Jacob's Ladder — (2007-2011) Publisher: On a broken ship orbiting a doomed sun, dwellers have grown complacent with their aging metal world. But when a serving girl frees a captive noblewoman, the old order is about to change... Ariane, Princess of the House of Rule, was known to be fiercely cold-blooded. But severing an angel's wings on the battlefield — even after she had surrendered — proved her completely without honor. Captive, the angel Perceval waits for Ariane not only to finish her off — but to devour her very memories and mind. Surely her gruesome death will cause war between the houses — exactly as Ariane desires. But Ariane's plan may yet be opposed, for Perceval at once recognizes the young servant charged with her care.
Rien is the lost child: her sister. Soon they will escape, hoping to stop the impending war and save both their houses. But it is a perilous journey through the crumbling hulk of a dying ship, and they do not pass unnoticed. Because at the hub of their turning world waits Jacob Dust, all that remains of God, following the vapor wisp of the angel. And he knows they will meet very soon.
 
 Dust
While Dust is categorized as science fiction, there were actually a lot of familiar fantasy elements in the book, which I found a little bit surprising but quite enjoyable. For example, a number of medieval concepts are employed in the novel, such as a ruling family of nobles; politics regarding bloodlines, successors and inheritances; knights; castles; swords as the preferred choice of weaponry; chivalry; and so on. Then there’s the story, which features a servant girl who discovers she’s someone important, a couple of quests including one to prevent a war between the House of Rule and Engine, and the presence of near-omniscient angels who play the role of “meddling gods.” On top of that you also have the Garden of Eden and other Christian references, prophecy told through a deck of cards, the appearance of a dragon, a basilisk side character and a necromancer…
If Dust had been a straight-up fantasy novel, it would be hard to ignore all of the tropes that Ms. Bear uses, but because of the sci-fi setting, they actually complement the story. And that’s where things get interesting. For starters, the “world” that the book is set in is actually a gigantic generation colony ship called Jacob’s Ladder, which, over the centuries, has forced evolution on its occupants through nanotechnology colonies and symbionts, resulting in the angelic-like Exalts. Overseeing this world are “angels,” who are actually fragments of one large entity called Israfel. The problem is that the star system Jacob’s Ladder has been orbiting is on the verge of going supernova and to have any chance of survival, the ship must be moved to a new location. In order for that to happen however, the ship has to be repaired first and all of the Israfel fragments united as one. That means war between the different remnants — namely, Jacob Dust the Angel of Memory, Samael the Angel of Biosystems and Asrafil the Angel of Blades — each of whom have their own selfish objectives. Tangled up in the middle of this conflict is the Exalt Percival Conn, the key to success for whichever angel comes out on top, but it’ll actually be Rien the servant girl and her companions who determine the fate of Jacob’s Ladder.
Besides the fun story that mixes traditional fantasy with space opera adventure, Dust also features interesting characters. I liked Rien the most because she changes the most throughout the novel being Remade from a common Mean into an Exalt, consuming the memories of a Chief Engineer, and discovering a family she never knew she had. Of the other two main characters, I thought Jacob had the most entertaining scenes especially his interactions with the other Angels, and I enjoyed the struggle that Percival faced with Pinion, a set of sentient wings that act as her ‘guard and warden.’ A lot of the supporting cast, including Lady Ariane, Benedick Conn, and Tristen Conn, were pretty generic and undeveloped, but I was fond of Mallory and the basilisk Gavin. Additionally, there were some interesting SF concepts in the book, such as the symbiosis between the nanotechnology colonies and their hosts; the deadly unblades that create unhealable wounds; the way Angels and Exalts can “consume” others to gain memories and knowledge; and the whole idea of a ship existing as a world complete with different cities and societies.
