Fire Logic

When I started reading this book, I realized I'd tried it once before and bounced off the beginning. Not a surprise; the first few chapters have LOTS of things I don't like in them (endless scene-setting, lots of violence and death, the story doesn't actually start for quite a while, forced introduction of too many characters). This time, because it was recommended to me by Jenne, who said if I liked The Steerswoman, I might like this, I persevered.

And, as it turned out, I liked it a lot. I liked the main character, I liked the complexity of the problems (as the story progresses, we find out that nothing is as simple or black-and-white as it initially seemed). I also liked that Marks found a way to bring some novelty to elemental show more magic, which is the fundamental magic of this book; the four elements have non-standard but totally believable properties. And I was happy to see multiple queer characters. (Main characters, even! Super awesome.) Solid story all the way around.

Problems with the book: holy COW the proofreading was awful. I have the ebook, and it's possible it's a problem just with that, but it drove me to distraction. This book deserves actual editing. For me, also, the level of violence in this book was over my limit; I got through it, but there's a LOT of battle and suffering and death. And the sex scenes are -- um. Look, if you're going to write sex, yay! I'd love a great fantasy novel with explicit queer sex. But then you have to actually WRITE THE SEX. If you're going to use a lot of vague metaphors and flowery language to avoid writing the sex, spare us all and just fade to black. Also, the reason for my warnings tag: significant animal harm.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. Definitely going to read the next one in the series. If you're looking for a high fantasy novel that's sort of reminiscent of Chalion except the queer characters a) get laid and b) are main characters, this might be for you. show less

Hooray for queer feminist fantasy! I need more of it in my life.

Shaftal is a conquered nation. The ruling earth witch died without leaving an heir, and most other leadership has been killed by the invading Sainnites. The Shaftali are fighting back in a guerrilla war that’s lasted fifteen years, but as they fight Shaftal is razed to the ground around them.

Zanja is an ambassador and warrior, with nothing left but revenge. However, her fate soon becomes tied to that of Shaftal and two of its citizens. Emil is scholarly Shaftali general, fighting with reluctance. Karis is a blacksmith and earthwitch, who while possessing great powers is bound by her addiction to a deadly drug.

The world of Fire Logic is without sexism or homophobia. All show more three of the main characters I discussed above are queer, and the main romance is between two women. And there’s never drama or angst about being with someone of the same gender. It’s presented as natural and normal and not even worthy of comment. Women are present in an equal number and hold all the same positions as men, from soldiers to judges to councilors, on both the Shaftal and Sainnite sides. There’s never any hints of gender discrimination, anywhere.

I knew going in that Fire Logic had an elemental magic system, but it wasn’t anything like what I was expecting. Each element seems to be more like a set of personality traits with some associated powers. Zanja and Emil both have fire-logic, which seems to means they’re impulsive and fall in love easily (or was this just a stereotype of fire-logic people?) and have some minor prescience. Karis has powers that are more like what I associate with earth element magic, but I don’t know if this is because she’s earth elemental or because she’s specifically an earth-witch. Actually, I don’t know if there’s any difference between the two. Could there be a fire-witch? Fire Logic is very vague about how the elemental magic works, but it didn’t bother me much.

Fire Logic is a book set among the dirt filled camps of the rebel army and the ordinary farms of the countryside. There may very well be some cross over with military fantasy, although it seems more focused on the characters than the battles and tactics. Guns and explosives are commonly used, making the technology a bit different than what I normally see in second world fantasy.

I liked all of the central protagonists, although I’m not sure I could say why. Maybe it’s because all of them felt messy and flawed and human. Karis especially stood out to me for those reasons, and I’m glad that the next book looks to be focusing on her. And make no mistake, I will be reading the next book in the series. Maybe not right away, since the library doesn’t have a copy, but I will be getting to it eventually, I swear.

There are a couple of things that I do want to note. The first is that Fire Logic does magically cure disabilities. I was hoping we’d see how a character can be plot important and paralyzed, but nope. And while it’s not relevant to the book itself, I can’t figure out what’s going on with the cover. None of the characters in the book are blond warrior women. Zanja, who is a warrior woman and the protagonist, has brown skin. It looks a lot like this cover was whitewashed. I know authors don’t have any control over these things, but it’s a real pity.

