthony- Isle of Woman 

Mary H. Herbert- Dark Horse and Lightning's Daughter

Fred Saberhagen- Ariadne's Web (Book of the Gods series #2)

Guy Gavriel Kay- A Song For Arbonne

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Titles from the prior list I still haven't found:

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Michael Moorcock- "Elric: Stealer of Souls" (#11 of the Eternal Champion Omnibus series)

L. Dean James- "Sorcerer's Stone"

Michael Williams "From Thief to King" Trilogy #1 The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Robert Jordan- "The Conan Chronicles" Anthology

Donna Gillespie- "Lady of the Light"

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New Arrivals (5/21)

A few more paperbacks recently added to my collection just waiting to be read. Reports will follow as I get through them.

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Canis the Warrior by James Sinclair 

Between the Rivers by Harry Turtledove 

Prince of Whales by R.L. Fisher (Short one, won't take me long)

Lord of Darkness by Robert Silverberg (The longest of these additions) 

Oasis by T.W. Hard

The Wolf and the Raven by Diana L. Paxson (Wodan's Children Trilogy)

Isle of Glass by Judith Tarr (Hound and the Falcon Trilogy)

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart

Broken Stone by Richard Monaco (Sequel to Runes)

Ursus of Ultima Thule by Avram Davidson

Dancing Bears by Fred Saberhagen 

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Edward Myers- "The Summit"

This is the final book in the "Mountain Made of Light" series. The Summit by Edward Myers. [Roc Fantasy, 1994, 426 pages] A fine adventure story about travelling long journeys through the mountains, and in fact climbing them.

This series tells the story of the Mountain-Drawn, or the Rixtirra, an isolated indigenous people of the Peruvian Andes. Jesse O'Keefe visits the mountain land as an aspiring anthropologist and is caught in to the ancient faith the Mountain Drawn. He, a Rixtir translator named Aeslu, and a mountain climber Forster Beckwith soon set off to find the legendary Mountain Made of Light. The Rixtirra believe that a refuge exists at the top of the mountain, and that the Rixtirra would be led up to the summit by a chosen two: The Sun's Stead and the Moon's Stead, thought to mean Jesse and Aeslu.

I reported the second book on this blog previously; there's more backstory found there, so I won't go into much detail here, other than to say at the end of Fire and Ice, the group has made their way through the vast mountain land and reached the foot of the Mountain Made of Light.

The Summit concludes this story, mainly detailing the extremely dangerous climb up the mountain. Mountaineering and climbing gear and techniques are discussed in detail. This actually makes up much of the content of the book. They are stocked with supplies of Ice-hatchets, Ice screws, ropes, climbing claws for the hands and feet. They scale cliffs, snowfields, slick and steep ice, finding refuge only on small cliff edges or caves they have dug in themselves. This is a very tense, edge of your seat journey. 

The tension is not only from dangerous, potentially fatal conditions, and limited supplies. Forster is actually the antagonist of this series, and he doesn't get along particularly well with Aeslu and Jesse. He wishes to climb to the Summit at any cost, and be the first one there. He doesn't care about his companions, and was merely making company with them out of mutual necessity and safety. Forster holds the Mountain Stone, which serves as a map of the Mountain itself, leading their route through its accurately carved contours, and etched symbols. The route leads them up a "chimney" (vertical shaft), indicated by etched symbols of smoke. There is a hole in the Stone, which directs them inside the Mountain, through a dark tunnel with absolutely no light. As they reach higher and higher up the mountain, they get increasingly more fatigued. Forster falls, and Jesse saves him, pulls him up by the rope to deal with his injuries. Forster himself realizes he is about to die and tells the other two to continue to the peak. The next morning, he is gone.

Nearing further and further up the mountain, two figures are seen above Aeslu and Jesse as they climb. Masses of ice and snow are soon pushed down the slope, attempting to kill the two climbers. This is revealed to be Forster, using his pack as a decoy. Forster is a good enough climber to have beat them up that stretch of the climb. After a scuffle with Jesse and Aeslu, Forster meets his doom, falling down the Mountain he tried so hard to conquer.

Jesse and Aeslu are at the point of near death. Things are looking desperate, yet they push on through the last stretch of the climb, to the Summit ridge itself. They find an ice cave, and inside it two bodies huddled together, encased in ice, frozen in time. Later this is revealed to be Lissallo and Ossonal, the Founders who created the faith of the Mountain Drawn. 

