Classic fantasy full of family secrets and intrigues, the enormity of which is revealed only at the end of the story. Dramatic at times, set in a complicated, well-constructed world. A new novel by Magdalena Kubasiewicz is waiting for you.
Will it be about Ariel?
Let me start with whining on the cover – The slightly mean-faced Little Mermaid suggests that the sea maids will be important and present in the book, while these appear more in the legends and prejudices of the people of Sieldige than in the plot. From the beginning, I couldn’t reconcile the editor’s summary with this picture, and as it turns out, rightly so. If you are looking for an adventure taking place in the secret depths, turn to the Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor. If you dream of a city-palace fantasy written in a good style, grab Kubasiewicz.
It’s not that salty depths and living in them (or them) beings in the world are not all consume sea important. However, they constitute the background and mystery of the novel, because the adventures of Leto, and then Aletha, because these two characters share the foreground here, take place in a city suddenly deprived of political stabilization and the Prince. The young knight and his confidant, the alchemist, must restore their former balance with the greatest discretion and efficiency … and not die in the process.
Bezhołowie, so fight for the throne
Leto represents politics, such at the highest levels – he is one of the three “brothers”, the Prince’s aides, a kind of heroes and ministers at the same time. They share a long friendship, share interests and questions about which of them will be heir to the throne. Do we hear echoes of Caladan and Prince Atrida here? It reminds me of it, but I think it’s just an easter egg . In Sieldige, many wield magic, Leto – the one related to the water element. On the one hand, this is a reason for greater respect (or fear), on the other – discrimination, because lesser magicians are nothing special, ordinary hybrids of “salt blood”, so people have not only people, but also sea dwellers among their ancestors.
Aletha is at the opposite extreme of his position in society. She is a craftswoman, an alchemist, perhaps the best in the country, but she doesn’t show her talents. She knows that this would expose her to undue interest in various groups seeking to seize power or profits. Only Leto knows about her, and the reader will long wonder what the relationship binds these two. By doing so, you can ignore the little details that will ultimately prove important to understanding why the protagonist protects her privacy so much.
Family, friendship, distrust
Information is the most valuable commodity and the best security for the future. Anyone who touches palaces or councils is well aware of this. The most intriguing background characters of this book turn this currency. One of them, the head of the spies, operates in a city where the fates of many people meet. Another lurked in completely different conditions – but I don’t want to tell you too much. As in any good fantasy, outcasts, loners, and hermits may turn out to be confidants of old knowledge and magic. Meanwhile, the main characters think that by keeping their secrets, they also have access to sufficient knowledge – they will be disappointed, and you will keep your fingers crossed so that their profession is not deadly.
Rhythm and story Everything is swallowed by the sea, it is subject to the ebb and flow – sometimes everything happens very quickly, we have fights and chases, other times the heroes sit at desks and lose their thoughts. We are slowly discovering the magic of the Kubasiewicz world; the author tells us at every moment just enough to make us feel almost like her characters – if they are wrong, so do we. If they surprise, we open our eyes wide ourselves. The writer is playing with us as if she were Sieldige’s chief spy herself.
I hope that Kubasiewicz is planning a longer series of books from this world. Or an RPG textbook that someone will use to make a series one day. I will be very happy to go out to these depths again.
