Maej

* I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Maej is an epic fantasy novel that follows a multitude of characters in a high fantasy world. The summary above barely scratches the surface of what you'll find within, as the omniscient point of view also tells the stories of many characters not mentioned. From the scholar Jad Jaret of Enn to the fjanding (highly trained warrior) Aunhma Cairnhand to Ænkenere Gaitmoth, who actually gets paid for caching pheggots through the luck of not being Ilas, all these characters and more have dedicated chapters and intertwining storylines. This is the type of story where the reader must patiently await the payoff of the characters crossing paths, although at a certain point it becomes obvious show more enough how they're eventually going to.

Personally, I love books with a large cast, and I especially love books that use their large cast to dispel the notion that the main character is the most special or the most capable or the most important. I recently renewed my Disney+ subscription (to watch the latest season of Doctor Who, of course), and decided to watch The Black Cauldron simply because I never had as a child. Initially, I was hopeful about the character of Princess Eilonwy, who makes her first appearance by rescuing the main character from a dungeon. She's also been taken prisoner by the evil king, but she's not sitting around waiting for him to rescue her. She has a magic bubble that lights their way. She's not afraid to tell him what to do as they team up for a quest. But then the main character finds (cough cough grave robs) a magic sword, and, although the sword does all the work all on its own, he gets the credit for it. And it's never even considered that she could use it or even have a turn with it. The magic bubble disappears from the story, never to be used again, and her usefulness diminishes for no clear reason apart from the fact that the main character "needs" to be the one who saves the day.

In this book, Madenhere and Tarӕntlere are main characters simply because the book chooses to focus on them. Every other character depicted has their own life, with a complete backstory and separate goals. Everyone is a complete person and every person shapes the course of events, just as in the real world. And this allows the book to tackle the sort of complex problems we see in the real world. The Ilas don't suffer because of one evil ruler. They suffer because of lawmakers at the top of society and also the individual decisions of those who enforce the laws and also the individual decisions of those who live under the laws and also the individual decisions of some within their own group. Some people hate them out of ignorance. Some spread hate for them because it's a way of maintaining power over them. Some are sympathetic while still housing certain prejudices. And on and on. The point is: with so many complex and capable characters, it's clear that the solution to racism and enslavement isn't as simple as the death of one evil person or a single jail break (if such things can even be accomplished by our protagonists!). And that, to me, makes a far more interesting story.

Of course, that kind of story by its very nature requires a lot of page space. I won't lie; it took me almost a month to read this one. But I don't mind making that kind of time commitment. If you're the sort of person who marathons the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings movies, you'll probably understand.

If you're the type of person who loves Lord of the Rings, you'll probably also understand the appeal of a highly developed fantasy world, with a narrative structure that takes time to stop and show off everything from traditional children's games to mourning rituals, as well as geography and politics and etymology lessons on the words and expressions of fantasy languages. If you're the type of person who finds it odd that every fantasy world has a 365-day year despite the fact that it's highly unlikely every planet would be exactly like Earth in that way, you'll love this one.

The thing that may be make-or-break for many readers, though, is the way this extends to the dialogue. The characters in this book speak a variety of languages, which are translated into a variety of English dialects that I believe to be of the author's own making. For some people, this will be a highlight in terms of immersiveness and realism. Others may find it difficult to understand. Personally, I found it to present a mental workout on par with reading Shakespeare. For parts of it, I drew upon a large vocabulary and a knack for picking out words that share a root with others I know. For much of it, I was able to rely on context clues. Some surely went over my head, but it wasn't enough to leave me confused about what was happening. Still, part of the reason I read so slowly was that the mental challenge required me to pace myself. If these things don't come easily to you or you don't enjoy doing that sort of work while reading, this book is not the one for you. I recommend that anyone looking into this book read a few pages of it to get a feel for the language before committing to a purchase. I would quote a few lines of dialogue here, but they rely so much on surrounding context that I feel it wouldn't be fair. You'll just have to see for yourself.

