CBR18 BINGO: Map (Ooh, look! Maps in the front matter.)
Oh you beautiful ravens, you truly are magnificent. It seems like it’s been eons since I’ve been as thoroughly captivated by a fantasy world as I was by the one Antonia Hodgson weaves in The Raven Scholar. This novel doesn’t just have intricate world building; it has political tension, mystery, complex characters, and light comedy. Did I merely give in to the hype when I decided to read it, or did I listen to the Ravens cawing in my ear, guiding me to my library’s fantasy shelves? (Full disclosure: I read a bunch of positive reviews on CBR, Ms. Was recommended it, and I put in a hold at my local library. But it was probably the ravens.)
At the start of the novel, the Empire of Orrun is led by Bersun the Brusque, a follower of the Bear, one of eight “Guardians” of that world (kind of like gods, for lack of a better word). Bersun’s 24-year reign is coming to an end, which triggers a week-long festival, where a Contender from each of the guardian temples–Bear, Hound, Tiger, Ox, Monkey, Fox, Dragon, and Raven–compete in Trials to determine who the next emperor will be. The night before the Trials begin, a Contender is found murdered, and it falls to Neema Kraa, the Emperor’s High Scholar, to investigate.
At the risk of sounding redundant, Neema is a highly introverted High Scholar. She’s a bookworm who loves organizing paperwork and hates being the center of attention. She’s the hero every A-student who dreaded gym class deserves.
The setup sounds like a mystery, but this is closer to a political thriller, where some Contenders will do whatever it takes to earn the throne, and people’s past actions become enmeshed in the present. Neema isn’t a total innocent in this world; 7 years earlier she had written out an Order of Exile (which is much more horrific than it sounds) that she knew to be unjust, using the weak excuse “Someone else will do it, even if I don’t.” The Hound and Tiger Contenders also played pivotal roles in that event to varying degrees (the Hound Contender was peripheral, but the Tiger. . . well, there’s a reason everyone hates him).
The story has many twists and turns, but it’s the characters who won me over. Our reticent scholar Neema is matched with (or against, depending on the minute) the mischief-loving Cain, adherent to the chaotic Fox Guardian. Each Contender displays characteristics of their Guardian, but they aren’t cookie-cutter personalities. My favorite character, whom I hesitate to reveal too much about, is Sol. . . a surprising ally for Neema. Indeed, the occasional introduction of a first-person narrator in the story’s largely third-person omniscient perspective is intriguing and helps this novel feel “fresh.”
There are some surprising moments of comedy for a novel that starts off very dark. Cain is usually good for a laugh, or at least an annoying sigh, and High Engineer Fenn Fedala gives me a warm feeling whenever he shows up (the Ox characters are solid). In one unexpected moment of levity, Neema shreds a report that holds some incriminating information about her and then, as an after-thought, eats the bit of paper with her name on it. Realizing that might night be enough, “she also ate the words ‘combative,’ ‘ defiant,’ and ‘unduly pedantic.’ ”
I have a few caveats. I had a difficult time in the first 150 pages with the level of bullying Neema endures. To be clear, she gets bullied in the next 500 pages as well, but it shifted for me a bit. Second, there were a few things from early in the novel that didn’t quite add up for me, particularly in terms of some character motivations. I’m hoping that the next installment clears them up because, yes, this is the first installment of a trilogy. I was expecting a bit more closure on this one, but when a minor character was revealed in the second half to have a major secret, I knew we were in for lots of loose ends.
Fortunately, the next book comes out in October 2027, so I won’t have too long to wait to have my questions answered. Until then, I wait with a Solitary Raven on my shoulder, guiding me to the next magnificent book in my library.
