Ricardo PintoRezensionen

This was a reread of sorts, very enjoyable.

Interesting concept, I read the original story many years ago (The Chosen). This was a prequal to that story. I like world best of all, very caste driven, with lots of variety in socioeconomic structures. Lord Suth is my favorite character; he is just trying to do right by his son while trying to be a big bad Master...

3.5 estrelas
Final surpreendente!

My question is what has happened? The characters were great but nothing happened until at least the last hundred pages. It was chock full of unnecessary description. It had lots of potential was goodness. And the ending. I'm not even sure what I should be thinking. This may be the worst cliffhanger I've experienced with books. It was like I was watching the season finale of Endeavour all over again.

It was soooo dreamlike...that I fell asleep. Fairytales and timetravell stories had never been my favourite.

A brilliant story that gradually draws you in. Surreal but totally captivating. I couldn't put it down.

This is the third of NewCon Press’s fourth quartet of novellas – and I believe there’s another quartet due out next year, also containing, as this quartet does, a novella by Adam Roberts (is there no end to his productivity?). But this novella is by Ricardo Pinto, who is best known for his Stone Dance of the Chameleon fantasy trilogy. I have all three books, but have only read the first two. They are excellent. The third book, The Third God, I’ve been reluctant to pick up because, well, because it’s too bloody big to pick up. I bought the hardback when it was launched at an Eastercon in Bradford, it is humongous. And yet I loved the first two books. I really ought to get round to reading it. Maybe I’ll get a chance during those dark Scandinavian winter nights… Anyway, Matryoshka is completely unrelated to the Stone Dance of the Chameleon, and is perhaps best described as either science fiction masquerading as fantasy or fantasy masquerading as science fiction. The protagonist, a young man drifting about Europe after WWI, meets an enigmatic young woman in Venice and accepts her invitation to… another dimension. Where time runs faster the further you are from the portal. She persuades him to accompany her on a sailing trip to rescue her brother from a distant island where he was lost years before. When they get there, the brother is no more than a few months older. And when they return to the city, everyone else has aged decades. The concept is handled well, but this is a story which privileges the imagery and, fortunately, Pinto has the writing chops to pull it off. It feels a little like an excerpt from a longer work, or at least the world certainly deserves further exploration. This quartet is shaping up to be quite a good one, it has to be said.

I've read the work Ricardo Pinto before - in fact I was thrilled to find out there was new work by him. So, without reading through the blurb, I requested this book. The first paragraphs of this story set a tone that made me wonder if I had been too fast on asking for this story - it felt more like the intro notes for crime noir story than a fantastical tale that I was expecting.

However, as I read on, the tale unfolded as the main character, Cherenkov, slipped down the proverbial rabbit hole into not-quite wonderland, but a different land [1] all the same. By the time Cherenkov was about to leave for the second leg of his voyage, I was starting to get into the story. There were hints to the worldbuilding around this story that I wanted to get to the bottom of, even if both Cherenkov and Septima were not that captivating. There seemed to be a story behind Septima's family, that I wanted to figure out.

Worldbuilding and family history unfolded as Cherenkov learned more about it, with Octavio joining the group. One of the things that I enjoyed in this story, which I'm not sure was intentional or just the way I read it, was the cadence of it, tied to the time-theme of the story. The time, and the story cadence, of the time with the giant did not feel the same as the time back in Venice.

I liked this story, the worldbuilding associated with it especially. Yet, I was expecting a different ending, a tying up of loose ends and a way of history correcting itself. And while that does happen, it was not on the terms I was expecting [2].

[1] Land in the broadest sense possible, in order to include stuff that is actually not land, but that's kind of a spoiler anyway…

[2] Purposely left vague - spoilers will change your perception of this story.

I received this book as a part of Early Reviewers on Library Thing in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the third in a series of standalone novellas from NewCon Press called Strange Tales that, as they put it, "step outside the norm."

