Saturday, 23 July 2022 09:15 pm
Book Review: A Torch Against the Night
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deckardcanineYeah, I didn't feel like writing a whole review of The Little Prince -- too short. Let's just say I found it thought-provoking as long as I could shove aside all the unanswered obvious questions, as children do more readily than adults. I liked it about as much as the fast and loose movie. And with that, I was happy to move on to a young adult tome, the immediate sequel to Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes.
Immediately after the events of AEitA, Laia and especially Elias are possibly the most wanted fugitives in the Martial Empire. Their #1 goal is to rescue Laia's brother, Darin, from an infamous prison several months after his capture. It's not just a matter of personal love; Darin is thought to know a secret that could put the Scholars, among others, in a much better position to combat the Martials. But they'll have to hurry for more reasons than the obvious: A Scholar rebellion was all the excuse the Commandant needed to launch a genocide campaign, and Elias believes he doesn't have long to live after a venomous encounter.
This time, the duo are joined in alternating first-person, present-tense narration by Helene, who just became the Blood Shrike. On paper, that makes her second only to new Emperor Marcus in authority, but since she doesn't see eye to eye with him and is suspected of aiding near-boyfriend Elias, many officers openly disrespect her. Marcus has assigned her to bring Elias back alive for a public execution. She's seriously considering it, between imperial loyalty, fear of punishment, and resentment of Elias for straying to Laia, but she comes to believe there's a much worse threat to deal with. Coming with her are some other former comrades of Elias, plus the enigmatic Lt. Harper, who had been her torturer recently and is plainly there to keep tabs on her for the Commandant, but he has his own agenda, which may square more with Helene's.
As for the Commandant, she's even worse than I thought. At least Marcus, for all his sadism and bloodlust, feels guilt over his brother. The Commandant appears to have every mortal in the world, with the possible exception of herself, on her to-do-in list; the only question is whether she deems someone useful for now. And her skills, both mental and physical, beggar belief among readers and characters alike. Then, as if there weren't enough evil reigning in the empire already, we have the warden, a sharp intellectual who experiments scientifically with torture.
Fortunately, the heroes have considerable skills of their own. Laia in particular continues to discover more of what she's capable of doing, while Elias becomes more cognizant of his virtues, which are extraordinary for his upbringing. They also have a number of allies to whom there's more than meets the eye. Meanwhile, the godlike Augurs have a more obscure role than before, which suits me fine.
When the story isn't exciting, it tends to border on depressing. Victories for the good guys are few and usually costly (not that the bad guys are having a blast either). Being young, beloved, or present from the previous novel does not guarantee that an innocent will survive -- or remain good, if they ever really were. BTW, the love quadrangle from before continues until something pretty well finishes it.
That said, I never wanted to put the book down. I plan to read the threequel, A Reaper at the Gates, sooner than two years out, seeing as I'd forgotten several key details from AEitA.
I have now picked up The Flying Inn by G.K. Chesterton. Clearly written for another time and place, but I detect some relevance.
Immediately after the events of AEitA, Laia and especially Elias are possibly the most wanted fugitives in the Martial Empire. Their #1 goal is to rescue Laia's brother, Darin, from an infamous prison several months after his capture. It's not just a matter of personal love; Darin is thought to know a secret that could put the Scholars, among others, in a much better position to combat the Martials. But they'll have to hurry for more reasons than the obvious: A Scholar rebellion was all the excuse the Commandant needed to launch a genocide campaign, and Elias believes he doesn't have long to live after a venomous encounter.
This time, the duo are joined in alternating first-person, present-tense narration by Helene, who just became the Blood Shrike. On paper, that makes her second only to new Emperor Marcus in authority, but since she doesn't see eye to eye with him and is suspected of aiding near-boyfriend Elias, many officers openly disrespect her. Marcus has assigned her to bring Elias back alive for a public execution. She's seriously considering it, between imperial loyalty, fear of punishment, and resentment of Elias for straying to Laia, but she comes to believe there's a much worse threat to deal with. Coming with her are some other former comrades of Elias, plus the enigmatic Lt. Harper, who had been her torturer recently and is plainly there to keep tabs on her for the Commandant, but he has his own agenda, which may square more with Helene's.
As for the Commandant, she's even worse than I thought. At least Marcus, for all his sadism and bloodlust, feels guilt over his brother. The Commandant appears to have every mortal in the world, with the possible exception of herself, on her to-do-in list; the only question is whether she deems someone useful for now. And her skills, both mental and physical, beggar belief among readers and characters alike. Then, as if there weren't enough evil reigning in the empire already, we have the warden, a sharp intellectual who experiments scientifically with torture.
Fortunately, the heroes have considerable skills of their own. Laia in particular continues to discover more of what she's capable of doing, while Elias becomes more cognizant of his virtues, which are extraordinary for his upbringing. They also have a number of allies to whom there's more than meets the eye. Meanwhile, the godlike Augurs have a more obscure role than before, which suits me fine.
When the story isn't exciting, it tends to border on depressing. Victories for the good guys are few and usually costly (not that the bad guys are having a blast either). Being young, beloved, or present from the previous novel does not guarantee that an innocent will survive -- or remain good, if they ever really were. BTW, the love quadrangle from before continues until something pretty well finishes it.
That said, I never wanted to put the book down. I plan to read the threequel, A Reaper at the Gates, sooner than two years out, seeing as I'd forgotten several key details from AEitA.
I have now picked up The Flying Inn by G.K. Chesterton. Clearly written for another time and place, but I detect some relevance.