Recently, the fine folks behind New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine reached out and offered me an early copy of their upcoming release of "Double-Edged Sword & Sorcery" - a volume containing two novellas by two different authors. The first, at least in my ARC copy, is "Walls of Shira Yulun" by Dariel R. A. Quiogue. The second is "Waste Flowers" by Bryn Hammond. I, of course, jumped at this chance, having had both Dariel and Bryn as authors in Book of Blades (Vol. III and Vol. II respectively). While I am familiar with both of their work, I will say with earnesty that Mr. Quiogue is one of my favorite Sword & Sorcery authors writing today. You can see why I wouldn't pass up this opportunity.
For this review, I'm not going to be reflecting upon the total package - at least not until I finish "Waste Flowers". Instead, I am going to look at these each as separate works and discuss them on their own merits. That said, I think the prospective customer would appreciate knowning that this two-for isn't just Sword & Sorcery, but is steeped in the "Sword & Silk" milieu. This places both our stories in an Eastern/Oriental setting, inspired by Mongols, Imperial China, the Silk Road, and the towering Himalayas. Anyone familiar with Dariel knows that his tales take place in a secondary world akin to the Hyborian Age. Bryn, on the other hand, is set in an S&S'd up version of actual history, name dropping China, Persia, and the great Khan himself. (Note: I'm like 2 pages into "Waste Flowers" so this is all gleaned from a qucik page flip.) This is something that pleased me greatly as I'm fairly vocal about my desire for S&S set outside the typical European-esque protagonists and their exploits.
I have a lot of thoughts about "Walls of Shira Yulun", many of them I cannot tread without entering spoiler territory. I will not be doing that, though I might perhaps revist them later when people have had the chance to read the book themselves. The novella impressive in its technical scope, with excellent action, wonderful pacing, and charming characters. Alternatively, I can also see this tale not being everyones's exemplar in what they want in S&S.
This novella centers around the siege of the titular city Shira Yulun, a fortified bastion of civilization on the borderlands between frontier and empire. The central player in this action is Orhan Timur, my favorite of Dariel's lineup. If you haven't read "Track of the Snow Leopard" or "Swords of the Four Winds", Orhan is a sort of what-if? version of Genghis Khan. Once the would-be leader of the great hordes, he was betrayed by his adoptive brother and set free to the winds. Orhan now wanders the steppes and rugged Dropka slopes ever searching for a way to re-take his power. Orhan is a complex character who values the honor of loyalty and the strength of his word as much as a good sword. It is these attachments that spur the plot to action.
If you couldn't tell by the title and the striking cover image by artist Artyom Trakhanov, this is a siege story. By the very nature of such a thing, the entire plot takes place in and around a single locale. If you've followed my reviews at all, you have probably picked up that I like a lot of travel. I like to see and experience new and wonderous things. Because of the prolonged battle the plot centers around, this doesn't happen. Obviously that isn't bad, but it isn't 100% to my specific tastes (see my review of "Gunthar: Warrior of the Lost World" by Steve Dilks). However, the siege as described by the author is a complex and constantly moving affair. I have to wonder if siege warfare is a passion of Mr. Quiogue's as the tactics and strategies on display here are detailed and varied. The combat too feels authentic and is discribed via a close perspective as opposed to the sweeping descriptions that one might find in "Black Colossus" or "Scarlet Citadel" by Robert E. Howard. While the locations themselves are confined by the walls of Shira Yulun and the war camps outside, we do get to see a good deal of the city and especially its inner workings. While this sort of tale is not my preferred style of S&S, Dariel writes perhaps the most masterful description of such a siege that I've had the pleasure of reading.