****MAJOR SPOILERS****

After Word War II, a Nazi army deserter named Cherenkov wanders Venice aimlessly, not sure of what to do with himself, how to find forgiveness for own actions in the war, or how to reconcile what he now understands about the darker side of humanity. He carries with him a few personal possessions: a pack of cigarettes, a box of matches, and a set of Russian nesting dolls known as a matryoshka.

Cherenkov runs into a woman named Septima and shares a random encounter of passion with her before she even more randomly asks him to accompany her on a journey. (We later learn Cherenkov is not her first choice, but he'll do, basically. How flattering, LOL. Though considering he doesn't have anything better to do than wallow in self-pity and he will obviously get laid again, Cherenkov's reasons for agreeing to go with her aren't much more flattering.)

Septima takes Cherenkov through a secret doorway and through a secret room (guarded very pointedly by a Jewish woman for some reason), emerging in a marshland with a boardwalk that leads to a bronze door. Cherenkov is then escorted by Septima and her family to their ancestral home, a Venetian tower that for whatever reason is stuck in the Baroque period (I get the idea that his family just likes this time period?? But, it could be more significant than that) in a city called Eboreus. It is sort of an in-between world, off the shores of our own and surrounded by the Infinite Ocean. Cherenkov is officially introduced to Septima's mother, the matriarchal leader named Sexta, who is Tribune of this strange land out of time, as well as Septima's father (Heinrich) and grandfather (Anzolo). Cherenkov then partakes of a bizarre Baroque meal dressed in ostentatious Baroque clothing (though he forgoes the wig LOL) surrounded by Baroque everything else (family paintings, furnishings, table settings, wall decor, knickknacks, and so on).

During the awkward dinner conversation, we learn a few things. Septima's journey is to "find an old man" and that custom forbids a fellow Eborean from going with her, so she asked Cherenkov as outside help because her parents don't want her to journey alone (kind of flimsy to me--they are more comfortable with her going with a total stranger than by herself?). Time in Eboreus is measured in "octals" (it is never explained exactly why this is the case, just that it is). There is no sun. Any light in Eboreus emanates from the items that occupy Eboreus, from plants and people to animals and every day objects. But also this light grows more intensely disconcerting the farther you sail into the Infinite Ocean and doesn't seem to be coming from anything in particular, so I have no idea. The family can trace their lineage back fifteen hundred years and somehow found Eboreus in our time of 452 AD while fleeing the Huns. They have been there ever since. It's not clear why they stayed, how they came to be leaders there, whether Eboreus was just created in that moment out of their need and desperation or had always existed (in this incarnation or not), or how they came to understand the mysteries of this strange land. They can die, but also seem immortal by our standards due to how slowly time progresses where they live.

The next morning, Cherenkov and Septima depart on their journey, which should take 20 days round trip. After a tumultuous, angry, confusing, sex-filled, and blinding ocean voyage heading "toward the light," they finally encounter some islands of seaweed upon which live the old man (who can be whoever you want him to be; for Septima he is a Neanderthal) and a small boy fallen out of time. He turns out to be Octavio, Septima's long-lost uncle and Sexta's brother, who had stowed away on a ship, wandered onto the seaweed islands, and didn't find his way back to the ship in time to go home with Sexta, who searched for Octavio with Heinrich for three days before leaving. It seems to us at this time that Septima's mission was to find Octavio on the old man's seaweed island and bring him back. We also start to see that many of their names are based on numbers: Sexta means "sixth," Septima means "seventh," and Octavio means "eighth."

Octavio is very into the bright light, which is blinding now that they are on the seaweed island, and does not bother to wear his protective tri-corner hat like Cherenkov must (it has opals sewn into the brim that deflect the light and make it bearable), always saying he knows where Heaven is. At times, Octavio even looks like he is made of light himself. He also hears people singing. (I think this light is supposed to represent something significant, but I don't know what it is or where it comes from. All I can glean is that, the farther away from Eboreus you go, its purpose is less functional as a light source that emanates from objects and more like a... harshly judgmental light in the sky whose source is unknown?? It makes most people very uncomfortable when they look at it, but not just because it's bright. It seems to be because it, I don't know... almost makes them feel shame or guilt, like they aren't worthy of looking at it? Perhaps Octavio, a child and, therefore, considered free of sin, welcomes it because it welcomes him. Maybe this book is more religious/spiritual than I realized? I am not sure.)

