Review: The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry
Title: The Sheen on the Silk
Author: Anne Perry
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Ballantine
Release date: March 23rd, 2010
The Byzantine city of Constantinople was the heart of Christendom during late antiquity and the medieval period, yet it’s usually only studied in upper-level history courses. A city of legend and power, Constantinople was the center of the world. The Christians in the East had a different culture from those in the West, a different style of dress, a different church, and a more mystical way of thinking.
The Sheen on the Silk is the story of Anna Lascaris, who disguises herself as a eunuch called Anastasius Zarides, in order to work as a physician in Constantinople, where she hopes to discover how her fraternal twin brother Justinian was involved in the murder of Bessarion Comnenus, a leading figure in the fight for the Orthodox Church to maintain its sovereignty. The city of Constantinople was destroyed by Crusaders 70 years before the story begins, and the people are growing anxious as another Crusade is rumored to be on the horizon. As Anastasius, Anna must discover what happened to her brother, hiding her true identity and the secrets in her own past, while the web of political intrigue grows tighter around her.
The story is fast-paced, the mystery is pretty interesting as it develops, and the characters keep you guessing. They are all likeable, even the “villains”—many of the characters have understandable motivations or sympathetic reasons for the heinous things they sometimes do, and it’s difficult not to at least grudgingly admire them (though I’ll admit I found all the regret expressed over the death of one particular character confusing). Fortunately, the most likeable and admirable character in the story is Anna herself; she’s a woman of intelligence and skill, who is consistently honest and noble, refusing to lie to or flatter even those who have power over her.
The “woman-posing-as-a-man” plot device works better here than usual, because of Anna’s choice to pose as a eunuch; it’s convincing, since eunuchs are a separate class, physically different from either men or women. Because the reader has most likely never met a eunuch there’s a helpful lack of a point of comparison. This status allows Anna to have an advanced profession and be viewed by other characters as an adult, which would be impossible if she posed as a teenage boy.
The romance in The Sheen on the Silk is also handled well; it grows naturally out of the circumstances, and has an effect on the events of the story and their outcome. It’s not angsty or ridiculously dragged out; Giuliano and Anna get flickers of awareness of their feelings, but are not prone to examine them too closely. Giuliano’s attraction to a supposed eunuch is not played for laughs or even made much of beyond his bewilderment.
The only real disappointment in this book is that the setting is somewhat under-described. The historical place and time are used to create a unique political atmosphere, but the writing felt light on sensory detail. I can picture Venice easily, but Constantinople is new to me; I want to smell the spices in the air, see the Byzantine architecture crumbling and burnt before me, taste the olives, wine and cheese. There are points where the author touches on these details, but somehow Byzantium is not described with the richness I expected. Also, apart from Anna and Zoe Chrysaphes, a character meant to represent the soul of Byzantium, few of the characters are described in any detail that helped me to visualize them.
As for the religious aspects of the story, I didn’t feel the sense of mystery and the acceptance of the inscrutability of God that are characteristic of Orthodoxy. The person who best represents that openness in the book is Anna Lascaris herself, but the religious caste is portrayed as power-hungry and lacking faith in God (instead trusting in themselves to “help” God). Just one priest that represented the spirit of the Orthodox faith would have made the conflict between the Roman and Orthodox churches seem so much more meaningful. Only the characters who doubt that the church matters at all ask the important spiritual questions.
And important spiritual questions are asked, in a way that’s mostly satisfying and not preachy. The characters frequently revisit the question of God’s apparent silence, and in the case of Roman Bishop Palombara, this spiritual search rings especially true. Anna wonders how much the rituals and ordinances of a church matter to God himself, and whether such things are really worth dying for. Often she responds to spiritual questions with statements that I think are meant to be profound, but I usually found them confusing and modern-sounding. But ultimately, for Anna the matter comes down to an issue of freedom and sovereignty: Whether the beliefs of the church are true or not, it’s wrong for others to force the Byzantines to give up their convictions. I can agree completely.
