Review by Zachary Forbes
October 30th, 2024
These posts are just our opinions of the books we read, and don't yet reflect the decision of our judging team or the progression of the book in the SFINCS competition.
Summary:
The four kingdoms of Ennea have been at war for ages--so long that much of their culture is centered around loyalty to the fight. But now a representative from each kingdom has decided to send a representative with a letter from their leaders in hopes of igniting peace talks between the kingdoms.
But a group of war-mongers intends to stop these peace talks from happening, by killing the representatives and using the contents of the letters to find where these meetings will be taking place. Enter Isála--a water dancer nomad who has been tasked with traveling to meet her estranged mother, who serves as a general of the north kingdom.
On this mission, Isála is joined by two warrior siblings with the same hopes for peace. But these siblings have been jaded by war, and have no expectations of making the journey without causing more bloodshed. Isála will have to grapple with her own beliefs about peace, family, and the refusal to take human life that her traveling companions sneer at time and again.
The Good:
Prose and world-building are very intertwined in this story. We are appropriately deep in these characters' heads, so the terms that they would use are engrained in the author's own language. 'THe Mist', for example, refers to their version of the afterlife. This is what I would expect from a good fantasy story, of course, but I give extra credit to the fact that most of this in-world language is not explained through exposition. It is made entirely understandable through context, which helps keep constant immersion for the reader. I don't feel like I'm being taught about this place by a teacher, but that I'm on this adventure with these characters and every part of their life is, to some extent, familiar.
I also appreciated the character work in this story. The 'main character refuses to kill in a world full of killers' trope has been done countless times before. Sometimes it's done well, but other times the stories that utilize this trope force their characters to make some frustratingly dense decisions. This story, thankfully, leans towards the former. Isála's commitments are faced with the harsh reality of fighting for peace, and she reacts believably to the events that challenge her.
Lastly, the concept for the story is quite interesting. I enjoy the premise of a handful of nomads delivering a missive for peace talks while loyalist soldiers try to stop them. There is inherent purpose and suspense built into the plot from the very beginning, and it intensifies as we see other letter-bearers cut down and tortured in the name of peace.
The Bad:
I think my only real gripes with this story came about at the end, and are entirely narrative-based. As I said, the 'no-killing' trope is done well here, and for 95% of the journey I was all about the direction things were going. But the final 5% felt a little bit too breezy for me. SPOILERS: the message is delivered, peace is achieved, and at least some of the kingdoms become 'borderless nations' of sorts.
This concept is already pretty tough to chew on logistically. Not that it couldn't be done in a fantasy story, but it would take some serious explanation as to how the functions of that nation could take place. It feels somewhat utopian, in a way that delivering a letter to a general doesn't do enough to justify, in my opinion. These kingdoms have been at war for a very long time. There are even rogue elements seeking to continue the conflict against the knowledge/permission of those above them. It would take generations to build the societal trust necessary to achieve what Ennea becomes in the span of a few years. Unless we're meant to believe anyone with a trickle of national pride has been jailed/executed, which goes against the thematics presented to us thus far.
This is a prequel novella, so the world it results in was already pre-determined, and is difficult to pin on the novella itself. Still, I believe a little more legwork was necessary to convince me the Ennea we enter becomes the one we leave in the end.
Overall:
Don't Bloody the Black Flag is a great story. It has lots of heart and superb world-building, which lends itself nicely to poetic prose.
If you're interested in a cool concept set in a unique fantasy world, I would definitely recommend it.
Be sure to tune in to our Twitter/X @ZachForbesBro for new blog posts about the novellas we read for the SFINCS competition! And click through to our website if you want to see other projects my brother and I have been working on!
Comments