Vera Nazarian

Dreams of the Compass Rose — (2002) Publisher: The Compass Rose universe — an ancient milieu where places have no names, cities spring forth like bouquets in the desert, gods and dreams walk the scorching sands in the South, ice floats like mirror shards upon the Northern sea, islands that do not exist are found in the East, death chases a thief on the rooftops of a Western city, immortal love spans time, and directions are intertwined into one road we all travel.

Dreams of the Compass Rose

Vera Nazarian employs a fairly traditional and even romantic method of narration, but what makes Dreams of the Compass Rose unique is its format. It's reminiscent of mosaic novels or even the high fantasy equivalent of Jack Vance's Tales of the Dying Earth as each chapter stands well on its own and explores a facet of the various characters. I like the Tales of the Dying Earth comparison, as a minor character in the previous story might take center stage in the next.

The narrative isn't chronological and with all the character-leaping, Dreams of the Compass Rose isn't the most accessible of texts — at least at the beginning. Later on, as readers get a firmer handle on the lead characters, the main plot emerges and everything starts to make sense. Each of the chapters is a complete short story and no previous knowledge of the others is needed. However, when read as a whole, the impact is amplified and allusions take on a new meaning. While the two main plot threads are evident and essential, Nazarian makes the most of the novel's length to diverge into side-stories that add color. It's like having The Tales of Beedle the Bard included in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

As far as Nazarian's skill is concerned, she has an equal mastery of the elements of the craft without any one quality truly dominating. The language is functional but has a certain charm to it, almost approaching a certain lyricism. The setting satisfies one's minimum requirements and hints at the appropriate doses of mysticism and fantasy: not quite the elaborate world-builder's utopia but neither is it a lazy attempt. And then there are the characters. Nazarian assembles quite a cast and, through the use of unreliable narrators and diverging perspectives, there's a gamut of richness here. They're not unpredictable by any means but they do feel genuine and again, Nazarian is channeling that romance vibe which fits the tone of the book.

Another striking element of Dreams of the Compass Rose is where the author steers this novel. While one can read this as a straightforward fantasy, it also has metafictional undertones, especially in one chapter wherein we dive into the life of a storyteller. Also impressive is the cyclical sequence of the stories, which is a recurring theme.

I've read some of Nazarian's previous longer fiction but I have to say Dreams of the Compass Rose is my favorite Nazarian book. Dreams of the Compass Rose combines many disparate elements into a unified whole. While her writing style isn't particularly new, the synthesis of what's included in this novel is something that readers looking for something different can appreciate. The slow build-up of one revelation after another rewards patient readers and even if this intricate puzzle is taken apart piece by piece, it still works in whatever context it's placed in.
—Charles Tan (guest)      
FanLit thanks Charles Tan from Bibliophile Stalker for contributing this guest review.

Lords of Rainbow — (2002) Publisher: Imagine a world without color, illuminated by a gray sun... Imagine a sudden brilliant flash — an artificial orb ignites, filled with peculiar impossible light... The nature of this light bears no description. It lingers in dreams, inciting an unrequited love for a goddess. A corrupt city is shaped like a perfect wheel, and is ruled by a sister and brother, Regent and Regentrix, by perverse desires, and by a secret... A loyal warrior woman swears to serve a mysterious lord. At the same time, an epic invasion is precipitated by a being of utter darkness, who is the one absolute source of black in a monochrome silver world. And amid all this, flickers an ancient memory of a phenomenon called Rainbow and of those who had once filled the world with an impossible thing called color... Lords of Rainbow.

Lords of Rainbow

A decade ago, I was a big fan of secondary-world fantasies: big sprawling epic plots, an entirely different but familiar setting, and larger than life characters. Had I read Lords of Rainbow back then, I would have immediately fallen in love with it. As I am now, however, there's a lot less unabashed praise for that particular sub-genre and I've become more critical.

What's obviously commendable with Vera Nazarian is that her cosmology isn't a random hodgepodge of ideas but rather a cohesion of a single, united vision. As can be gleaned from the title, the rainbow — or rather the colors of the rainbow — plays a consistent role all throughout the novel. Right from the very start, one gets a sense that the narrative has its own unique culture as Nazarian uses alien terms and expressions, references unfamiliar pantheons, and uses fanciful naming schemes.