Beyond the worldbuilding aspects already mentioned, I would be remiss to neglect the fact that the main setting is a female-dominated society in which men are considered to be inferior. Many characters are dismissive of men and their abilities, some openly spewing sexist rhetoric that mirrors the worst kind of sexism against women in our world. But mostly, this is shown by the way the narrative is completely dominated by female characters, who don't face any criticism internally or externally for taking charge or being capable, who don't live in fear of sexual violence, who don't feel any need to prove themselves as women simply because there's no one and nothing to argue with. Meanwhile, male characters with children are invariably shown as gentle caretakers who form the strongest familial bonds. And all of them experience and express a full spectrum of strong emotions. They don't just get angry. They dance and weep and freeze with fear.

As I read, I found myself wishing there was a powerful matriarchal society in our world that we could visit. I imagine that having stereotypes and implicit biases completely flipped would be refreshing for women and eye-opening for men. Failing the actual existence of such a place, we can at least allow our minds to explore Sforre Yomn for an extended period of time as we read this book. At first the differences are striking and even humorous. In time, I began to think about it on a deeper level, taking things more seriously as I saw that misandrist comments hit with the same impact that misogynistic ones do in our world. By the end of the book, the attitudes had become so normalized that I was surprised by the things I'd all but stopped noticing, like the absence of male characters (or at least significant ones) for extended periods of time. I think it's good that this fantasy world also includes the patriarchal Enn as a way of hinting that both societies have similar problems in their attitudes, but I'm also glad that the majority of the action takes place in Sforre Yomn because we readers don't need much to understand the workings of a patriarchy. It's far more interesting to see the way one's mind reacts to a problematic matriarchy.

But I haven't spent time mentioning the negatives of this book yet. This might not be everyone's experience, but I personally found the politics to be confusing and difficult to follow. There were a few scenes I felt to be unnecessarily long or to include details that slowed the pacing more than I cared for. I sometimes had to wait longer than I wanted for the continuation of certain plotlines.

On the other hand, there were parts of the ending that I wanted to be longer. In fact, I wanted the whole ending to be longer, although I'm sure that was due in part to my disappointment that the book was over. I want to find out what happens to all the characters after the final events shown on the page!

But this review has gone on long enough already. One last thing to note is that portions of the book are very dark, which should be unsurprising given the summary on top and the opening of the book itself, in which Tarӕntlere's sister is taken away directly after birth. Still, this is your confirmation if you needed one. Not all characters have storylines as dark as others, and the book does a good job of balancing them so the reader doesn't have to dwell on the darkest ones for too long at a stretch, but you shouldn't read this book if you're sensitive to child abuse or depictions of slavery or descriptions of brutal tortures. There's also some explicit sexual content and some dialogue about an attempted rape that happened off-page (although it's seemingly included to show just how easily and effectively this was dealt with). The sex actually shown is all consensual, and I only mention it because some readers prefer a closed door.

To wrap things up, I'd say that if you reached the end of this review and are still interested in the book that I've been talking about, you should probably go out and read a preview. Clearly you don't mind reading at length! Seriously, though, the book is available for preorder now, set to be published this October, and hopefully a preview will be available at some point. I'm here as an ARC reader, and I also critiqued a portion of an earlier draft, but hopefully you can trust me when I say the opening of the book is a good indicator as to how you'll find the rest. If you think this one is right for you, I hope that you enjoy it! show less

In a world evocative of Le Guin's Earthsea, join Madenhere and her best friend Taraentlere on their high-stakes adventures as they seek to free themselves and save others from horrifying fates.

Madenhere's society is matriarchal, but this alone gives her very little advantage in life, as she belongs to a viciously oppressed and exploited minority. She must instead rely on her wits and self-taught, rudimentary magical skills to survive.

Though Madenhere may be considered the main character simply because the story starts (and ends) with her, the entire cast of characters is exceptionally well fleshed out. The omniscient narrative follows several women in turn as their fates intersect, each with their own unique backgrounds and motives. show more Madenhere disappears for chapters at a time, as the author gives just as much attention to a team of foreign scholars with clandestine intent, a once-great warrior cursed with visions of those she has slain, and a political prisoner harboring a dark secret, to name just a few. Ultimately, Madenhere's story is but one of many.

