The Man of Gold

This is fantasy as Tolkien intended it. If post-Lord of the Rings fantasy resembled Barker's "Tékumel" rather than Brooks' "Shannara," we'd live in a better world. Barker, I imagine, was one of the few who understood what Tolkien was after on a molecular level (language being the basis for mythology and world-building). His vision is different, of course, honing in on non-Western cultures. The influence of the pulps is present, but rather than cheap exploitation, Barker seems to utilize it to further the development of his world and distance it from that which we are used to (in other words, it's good fantasy). Tékumel is cosmopolitan and complex, just like what one would expect from a land based on the Subcontinent or pre-colonial show more Mexico. While the plot is relatively simple, the setting is what grabs the reader's attention. It's overwhelming, in fact. Imagine staring at a Aztec mosaic and perseverating upon the intricacies of each line and angle, so much that it might even distract you from the image of the whole - that's what exploring this novel feels like.

I first learned about M.A.R. Barker in November 2012, less than a year after he died. I've wanted to read his work ever since. I've been happy to finally have a chance (his work was out-of-print). I don't play "Dungeons and Dragons"-type board games, but it would be nice to see Tékumel return in force as a computer-based RPG, or in literature as a short story collection.

5 stars. Highly recommended. This is fantasy as it should be. show less

I really enjoyed this book more than I had expected to, maybe because I did not expect too much. M.A.R. created the world of Tékumel and its gods and languages for a game: Empire of the Petal Throne. It is a very original science-fantasy setting and I had read a bit about it before reading this book. Like J.R.R. Tolkien, Barker was a linguist whose invented languages helped shape his fantasy world. However Barker's fictional work never received the literary acclaim of the Lord of the Rings.

The hero of this story, Hàrsan, is a bookish scribe whose knowledge of an obscure ancient language embroils him in a palace and temple intrigue which threatens the whole Tsolyani empire. He finds himself pursued across the empire by numerous show more factions. He flees through ancient dungeons looking for a mysterious artifact called the Man of Gold. Along the way he meets various villains, creatures, friends and lovers.

There are a lot of words in the invented Tsolyanu language but they are presented in the text with their English translation, for example Chtin-flies or Chlen-beast. This was an ok approach -- it added a foreign atmosphere without requiring a glossary or dictionary. show less

A novelization of the author's role playing game, Empire of the Petal Throne. The game was far more original than Dungeons & Dragons, with truly odd alien races instead of overworked orcs and elves. The novel illustrates why game settings don't translate readily into readable works of fiction. To his credit, Mr. Barker does try to rationalize his overloaded milieu, but it is evident that there is more invention than imagination at work.

The monk Hasran travels across the Empire of the Petal Throne in search of the "Man of Gold", a mysterious artifact from a lost age of technology. He becomes a pawn used by various factions bent on acquiring the device for their own purposes.

Barker is renowned as a world builder rather than a novelist, and his world of "Tekumel" is a welcome change from the Tolkienesque dross that dominates so much of fantasy. Both the far future strangeness of Tekumel and the better parts of the story reminded me of Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun". However, the weaker passages of the "Man of Gold" read like an RPG session writeup, punctuated by info-dumps.

The novel is no masterpiece, but definitely worth reading.

The game "Empire of the Petal Throne", is the setting for this novel, and we follow the adventures of a young priest/magician as he finds his way into an adult role in this complex and intriguing society.