Castings — (2008-2011) Publisher: A thousand years ago, the Eleven Domains were invaded and the original inhabitants forced on the road as Travellers, belonging nowhere, welcomed by no-one.
Now the Domains are governed with an iron fist by the Warlords, but there are wilder elements to the landscape which cannot be controlled and which may prove their undoing. Some are spirits of place, of water and air and fire and earth. Some are greater than these. And some are human.
Bramble: a village girl, whom no-one living can tame ... forced to flee from her home for a crime she did not commit.
Ash: apprentice to a safeguarder, forced to kill for an employer he cannot escape.
Saker: an enchanter, who will not rest until the land is returned to his people.
As their three stories unfold, along with the stories of those whose lives they touch, it becomes clear that they are bound together in ways that not even a stonecaster could foresee — bound by their past, their future, and their blood.
  
 Blood Ties:
“The Voices of the Dead Will Echo Through the World…”
The first installment of Pamela Freeman's Castings trilogy may seem at first like a typical fantasy novel, with swords as everyone's weapon of choice, horses as everyone's mode of transportation, and copious amounts of ale and stew making up everyone's diet. But it doesn't take long before Blood Ties reveals itself to be quite different from the usual swords-and-sorcery realm: in its setting and atmosphere, in its plot and story-structure, and in its myriad of themes and ideas.
For starters, there is no supernatural evil "Dark Lord" out to destroy the world — just a number of squabbling and greedy warlords who have divided the land into a number of Domains, having invaded and conquered the original inhabitants. Now known as "Travellers," due to their wandering lifestyles, these dark-haired people are harassed and despised by those that forcibly took their lands. Such prejudice naturally leads to various crimes of murder, rape and theft against the Travellers, with little consequences for the perpetrators. Even though the invasion of their lands took place hundreds of years ago, the injustice still rankles amongst the Travellers, and the massacres of their people are remembered in song, passed on from generation to generation.
Two other notable features to this fantasy world are Freeman's portrayal of death and the presence of "stonecasters." In this world, the spirits of the dead linger on earth for a fixed period of time before moving on to (what they hope) is rebirth. Stonecasters are those that can read fate in the throw of a collection of small engraved stones, most of whom also seem to be able to communicate with the spirits of the dead — though some are better at this than others.
Into such a world are born our two main protagonists: Bramble and Ash, both with Traveller blood. Bramble is a wild young woman of the countryside who likes nothing better to roam the woods all day, whereas Ash is a young assassin's apprentice in the city, just coming to terms with the reality of killing. Most of the attention is on these two as they struggle through various obstacles in life, and both are interesting and three-dimensional characters: sympathetic without being too good to be true.
But it is the plot itself which makes Blood Ties so unique in the fantasy genre, for the story (such as it is) moves at a languid and meandering pace, spans a number of years, and bears no resemblance whatsoever to the typical aspects of what we deem "fantasy." There are no quests for magical items, no dragons that need slaying, no long-lost heirs to the throne or innocent farm boys with great destinies. Instead, Freeman explores the world through the eyes of her two characters, focusing on the day-to-day struggles of survival in a harsh world. It is so removed from the clichés of fantasy literature, that a segment involving Bramble would read (if taken out of context) more like a girl-training-wild-horse story, as she teaches herself how to ride.
And that's why I enjoyed this book so much, for along with Bramble and Ash's stories, there are several shorter chapters dotted throughout that tell the stories of periphery characters and their place in the world. It's an interesting feature to the book, and although some may grow impatient with these chapters considering they often have little bearing on Ash or Bramble's stories, they help to enrich the overall story and the customs and cultures that Freeman has created for this world. Furthermore, they allow us to catch a glimpse of worldviews that oppose Bramble and Ash's — such as the memories of a soldier who explains why he is so loyal to the warlord who poses such a danger to the rest of the world, and his reasoning that it may not be such a bad thing if he was to unite the Domains.
However, there is a thread of a definitive plot at work in the story; that of a third character named Saker, who travels the world in the attempt to raise the ghosts of massacred Travellers from their graves to wreck vengeance on the descendants of the conquerors. Toward the end of the book, another element is introduced (perhaps just a little too late to have the impact that it should) that hints toward a more concrete plot that will no doubt be developed further in later books.