At last Jesse and Aeslu reach the Summit. They find a small city, on an island in a natural lake carved into the Mountain. They find that this city is deserted; no sanctuary afterall. Still, the two had reached the summit, they had accomplished their goal, and nothing feels more powerful to them than looking over a mountain range from the highest peak. They make their way back down, as must happen. This idea is illustrated by a symbol of a mountain peak; two diagonal lines: one up the mountain, the other from the peak downward. Of the Mountain Drawn awaiting them below, some believe Jesse and Aeslu, in concluding that the Founders had indeed climbed the mountain, visited the fabled city, and died on the return journey. Their prophecy of salvation, is just that, mere legend. Others remain faithful to their now outdated faith. Most of the Rixtirra who were not slain in the civil war, entered the Lowland to find new lives.

Like the two preceding books, The Summit is told in first person. The first two relied on Jesse's journal entries from the time of the events, and Aeslu's Chronicle of the Last Days, which is essentially a journal as well. Fire and Ice uses these sources as well, while also including interviews with people who were once Rixtir and witnessed these events. The Summit, on the other hand, is told completely through interviews the author Edward Myers conducted with Jesse himself some 50 years after the events of this series. Many different storytellers are not necessary because the only characters in the book are Jesse, Aeslu, and Forster. During this interview, taking place when Jesse is almost 80- he is missing several fingers due to frostbite. He is coaxed into talking about the events by offering a picture of Aeslu that Edward had somehow come across during his investigations. Aeslu had chosen to leave Jesse when he decided to return to the Lowlands- and he never saw or heard from her again.

The "Mountain Made of Light" trilogy is a very convincing adventure story depicting an insanely lengthy and dangerous journey. Faith conquers man, and man conquers nature. Though it takes place here on earth, the mountain land of Rixtir seems almost like an alien world, so far removed from our reality. 

The narrative of Edward Myers' Mountain Made of Light trilogy can seem choppy, jumping around between different characters' journals, letters, and interviews. This both gives deep insights into the characters' inner thoughts, and leaves a lot for the reader to fill in and imagine themselves. The investigative approach makes this a convincing Fantasy tale.

All said and done, after reading all three books, this series gets two thumbs up from me. Still more books beckon... 

Upward to the Summit! 

Edward Myers- "Fire and Ice"

Last book I read cover to cover. Fire and Ice is Book Two of the "Mountain Made of Light" Trilogy by Edward Myers. [Roc Fantasy, 1992, 432 pages] This trilogy takes place in the Peruvian Andes in the early 1920s, in an undiscovered mountain land known by the locals as Rixtir. It truly is a Fantasy series, but there's no evidence of magic. The writing style and setting is so convincing, it actually seems very real. 

The Mountain Made of Light (Book 1) begins the story with two Lowlanders (as the Mountain-Drawn say) entering the Mountain realm. Jesse O'Keefe is seeking to study the indigenous people as an aspiring anthropologist. Forster Beckwith is a rich man looking to climb an undiscovered mountain. The Rixtirra have a prophecy that speaks of this happening, defining one as the Man of Knowledge, who will lead the Rixtirra to the Mountain Made of Light, and depose the other, the Man of Ignorance. 

The people calling themselves the Mountain-Drawn have been undisturbed in the mountains for over 400 years, scarcely making contact with the outside world. There are two factions, the Heirs and the Umbrage. They are all superstitious people without much technical ability; they have no real metallurgy, for example. Among these people is Aeslu, a Wordpathguide (or translator) who begins to teach Jesse their language. These two fall in love in the process, starting to fulfill part of the prophecy that speaks of the Man of Knowledge being the Sun's Stead, who shall marry the Moon's Stead, revealed to be Aeslu. The two finally lay eye on the mythical Mountain Made of Light together in a tender moment. When Forster burns down the City of Rope at the end of Book 1, the two are separated in the destruction.

Long story told, the Heirs choose Jassikki (Jesse's Rixtir name) as the Man of Knowledge, while the Umbrage follow Forster. Aeslu (ever loyal to the Heirs) falls in with Forster and the Umbrage, and vows to betray him. She plans to stay close to him to wait for the proper moment to make a move. 

