well written, boring | Banewreaker: Volume I of The Sundering

An interesting deconstruction of Tolkienesque Epic Fantasy | Banewreaker: Volume I of The Sundering | Jacqueline Carey

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	• Banewreaker: Volume I of The Sundering Jacqueline Carey Tor Fantasy, 2005 - 512 pages average customer review:based on 72 reviews view larger image
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Um Different

I bought this book because I loved Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series. This is way different but I should have expected as much. It's a well written, very detailed book and definitely gives a new perspective on good vs evil.

well written, boring

I have loved and quickly devoured all the Kushiel books, but this book just left me cold. It was a difficult read, not because the plot was so involved, but because it was really dull. I normally would read a Kushiel book in about two days max. It took me four weeks to finish this clunker. I found myself not really caring about a single character in it, and I won't read any more books in the series.

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An interesting deconstruction of Tolkienesque Epic Fantasy

After reading that rather wordy review title, you may be curious as to what it means. This novel, "Banewreaker", is essentially an attempt by Carey at completely deconstructing the Epic Fantasy novel, and in particular deconstructing "Lord of the Rings". There is a "Dark Lord", a Gandalf-like wizard, a hero king reclaiming the throne, and even the equivalent of a ring-bearer, but their actions and the environment which creates them is far more complex than in usual epic fantasy. Carey takes this, and manages to build a solid novel around creating sympathy for the "dark" side in epic fantasy.

The novel takes place largely from the perspective of the "dark" side characters, and it is here that Carey shines. The "Dark Lord" Satoris is portrayed as both sympathetic and flawed, driven by his own sense of righteousness and refusal to bend before another being that he refuses to consider his master (the supreme "god" of the setting, Haomane First-Born among the Shapers - Shapers being somewhat equivalent to deities within the setting). His lieutenants, Vorax, Ushahin, and particularly Tanaros are all portrayed sympathetically (but NOT as somehow perfect) as flawed beings with their own understandable motivations for serving Satoris, and these motivations help shape their actions throughout the story. More importantly, you become truly interested in these characters' fates, and you WANT them to succeed.

The mood of the story is also very well done, and helps to create an emotional connection between the reader and the story. The fundamental themes of the story are essentially the meaning of defiance in the face of "fate", and the nature of "evil" (namely, "if someone is considered to be evil by almost everyone, does it make it so?"). Carey really captures the mood of such a story in her work, to the point where you feel sad, angry, and are rooting for Satoris and his followers and their struggle in the face of what is brought against them.

The above, unfortunately, also leads to the major weakness of the book - its ultimately plot-driven nature. In order to keep her story consistent with the "epic fantasy turned on its head" and the obvious Lord of the Rings parallel, Carey essentially tries to force through a bunch of plot points, whether they are likely or not. While this does not really become a major problem until the second book in the duology, it does detract from the potential for a character-driven story, and weakens the story as a whole.

While I would not say this book is a match for authors like George RR Martin, it nonetheless represents a solid effort and attempt at executing a fascinating idea by Jacqueline Carey.

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no, it's not Kushiel's other story

Jacqueline Carey has a lot of fans from the Kushiel novels, and rightly so. Banewreaker & Godslayer are a different sort of fiction than the Terre D'Ange books, and I can appreciate why fans of one series do not necessarily have to be fans of the other. They are appealing in different ways, which isn't always pleasing to everyone.

There are a lot of "grey" areas in the morality behind Banewreaker's universe - far more than in the Kushiel novels. In the end, it comes down to the choosing of what one does in the moment. There is no good and evil when the narrators/historians afterwards are so untrustworthy in their reporting of things. There are only choices, and what might have been when we suffer what we choose.

It's not that Sartoris is good (or bad), or that Haomane is bad (or good)... everyone has their point of view of everyone, and we are all mirrors for each other. Ultimately, seeing the good and the bad is in us, and the choosing of the good and the bad is within us as we shape our universe.

And I don't think Ms. Carey is saying it's wrong to make choices, either good or bad. Choosing is a necessary part of it all. And fighting against our natures, fighting against what we must be - this is tragedy in the literary sense, and in reality. When you put away the illusions of thinking yourself good or evil, then what do you choose?

I thought these books were very powerful. Yes, I have a preference for the Kushiel novels. Yes, Banewreaker/Godslayer borrowed heavily from Tolkien, and I am a fan of the Lord of the Rings novels (not so much those corny movies)... I think Banewreaker & Godslayer will affect my future readings of Tolkien. I think Banewreaker & Godslayer can stand on their own, apart from Jacqueline Carey's other works.

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If all that is good thinks you evil... are you?

Once upon a time, the Seven Shapers dwelled in accord and Shaped the world to their will. But Satoris, the youngest among them, was deemed too generous in his gifts to the race of Men, and so began the Shapers' War, which Sundered the world. Now six of the Shapers lay to one end of a vast ocean, and Satoris to the other, reviled by even the race of Men.

Satoris sits in his Darkhaven, surrounded by his allies. Chief among them is Tanaros Blacksword, immortal Commander General of his army. Once a mortal man who was betrayed by King and Wife, Tanaros fled to Darkhaven a thousand years ago, and in Satoris's service has redeemed his honor-but left his humanity behind.

Now there is a new prophecy that tells of Satoris's destruction and the redemption of the world. To thwart it, Satoris sends Tanaros to capture the Lady of the Ellylon, the beautiful Cerelinde, to prevent her alliance with the last High King of Men.

But Tanaros discovers that not all of his heart has been lost--his feelings for Cerelinde could doom Satoris, but save the race of Men... (20050131)

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