Talonsister review- thoroughly modern classic fantasy
The most charming fantasy novel I've read for a very long time… curl up with it.
We live in a golden age for fantasy and sci-fi writing. These genres have always been associated not only with geeky bearded white men, but also with their (perceived) perspectives. So male characters were centred, female ones objectified, and being non-white represented as non-human. The old D&D editions and Conan-style novels are the classic examples of this.
This has changed in recent years with the arrival of more diverse voices and therefore perspectives, that have used the medium to question gender, racial and economic divisions. So in sci-fi, Ann Leckie has explored what it is to be a person in her genderless Ancillary series, while Harmony Arkady’s Teeixcallan series critiques Empire through a story of court intrigue. In fantasy, I have been blown away by Marlon James's African phantasmagoria, and loved the way to that RF Kuang’s Babel, which I reviewed here, subverts the tropes of Harry Potter. These are all excellent books, which I recommend.
But such diversity and political engagement is often accompanied by experimental prose and Byzantine plotting. Leckie’s characters are often so buttoned down it can be hard to engage with them, and at times James seems to deliberately want to confuse the reader.
None of these shortcomings attach to Talonsister. In fact it initially seems almost quaintly trad. The world map resembles the charts which guided 15th century navigators, with areas we are clearly supposed to identify with their real-world equivalents. It's very familiar to anyone who grew up with Warhammer’s old world lodged in their imagination. But Williams takes this familiar material and weaves something new and vibrant.
Take the world-building of the kingdom of Brittletain, ruled by Queen Boudicca from Londus-on-sea. This description may seem, at first read, rather corny, but in fact the simplicity of the set up allows Williams to quite quickly and elegantly lay out a version of Britain informed, it seems obvious, by a deep love and knowledge of folklore. Druids, great bears, ferocious and intelligent griffins… Williams’ Britain is as rich and lush as the Wild Wood that covers most of it. The Wood provides both evocative backdrop and convenient plot device, allowing for instant travel with the right magic, and thus, a really well paced narrative.
The narrative structure is also traditional. Three clearly delineated threads, with thematic links and a manifest destiny to collide, run through the book. The protagonists are vividly painted and each feel different in their dialogue and inner lives. Perhaps the standout is Leven- a magically altered soldier of the dominant world empire who is looking for her past in the woods of Brittletain.
And it is here, Williams shows her progressive hand. It's perhaps not that remarkable that most of her protagonists are female- the achievement here is that their gender generally takes a backseat to their character and actions. Same sex relationships are given equal billing to heterosexual ones, in a way that is simply not made into a big deal. Ynis, the scrappy human adopted by Griffins, has two dads, and no-one even remarks on this.
There is not as much in this book about race compared to, say, the work of NK Jemison: Williams is clear simply that there are no good or evil species- there are just interests, and loyalties. The Imperial regime doesn't emerge very clearly, but it's only book one, and there's a lot of other stuff to get through.
I've described the book as charming: that doesn't make it exactly cosy. There are moments of creepy menace, especially in the Eastern expedition to the brooding Black City. But ultimately, this is a great adventure yarn, growing in pace as it builds to a conclusion that both satisfies, and tantalises for the concluding part of the duology. I can't wait to see where this goes, and I can give Talonsister no higher compliment than that.
A non-Amazon link to buy Talonsister: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Talonsister-by-Jen-Williams/9781803364353