Septima insists they must stay with the Neanderthal for three days, which we learn is equal to 8 years of Eboreus time (I think this is why Septima's "old man need" turned out to be the Neanderthal, because of his slowing effect on time). This was not something she told Cherenkov before he agreed to go with her. Oops. So, returning Octavio to his home turns out to be more like a secondary mission, and the primary mission was to realign Septima's time with Eboreus time.

We also learn that Septima had a husband in our world and this husband is who she wanted to bring back as her mate to give the Tribunate "new blood," but he died (presumably in the war?). (Like her mother, Septima can't mate with someone from Eboreus because it would bring the common folk too close to the royalty, so they go to our world to bring back a man of their choosing.) Basically, Cherenkov learns that Septima is not just using him, but withholding information from him so he remains ignorant of what really is going on, because she is afraid that otherwise he wouldn't do what she needs him to do (which really at this point is to give her a baby). Septima and Cherenkov then have a lover's spat, sullying their "lovemaking" by calling it something "from the dark" and arguing over whose past is more tragic. (It turns out Septima was also involved with the Nazis. This is another point of confusion for me, as there are some weird exchanges and reactions at their family dinner about Russians and Germans and Jews in general and the Jewess who guards the door leading out of Venice to Eboreus... honestly, it all seemed extraneous and over-complicated and I couldn't be bothered to try to understand it.)

Cherenkov decides he wants to leave early after hearing this news, but a timely storm delays that plan by land-locking their boat. Eventually, they free the boat with the Neanderthal's help. Octavio's luminous, happy self begins to fade as they sail away from the seaweed islands, eventually culminating in this ominous statement: "See how we fall away from our angelic state?" (Perhaps this is to insinuate that his childhood innocence is fading away? Or that they are moving away from Heaven, which the light may represent? No clue.) Octavio regains some joie de vivre the closer they get to home... until he greets his father (Anzolo). Neither Sexta nor Anzolo seem happy to see Octavio, and Anzolo has an episode that threatens his health. He dies a short time later from the shock of seeing the "ghost" of his dead son. (This means Octavio's mother died from grief when he was lost and his father died from shock when he was found--I'm sure that's meant to be significant, but I don't know how.)

Later, Sexta reluctantly lets everyone (even Octavio, though he is never really forgiven for disappearing) tell her their story, at which point we learn that now that they are home it's even farther in the future than Septima intimated previously because time goes more slowly in Eboreus than in our time and the Neanderthal's time goes even more slowly than that. In the end, Cherenkov is told that almost 70 years have passed since he met Septima. (I want to say he is "understandably angry" when he learns this, but I am not sure why Cherenkov didn't make any of these connections earlier, honestly. I guess we are meant to conclude that he thought that time in his world would either stand still or remain constant while he was in this strange land, but that just seems silly and naive given where he is and what he has witnessed so far and that they told him TIME IS MEASURED DIFFERENTLY THERE during the awkward dinner. I am also not sure why he is constantly surprised that Septima is a pathological liar.)

Anyway, despite this, Cherenkov still wants to go home (which also seems silly to me because there is nothing there for him at all and he knows this because Heinrich showed it to him on a computer they somehow brought into Eboreus). Octavio decides to go with him. First, however, Cherenkov agrees to attend a ball in celebration of the return of Septima, the Heir Apparent, to placate traditions. (I am not sure why Cherenkov feels obligated to do this. I am also not sure why the royal family would WANT him there because, regardless of tradition, how seemly is it to have some random consort for Septima who is never seen again, particularly since it would make it obvious the baby she eventually has was due to a one night stand with him?) The day after the ball, Octavio and Cherenkov leave and go to our time. They spend less than a day there before Cherenkov freaks out and decides he has to go back to Eboreus, but Octavio refuses to go back until he is older and runs away, leaving Cherenkov a note and a promise.

