Abraham, Daniel ~ Price of Spring ~ TOR, 2009 ~ 348 pages ~ Audience: adults, some teens ~ Rating: Very Good.
Opening:
"Eiah Machi, physician and daughter of the Emperor, pressed her fingers gently on the woman’s belly. The swollen flesh was tight, veins marbling the skin blue within brown."
Publication History:
This is the fourth and final volume in the Long Price Quartet. Earlier volumes, in order, were Shadow in Summer, Betrayal in Winter, and Autumn War.
Setting:
This is a world were two dramatically different cultures have warred. The Galt are warlike and their culture is based upon technology and technological advances. The cities of the Khaiem rely primarily on magic to advance their culture and protect them from enemies. The magic is based on forces of nature which are bound by magicians [here called Poets] using certain words in certain sequences. When bound, the force [say Wounded or Sterile] is transformed into a man controlled by the Poet and is called an andat.
A horrific war between the Galts and the Khaiem resulted in the latter’s defeat and the destruction of the andats and all but two of the poets. Both of the poets are older men and in hiding. However, a Poet was able to create the andat Sterile who made all the Khaiem woman and all of the Galt men sterile. Several years later, both populations have aged and there have been no children on either side.
The Emperor, Otah Machi, hopes to create a future for both countries by encouraging women from one country to migrate to the other and vice versa so that new generations may be born and the civilization kept alive. If both countries remain stubborn, their populations will eventually die and so will their civilization. At the same time, war violence has created hatred of each by the other.
Plot: Otah Machi is negotiating with the Galt leadership for an arrangement that would allow children to be born and repopulation begin. The women of the Khaiem, in particular, acutely feel that they are victims and would become merely brood mares. Maati, disgraced after the result of the Sterile andat [because he damaged both sides and not just the Galts], has recruited a small group of women in the hope that they can be taught to be poets and bind a force that would at least overcome the sterilization of Khaiem. If he is successful, Khaiem will be able to defeat the child less Galt and recover its dominate position. Otah believes that the only viable future is for the two countries to integrate. He will do whatever is needed to stop Maati when he learns of it. For Maati, the challenge is to educate/train the women in the unusually challenging task of both binding and controlling the andat [they do not wish to be bound]. Previous poets have all been men.
Characters:
Otah, his daughter Eiah [who is part of Maati’s group], his son Danat [who may marry Ana, the daughter of a Galt leader] and his sister Idaan [who killed Otah's father] are major characters along with Maati and one of the would be poets in his group.
Physical Book:
The book is divided into 31 chapters plus a prolog and an epilog. Print is readable and white space is adequate. See-through is average. Maps by Jackie Aher show the larger setting and then the cities of the Khaiem. They are clear and quite helpful. The front cover illustration by Stephan Martinere shows soldiers among ruins. It’s a bit dark and indistinct.
Recommendation
The Long Price Quartet has received considerable praise and should be in all but the smallest fantasy collection. Certainly, the final volume will be held with the other three. Abraham’s writing is impressive, especially in describing the landscape and the motivation/concerns/hopes/fears of the main characters. There is considerable dialog, both internal and external. It is notably well-done, offering insight into the main characters, especially Otah and Maati. Manners/poses/customs also receive considerable attention, making social relationships more interesting. This is clearly a character-driven series, especially in this last volume. There is little action, either magical or with other weapons. Instead, the focus is on what may be done to avert the present nightmare situation as well as prevent an unexpected event that could make things even worse. We learn more about andats and Poets. We certainly learn much more about Otah and his sister. Maati is torn by his past mistakes, his hope for a doubtful future, and his fears that his hopes will be dashed.
Given the war, the terrible outcome of Maati’s work, and the nature of the challenges, the story is pervaded by a strong sense of loss, even hopelessness.
A good choice for the thoughtful reader, especially those who are more interested in people and their interactions than sword and sorcery. As there is social SF, Price of Spring is social heroic fantasy.
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