Anyway, as I’ve already established, I liked Fire Logic a lot and will be reading the sequel. This is definitely recommended to anyone looking for fantasy set in a gender egalitarian world or focusing on queer characters.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page. show less

Fantasy sometimes has a peculiar way of delving into utterly fantastic worlds and landscapes while still speaking truths about the world we're living in. I think Ursula K. Le Guin comes most to mind when having that discussion -- at least for me -- and I've always loved her books for it. Now, I'll love Laurie J. Marks' books for the same reason. High praise? Absolutely. But also true.

Fire Logic begins the Elemental Logic series with a powerful and war-torn novel that focuses on a tight set of characters who feel as real as they are fantastic. War, addiction, faith vs. hope, magic, heartbreak... it's all here, alongside fantastic story-telling. The blurb for the fourth book in the series (which is now sitting on my desk) calls the series show more 'exciting, thoughtful, queer, diverse, politically aware, complex, [and] timely'--and all of that applies to even this first book in the series, which I suspect I'll be recommending to readers for years to come. It is smart, powerful, and full of meaning, while being carried along on lush, gorgeous writing and characters who come to life nearly from page 1.

For fantasy readers, I can't recommend this enough. Personally, I can't wait to dive into book 2. show less

This book was an odd duck for me. It has so many elements I love--realistic, morally ambiguous politics, fully realized worldbuilding that isn't over-described, female characters as competent and integral to the plot as the males, alternate social structures depicted sans virtue signaling, and some of the most beautiful descriptive language I've read everywhere. And yet, the overall effect is like reading a very well-written encyclopedia article: individuals appear and do things that shape history, but the reader's window into their psyches and emotional lives is detached and clinical. And that's this novel's major handicap: because I was not emotionally invested in these characters, I felt no pain when horrors befell them nor elation show more when they triumphed. I by no means regret reading this book and will probably continue on to the next, but the experience is more akin to reading a nonfiction historical overview than the viscerally immersive experience the best fiction evokes. show less

I loved everything about this book, from the lyrical storytelling that made me feel like I was sitting around the fire, to the concise prose that didn't waste a syllable. This is a don't blink or you might miss a few days (or years) kind of book and the narrative voice took some getting used to, but the depth of character was intense and lovely and pulled me through just about every emotion I have. It normalizes gender queerness and though there is a soft focus on the magic, the true magic of the book shines through in character growth.

Definitely read this one. It's going on my favorites list!

I'll note right off the bat that, while this is the start of a four-book series, it tells a complete story on its own, standing alone while leading into the next part of the characters' lives.

This book, the start of the story of several people in a country that has been overrun by invaders, manages to avoid many of the standard fantasy cliches. For example, while one side of the conquerors vs resistance clearly comes off as worse than the other, the better side doesn't exactly come off as the "good guys" either. Even the setting is atypical, being neither pseudo-medieval nor contemporary, but rather during the time period when firearms are starting to become more common but haven't displaced other weaponry in warfare yet.

All of the show more characters have their flaws, and the closest anyone seems to be to being always right in their thinking is the long-dead writer of a manuscript with a better-seeming philosophy than that of either the conquerors or the leader of the resistance (although it might turn out to be a bit naive when dealing with either of those forces). By the end of the book, one can understand, if not necessarily sympathize with, the motivations of most of the major characters and forces involved.

I'm not sure where the story of the series will go, but I'm in for at least one more book. show less

This book is an interesting departure from the usual fantasy tropes. There are a few elements of "grimdark" -- no lords and ladies in castles or high elves -- with the emphasis on how day-to-day battles wear on the populace. Guns and explosives are commonly used, though there is magic, mainly of an elemental variety (hence the title). The most obvious difference is that the protagonist is a woman of color in a world where women live on an equal basis with men, where F/F and M/M relationships are completely normal and accepted. Also, many of the main characters are older, scarred by previous battles and experiences. There's no teenage chosen one riding to the rescue.

The writing style does take a fair bit to sink into; there's a bit more show more magical realism and imagery, some leaps of logic and faith. There's a lot of depth and complexity, fate, duty, and moral ambiguities. It won't be to everyone's tastes. Yet it did grab me enough that I'll be looking for the next one. show less