This is where the story started to fall apart for me, and I really began to lose track of what was happening and how and why.

Cherenkov finds his way back to the Neanderthal... somehow. (Even if he could find his way back to the ancestral tower, how does he not get seen by members of the family? Even if he doesn't get seen, how does he get the boat? Steal it from the royal family? And, how does he sail it? Septima was the one with a sailor's skills and it didn't seem like a novice could do it on their own. Does he still have his hat so he doesn't go insane from the light? Even if he manages to sail the boat, how does he find the Neanderthal? Septima says you just "follow the light," but I don't see why that would apply to Cherenkov since he isn't from Eboreus so why would Eborean rules apply to him? There is nothing done to address how Cherenkov does any of this on his own--he just "retraces his steps.")

Cherenkov stays with the Neanderthal until eventually a "stranger" shows up who turns out to be Octavio, all grown up, who has come to fulfill his promise to Cherenkov that they will "seek the singing light together." He tells Cherenkov that everyone in Eboreus is fine and only a year older than when he left, and that Septima had a baby (Octavia). She had known she was pregnant at the time Cherenkov was there (not a surprise!), but did not tell him because she knew he'd stay if there were going to be a child and she didn't want him there if he didn't love her (it doesn't seem to matter that she didn't love him, either?). Cherenkov, of course, wants to go and see his child, but Octavio convinces him that it doesn't make sense to do that because the child would be six-years-old by the time they got there, so instead they walk into the light together.

At this point, I became confused about the mechanics of all this because it makes no sense to me that Octavia would be 6-years-old by the time they got back:

- When Cherenkov was with Septima, it was only 17 days round-trip for their Neanderthal visit (not including the 3 days spent on the seaweed island). There is no explanation of this discrepancy, and nothing to indicate it was any longer for Cherenkov to get there when he went on his own, so why does it take Octavio so long on his own?

- When Cherenkov and Septima rescue Octavio, I got the idea that it was 48 years later by the time they got back to the tower because that was how much time had passed in Eboreus since Octavio was lost, his father was elderly, Septima's parents' appearances had changed significantly, etc. But, I don't understand how this is so for Septima and Cherenkov, for whom only 8 years should have passed by the time they returned to the tower. Whose perspective do things work from when more than person is involved? How could 48 years have passed for Septima and Cherenkov too, even though they were not on the island to gain the extra 40 years from Octavio's time there? And, if 48 years do pass, doesn't his kind of negate what Septima did to adjust her own time or is all that matters that she is lined up from the 8 years, even if in doing so she gained an extra 40 from Octavio's timeline by rescuing him?

- Similarly, what would this have meant if Cherenkov and Octavio tried to go back to Eboreus together? Why does Octavio think Octavia would only be 6-years-old to both of them when Cherenkov has been gone 40 years like Octavio had been the first time? Wouldn't that mean, for Cherenkov, Octavia would be more like mid-40s?

I kind of wish the story had ended here because even though not everything made sense to me, I had drawn my own conclusion that Cherenkov and Octavio basically chose to die and went to the Heaven that Octavio was always talking about previously as a child on the Neanderthal's seaweed island.

But, there is a "coda" at the end and I have to admit I have no idea what it means. The best I could come up with is that they walked into the light and it leads them to the very center of the Infinite Ocean where they find a man "brighter than the sun," who is frozen in a stance while reaching for... something (I have no idea what all of that is supposed to signify). They apparently run away from that because it is scary and take a boat to a different seaweed island and go ashore to find seven figures looming there. An awed Octavio concludes that these figures are showing them who "Man is to become." The end. (*sigh* Again, I have no idea what this means or why they were taken there after seeing the reaching man, if these people are who Octavio heard singing as a child, if they are from the future, if they are gatekeepers of Heaven, if they created the bright light, if they are aliens, if they are gods, if they made Eboreus, and so on. I also have no idea why Octavio and Cherenkov would be shown these things. This ending was particularly disappointing for me because there is a difference between being vague enough to allow readers to draw their own conclusions and being so nebulous that the story just feels incomplete.)