For me, however, this elaborate world-building is sometimes detracting. There are a couple of scenes of pure exposition as the author explains how the world works, and these have an unfortunate effect of halting whatever momentum has been achieved. For example, as we enter the second part of the novel, Nazarian vividly describes a city, mentioning its districts, its divisions (both social and geographical), and its social hierarchy. Suddenly, I'm reading Lords of Rainbow: The RPG Campaign Setting. It's not that I don't want exposition in my novels, but does it have to be ten pages long? On the positive side, the author does create an imaginative world that's not merely a rehash of J.R.R. Tolkien. Whether such exposition is a welcome part of the reading experience is best left for the reader to decide; but personally, I was hooked more by the plot and the characters than by this discourse on world building.

Thankfully, the book doesn't open with such dragging exposition. Lords of Rainbow excites and immediately hooks you, with its enigmatic narrator, its multi-faceted protagonists, and the fight scene in the first chapter that whets one's appetite. Once we get midway through the book, Nazarian captivates us with her compelling prose and her upbeat pace, which is a very distinct experience from my complaints above and transforms this into a can't-put-down book. There's a really effective seduction scene for example, effective because it not only exuberates an air of sensuality while revealing little, but actually progresses the plot and fleshes out the characters rather than simply being included to titillate.

Reading Lords of Rainbow rekindled my love for epic fantasy and Nazarian makes good use of its tropes, at the same time leaving room for surprise and revelation — certainly a welcome experience to a jaded reader like me who typically sees nothing but formula and cliché. Another praiseworthy element is that while this book is as epic as one can ever imagine, it's self-contained and the author succeeds in this by focusing on the core characters of her story. Admittedly, if you're not a fan of epic fantasy, I doubt this book will change your mind.

Reading the first hundred pages, I was skeptical of the quality of the novel but once I got past that hurdle, Lords of Rainbow was a fun and breathtaking read. If you're looking for some original epic fantasy without the baggage of a too-inflated cast or multi-volume investment, this is the book for you, as it's probably best described as a microcosm of said sub-genre. —Charles Tan      
FanLit thanks Charles Tan from Bibliophile Stalker for contributing this guest review.

Salt of the Air — (2006) Publisher: You are familiar with the salt of the earth. But did you know there is an even finer, more delicate essence? Take wisdom and imagination, responsibility and beauty, and mix them together in arcane proportions to form a rich and peculiar brine. The resulting water of life is an emotional muddy liquid, filled with existential sediment swirling in the light of secret reality and reflecting prismatic colors of hope and wonder. If allowed to evaporate — escape, flee, ascend into the ether and join the music of the spheres — what remains is the quintessence; a precious concentrate that is elusive and volatile, neither fully solid nor so illusory as to be devoid of pithy substance. It is the Salt of the Air. In this debut collection from the critically acclaimed author of Dreams of the Compass Rose and Lords of Rainbow, the sixteen stories are distillations of myth and philosophy, eroticism and ascetic purity. Dipping into an ancient multi-ethnic well, they are the stuff of fantasy-of maidens and deities and senior retirees, of kings and artists and con artists, of warriors and librarians, of beings without a name and things very fey indeed...

The Duke in His Castle — (2008) Publisher: THE DUKE IN HIS CASTLE by Nebula Award-nominated author and award-winning artist Vera Nazarian is a dark, lush, erotic fantasy novella in the vein of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast, with interior illustrations by the author. Rossian, the young Duke of Violet, wastes away in mad solitude, unable to leave the confines of his decadent castle grounds because of a mysterious invisible barrier... until a strange female intruder arrives at the castlebearing a box of bones.

The Duke in His Castle

The novella The Duke in His Castle starts out like a conventional fairy tale but it soon spirals into a plotty story with unexpected twists. Admittedly, the book didn't hook me at first, especially with its rude protagonist (not quite the initial sympathetic hero but some readers will grow fond of him) and the bare-bones setting (everything takes places in a castle) but Vera Nazarian turns things around as the enigma surrounding our main character slowly unfolds.

There are two key figures in the story and both have distinctive, unique personalities that definitely set them apart from the norm. Nazarian's talent is in her language: on one hand, her dialog is direct and blunt while her narrative is verbose and detailed. I wouldn't say Nazarian's writing is mesmerizing or lyrical, but it definitely goes beyond being simply functional. It harkens more to a traditional writing style infused with modern sensibilities.

The author also pays close attention to character development as the story progresses and this is what sustained me as a reader: the way The Duke in His Castle slowly peels off layer by layer the secrets and hidden desires of its hero and heroine. This isn't a book that I'd say initially blew me away, but it's definitely a worthwhile read that relies on build-up and the big pay-off at the end.
—Charles Tan      
FanLit thanks Charles Tan from Bibliophile Stalker for contributing this guest review.