Overall, the book’s strong points outweigh its flaws, and I found the story engrossing and the characters fascinating. If you’re looking for a historical novel with a realistic heroine and a tender, understated romance in an unusual setting, The Sheen on the Silk is a very good choice.
Purchase The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry.
This book is an ARC given to me by Marcia at The Printed Page.
Cover Attraction: Raven’s Ladder by Jeffrey Overstreet
Cover Attraction is a weekly occasion to post an eye-catching cover. The covers I post may be from books I own, something I’ve recently wishlisted, or just a cool cover I really think everybody should see. Sometimes I may have something to say about the artwork itself, but I’m not an art major or anything so please keep that in mind; I’m just trying my best to get the idea across.
Raven’s Ladder by Jeffrey Overstreet.
A DEADLY MENACE IS BREAKING THROUGH THE GROUND. THE PEOPLE OF ABASCAR MUST ABANDON THEIR STONE REFUGE AND FLEE INTO VULNERABILITY IN THE FOREST. BUT THEIR KING HAS HAD A VISION…
Following the beacon of Auralia’s colors and the footsteps of a mysterious dream-creature, King Cal-raven has discovered a destination for his weary crowd of refugees. It’s a city only imagined in legendary tales. And it gives him hope to establish New Abascar.
But when Cal-raven is waylaid by fortune hunters, his people become vulnerable to a danger more powerful than the prowling beastmen––House Bel Amica. In this oceanside kingdom of wealth, enchantment, and beauty, deceitful Seers are all too eager to ensnare House Abascar’s wandering throng.
Even worse, the Bel Amicans have discovered Auralia’s colors, and are twisting a language of faith into a lie of corruption and control.
If there is any hope for the people of Abascar, it lies in the courage of Cyndere, daughter of Bel Amica’s queen; the strength of Jordam the beastman; and the fiery gifts of the ale boy, who is devising a rescue for prisoners of the savage Cent Regus beastmen.
As his faith suffers one devastating blow after another, Cal-raven’s journey is a perilous climb from despair to a faint gleam of hope––the vision he sees in Auralia’s colors.
This is by far my favorite cover in the Auralia Thread. The colors are vibrant yet the image is shadowy, and the figure’s hidden face is intriguing. I’ve had Auralia’s Colors on my to-be-read list for awhile, and this cover makes me want to bump it up in the list. I guess that sounds shallow, but the truth is, I find I’m more drawn in by male characters on covers for whatever reason; or maybe it’s a certain type of male character. Just put a hero surrounded by the trappings of chivalry on a book jacket and I will be willing to at least look at the back cover copy. In this case, I bought the book, and will need to buy the middle volume soon.
Monday Reflections | 03-01-2010
New in the stacks:
Raven’s Ladder by Jeffrey Overstreet.
I picked this up yesterday off the new Fantasy and Science Fiction shelf at Barnes & Noble. The cover image completely captivated me, so you’ll probably see a post on this one later in the week. ;)
Back to Basics: Traditional Kitchen Wisdom ed. by Andrea Chesman.
“There’s something to be said for simpler times, when our way of life was wholesome and healthy. There were less pesticides and growth hormones in our food. We were self-reliant and self-sustaining. It’s easy to see why, with food costs on the rise, many people are returning to their roots-and root cellars-and finding solace in simple living.”
This book has beautiful color illustrations and helpful charts and guides for growing vegetables, canning, pickling, drying and so on. There is even introductory information for starting chickens and beekeeping near the end. I was disappointed to see an over-reliance on plastic as a storage material, but let’s face it, almost everybody is still using it, and even stored in plastic these foods will be healthier than what most people are eating. I have to admit, I expected something different based on the cover, title and description; I was looking for something with snippets of useful homekeeping wisdom from the past. This book is fine for beginners like me, but someone who already has books on gardening and preserving will probably not find much use for it.
Wishlisted:
Napoleon Concerto by Mark Mellon.