And, there is still the whole numbered descendants thing. Cherenkov's daughter is basically like a second "eighth" since there is already Octavio. It seems like this is supposed to be significant somehow, like the Tribunes are numbered and Septima would be the seventh Tribune once she takes over from her mother and Octavia would be the eighth and so on, but there had to have been more than six Tribunes over 1,500 years (unless they really are immortal and only die when they choose to??) and it also wouldn't explain how a boy like Octavtio could be numbered because Tribunes all seem to be women. Unless it means that Octavio was numbered but for a different reason--perhaps to be the eighth figure in the set of seven figures they see at the end? Plus, what does all of this mean for Cherenkov? Is he like the awkward ninth wheel who isn't meant to be there? I wish all of that were explained more--or in a more obvious way that I could sort out.

Lastly, I am sorry to say that I am not sure what the matryoshka had to do with anything in this story, aside from Cherenkov showing Septima the dolls while they were sailing to the old man and both Septima and her mother "looking like painted dolls" at a couple points in the story--none of which had anything to do with the plot. The only thing I can think is it is meant to be a metaphor for what Cherenkov discovers about the world during these travels: that there are worlds (reaching man) within worlds (seven looming figures) within worlds (Neanderthal's island) within worlds (Eboreus city) within worlds (his own home), and, consequently, times within times, fates within fates, families within families, stories within stories, people within people, and that opening the doors to all of these discoveries is like opening each layer of a matryoshka. It also seems that his grandmother giving him the doll was a portent, whether she knew it or not, of him traveling on an ocean, Infinite or not. Not sure if that is supposed to be obvious, significant, or coincidental.

TIME TRAVEL LOGISTICS

I am going to spend some time (pun intended!) on the time travel aspect now, because I was curious if it would line up. Here is how I calculated things based on the time references discussed in the book. (Disclaimer: I am not sure at all that these are 100% correct, but they at least seemed to line up for me.)

If in Eboreus:

- 1 Eborean day is 8 days in our time
- 8 Eborean days is 64 days in our time
- 1 Eborean year is 8 years in our time
- 8 Eborean years is 64 years in our time
- 40 Eborean years is 320 years in our time

If in our time:

- 1 day in our time is a couple hours in Eboreus
- 8 days in our time is almost nearly 1 day in Eboreus
- 1 year in our time is 45 days in Eboreus
- 8 years in our time is 360 days in Eboreus
- 40 years in our time is almost 5 years in Eboreus

If on the Neanderthal's island in the Infinite Ocean:

- 1 Neanderthal day is about 2 1/2 Eborean years
- 3 Neanderthal days is 8 Eborean years
- 8 Neanderthal days is 20 Eborean years
- 16 Neanderthal days is 40 Eborean years

So, let's look at their individual stories, as I understand them in my mind. The two points of logic I chose to use as a base according to my understanding of the metapsychics in this book are:

- While you are in a location, time is calculated according to the rules of that location; meaning, traditionally in time-travel stories, time is relative to itself, whereas in this story time is relative to a location.

- You do not immediately add or subtract years to your age upon going to another location; meaning, your personal age upon entering a new location is based upon where you were, not adjusted to where you have arrived.

For example:

- If you are 18 when you leave from Eboreus and go to our time for 1 year, the length of your stay in Eborean terms while you are here is calculated using our time as a base, so you would return to Eboreus as a 19-year-old while friends that were your age when you left Eboreus would only be 45 days older when you got back.

- If you are 18 when you leave from our time and go to Eboreus for 1 year, the length of your stay in our terms while you are there is calculated using Eboreus time as a base, so you would return to our time as a 19-year-old while friends that were your age when you left here would be 8 years older when you got back.

- If you are from either place and you stay with the Neanderthal for 1 year, well... that's a damn long time in either ours or Eboreus' terms.