Amidst all the pain and despair, Freeman is careful to include moments of joy and peace, and ultimately Blood Ties feels more like a story about a world than any particular person, full of its own history, culture and unfolding future. Presumably, the sequel Deep Water will delve more into the brewing tension between the warlords and the Travellers, but for now, the exploration of this created world is all the reader needs to sustain their interest. —Rebecca Fisher
 Deep Water
Deep Water is the second book in Pamela Freeman's The Castings trilogy and though it suffers just a tad from middle book syndrome, this is a great continuation from the last book Blood Ties, enriching the world and developing the characters, as well as setting things up nicely for the final installment.
The Eleven Domains were conquered thousands of years ago by Acton's people, who marched across the northern mountains and massacred the dark-haired people (now called "Travelers" due to their nomadic lifestyle) already settled there. The memory of this injustice is still remembered by the Travelers to this day, and has lead one powerful enchanter to call up the ghosts of those killed in the attacks in order to reap vengeance on the descendants of those that murdered them. The armies of the dead are set loose in various villages and cities; an unstoppable force that leaves carnage in its wake.
Blood Ties introduced us to this world, in which "stone-casters" can read the will of the gods in scattered stones, where ghosts can temporarily rise in order to settle unfinished business before departing for the next life, and where the warlord Thegan is conquering various free towns and commons in order to solidify his hold on the land. Deep Water takes the story-threads begun in the previous book and deepens the quest narrative of our main protagonists: Bramble, Ash and their assorted allies.
Having decided to act against the raising of the ghost armies, Bramble journeys to find Acton's bones and force his spirit to make reparations to those he killed so many years ago. But a spirit has to be sung up out of the past, and Ash knows that before he's able to achieve such a thing, he needs to learn the correct songs from his estranged father. So the two of them part company: one to an Ancient Forest to contact the gods and learn where Acton's bones are, and the other to the Deep to learn the pertinent skills needed to complete their task.
Despite her own resentment toward Acton's people, and her long-held belief in the evil of the ancient warlord, Bramble accepts the duty that the gods have put before her. As such, she spends most of the book's length in a deep trance in order to relive the past through the point of view of various participants. There she learns that the story of Acton was not so cut-and-dry as the old traditions would have her believe. Meanwhile, Ash fights his own sense of uselessness in order to return to his people and convince them to reveal the secrets that his lack of talent has always excluded him from.
Bramble is a fantastic character — lively, vivid, charismatic; someone who enjoys walking the edge between danger and excitement. Although she's something of a loner, she still has enough sense of social responsibility to silence her own hatred of the people who have subjugated her for so many years, and work toward the greater good of humankind. Ash is more subdued, though no less intriguing, particularly in regards to his innate sense of worthlessness and his newfound talent that he discovers on the road. Whenever he feels as though he has found his true calling in life, a new obstacle arises to take it away again, but still he trudges on despite the onset of personal despair.
The Castings sets itself apart from the usual swords-and-sorcery fare in two distinct ways. The first is that there is no "ultimate evil" at loose in the land. Everyone, whether malignant or benign, has believable and often sympathetic motivation for what they're doing. The enemy here is not some demonic dark lord or supernatural evil, but rather the mundane evils of racism, hatred, and anger that has been festering for thousands of years. Although the Travelers who were forcibly dispossessed from their lands still nurture the injustice of the invasion and Acton's people often take advantage of their dominance in order to get away with various crimes against the Travelers, there are pockets of communities in which the two live in harmony. Intermingling has meant that many people (including our protagonists) are of mixed blood, and no one race, gender or individual has the monopoly on "goodness."
On tracing the history of Acton's past we discover along with Bramble that facts and details have been warped over time, and the essential source of the world's problems (the mysterious "Ice King") turns out to be something beyond the control of any one human being. There are no "black and white" answers here, only many shades of grey, which should make for a unique and challenging conclusion to the conundrum in Full Circle.
The second unique characteristic of the trilogy is a stylistic feature. Interspersed throughout the chapters that focus on our central players are small vignettes that tell the stories of various side-characters in first-person narrative. Their tales serve to give context to the parts they play in the central cast's journey, and to add depth and richness to Pamela Freeman's created world and its culture. Providing hope or pathos, these chapters give a sense of what exactly is at stake should our heroes fail in their quest.
Whereas Blood Ties was a pleasantly meandering story that set the scene and characters, Deep Water is more introspective, and mainly concerns the uncovering of the historical context which set current events in motion. In both cases, the books are quite different from what one would expect from the standard fantasy genre. It is this that makes them so distinctive, though it remains to be seen how Pamela Freeman will wrap up the seemingly impossible problem that besets her characters and the world they live in. —Rebecca Fisher
Full Circle: “You’ll Never Do It Alone”
The third book in Pamela Freeman's Castings trilogy is called Full Circle for a reason, as this is the final installment that reunites the characters, wraps up all the plotlines, and resolves the crisis that has been (literally) haunting the sub-created world of the Eleven Domains. It is a satisfying finish, which takes Freeman's unique premise, ties all loose ends together and manages to be both rewarding and bittersweet.