“Napoleon Lost At Waterloo. Right? The Napoleonic Wars: the world’s two great powers square off in deadly combat. France is militarily undefeatable under the greatest general in history, Napoleon Bonaparte. Britain’s Royal Navy rules the seas. Neither side can come to grips with the other, to engage and defeat a mortal enemy. The English whale confronts the French elephant with no practical way for either one to destroy the other. Or is there? The answers can be found in Napoleon Concerto, a novel of how history could have been that reads like Patrick O’Brien mixed with Jules Verne. Replete with authentic detail, filled with vivid characters (many drawn directly from history), with climactic scenes of battle on land and sea, and written with ceaseless pace and energy throughout, Napoleon Concerto will appeal to admirers of Napoleon, history buffs, science fiction fans, and lovers of plain old adventure alike.”
I discovered this book in a review at Fantasy Book Critic. Sounds tremendous!
Crisis of Doubt: Honest Faith in Nineteenth-Century England by Timothy Larsen.
“The Victorian crisis of faith has dominated discussions of religion and the Victorians. Stories are frequently told of prominent Victorians such as George Eliot losing their faith. This crisis is presented as demonstrating the intellectual weakness of Christianity as it was assaulted by new lines of thought such as Darwinism and biblical criticism. This study serves as a corrective to that narrative. It focuses on freethinking and Secularist leaders who came to faith. As sceptics, they had imbibed all the latest ideas that seemed to undermine faith; nevertheless, they went on to experience a crisis of doubt, and then to defend in their writings and lectures the intellectual cogency of Christianity. The Victorian crisis of doubt was surprisingly large. Telling this story serves to restore its true proportion and to reveal the intellectual strength of faith in the nineteenth century.”
What I’m Watching:
Under the Greenwood Tree starring Keeley Hawes and James Murray.
“In a small village in the south of England, Dick Dewy, a handsome working man, falls in love with Fancy Day, a newly arrived schoolteacher from a wealthy family who happens to be the village beauty. But other, richer men also want to win the hand of Fancy. There’s Farmer Shiner, a wealthy landowner, and Reverend Maybold, the decent young vicar. Who will win Fancy’s hand? And even if she agrees to marry Dick, will her father consent to the marriage? This charming, timeless story of rural life gave Thomas Hardy his first real taste of success, and with its rustic setting and moving tale of young love, it weaves a spell that still entrances today.”
This story was incredibly simple and sweet, and I loved it. Though I’m not sure it was the best introduction to Thomas Hardy because I hear he’s usually “gloomy”, and I know he was a naturalist writer, not at all my usual cup of tea. But I adore the sound of Southwest English accents, and this movie is replete with them. James Murray is not at all bad to look at, either.
What I’m Reading:
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.
This book is really riveting, and while I haven’t fully formed my thoughts on it yet, the characters and dual settings have really grown on me. I’m pondering things like “progressive” systems versus “reactionary” systems, about reading present-day mores and mindsets into the past or a fictional future posing as the past . . . Very interesting stuff, thought-provoking YA fiction.
. . . and for novel research, I’m also reading a bunch of what I call “purple books”, New Age books about the region I live in. Not exactly great literature, sorry to say.
What I’m Writing:
I finished the 7 Point Plan for Foxglove and am about to begin working on the rough draft. I am crazy about the setting and so excited to finally get started! This is another one that has been many years in the making.
What I’m Revising:
Still slogging through the Dogwood manuscript.
Around the House:
I’ve been working on organizing my writing, which is an enormous job. I have notes on unfinished projects almost ten years old.
Cooking:
Going to a friend’s house tonight to learn to make omelettes like Julia Child. Also going to learn to soak grains soon!
Spirituality:
I feel like I’ve been making a little more time for prayer and reflection lately, and it’s helping. As I slowly get control of my environment, getting my home and my days into the shape I want them to take, it’s easier to quiet my mind and spend time in prayer. But still, I’m just taking it day-by-day and trying not to over-reach.
Anime Review: The Twelve Kingdoms
It’s been a long time since I watched any anime. I used to be a full-time anime fan, starting all the way back at Robotech. Now however, though I still feel an abiding love for Japanese culture, anime has become less an obsession than just another thing to watch. So I was surprised when a series, not a recent one but completely new to me, captivated me and reminded me of what I loved about anime in the first place.