Septima: When Cherenkov meets her, she is in her early 20s, which means she must have left Eboreus to come to our time at 16 or so. Upon returning to Eboreus, she is then 8 years ahead of everyone else, appearing to be 24-ish while everyone there has only aged about 45 days. She evens out the discrepancy by staying with the Neanderthal so her time is calculated according to his rules, allowing her (and Cherenkov) to age only 3 days while everyone back in Eboreus ages 8 years.

Cherenkov: Let's say he is in his mid-to-late 20s when he meets Septima. He is away for 28 days of Eborean time (17 Eborean days traveling + 3 Neanderthal days + 8 Eborean days waiting for the ball). Upon returning to his time, Cherenkov is still the same age because he was only in Eboreus for 28 days. However, it seems his time period gained an additional 65 years (the book said 70 years; close enough I guess?) because of the 8 Eborean years (64 years of our time) that passed with the Neanderthal (to Cherenkov that was only 3 Eborean days, but to the time continuum it was 64 years). Upon returning, Cherenkov is in our time for less than 1 day before returning to Eboreus, then makes his way to the Neanderthal and is with him for 2 weeks when Octavio finds him (so he is still basically his same age of mid-to-late 20s).

Octavio: At 11 or 12 years old, Octavio stays with the Neanderthal for approximately 16 days. Then, he stays an extra 3 days with Cherenkov and Septima, so (I think) that means Octavio is gone for more like 48 Eborean years, rather than 40 because he has his original 16 days, plus the extra 3 days. So, when he returns to his own time (still a child) 48 years have passed in Eboreus. Octavio decides to go to our world for 8 years so he isn't a kid anymore (at first I thought he was trying to be as old as Sexta, but 8 years in our time isn't nearly long enough to do that). When he comes back everyone in Eboreus has only aged 1 year but he is now 19 or 20. From what I can understand, he basically leaves right away to find Cherenkov because Octavia is still a baby when he departs (which only made me wonder what the point was of returning there at all, but I digress). I think we are supposed to infer that it took Octavio 3 years to get to Cherenkov and then it would be 3 years back if they wanted to see Octavia (thus making her 6-years-old), so add on the 3 years to get to Cherenkov and Octavio is about 22 or 23, which I guess does make him around the same age as Cherenkov (the author never tells us how old he is, so I just guessed; I appear to have guessed closely? maybe?).

FINAL THOUGHTS

I went back and forth between 3 and 2 stars. This review is very... I guess I would say... clinical. The author's writing was a little fanciful and dream-like at times, and I wanted to work out the time travel with the plot to reconcile it all in my head. Time travel isn't easy to do in the first place, and the logistics of this one were, I think, even more complicated than a typical time travel story. These people weren't going back and forth between their own time and the past or future at specific points in time ("it is 2018 AD and I am going back to 1452 AD")--what matters is the when not the where. Rather, they were entering parallel worlds where time passed at different rates, usually to manipulate that to their advantage (gain or lose time in another world)--what matters is the where not the when.

Though I could follow at a high level what was going on, I do (as you could probably tell in the review) have a lot of unresolved questions and points of confusion. Because of the complexities involved, I am not sure if these are due to the author simply overlooking things or my own failing in understanding all that was transpiring. This is a novella, but there is so much going on--I didn't realize how much until I actually sat down to write this review in a linear manner that follows the story.

But, having said all that, I brought it up to 3 stars because it is a unique exploration, I did enjoy some aspects of it, and I respect the risk the author took in writing this.

Picking up from The Standing Dead, The Third God finds Aurum, now exiled, in in the Earthsky wreaking havoc and seeking to capture Osidian to return him to Osrakum where he will meet his fate. Osidian however intends returning to Osrakum to a very different destiny, a triumphant return to claim from his usurping brother what he sees as rightfully his. Carnelian now sees his only way forward is to aid his former lover Osidian in his battle, his hope is to avert any reprisals by the Chosen against his beloved Plainsmen. So it is, along with Fern, Poppy and Krow and an assorted army of Plainsmen, Marula and Sartlar that Osidian and Carnelian begin their struggle to return to Osrakum. In the face of overwhelming odds, and not without a few setbacks they slowly claim one victory after another; yet they have still not encountered the defending forces of Osrakum or Molochite's scheming. Nor do they know what role the Wise will play in the outworking of events.

