Fantasy novel is perfect escapist reading

The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Maniye’s father is the Wolf clan’s chieftain, but she’s an outcast. Her mother was queen of the Tiger and these tribes have been enemies for generations. Maniye also hides a deadly secret. All can shift into their clan’s animal form, but Maniye can take on tiger and wolf shapes. She refuses to disown half her soul so escapes, rescuing a prisoner of the Wolf clan in the process. The killer Broken Axe is set on their trail, to drag them back for retribution. The Wolf chieftan plots to rule the north and controlling his daughter is crucial to his schemes. However, other tribes also prepare for strife. Strangers from the far south appear too, seeking allies in their own conflict. A time of testing and broken laws is near, but what spark will set the world ablaze?

I first tried to read this book when it came out in 2016, but try as I might something about it didn’t quite click and in the end I banished it to my pile of rejected books. But, recently, I found myself looking for a fantasy book, something that would offer escapism from increasingly difficult current events. And The Tiger and the Wolf turned out to be exactly what I was looking for.

Far from being your usual medieval-inspired sword and sorcery fantasy novel, this book takes a variety of inspirations – from Native American culture to African myths – and mashes them together to create something unique. The story centres around different tribes – the Wolves, Tigers, Horses, Serpents, etc – each with their own unique characteristics and beliefs. There are hints of a rich history to this world as well, with ruins of grand bygone eras littering the landscape and stories of past greatness influencing the events of the story. The world-building is fantastic.

The characters are similarly unique. Maniye, a young woman plagued by inner conflict and unable to find a place where she fits in, is our main character. It’s great watching her change and develop throughout the story, finding ways to turn her weaknesses into strengths. There’s a cast of interesting characters surrounding her, from the brutal lone wolf Broken Axe to the mysterious serpent priest Hesprec, each with their own motivations and secret agendas.

The one place where this book falls down is the slow and sometimes repetitive nature of the plot. Tchaikovsky definitely isn’t in a hurry to reveal too much too soon, or to bring things to a rushed resolution, like some fantasy writers. That said, it did sometimes feel like I was reliving the same conversations, the same inner conflicts, the same fight scenes, too many times.

Despite this, The Tiger and the Wolf is perfect escapist reading for the long days of lockdown and I’m definitely going to check out the other books in the trilogy sometime soon.

Pirates, magic and adventure in gripping fantasy novel

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

Wizardwood, the most precious commodity in the world, comes only from the Rain Wilds. But only a liveship can negotiate the perilous waters of the Rain Wild River, and liveships are hard to come by. They quicken only when three family members from successive generations have died upon their deck. The liveship Vivacia is about to undergo her quickening: Althea Vestrit waits for the ship that she loves more than anything in the world to awaken. But her dream of taking her father’s place at Vivacia’s helm is not to be, for her family have other plans. And the dark, charming pirate Kennit also lusts after such a ship; he well knows the power of wizardwood and has plans of his own.

I’ve had this book on my TBR pile for years, after finally finishing – and falling in love with – the nine books in Robin Hobb’s Farseer series. For some reason, every time I picked up Ship of Magic I couldn’t get past the first couple of chapters. But I thought what better time than an actual lockdown to get stuck into this nearly 900 page tome? All this free time gave me the push I needed to finish Ship of Magic.

And I loved it. I love the world Hobb has created, I love the cast of characters, the descriptive writing, the action and adventure, the humour, the magic and the family dynamics.

There are lots of different characters in this story and each one is given a depth of characterisation that makes them leap from the page. From cunning pirates to priests-in-training searching for god, from teenage girls caught in their family’s machinations to a newly quickened liveship struggling to adapt to her awakening, there is so much to enjoy here and so much potential for development in the next two books of the series.

This is a very character-driven story, so the plot does move at a slow pace. But Hobb does something that few fantasy authors dare to try. Too often in fantasy fiction the characters come up with a plan, go through with that plan, and it either goes perfectly or they are saved by a magical wizard/object/spell. But in Ship of Magic the characters’ plans almost always go wrong, and as such they have to think on their feet to adapt to their changing circumstances. It also means that you never know what’s going to happen next.

There’s lots of introspection but also plenty of action, with ships battling on stormy seas and fist fights in dim portside taverns. No one thread of the plot is allowed to overtake the others, meaning they each get an equal amount of attention and you are given equal time to get to know the characters in each thread.

This is the kind of escapist fiction that transports you to a completely different place and makes you reluctant even to look up from the page. Highly recommended for fantasy lovers.

A fantastic piece of historical escapism from bestselling author Sarah Dunant

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

‘Beauty is your gift from God and it should be used and not squandered. Study this face as if it were a map of the ocean, your own trade route to the Indies. For it will bring you its own fortune. But always believe what the glass tells you. Because while others will try to flatter you, it has no reason to lie.’

1527. With their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her companion dwarf Bucino escape the sack of Rome. They head for the shimmering, decadent city of Venice, where the sins of pleasure and the pleasures of sin lead them both down new and dangerous paths.

This was the only book of Sarah Dunant’s five Italian Renaissance novels that I hadn’t read. There was no reason to think that it would fail to live up to the expectation of her other great books, as In the Company of the Courtesan is a fantastic piece of historical escapism, a novel rich in the sights and sounds and smells of the 16^th century.

This is a story where brutality and beauty go hand in hand. Dunant is never one to shy away from descriptions of blood and gore; the sack of Rome is described as intimately as any bedroom scene. The perfumed rooms of the wealthy are contrasted with the filth and poverty of the poorer parts of Venice, and during Fiammetta’s sensual morning routine she uses ingredients such as mercury and dove entrails to make her skin flawless and her hair shine. At every step Dunant never lets us forget the squalor beneath the splendour.

The two characters at the heart of this story – the narrator Bucino and his mistress Fiammetta – are a wonderful double act, their relationship adding welcome flashes of humour to what is a dark tale at its heart. Fiametta is far more than just a courtesan; she has trained herself to be witty and intelligent, just as talented at playing the lute as she is at plucking her clients’ strings, and she is always searching for a way to further her status, always calculating how much she can get away with. Bucino, as a dwarf and therefore an outsider, offers a unique perspective tinged with sadness and pathos.

Dunant’s descriptions of decadently beautiful Venice made me long to visit the city. Her original characters rub shoulders with real people from the time period, including writer Pietro Aretino and the painter Titian. The ballrooms lit by candles placed between the ribcages of skeletons, the narrow twisting streets and waterways of Venice, and the vaulting Catholic churches are conjured so vividly that you will look up from the book only to be surprised that you aren’t standing in Italy.

Sarah Dunant is a wonderful historical fiction writer and, for those who have yet to read any of her books, In the Company of the Courtesan offers the perfect place to start.