Through a Brazen Mirror : The Famous Flower of Servingmen

_Through a Brazen Mirror_ fleshes out the ballad "The Famous Flower of Serving-Men". It is compelling from the first few pages, wherein a young man stumbles into the King's kitchens during a rainstorm. He announces he's looking for a job, proclaims his robust health, and promptly faints. But the young man, William Flower, is more than he seems; his quiet diligence causes him to rise quickly through the ranks of the castle servants, until eventually he comes to the attention of the handsome young King, who is questioning his sexuality. Meanwhile, in a mysterious tower in the woods, a sorceress has foreseen that her daughter will cause her death. Since the rules of magic forbid killing one's own blood, the sorceress instead tries to show more destroy everything around her daughter, releasing plagues and storms upon the land. I'll warn you right now, don't expect a "fairy-tale" happy ending; Sherman's ending is sadder but much truer to life than the ballad's original ending. But she leaves one major plot point open to imagination, softening the tragedy a bit. And everyone is a little wiser at the end. show less

An excellent novel all around. DS is one of the very few authors who can create a realistic and consistant medieval world. Issues of gender and sexuality are dealt with with the mores of the time, which are a bit different from our own. Her characters were all multi-faceted characters, none of whom understand themselves. Even the villain is sympathetic.

A sorceress sets out to kill her own daughter, with far-reaching consequences.

With this book, Sherman has crafted a brief, elegant tale based on an old ballad. It's beautifully written and a pleasure to read. Both the detailed setting and the issues raised are dealt with in a manner that fits with the time period. The story is carefully plotted, mixing current events with flashbacks in a way that helps illuminate the story and create dramatic tension. There's a lot going on beneath the surface, particularly where gender and sexuality are concerned. It's enjoyable stuff.

I waffled back and forth between giving it four stars or three and a half, but eventually decided on the lower rating because the characters never really came alive for show more me. I never felt like I got inside anyone's head. In that, I found Sherman much like Ursula K. Le Guin. I think I would have gotten more out of the book on an emotional level had Sherman made freer use of William's point of view. As we see events mainly through the eyes of those around him, I didn't feel that I was able to reach the emotional space he occupied.

But other than that, writing was gorgeous, and there was enough going on that I'd certainly like to read this again. I recommend it, particularly to those with an interest in queer issues and history. show less

A nice little alternative-universe gender-bendy fantasy in which no one gets a happy ending. I approve.

The characterization is a little thin, and the main character, especially, is more opaque than s/he should be to truly win over the reader; the worldbuilding is excellent, clearly done by someone who has thought seriously about the medieval/Renaissance day-to-day experience; the system of magic is quite tidy and elegant.

This is a stunningly good book I can not recommend highly enough. Sherman takes some of the classic tropes of medieval fantasy novels and turns them on their ears. The main characters are queer, in ways that makes sense for the time period and for contemporary readers. I'm amazed this book didn't win a huge pile of awards when it came out. Buy it, love it, give it to friends.