A thousand years ago, the war-lord Acton and his people invaded the south-lands and established the fiefdoms ruled by various warlords. The system does not treat the original inhabitants of the land particularly well, and the Travelers (as they are now called) are constantly threatened by the dominant race that took over their homeland. Stories of the communities that were massacred are remembered through song, and even up until the most recent generation, Travelers have been under threat by Acton's descendants. This has led to an enchanter by the name of Saker resurrecting an army of Traveler ghosts and marching against those that oppress them. The armies of the dead are set loose in various villages and cities, an unstoppable force that leaves carnage in its wake.
Unsurprisingly, none of this is as black-and-white as it appears to be. Our two protagonists Bramble and Ash, as well as a range of allies, can see that Saker's vendetta is only causing more hatred between the two factions. As such, they've been working on separate quests in order to raise Acton's ghost and have him make reparations to the army that is causing such unmitigated havoc. In the preceding book, Deep Water, Ash came to terms with his own personal identity and his ability to raise the dead, whilst Bramble was taken on a journey deep into the past in which she realized that Acton and his history were not as clear-cut as she'd assumed.
At the opening of Full Circle, Bramble and Ash are reunited in the caverns where Acton's bones are hidden, and together they manage to raise him from the dead. Meanwhile, Saker and his army are picking up living allies from the Travelers who are tired of their treatment at the hands of the warlords, whilst Lord Thegan himself — the most powerful warlord in the Domains — is using the catastrophe as an opportunity to gain more power and eradicate ever higher numbers of Travelers.
Tension and suspense is upheld throughout the entire book, as one faction continually ups the stakes against the other, and in which every death counts for something. The dilemma seems almost unsolvable, but when all the pieces are finally in place, Freeman finds a way to resolve the situation that remains true to the themes she's built and the characters involved. There is even a beautiful call-back to the various first-person narrative chapters that have been strewn throughout the trilogy, in which peripheral characters are given the opportunity to tell their stories. Here, their inclusion (beyond simply adding depth to the world and the plot's circumstances) is given further meaning.
I actually read this entire trilogy along with Freeman's thesis "Kings: What A Good Idea," as a companion piece. In “Kings: What a Good Idea,” she researches the role of monarchy in fantasy-fiction, and the ways in which her novels deliberately subvert its role in the epic-fantasy genre.
With an interest in understanding why fantasy literature so often used monarchies in governmental world-building, as opposed to democracy or egalitarianism, Freeman deliberately painted the patriarchal Lord Thegan as a man with ambitions to become a dominant king-like ruler over the entirety of the Domains. At the same time, he and Acton (whom Thegan uses as a precedent) are marked with charisma, intelligence and the ability to inspire loyalty amongst the masses.
Instead of the heroes working toward putting the rightful heir back on the throne, the ultimate goal to end the racism and strife that divides the Domains is to try and establish a system in which every voice is taken into account. It's this twist on the usual fantasy clichés that make the Castings trilogy so memorable. Likewise, Freeman has a lot of fun with the idea of legends being changed and misunderstood over time, such as with what really happened when Acton invaded the Domains and how he ended up being a tyrant to one group of people and a hero to another, as well as the origins of the Kill Reborn ceremony that is performed every year in a modified form until its full significance has been all but forgotten.
In keeping with several fantasy tropes (such as the immutability of prophecy and the ultimate "destiny" of major characters), whilst departing from the usual formula in several other significant ways, the Castings trilogy is an intriguing and rewarding read, just as concerned with character development and responsible themes as it is with the hero's journey. Bramble, Ash, Martine, Flax, Leof and even Saker are all realistic and likeable characters, with strength, determination and the occasional flaw. If there was one weaker aspect, it was that the romantic pairings never felt quite convincing to me. Often they seemed to be based on physical attraction with little in the way of any real interaction between partners.
But romance is hardly the main purpose of the story; instead Freeman focuses on the importance of forgiveness, for both the forgiver and the recipient, and how hatred and vengeance are the true enemies of mankind, as opposed to any fairytale "dark lord." As the makers of their own history and the tragedies that haunt them, it is ultimately up to people themselves to choose a new path and change the future.
—Rebecca Fisher |
Victor's Quest
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