As far as the writing, there’s not much to criticize. Dust is deftly paced and plotted; the main characters are well-constructed; action scenes are dutifully exciting; and the prose is descriptive, elegant and accessible. Furthermore, Ms. Bear is pretty open when it comes to sexuality. Dust includes a Kant (an ungendered character referred to as sie or hir), a hermaphrodite, and relationships that would be considered taboo in our society. In fact, the only thing that I can really complain about is the cover art, which doesn’t do the book justice, but I don’t believe Bear had anything to do with that!
Dust is the opening volume in the Jacob’s Ladder trilogy. I know that some readers don’t like to start a series until it’s been completed, but I think this could be an exception. While the story stops at a climactic point, Bear resolves a lot of the novel’s subplots and I have a feeling that Chill is going to have a much different vibe. I can’t wait to see what happens with it. —Robert Thompson
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The Edda of Burdens — (2008-2010) Steampunk alternate future. Publisher: In the beginning was the end of the world. The children of the Light and the fallen Tarnished met at the edge of the great ice, and there they warred and died. Brother fought brother; lover slew lover. And when it was done, and the snow drifted over the blood, three were left: "the one who fled, the one who stood, and the one who walked away." Muire is a waelcyrge, an immortal maiden of the shield, sworn to defend the Light and to hold a place in the world for the return of the All-Father. But the All-Father never came. And Muire was not like her sisters — she was a historian and a poet, a sculptor and a thinker, littlest and least of her kind. A sparrow among falcons. From afar and quietly, she loved the greatest and brightest of the einherjar, the chosen warriors: Strifbjorn. But her courage failed her, and on the Last Day she fled the armies of the Tarnished, and did not die with her love. Kasimir is a valraven, war-steed of the choosers of the slain. Two-headed, great-hearted, winged and horned for battle. On the Last Day, his rider was killed, and he wounded unto death. But that great heart remains indomitable in defeat as it was in victory, even as it pumps his life-blood into the snow. And Mingan — Mingan is the Grey Wolf, last child of a dead god, grandson of giants. Mingan is old, older than the fallen children, older than the young and dying world. This is not his first apocalypse. He would prefer it to be his last.
    
 All the Windwracked Stars: Norse mythology + apocalyptic SF = a dark dreamscape
When the battle (Ragnarok) is over, only three immortals are left alive: Muire, the smallest waelcyrge, the valraven, Kasmir, a two-headed, winged war-mount, and the one whose betrayal damned them all. Together they live through the coming ages to play their roles in the very last days of the world.
I needed something really different and All the Windwracked Stars was just what the doctor ordered and more. Elizabeth Bear combines Norse mythology and apocalyptic science fiction to create a dark dreamscape, and also invents a very intriguing concept: angels whose god is either dead or has gone missing.
The desperately savage combat at the beginning of All the Windwracked Stars drew me right in and I soon found myself liking characters that I normally would not. The prose is somewhat surreal, and this story has a rather strange flow which, at times, made it a little difficult for me to follow. Usually I’d find that a little irritating, but for the Edda of Burdens series, this wistful style works perfectly because the characters themselves are lost souls struggling to understand their own destinies.
I was once a big fan of Apocalyptic Sci-fi, so it was a refreshing thrill to lose myself in Elizabeth Bear’s dying world. The outcome of doomsday comes down to a handful of unique misfits in a truly original story. I especially liked the conclusion and I was so gloomily fascinated that I immediately downloaded the Kindle version of the next book, By the Mountain Bound.
I almost never jump into the next book in a series without a break between, but By the Mountain Bound is the story leading up to the battle of Ragnarok — the beginning of All the Windwracked Stars — and I just had to know the answers to some of the wonderfully tantalizing mysteries left unexplained in this book. —Greg Hersom
 All the Windwracked Stars
All the Windwracked Stars is the first book in the EDDA OF BURDENS trilogy by fantasy and SF author Elizabeth Bear. The novel is a very original blend of fantasy, science fiction, steampunk and mythology, and while it has some weaknesses, its originality sets it apart in a genre that's all too often filled with cookie-cutter material.