While Orhan holds captive the vast majority of the story's perspective, there are a number of interesting and fleshed-out characters that accompany or cross paths with the Snow Leopard. The most prominent main character/love interested for Orhan is a secretive woman name Faiyen who is leading a double life. She plays a central role in both the plot development and Orhan's survival. I won't say much more about her becuase I don't want to spoil the twists. There are two main villains in this piece. The first is the leader of the siege, a hulking warrior named Ulgesar who holds a grudge against Orhan for the slaying of his brother. The other, a so-called "dark shaman" named Qara Eke, is where this S&S endeavor gets the sorcery (more on that in a bit). However, I think my favorite of the side characters is the disgraced/redeemed general Liang Bo. The way Mr. Quiogue navigates the complex relationships between the Imperial Court, politicians, and bruised-honor, all while a city is literally under siege, is done deftly and withouth unneccesary verbage. Despite the hefty cast as far as S&S goes, the plot is not bogged down in conversations. In fact, each chapter of the novella is fairly short, making this quite the page turner.
As an aside, something that I've often thought about when reading all of Dariel's works is that I would love a map of his world. I know there is some debate on whether or not S&S should have maps or that maps can be a detriment to the weird wonder. However, given the historical underpinnings of Orhan's world, the history/geography nerd in me would LOVE to see where all these people and places are in this pseudo-East. While some of the cultures are more obvious than others, some of them I just cannot place. None of this is necessary to enjoy the story mind you, just the wants and wishes of a fan.
But where is S&S without sorcery?
I assure you, there is a definitely a weird horror component to "Shira Yulun", entirely propelled by the vengeful shaman Qara Eke. The motivations of this villain are simple and straight forward: he seeks retribution for his exile by a younger Orhan. This makes him sort of a blacker mirror when compared to the swordsman Ulgesar who much prefers revenge by way of the blade - something he makes quite clear to the wizard. Qara Eke has a way of haunting Orhan's dreams, cursing his sleep to be filled with the spiteful souls of those he's slain. At about the half-way point, there is a wonderfully creepy scene in which a monk attempts to rid Orhan of the shaman's influence. We are also treated with some body horror toward the climax of the story. Overally, while present, Dariel's novella is light on sorcery - at least from a page count persepctive. Mr. Quiogue has previously expressed that he finds inspiration in the historical adventure stories of Harold Lamb - much like the dearly missed Howard Andrew Jones. I think this lens shines through "Sira Yulun" more than the short works of Orhan, Pandara, and others. For the vast majority of the story, it feels like a red-blooded historical action piece. I think most people familiar with the S&S novella will imagine immediately the Lancer Conan pastiches novellas, or maybe Thongor by Lin Carter. These works are steeped in weird, with strange and sorcerous things happening with nearly every chapter. This is not the approach that Dariel takes in "Shira Yulun", instead opting to sprinkle in the weird sparingly in order to maintain that more grounded, historical feel. I personally like both approaches, and it is a refreshing change of pace to see Dariel's historical epic S&S. That said, readers that crave more weird might be left wanting.
"The Walls of Shira Yulun" by author Dariel Quiogue is probably one of my favorite S&S works that I've read this year (so far). While the events central to the plot - namely the overarching siege - are not to my primary tastes, the characters are endearing and the action is swift and brutal. Dariel writes in a modern yet evocative style that conveys the bloody point quickly and leaves you anticiapting the next page turn. I can also see how some of the creative choices might lead to more mixed reviews by S&S readers expecting something different. At the very least, I think this is an interesting experiment in the ongoing debate of just how long an S&S story can be. Mr. Quiogue makes a strong case here that novellas can work beautifully within the expected framework, but this also might be evidence that anything longer isn't going to shine as bright.
I've been told the Double-Edged paperback will be available for purchase "Late April" through the New Edge website: https://newedgeswordandsorcery.com/shop/
As for "Waste Flowers" by Bryn Hammond, I've just started reading. Depending on my daughter's sleep schedule, I should be able to read it in a week or so. I'd expect my review of that work shortly after that. Many thanks to New Edge Sword & Sorcery for the opportunity and to Dariel R. A. Quiogue for the many adventures!
May your swords always remain sharp.
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