The Twelve Kingdoms (Juuni Kokuki) takes place in a fantasy setting with a Chinese mythological feel. Impatient with the lawlessness of the people, the gods once remade the world, dividing it into twelve kingdoms, each one ruled by a king or queen, chosen and then served by a holy creature called a Kirin (in the anime, something like a unicorn), who is given special care over that kingdom. In the Twelve Kingdoms, babies are grown on a tree in an egg-like cocoon called a ranka, and sometimes, when a typhoon-like wind called a shoku rises up from the sea, people from Japan can be blown into the Twelve Kingdoms, or a ranka may be carried into Japan.
If you’ve guessed that our Japanese school-girl heroine, Yoko, ends up in the Twelve Kingdoms at some point in the story, you’re right. However, unlike many people who are carried accidentally into the Twelve Kingdoms by a chance shoku, Yoko is struggling through a day at school when a handsome man with a mane of long white hair (Keiki, one of the holy Kirin) appears before her and kneels, swearing he will never desert her throne. At the same moment, supernatural beasts attack and Yoko is forced to flee into the Twelve Kingdoms. Maybe that’s not such a surprise, but everything in this anime is handled a bit differently than in your typical girl-transported-to-another-world series.
First of all, Yoko brings with her two “friends”: a girl, Sugimoto, who can’t stand Yoko and thinks there’s been a mistake—she is the magical princess who Keiki meant to bring to the Twelve Kingdoms; and a boy, Asano, who is cheerfully oblivious to the dangerous situation they’re in, and is enamoured of Sugimoto and clearly turned off by the obsequious Yoko who likes him.
These displaced Japanese aren’t welcomed into this new world with fanfare and a mission; instead, Keiki becomes separated from them, and they are regarded by the people they meet as the despised and cursed kaikyaku, hunted as criminals by a king bent on executing them as well as by monsters who have targeted them for an unknown reason. This is not a world in which everyone is rich, and some kingdoms are at subsistence-level, so those who are willing to take advantage of these outsiders are many. The main characters are starving, on the run, and betrayed at every turn.
Yoko herself is a different sort of heroine, and though she’s sympathetic, at first she’s hard to like. She’s not your typical high-school-aged main character, full of cheerful persistence (and the truth comes out much later that the Kirin don’t have a choice in the ruler they select—it’s a bit like falling in love, it seems—and don’t always know that the ruler will be a good one); instead she’s a self-conscious, timid middling-achiever who only says and does what will please others. Her schoolmates dislike her and her parents don’t trust her. She’s mealy-mouthed, self-pitying, and weak-willed. However, she has within her an ability to change and a desire to do good, and that’s what ultimately makes Yoko work as a main character. In her, many problems of the modern Japanese mindset about the individual versus society are explored, critiqued and in some ways resolved.
Apart from a fascinating setting and a unique take on old tropes, the anime is remarkable in its structure. While the first section focuses on Yoko’s journey from a self-pitying people-pleaser to a self-aware young woman with the potential to be Queen, the narrative eventually turns to explore the history of King En, a brash samurai-king who has ruled his kingdom of En for 500 years beside his Kirin, Enki, an eternal grouchy pre-teen. Then it follows the story of Taiki, a Kirin whose ranka was blown by a shoku into Japan. Not knowing his true identity, he lived there in an emotionally distant family until he was seven, was returned to the Twelve Kingdoms, chose a king, and now both Kirin and king are missing. The story changes focus like this frequently; it’s frustrating yet gives a sense of depth and history to The Twelve Kingdoms. Unfortunately, the anime series was never finished, and ends on a “review” episode, clearly with the intent that the story should continue in future episodes. It never did.
Still, in spite of the aggravating lack of an ending, the anime is well-worth watching (and the novels the series is based on are completed, I believe). The social issues explored, the questions asked about the relationship between gods, destiny and free will, and a refreshingly even-handed representation of monarchy all make The Twelve Kingdoms a stand-out series. I highly recommend it for those with a taste for the epic and a love of fantasy heavy on political drama.