Surprisingly, All the Windwracked Stars actually begins with Ragnarok, the final battle between the Children of the Light and the Tarnished. Muire, a waelcyrge (valkyrie) is one of the only survivors, together with Kasimir, another valkyrie's wounded valraven, who (in a sign of things to come) is transformed from his old two-headed, winged horse form into a more steampunk-ish guise.
Fast forward more than two millennia, to a post-apocalyptic world in which humanity only has one semi-viable city left. Eiledon is ruled by the Technomancer, who lives in a university/fortress floating above the city, and enforces her rule over the general population with a force of "unmans" (animal/human hybrids). Early in the novel, Muire learns that Mingan the Wolf is still stalking the world, and that the Technomancer's goals may not be entirely benevolent.
All the Windwracked Stars is a challenging but ultimately rewarding novel — challenging, because it takes a good 200 pages before the plot really emerges. Until that happens, you're reading a novel set in a world that's so unique it can be confusing, populated by characters that are extremely hard to connect with, especially in the first handful of chapters. The original setting, combined with Elizabeth Bear's beautiful prose, will carry patient readers to the point where the story really takes off, but it's hard not to feel that this novel could have been more accessible.
Regardless of this, All the Windwracked Stars is amazingly successful at combining mythology and science fiction in an intriguing and unique way. If you are interested in Norse mythology, and your tolerance for challenging reads is high, this book will deliver for you in spades. —Stefan Raets
 By the Mountain Bound: A very original and engrossing plot
The Einherjar and the Waelcyrge are the immortal Children of the Light that were born of the sea when the world was created. For five hundred years, they were charged with protecting the human race and preparing for the war that would one day come. As they anticipated the glory of fighting with honor, it never occurred to them that the final battle would be with each other.
This series, the EDDA OF BURDENS, seems to have gotten somewhat mixed reviews. Some readers don't like the order of the books. By the Mountain Bound is the second book, which is the story that leads up to the last battle at the beginning of the first book, All the Windwracked Stars. Personally, I love it and wouldn’t change a thing.
I do have to admit that I had a hard time getting through one of the early chapters (I started to wonder if the title should be By the “Broke-back” Mountain Bound and yeah, I admit, the “rated R” sexual content wouldn’t have bothered me as much if it was heterosexual — Sorry, I’m old and don't know better.) But once past those few pages, I realized this was an important element in the story, and I still grew to like both characters very much.
In fact, even though Elizabeth Bear has created a very original and engrossing plot, it’s the terrific characters that make this story work.
Anyone who read the first book or has a vague knowledge of Norse mythology already has a good idea of how this ends. Knowing the conclusion does not lessen its impact — and there are still a few surprises.
I’ve always had a place in my heart for the “few stood against many/ no hope of winning” stories, but to make that that theme to work, the reader really has to be able to empathize with the characters. I found that my admiration for the courage of Einherjar, the Waelcyrge, and the Valraven — the Waelcyrges’ war-mounts — was equaled by my regret for those that dishonored themselves to become “tarnished.” Even when one of my favorite characters commits a horrific act, my remorse for him outweighed the outrage that demanded justice. —Greg Hersom
 By the Mountain Bound
By the Mountain Bound is the second book in Elizabeth Bear's The Edda of Burdens trilogy, but is actually set before the events described in book 1, All the Windwracked Stars. It explains how the final battle between the Children of the Light and the Tarnished came about, as well as the histories of some of the major characters of that book.
Muire, the main character of All the Windwracked Stars, returns in this novel, but the focus definitely shifts towards the other two viewpoint characters: Strifbjorn, the Warleader of the immortal Children of the Light, and his lover Mingan the Grey Wolf. Strifbjorn rescues what he believes is a mortal girl, but it quickly becomes clear that she is something very different... and her arrival will change the Children of the Light forever.