Driven by dreams he does not always fully understand yet feels certain foretell that they will succeed, Carnelian fights alongside Osidian. Throughout Carnelian is torn between his hope of saving those he loves and serving as Osidian's ally and accomplice in his seemingly malicious and relentless carnage. Despite all that Osidian has done it is clear he still has some affection for him, but he struggles to avoid resuming the relationship they once enjoyed, despite Fern seeming ever more distant and cold toward him, any hope of the longed for intimacy with him seeming now lost. To add to his worries Carnelian fears what effects their assault may be having on his family in Osrakum.

Despite its length, The Third God never for one moment wanes in its attention grabbing narrative; from the drama of the battles to the intimacy of relationships, from the squalor and degradation of the slaughter to the the order and grandeur of Osrakum, the minutiae and intricacy of the plot always encouraging careful reading. There is certainly much blood and gore, along with assorted other bodily fluids, through which Carnelian and the others sometimes literally have to wade; in addition to the often graphic carnage and mutilation; but as we eventually learn some of the history of The Three Lands we gain some understanding. A remarkable epic that moves relentlessly forward, there are times when the story seems on the verge of falling into a clichéd delaying diversion, but it never does, on each occasion it surprises with a new twist. A most rewarding story with a very satisfying conclusion, I enjoyed every word of The Third God.

For those who have not read the two previous novels, The Chosen and The Standing Dead, the author has provided a synopsis:

http://www.ricardopinto.com/work/stone_dance/cornucopia/synopses/index.php

Briefly: Carnelian and his father, a Ruling Lord, live in exile on a remote island with their household of slaves and lower caste relations. The story follows their summons to return home as the elections for new God Emperor are about to take place.

That may not sound very remarkable, yet this is fantasy with a difference. Pinto has created an imaginary and complex world dominated by a strict hierarchy and caste system, from the Chosen and Ruling Lords down through various levels to the lowest sub-human creatures who are nothing more than mere expendable labourers. But what differentiates The Chosen from the norm is that here there is no magic, no supernatural powers, no evil spells. Pinto’s fantasy depends entirely on the creation of an incredible imaginative world, the intrigues of the Lords, and the viciously cruel inhuman treatment of the lower castes, along with a carefully thought out complex history. It is also a world in which marriage is a matter of purity of blood line, and physical love between men raises no eyebrows.

It is in such a cruel world that Carnelian stands out as an individual. Raised in exile away from the Ruling Lords Machiavellian dealings amongst themselves and the ruthless and merciless treatment of their subordinates, Carnelian is untainted by such attitudes and is caring even when dealing with the slaves of his household. As such he is immediately appealing, and one is happy to follow him through this 700 page epic. That the book is intelligently and well written, the description so vivid, the characters so well developed, simply makes it all the more compelling. It does at times require effort on the part of the reader, but it is effort rewarded.

Kidnapped to be buried alive a matter of days before Osidian is to become God Emperor, he and Carnelian are unwittingly reprieved, only to be destined to be sold into slavery as trophies. But even from that fate they are rescued only to become captive of the Plainsmen of Earthsky

To effect their own escape the Plainsmen plan to leave the two Masters behind as a decoy, but in a snap decision Carnelian pleads with them that they take him and Osidian with them. As they struggle for survival finding a circuitous route to Earthsky, with Osidian ever weakening with fever, Carnelian becomes drawn to his captors and is prepared to make his way with them, but will Osidian, if he survives, so readily accept such a fate?