Forster takes his small force of Umbrage and begins to raid villages found in the valleys throughout Rixtir. He gathers supplies and followers and soon commands a much larger force. He finds Lowland supplies that he had stashed in the area prior to the events of Book One. Things such as his telescope, flashlight, phonogram, and especially dynamite both impress and terrify the Umbrage. He commands the Umbrage to mimic Lowlander supplies to prepare themselves to find the Mountain. Soon the Umbrage are dressed in pants, boots and jackets instead of robes. They craft these items to the best of their ability. All of this is done through Aeslu translating Forster's commands. It is no wonder the Umbrage saw Forster as the Man of Knowledge: He indeed gave them great new tools not only for climbing but for survival.

Meanwhile, Jassikki is among the Heirs. Their number has swollen with refugees from Forster's raids. Jassikki eventually shaves his beard, ties his hair back like the Heirs, and wears a robe, stepping fully into the role of the Man of Knowledge. He realizes that the Heirs' weak, merely ceremonial tools are far from sufficient to truly climb a mountain. At a city which is centered around a pyramid of ice, Jassikki figures out a secret intended by the Rixtir Founders, centuries in the past. The ice pyramid can be melted down instead of strengthened with more ice as is done every year. Reluctantly the Masters agree to this. At the center of the ice lay sophisticated climbing tools, from the time of the Founders. These supplies are made out of metals unknown to the Mountain Drawn. Here the Heirs are fully convinced that he is the Man of Knowledge.

The prophecy speaks also of the Mountain Stone and the Diadem: two ancient relics from the time of the Founders that serve as a map or guide to find the Mountain Made of Light, and thus salvation. The Diadem is a puzzle of many stones that when arranged correctly show the way to the mountain, while the Mountain stone, its' crown jewel, shows the way to actually climb it. Aeslu has the Diadem while Jassikki has the Mountain Stone. Thus, the Heirs are desperately seeking the Moon's Stead.

The Heirs make pursuit of of the Umbrage through the Mountain Land. The two opposing factions know small pieces of information about each other. There is a system of runners and messengers, as well as advance and rear guards to their forces. There are spies on both sides sending messages to their respective Man of Knowledge. 

Finally the Heirs move on the Umbrage camp, at the base of the Mountain Made of Light itself. A bloody battle takes place over a sheet of ice in complete darkness, there is mass confusion all around. The Heirs outnumber the Umbrage however, and drive them from their camp. Jesse and Forster have an intense ice-hatchet duel on a valley of cracked ice, a very thrilling confrontation, in which Aeslu tries to intervene. Jesse and Aeslu fall down a fissure while Forster begins the ascend the mountain on his own. A small group of Umbrage pursue him, but the Man of Ignorance has lived up to his name by abandoning his followers. Finding Forster's dynamite, Jassikki has one of the Heirs sling them toward Forster, trying to assault him as he climbs. Forster manages to escape while the explosions cause an avalanche. 

Jassikki, Aeslu, and what remains of the Heirs are left with the supplies from the Umbrage camp. They speak of preparing to ascend the Mountain Made of Light, and find the Founders Legacy at the summit, fulfilling the prophecy. The novel ends here, setting up the actual climb (and what is actually at the summit) for Book 3.

Now, the story is told completely in first person from the perspectives of various characters. Aeslu's are from "Chronicle of the Last Days"; she speaks much of the inner turmoil of playing along with Forster and the Umbrage, pretending to betray her people in order to betray the one she hates. Forster's segments are in the form of letters to his father, none of which reach their destination, and the last few never even sent; he speaks of figuring out the path to the Mountain and suspicions of Aeslu's loyalty, as well as his attraction and attempts to woo her.  Jesse's are told through his dated journal entries; he lays out all of his uncertainties regarding the prophecy, the Mountain Drawn, and Aeslu, especially his confusion following the death of his mentor Norroi (one of my favorite characters). This narrative technique leaves a lot for the reader to imagine and fill in, while still getting detailed insights to the characters' situations.

In addition, there are three characters the author, Edward Myers, claims to have interviewed during a visit in Lima in the 70s. These are an Umbrage woman, an Heir woman, and an Heir man, all of whom were there during the events of Fire and Ice. The old man is the slinger who himself barraged the Man of Ignorance. One of the old women gives Myers a pile of documents that are some of his alleged sources, including letters from Forster and Jesse's journals. Here the author has written himself into his own story, and made it a very convincing link to the real world. On the cover it is labeled as "A Fantasy Novel by Edward Myers". However, there is no text inside that says "This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental." Interesting...

As the Mountain Drawn would say: Upward to the Summit!