/lit/ - Literature

>>20476506
Age of Ash, Kithamar #1 - Daniel Abraham (2022)

In terms of Abraham's series this has more in common with The Long Price than The Dagger and the Coin, though it's not that similar. As stated by the author, this trilogy is about the city it takes place in, Kithamar, over the course of a single year. He calls it a standalone trilogy because although the stories take place in the same city at the same time, they won't have much overlap or the need to remember details from the prior books. The current schedule is for one book to release per year.

This isn't a story about chosen ones, heroics, adventure, or even about doing the right thing. It's slow-paced, low action, and character focused. There's magic, though none of it is explained in any way. That's fine for this story because it existed more for plot reasons than for having magic in of itself. Nothing takes place outside of the city, and I wouldn't expect that to be the case for the following books in the trilogy either.

More than anything else, I felt the narrative was about being blinded. Whether that was because of grief, revenge, love, greed, power, or whatever else, it left them unable to see anything else. Several of the characters had some level of dissociation from themselves. Often it's easier to choose not to see, but it may cost dearly later. However, having your eyes wide open taking in everything doesn't mean that there will be better outcome. It may just mean that the suffering is understood, but nothing can be done about it.

There are two primary viewpoint characters and a few other secondary viewpoints. Alys, the one the most time is spent with, isn't meant to be a likeable character. Relatable, maybe, but not likeable, which is intentional and serves a purpose. Whether that's acceptable is something that each reader will have to decide. The other, Sammish, seems to be a counterbalance and foil to Alys. She has her own issues as well, but who doesn't? The other viewpoints allow for a wider view of events.

For Alys, the plot, both literally and figuratively, is something that she charges into blindly. Right and wrong are of minimal consideration, until they aren't. If anything it's the story of someone trying to fake it until they make it and not really understanding what they're involved with, or even necessarily doing any of it of their own volition. Most of what Sammish is and does is the opposite, which provides for a nice contrast. I especially liked the stories of what she has to do to get through her day to day life, even while involved in the events of the narrative. That may be a downer for some as it does intrude on the escapism, but I didn't mind.

What I enjoyed most was the imagery, descriptions, and the sense of time, place, and being. Apart from anything else it brought the story to life. I liked the details and mundane events more than the overall plot. I'm conflicted about the rating, but I'll leave it as is for now.

Rating: 4/5