Above all it is the character Carnelian who makes the story so compelling; young as he is, his strong sense of loyalty, love and compassion, and his vulnerability cannot fail to win the reader’s heart. It is those very qualities that make the dilemma of his situation so difficult, and the restraints he imposes on his growing relation with Fern especially touching.

An enthralling sequel to the Chosen and perhaps even more captivating and more readily accessible, The Standing Dead is a brilliantly conceived story. Pinto creates a fantastic and vividly portrayed prehistoric landscape, an environment at times luxuriantly rich in flora and fauna, but at other times arid and unbearably hot. The suffering Plainsmen lead a tribal life rich with its own customs; it is not surprising that Carnelian is drawn to theses close knit people as he sees the suffering the domination of the Masters causes. But it is not long before Carnelian realises that he may be the cause of something even worse, the very downfall of everything here he has come to cherish.

The Third God is the last book of the Stone Dance of the Chameleon, a much anticipated ending to the series. Although the wait for this third book has been long, it was worth it.

At the end of The Standing Dead, the Ochre tribe has been massacred by Osidian, who becomes the most cruel and bastard person in the world in Carnelian's eyes. But there is also the threat of the Masters coming to Earthsky, putting the lives of Carnelian's loved ones in danger, so that he is forced to protect and ally with Osidian in order to save them.

The Third God tells of the return of Osidian and Carnelian to Osrakun, the war they wage against the Chosen that stay in their way and Osidian's revenge against his brother and mother.

I thought, when I bought the book, that the title was one Big Spoiler. It is, and it isn't. In some sense it warns to the existence of another God, but its significance is really only learnt at the end of the book. There's a revelation that the title hints at, but only at the what, and not at the how.

Beautifully crafted in terms of world building, this book requires some time to read. Not only because of its size, but because of the pace of the action, that is not as fast as most fantasy, but takes time to describe both the beauty of the places and people, and the horror of War and human nature. Since the first book that I loved the Caste System that rules the Three Lands, the Masks and Costumes, the different people that inhabit it, and the sheer complexity of the politics and laws that make the world that is found in The Stone Dance of the Chameleon.

I admit to being lost on some parts, when I couldn't remember exactly what happened in the previous books (after all, it has been some time since I read them), and when sometimes I couldn't see much sense to the characters actions. But when all the pieces finally were set in place, and the "secret" comes out, it makes so much sense, and it's perfect. That probably was what I loved the most in The Third God – the discovery of the founding stones of that society, the whys of the rules set in place. Much like in Tolkien's Silmarillion, I wanted to delve into the History of that fantasy world, that because of its complexity and level of detail, feels frighteningly real.

My favourite character from the beginning of the series was Osidian, and it was with some sadness that I came to realize that the story was not about him. It was with some apprehension that I continued reading, dreading what usually happens to characters that are evil in any way: their death. Osidian is not "The Evil One", although he is not a very pleasant fellow either. One of the strong points of The Stone Dance of the Chameleon is that it's ripe with morally grey characters, there is no black and white. Osidian is completely brutal and monstrous, but at the same time very much like a lost child in search of approval and love.

I loved reading this series, but, like it usually happens with good things, I'm sad that it came to an end. Different from most fantasy I've read, it evokes a vivid imagery every time I think about it. Not a fast or light read, but an immensely enjoyable one. I will probably do a re-read of the entire series in a near future.

Also at Spoilers and Nuts½

I attempted to read this book. It looked somewhat promising. I was not able to finish it. Too much brutality without artistry, beginning to become sick indulgence. If I want to spend two days immersed in human cruelty, I'll watch TV. Maybe it is an outstanding book, but I couldn't read it.

If you enjoy long and engrossing descriptions of people, cultures, and architecture, and are not bothered by brutality in your reading, then this book is for you.

I gave up. This book has one of those long, drawn-out background-introductions. At 112 pages into the book, I felt nothing significant had happened.

There are some interesting concepts going on concerning the ruling/nobility class, their cruelty, and rigid structure, but these concepts are not enough to keep me slogging through pages without any sign of action.

STONE DANCE OF THE CHAMELEON