Please read my disclosure policy for reviews. Most images in this post are from Hourai: The Twelve Kingdoms Fanlisting.
Recently Marked | February 25th, 2010
These are some of the interesting, useful or informative links I’ve wandered onto or been pointed to over the past week.
L. Jagi Lamplighter argues against those writers and critics who insist good writing cannot include any adverbs in “I Have Met the Enemy and It Is . . . Elmore Leonard”:
[The cutting of adverbs] is currently being taught as “good writing”. The same way not using run-ons and having a plot are good writing. But this is not a matter of good writing, it is a style—the same way using the address “Dear Reader” was a style a previous era.
Well, I would formally like to declare war with this school of style, until at which time they back off and admit that they are a preference, not a matter of good writing (much less a mortal sin!)
My take on it is that many people love rules because rules free them from thinking and having to make decisions. “Suggestions” require discretion, and a surprising number of people would rather be told what to do than take the time and effort to make a choice.
Darcy Pattison at Fiction Notes has posted a Checklist of 17 Character Qualities.
Each character quality links to a separate article about that aspect of character creation, like “Character Roles and Jobs”, “Inner Character”, “Character Flaws and Paradoxes”, “Body Language” and others. These could be some great starting points for brainstorming characters!
Fantasy writer Laura Resnick has a great page of her own suggested Writer’s Resources:
Whether you’re a beginning writer seeking basic self-education or a mid-career professional in need of specific information, this page contains a wide variety of recommended resources that may be useful to you. There’s also a section below that’s specifically for teenage writers.
What follows is a long list of books, blogs, articles, services, organizations, workshops, and websites that I can recommend. I am personally familiar with some of the resources on this page; all of the others were recommended to me by other working writers and publishing professionals.
Mike Flynn gives a brief overview of the witch burnings—or lack thereof—during the Middle Ages in “Witchcraft and the Dark Ages”:
Although some folk apply the term “Dark Ages” to the entire medieval period, others apply it only to the early middle ages and refer to the High Middle Ages as the Early Renaissance. This is done in service to belief, of course. It is not how the historians generally view things. (In fact, those have been abandoning such propaganda labels in favor of century labels.) But in any case, one of the most cherished foundation myths of the Modern Ages is that of the West’s struggle to free itself from the violence of religious intolerance. This is almost as basic as the myth of Galileo springing pristine from the brow of Copernicus.
One aspect of that violence was the witch mania.
(Though the commenters who point out that there are no citations in the article—holding the article up to higher standards than most blog articles usually are, I might add—are correct, the article includes plenty of names and facts that can be researched.)
Cover Attraction: Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev
(Not sure Marcia is still hosting this meme, but I had this post ready so I’m going ahead with it.)
Marcia at The Printed Page hosts Cover Attraction, a weekly occasion to post an eye-catching cover. The covers I post may be from books I own, something I’ve recently wishlisted, or just a cool cover I really think everybody should see. Sometimes I may have something to say about the artwork itself, but I’m not an art major or anything so please keep that in mind; I’m just trying my best to get the idea across.
Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev.
From the critically acclaimed author of Eyes Like Stars
We are such stuff as dreams are made on.
Act Two, Scene One
Growing up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith learned everything about every play ever written. She knew the Players and their parts, but she didn’t know that she, too, had magic. Now, she is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales, and determined to follow her stars. She is ready for the outside world.
Enter BERTIE AND COMPANY
But the outside world soon proves more topsy-turvy than any stage production. Bertie can make things happen by writing them, but outside the protective walls of the Thèâtre, nothing goes as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision between—
Nate: Her suave and swashbuckling pirate, now in mortal peril.
Ariel: A brooding, yet seductive, air spirit whose true motives remain unclear.
When Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him. She and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey aboard the Thèâtre’s caravan, using Bertie’s word magic to guide them. Along the way, they collect a sneak-thief, who has in his possession something most valuable, and meet The Mysterious Stranger, Bertie’s father—and the creator of the scrimshaw medallion. Bertie’s dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it’s Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess’s lair?