On the plus side, Elizabeth Bear's take on Norse mythology is extremely original, and that's not even taking the truly inventive addition of steampunk and SF elements of All the Windwracked Stars into account. Together, the two novels trace an impressive line from the mythical origins of the world to a gritty, almost post-apocalyptic future. By the Mountain Bound is simply a very original entry into the fantasy genre, miles away from your average medievaloid high fantasy. It'll also be interesting to see if The Sea Thy Mistress (book 3 in the series, due in October 2010 from Tor) will go even further back in time, or if it will fill in the roughly 2000-year gap between the first 2 books, or take a different direction altogether.
Unfortunately, I found it hard to have any sort of connection with the characters in book 1, and found it even harder in By the Mountain Bound. In addition, if you've read All the Windwracked Stars, you already know how By the Mountain Bound will end: you'll find out many details that were only hinted at in the first book, but at the same time it sometimes feels like watching a recording of a sports event when you already know the final score. Despite Elizabeth Bear's beautiful prose and the originality of the novel's concept, I found it hard to stay motivated enough to keep reading, because I didn't care about any of the characters AND already knew what would happen to them.
If you enjoyed All the Windwracked Stars and are curious about how it all started, definitely check out By the Mountain Bound. It contains some powerful scenes, tons of beautiful, poetic prose, and a highly original fantasy universe. However, while I have the utmost respect for Elizabeth Bear's talent, I simply didn't enjoy By the Mountain Bound as much as I wanted to. —Stefan Raets
The Sea Thy Mistress
The Sea Thy Mistress is the third book of the The Edda of Burdens, which I believe, is a trilogy. It picks up after the ending of the first book, All the Windwracked Stars. (The events in book 2, By the Mountain Bound, are the actual beginning of the story.)
Fifty years after Muire has ascended to become the Bearer of Burdens — a goddess that is one with the Wyrm that dwells in the ocean — she gives birth to a son. The infant is found on the beach by the cyborg Aethelred, a priest of Muire who was once a bartender. At the time the child’s father, Cahey — Muire’s former lover turned Einherjar — is off wandering the previously apocalyptic world, performing his task of protecting and helping the new human settlements. So are the moreau, human-animal hybrids, which were released from bondage by Muire. Meanwhile, the only remaining original Einherjar, Mingan and the two-headed war-steed named Kasimir, prepare for the return of their ancient enemy, who has come back across the rainbow bridge. Heythe’s plans to end the world were halted in All the Windwracked Stars, so she’s come back to finish what she started. The child is her key to defeating Muire and the, now, too few Einherjar.
Ms. Bear’s style, at least in this series, verges on the melodramatic. I’d go so far as to say it pushes the boundary between epic and romantic fantasy. There are a lot of broken hearts and a lot of pining over lost loves, which is something I’d usually steer well clear of. In fact, if someone had mentioned these elements to me, I’d never have picked up The Edda of Burdens. Am I ever glad no one did, because this is a very beautifully written book. Elizabeth Bear’s prose and language almost begs to be read aloud. It reads so effortlessly that it’s almost poetic.
The characters are very flawed, but are only more endearing for it. Those flaws are exemplified by the fact that they are now the Einherjar, which are warrior angels. I mentioned in my review of All the Windwracked Stars how interesting the concept of “angels of a dead god” is. In The Sea Thy Mistress this idea has changed somewhat. Now it’s about reincarnated angels of a new god that guard over a reborn world and how they must deal with a devious enemy from a primeval past — an enemy that’s powerful enough to have destroyed worlds and defeated them all, rather easily, the first time around.
Still, those things are not what completely won me over. The Edda of Burdens is based on Norse mythology, but it’s more like it is Norse mythology, or as if this is how those legends should be. It’s like Bear has uncovered a lost Viking artifact and deciphered runes that contained previously unknown details about the beings that fight the battle of Raknarok and what comes after. She brings the mythos to life and projects it into an alternate future. —Greg Hersom
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