Long long time ago…
The action of the first part of the Black Cats trilogy takes place in the Middle Ages – so we have fights, conspiracies, betrayals, ubiquitous trade and … stylized to the language of that time. Reading the novel, we will feel the atmosphere of old times and meet new literary heroes, i.e. 18-year-old Mins and his friends. In the background we will hear about the war coming to the city of Thornis and only committed young people can make a difference. The theme of the secret organization, in which Mins joins the ranks, is interestingly developed, although … we do not always understand all aspects of its existence. The goals set by Black Cats are not clear enough for both the heroes of the novel and the reader. Moreover, we also do not know who is really good and who is bad.
Hero – Reader
The main characters of the novel are hard to like because they are one-dimensional. Despite making big plans, Mins, the poor son of the boatbuilder, does little to actually make them come true. His friends Joim and Menelaus are also often passive in their actions. The heroes are young, so many decisions can be forgiven, but their constant search for a purpose in life can tire the reader, especially since Black Cats is a long, very long novel. It might seem that the book is dedicated to a young audience. Unfortunately, the large number of descriptions (including those related to the killings) and profanity mean that Hryniewiecki’s proposal will not be suitable for everyone and we must consider whether we would like to have Black Cats on our bookshelf shelf.
A linguistic tramp?
Hryniewiecki describes the port city of Thornis in an interesting way, sparing the reader details of customs, politics and religion. With so many details, we can visualize the literary world without any problems. The universe arranged in this way proves the extraordinary imagination of the young author – we follow the streets of the city with him and get to know class society. Unfortunately, a large number of descriptions can quickly tire the recipient, and complex sentences cause – most often – reading confusion. In addition, they inhibit the action and we have to read entire fragments again and again, from the beginning, to catch up with the plot. The downside is the inconsistency of language – some of the characters speak archaic (eg. Your grace), while others do not use it at all. Although not all readers will be disturbed by this anachronism, I hope that the author will improve this nuance in the next volumes of the trilogy.
Finally
What I like the most about Black Cats is the author’s bonus. The reader gets maps from Hryniewiecki (including the island of Thornis, Delta Krieru, the city of Thornis, Belenaosa Monastery). Thanks to them, it is easier for us to go through the ten chapters of Black Cats and not get lost in the meanders of literature. To sum up, the author’s debut novel is an interesting work, but long descriptions can tire even the most persistent. On the other hand, if not for the linguistic inconsistency, maybe it would be easier, but well… it is not. However, I encourage you to judge for yourself whether it is worth it!