Once again, LISA MANTCHEV has spun a tale like no other—full of romance, magic, adventure, and fairies, too—that readers won’t want to put down, even after the curtain has closed.
Though I usually find the faerie-land of Shakespeare and Spenser unappealing, many books are written in related settings, and sometimes I just find them impossible to resist. I put off reading Eyes Like Stars in spite of its beautiful cover, but I don’t think I can turn the series down anymore after seeing this one (besides, I keep hearing good things about Eyes Like Stars). You can see more of Jason Chan’s artwork at his blog.
Win a Copy of BRIGHTLY WOVEN by Alexandra Bracken!
Alexandra Bracken is hosting a contest for a free copy of her fantasy novel Brightly Woven, and a bunch of other prizes!
When Wayland North brings rain to a region that’s been dry for over ten years, he’s promised anything he’d like as a reward. He chooses the village elder’s daughter, sixteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabel, who is a skilled weaver and has an unusual knack for repairing his magical cloaks. Though Sydelle has dreamt of escaping her home, she’s hurt that her parents relinquish her so freely and finds herself awed and afraid of the slightly ragtag wizard who is unlike any of the men of magic in the tales she’s heard. Still, she is drawn to this mysterious man who is fiercely protective of her and so reluctant to share his own past.
The pair rushes toward the capital, intent to stop an imminent war, pursued by Reuel Dorwan (a dark wizard who has taken a keen interest in Sydelle) and plagued by unusually wild weather. But the sudden earthquakes and freak snowstorms may not be a coincidence. As Sydelle discovers North’s dark secret and the reason for his interest in her and learns to master her own mysterious power, it becomes increasingly clear that the fate of the kingdom rests in her fingertips. She will either be a savior, weaving together the frayed bonds between Saldorra and Auster, or the disastrous force that destroys both kingdoms forever.
I’ve been looking forward to this book! Head on over and enter!
- About: A journey into the realms of high fantasy, folklore and medieval romance, with a nice cup of tea.
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PROGRESS:
Dogwood (Revisions)
pages: 14 / 158 (9%)
Foxglove
words: 0 / 90,000 (0%)
50 Book Challenge
books: 3 / 50 (6%)
Weekly Geeks 2010-7: Commenting
Now it’s time for Weekly Geeks. This week’s topic:
“Commenting. It can be a fun way to connect to your readers. It can be the a source of frustration as a blogger. A comment can make your day. A comment can cause an argument. Today let’s talk commenting.”
Comments. Some people have them, and some of us wish we had them. I get a few comments, and I always appreciate them. On a new blog like this one, every comment by a visitor encourages me to keep writing.
I don’t reply to every comment; I like to spend to commenting on other bloggers’ posts—a habit I’m working hard to cultivate. But any time I can think of a response to a comment here, I’ll reply. Just because I don’t reply doesn’t mean I’m not reading, and I smile every time a get a comment.
Unless it’s spam.
Speaking of spam, I started out using comment moderation, moderating first-time commenters, but I always feel like it makes a new user (especially one not so internet savvy, or one who has to work up a lot of courage to comment) feel alienated. In the end, I decided to use ReCAPTCHA instead, so visitors who are actually human can see their comments posted right away. ReCAPTCHA is not ideal, since it’s owned by Google (isn’t everything?), but I’ve yet to find a better captcha for my purposes.
So far, the only comments I’ve deleted are spam. I don’t have set rules for what I’ll allow or not allow in the future, whenever I (inevitably) post an article that turns someone into a flaming, typing ball of rage. The plan for now is to allow comments I disagree with, so long as the commenter is polite; downright ugliness will not be tolerated. To use a canned phrase, my blog is not a democracy (considering my political views, that idea is kinda funny), and I feel comfortable deleting if necessary, but I don’t mind being politely disagreed with. Also, comments that seek merely to enrage (i.e. comments from trolls) will be deleted without mercy.
Just so I don’t end this on a negative note, so far all commenters have been wonderful, and all comments have helped to cheer me up and keep me posting! My blog is still fairly new, but I hope it will be not only a place for me to post my thoughts on what I’m reading and writing, but a place for interesting discussion.