A Secret History : The Book Of Ash No. 1

“A Secret History” is the first book of a complete tetrology. In it we are introduced to Ash, the female captain of a mercenary company operating in Western Europe in the 1470s. Interspersed with her story are a number of communications between the scholar who is translating her story and his editor. Both of these narrative threads are interesting and powerful; although the contemporary thread simply seems like a nice addition at first, it quickly becomes something much more intriguing and possibly sinister.

The feel of the world that Ash lives in is well developed. To be a mercenary at that time was to live an existence that we would call squalid, but was better than some others. The camps are full of sex and violence as well as show more dirt and boredom. This is accepted by all as the norm. It’s disturbing to read about child molestation being regarded as unpleasant but normal, even by the child involved, but it is possibly not far from the truth of the times.

Of course, the fact that Ash is a woman is not normal by any means. She knows this, and has to work around it at all times. On the battlefield she has additional help: while she herself is probably a brilliant soldier, there is a voice in her head that helps her solve tactical problems. It is no abstract saint’s voice or feeling from God. It sounds like nothing so much as a tactical computer. Unfortunately, even it can’t help her when she is maneuvered into an unwanted marriage as a “reward” from the Emperor Frederick (of the Holy Roman Empire).

There is a lot going on in this book, and the pacing is wonderful. The author knows how to build narrative tension and keep things interesting. The question of what is real is pervasive. When Ash talks about golems, is that just European legendary thinking creeping in? Or does she mean real, honest-to-God walking around Golems? At first the answer seems obvious: just as one can write off date errors as medieval sloppiness, so one can ignore golems as mere embellishment. But back in today’s world, the archeological evidence is about to unleash some surprises. I’m looking forward to getting the second book, “Carthage Ascendent,” when I can find it. We’ll see if Gentle can keep up the pace and mystery of what she starts in this unique novel. show less

The Book of Ash is a series of four novels: A Secret History, Carthage Ascendant, The Wild Machines, and Lost Burgundy. I’d read and enjoyed other Mary Gentle books, so I picked the first volume up when I saw it in a used book store. Ostensibly it’s about Ash, a girl whose ability to hear “voices” giving her military advice allows her to lead a troop of mercenaries in 15th century Europe – a Jean d’Arc, perhaps. Interspersed is a series of emails between a historian and his publisher; the historian has discovered a previously unknown contemporary manuscript biography of Ash and is in the process of translating it from Latin.


It quickly becomes apparent things aren’t quite what they seem. Ash and her troops encounter show more Visigoths. From Carthage. In the 15th century. The modern historian and publisher are increasingly puzzled – to say nothing of the reader. Thus the narrative continues on two levels – a fairly straightforward story of military action in the Renaissance, and a second story that is science fiction or fantasy or alternate history or something.


I can’t say much more lest spoilers, but I found The Book of Ash to be an exciting page-turner. Mary Gentle is a reenactor (in addition to being a historian and author) and all the details of courtly life and combat in the 1400s ring true. Recommend as both a historical novel and scifi/fantasy. show less

It's hard to believe that the Ash books were pretty much my introduction to early renaissance Burgundy, which became much more detailed after reading Dorothy Dunnett's House of Nicolo. I found this one less compelling than I did originally, though I enjoyed the the characters quite as much and found the situations fascinating.

The story of a female mercenary in the 15th century, A Secret History: The Book of Ash has an interesting premise. I settled in with a hot cup of coffee over Thanksgiving break and prepared to witness Ash kick ass, preferably Tarantino style. And then I waited . . . and waited . . . and waited . . . and it's the last page . . . and, holy shit, no ass kicking in sight! Not one can of whoop-ass opened. This, of course, pissed me off.

I'm not really sure how to describe A Secret History, but I can list what I consider to be its shortcomings. Obviously, these did not bother others as much as they did me as the book is overall highly rated, which is why I read the book and expected as much from it as I did.

A) There are actually two show more storylines: one takes place in the present day and is a series of e-mails being sent back and forth between the author and the publisher. Apparently, the author's source material has been compromised as many of the historical documents he used in researching his non-fiction account of Ash have been mysteriously reclassified as fiction. These e-mails bog down the narrative and can be summed up as follows:

Publisher: I have serious doubts about your source material. What is going on? You have to tell me!
Author: I don't understand it either. But I'll look into it. In the meantime, you won't believe what I've found! I can't believe it! You won't be able to believe it! The world won't be able to believe it! But here's a tidbit to tide you over [insert tidbit here].
Publisher: Received your last e-mail. This is amazing stuff! But I have a problem with your source material. What is going on? You have to tell me!
(And repeat, ad nauseum)

B) The character of Ash is completely unbelievable as a mercenary captain capable of inspiring men to trust in her leadership. She struts around in armor, cusses a lot, and . . . basically, that's it. Then again, from what I've seen of the "dramatic coach monologue" of football movies, maybe that is enough to inspire men to beat the crap out of one another. She doesn't do much of anything other than be pushed around by events. She seldom seems in control and never really makes any decisions that demonstrate her skill as a warrior or tactician. In part, this is because Gentle introduces us to 8 year old Ash (apparently just so she can have Ash raped as a child and witness her brutal retaliation, thus establishing why she would so whole-heartedly embrace a life of violence) and then jumps forward to Ash in command of her mercenary band known as the Lion Azure. She leap-frogged what would have been the most interesting part of Ash's story and the part needed to solidify the reader's belief in Ash as a warrior: how did Ash rise to power and come to command her own army?

C) Even though it's sloppily explained by the contemporary historian translating the history of Ash as his attempt to modernize the language of the story, there are a lot of modern idioms and phrases used that take away from the authenticity of the time period and which I doubt any true historian would so gleefully sprinkle throughout a text.

There were a few mildly interesting twists, but the one dimensional characters and lack of fidelity to the time period mean that this is a series that I won't continue. show less

This is a very gritty, well researched tale of medieval warfare, and a woman who leads it. It is quite an interesting story. It is not, however, for the prudish or squeamish, since the rape of an 8-year-old occurs on the first page, the "F" word is liberally sprinkled throughout, and the very realistic depictions of life during that time are not always pretty and clean. For those who don't mind the above, a recommended read.

I didn't really like this one and would be happy enough to never read the next in the series but wouldn't refuse it if I got my hands on it. Written as pseudo-history it's okay but not the best read I've had this year. An interesting alternative Joan of Arc story.

For serious, if you took a drink every time it mentions a piece of armor, you would be dead of alcohol poisoning in 3 pages.

I can't quite decide if this counts as SF or fantasy, and I don't think I want to read the rest of the series to find out.