While the transition from character to character is often a simple matter of reaching a new chapter, at times it is enjoyably subtle. Frequently, we see members of the main cast chance upon the same scene while remaining blissfully unaware of each other's presence. It is only in the latter half of the book that many of these characters actually meet as their hitherto independent plots meld to build a volatile and compelling climax.

Meanwhile, the world these characters inhabit is unsparingly detailed, rich in history, culture, exotic customs and languages, and every other seasoning possible for the highest of high-fantasy writing. The author invents multiple languages, each with their own unique dialects and cultural roots. The Shakespearean-esque dialogue can take some time to get used to, as much like the Bard himself, the author invents many words as well as alternate spellings of existing words. But readers needn't worry about not understanding the conversations, for whatever is not directly translated within the narrative is presented phonetically, in context, or both.

Even so, Maej may not be a suitable book for young readers or first-time readers of high-fantasy. This story is more geared to those who are already familiar with the genre and want something with an extra bite to it. To that end, the author certainly delivers, as Maej is a beautifully crafted tale of bravery, compassion, oppression, injustice and liberation. Interwoven into this tale of political strife is a fair bit of social commentary, which the author skillfully injects without allowing the narrative to become preachy. But readers should be warned that the author doesn't pull his punches. This book is, in the very best sense of the word, distressing. It is as mature a tale as possible, with some scenes that faint-hearted readers may find themselves squirming through while still being unable to avert their eyes for fear of missing out on something spectacular.

Without giving away the ending, I can attest that it is complete enough for Maej to exist as a stand-alone novel while at the same time leaving enough room for a continuation.

All in all, an exceptionally enjoyable read that leaves one craving more.

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Review Copy of Maej from the author in exchange for leaving an unbiased review. show less

In a magical, primarily matriarchal world, we follow women wrestling with the brutal reality of classism across multiple nations. An epic adventure with emphasis on epic! That word is a bit overused in this genre, but it certainly applies to every aspect of this book: characters, setting, culture, language, plot, prose. It truly exceeded my expectations. As you may guess, building a world this diverse and detailed required a lot of background. The book was over 900 pages; not an easy afternoon read for certain. The pace varied given the roles of the characters, some focused more toward action and others dialogue (e.g., Aunhma vs Nighpetal).

Stromberg held nothing back in his creation of three novel languages (including pronunciation!), show more applied alongside old English words and syntax to dramatic effect. I'll admit I was googling words to determine whether they were novel or English. The political intrigue was thick throughout this book, and unfortunately not my favorite aspect. Significant effort was spent on wordplay, but this slowed down my pace to a crawl, trying to understand the literal and applied meanings of old English and novel words within the characters' culture and class. One of my favorite quotes in which a character shares her own displeasure with the verbosity (Kindle loc. 3878-3881): “I do denominate it a splendid diagnostic pleonasm.” Tweenbonnet cannot conceal the smirk forming on her lips. Knollbit takes this further. “Aye, a splendicularly robust circumlocution. ’Tis splendilious!” “Splendicularly splendilious,” agrees Midlisle. What a waste of time, Jad Coreðine decides.

Chapters were divided among a variety of characters along the social strata. I found the majority of these characters flush with inspired backstories and relatable personalities. The connection between Taræntlere and Ænkenere was the least convincing, made particularly weak compared to the other relationships developed in the story. I found Aunhma to be the most compelling character, drawn taught between her upbringing and the tortured visions of people she'd killed. I'd happily read a series devoted to fleshing out her backstory and life up until her death.

The ending was a bit of a letdown for me. As mentioned, the overarching plot was a slow burn (although the jumps between character perspectives did lend some dizzying changes in the pace of the story), to conclude with what felt to be little change for most characters.

In many ways, reading Maej was a study as much as it was a journey in literature for me. I found the days I most enjoyed it were days my brain was ready to decipher and analyze the text to get the most out of Stromberg's prose. I imagine that with such effort spent on world-building, we'll hopefully see another book or three in this universe in the future! show less

I really enjoyed the world building and where the plot is going with this book. However it is very heavy in fantasy linguistics and has multiple concurrent story lines that I find difficult to follow. For now this is a DNF from me, but I can tell this book would be a hit with the right reader.