Passion Play

Vibrant and fractally-detailed

Passion Play is the first in a fantasy trilogy (but soon to be completed by a fourth story) set in a complex and imaginative pre-industrial secondary world whose linguistics has Slavic and Germanic resonances but which is not a direct analog for any specific historic culture. The most overt fantasy elements are supplied by magical practices and artifacts that can do anything from speed healing to granting functional immortality. As the story unfolds, the reader is introduced in passing to hints and references to a sweeping scope of history and politics, both internal and external: competing factions at court, shifting foreign alliances, threats from abroad and within. If all this sounds a bit nebulous and generic, the specifics of the setting are crisp, vibrant, and fractally detailed, though the overall shape of both the world and plot follow well established paths.

The story follows Therez, daughter of a well-to-do mercantile family whose dreams of a chance to travel to the capitol are cut short by an unexpected arranged marriage. As any proper heroine would, she runs away from home to escape the arrangements and seek her own destiny. After initial misadventures, she finds a refuge and home with Lord Kosenmark, who runs something of a shadow court in a desperate attempt to guide the king away from Bad Advisors and resulting disaster. This first volume of the set fulfils the role of extended training montage as Therez (now going by Ilse) gains the skills, knowledge, and confidence that presumably will serve her well later in the series. The story...let’s say “pauses” rather than “ends” with her embarking on a new position and adventure while Larger Forces set in motion the peril that presumably will fill up Book 2. This is very definitely a first book in a series and it shouldn’t be considered a spoiler to note that it doesn’t stand by itself as a complete story.

The setting includes a realistic diversity of characters and sexualities. There’s a strong focus on female characters, not only in the use of Ilse as viewpoint character. But about a quarter of the way through the book I was ready to throw it against a wall (except I was reading on my iPad, so not so much with the throwing) for the use of a particular trope that is a bit over-used in dislodging fantasy adventuresses from their initial starry-eyed view of the world. The particular trope provides a powerful motivation for Ilse’s situation and reactions, but that doesn’t erase the problematic nature of it in the larger genre picture. (OK, enough coyness, I’m talking about gang-rape.)

Overall, I enjoyed the world-building and the characters. I approve of the way exposition is doled out sparingly and in-line with the action. This is a well-written and mature work, despite my personal distaste for the one aforementioned plot element, and the further books in the series are lined up in my to-read queue, though not perhaps at the top of the list currently.