Review: A Betrayal in Winter, Daniel Abraham

A Betrayal in Winter  (incl. in Shadow and Betrayal: Book 1 of The Long Price)

Daniel Abraham

Orbit, 2009

ISBN 978-1-84149-612-2

The second book of Daniel Abraham’s The Long Price quartet – A Betrayal in Winter – continues the high quality of the first (A Shadow in Summer – my review here). Set fourteen years after the first novel, the quartet’s second instalment not only offers readers a new tale of court intrigue, romance, and treachery, but also shows how the consequences of the first novel’s events continue to reverberate through the lives of the two main protagonists – Maati and Otah – and to change the fates of those whose paths intersect with theirs. In contrast to the steamy setting of Sarakeyht, the summer city of the first novel, A Betrayal in Winter whisks readers to the winter city of Machi, Otah’s original home. There, tradition dictates that the sons of the Khaiem should kill one another in order to secure succession to their father’s throne. Otah wants to stay out of it… but events conspire to draw him into the struggle. It is left to Maati, his old friend and rival, to ferret out the truth.

It is safe to say that I enjoyed this book as much as I did the last episode of The Long Price. Abraham crafts his plots with a delicacy and intelligence which, whilst making them slow-burners, means that they are emotionally rich and satisfying, gathering tension and effect as they build to their climax. I actually thought A Betrayal in Winter was even more successful than A Shadow in Summer in this regard, the anticipation mounting more palpably than in the previous book.

A Betrayal in Winter introduces us to some great new characters too. The new poet-andat duo, Cehmai and Stone-made-Soft, form a nice contrast to Heshai and Seedless of A Shadow in Summer. In my review of book 1, I said that I’d liked to learn more about the poet-andat bindings, and in A Betrayal in Winter Abraham granted my wish. The binding of Stone-made-Soft, centring around a chess game that Cehmai plays with the andat each morning, sheds more light on how their magical relationship operates, and makes for a truly fantastic scene near the end of the book, where the tension really screams at you from the page.

Abraham also has a knack for creating strong and intriguing female characters. Idaan in A Betrayal in Winter is as different from Amat in A Shadow in Summer as it is possible to be, and yet she is another example of Abraham’s ability to produce complex women with ambitious and uncompromising goals. Like a certain character in A Betrayal in Winter, it is hard to know where you stand with the elusive Idaan. Does she incite hatred or compassion – or perhaps a bit of both? Abraham does a stunning job revealing the conflicting drives within this character, whilst keeping the reader wondering as to what, at heart, her true affiliations are.

What’s more, my affection for Maati as a character really blossomed during the course of this second novel. Abraham takes a risk by making his protagonist a quiet, un-athletic, scholarly figure, unsuccessful in life and in love – but he pulls it off with panache. Maati’s unassuming competence and his helpless quest for approval and forgiveness from Otah make him a truly sympathetic character. I look forward to discovering what he and Otah’s lives will bring them next…

To summarise: like the first book of The Long Price, A Betrayal in Winter is not one for those who require fast-paced storylines with sword-wielding heroes, but if you are searching for a well-written, thoughtful narrative that packs plenty of emotional punch, then you can’t go far wrong with the bittersweet novels Abraham has crafted here.

Review: A Shadow in Summer, Daniel Abraham

A Shadow in Summer (incl. in Shadow and Betrayal: Book 1 of The Long Price)

Daniel Abraham

Orbit, 2009

ISBN 978-1-84149-612-2

I’m more a fan of intricate, character-driven fantasy than sensational sword-and-sorcery quests; I’d choose Robin Hobb over David Gemmell in a trice. So when I was told that – despite the moody warrior on the front cover – Daniel Abraham’s The Long Price belonged more to the former camp than the latter, I was intrigued.

I was right to be. Having just finished A Shadow in Summer (book 1 of The Long Price quartet, and the first of the two novels included in Orbit’s Shadow and Betrayal edition), I can say that Daniel Abraham’s series gets off to a promising start. As I had been told, it was more of a slow-burner than many modern fantasies; you won’t find epic action sequences here, but instead you’ll be rewarded with a carefully crafted tale that focuses closely on a handful of characters, and in which the tensions shimmer beneath the surface rather than charging into the open. The bull has not yet entered the china shop.

A Shadow in Summer introduces us to Maati, a young ‘poet’ newly placed under tutelage of his master, Heshai. In Abraham’s pseudo-Nipponese setting, ‘poets’ are men trained to capture and control the powers of spirits called andat – abstract ideas given material form. Heshai and his andat Seedless (slave, companion, ghost…) are posted in the city of Saraykeht, where Heshai wields Seedless’s magic to aid the cotton trade. But trouble creeps into the city when a plot starts brewing, and Maati’s is only one of the many lives affected by the consequences. Overseer Amat, her apprentice Liat, and Liat’s lover Itani all become embroiled, and as their stories intertwine with Maati’s and Heshai’s their choices only become harder.

Abraham tells his tale with a refreshing delicacy, his prose detailed and evocative without lapsing into heavy descriptive passages; he conjures up the atmosphere of the ‘summer cities’ without choking the reader with it. A very nice touch is the way his characters communicate using formal poses as well a speech – a seemingly simple addition, but which gives us a much better insight into the culture, its adherence to tradition and etiquette etc. Although it would have been good to get more insight into the practical workings of the poet-andat binding, which was left perhaps a little too vague. I’m all for leaving magic systems mysterious and loosely defined, but I felt that A Shadow in Summer would have benefitted from revealing a bit more on this score, seeing as it was such a central concern, and that the particular relationship between Heshai and Seedless played a crucial role in the plot.

The characters in A Shadow in Summer are skilfully drawn, each sympathetic in his or her own way, and with distinct desires, passions, and flaws. Seedless’s scathing wit made me chuckle, Maati’s youthful sincerity tugged my heart-strings, determined Itani roused my admiration, and jaded Heshai my pity. My favourite character, though, was definitely Amat. With her, Abraham succeeds in creating an unusual fantasy protagonist – a canny elderly woman with a bad hip – who nonetheless drives an exciting plotline – the most exciting in the novel, in my opinion. I didn’t get on so well with Liat, unfortunately. Compared to the other characters, I didn’t feel very in touch with her. I felt as though the author’s hand was more evident in her storyline, and at times it seemed as though she was merely playing a convenient part in other characters’ arcs. However, this sort of thing is very difficult to avoid entirely, and this was only a very slight lapse.

There are no true ‘villains’ in the book, only characters with conflicting motivations who make mistakes – some larger than others. While Abraham should be praised for his mature characterisation, this does mean that the sense of threat throughout the novel is rather lighter than it would otherwise be with a palpable, menacing bad-guy in the mix. Even though we are told the enormity and horrific nature of the consequences should certain events come to pass, I didn’t feel any deep dread for the protagonists. Because of this, some of the characters’ reactions were not entirely convincing; the novel didn’t quite muster the level of peril needed to justify their distress. This is, though, an ‘occupational hazard’ that accompanies the type of plot Abraham chose to narrate, and I do not mean to imply that Abraham’s characterisation is weak – indeed, as I have said, I thought it was extremely good. Besides, it is early days in The Long Price; I expect that the danger will truly being to mount over the course of the next book.

A Shadow in Summer was certainly a good read, though not one for those who require a thrill a minute in their fiction. It could have been more exciting, but it was definitely enticing and I will be continuing on to find out what happens next. What’s more, Abraham’s writing is a cut above the average – a graceful, flowing narrative.