Mansfield Park and Mummies — (2009) Publisher: MANSFIELD PARK AND MUMMIES: Monster Mayhem, Matrimony, Ancient Curses, True Love, and Other Dire Delights. Spinsterhood or Mummification! Ancient Egypt infiltrates Regency England in this elegant, hilarious, witty, insane, and unexpectedly romantic monster parody of Jane Austen's classic novel. Our gentle yet indomitable heroine Fanny Price must hold steadfast not only against the seductive charms of Henry Crawford but also an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh! Meanwhile, the indubitably handsome and kind hero Edmund attempts Exorcisms... Miss Crawford vamps out... Aunt Norris channels her inner werewolf... The Mummy-mesmerized Lady Bertram collects Egyptian artifacts... There can be no doubt that Mansfield Park has become a battleground for the forces of Ancient Evil and Regency True Love! Gentle Reader — this Delightful Edition includes Scholarly Footnotes and Appendices.

Mansfield Park and Mummies

I had always heard great things about Vera Nazarian’s books, both from friends and publications, but I never quite got around to reading any of her work until recently when I picked up her short story collection Salt of the Air, published by Prime Books. The introduction was by Gene Wolfe, a man I have an enormous amount of respect for as a writer. After reading the wonderful things that Gene had to say about her, I knew I was in for a treat, and I was not wrong. The sublime opening story “Rossia Moya,” about an old woman returning to the Russia she emigrated from when she was younger to see it for the last time before it closes to the outside world, is the perfect introduction. Following it are other great short stories: a cautionary tale in the form of beauty and the beast, the wonderfully imaginative “The Young Woman in the House of Old,” and many more, including my favourite, the Nebula Award nominated “The Story of Love.” Following that, I managed to pick up The Clock King and the Queen of the Hourglass on a three for two sale over at PS Publishing, and also enjoyed that thoroughly.

The reason that I preface the review with all of that superfluous information is because when Mansfield Park and Mummies arrived I was not sure I would like it. Mash-ups seem to be the current literary trend at the moment, and while I hadn’t read any of the others, I had seen the less than complimentary reviews. Despite my prior knowledge of Nazarian’s talent as a writer, I was a little wary; it was still Jane Austen after all. With my childhood spent wanting to be Elric of Melnibone, or pretending to be Steerpike in the kitchen, ladies in society and romance had always been as far from my mind as possible, and at school I had always managed to avoid Austen by choosing some other novel or a Shakespeare play instead. Not that I had any doubts as to the worth of Jane Austen’s work, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. However, one must always try to step outside safe boundaries, so armed with the knowledge there would at least be some mummies I took the plunge and started reading.

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. The prose is seamless, and if it wasn’t for the references to Egyptology or the supernatural it would be almost impossible to tell where Austen ends and Nazarian begins. What’s more, the choices in terms of supernatural elements she adds are used in a logical fashion. The mummies of the title are brought about by the Lady Bertram, and are used to explain why she is always so distracted and vague. Lycanthropy is used to good effect to make Mrs Norris even less likable than she already is, and it also serves to make Mr Rushworth less desirable as a suitor to Maria Bertram. I did flinch a bit at the change to Mary Crawford making her a V-word (that is vampire for the dirtier minded of you), because true to their undead nature they just won’t seem to die at the moment. It is treated with great care though, never overdone, and it only serves to make her seduction of poor Edmund even more dangerous.

Nazarian’s alterations are also genuinely funny when she wants them to be. She uses comic timing to perforate some of the book’s more serious conversations with almost slapstick comedy in the background, such as Mr Rushworth chasing and devouring a squirrel, or with an appearance by the dreaded Brighton duck. The mummies are also funny, usually to be found banging into walls or preying on some helpless startled maid, keeping her from her duties and getting her into trouble. There are also a series of increasingly humourous footnotes chastising us for having dirty thoughts when misinterpreting Austen’s use of words for their more colloquial modern meanings, imploring us to be sensible or she’ll be forced to report us to the moral authorities.

The real strength of the novel to me though was the way that Nazarian writes Fanny. One of her main strengths as a writer is her ability to create believable strong female characters, and she does a great job with Fanny. In the original Mansfield Park she is a character who received a lot of criticism for representing out of date Regency morals, and being rather unlikable because of it. Nazarian takes that strong moral sense, and marries it to a no-nonsense attitude towards the supernatural. As she becomes surer of herself and her place at Mansfield Park, she also begins to fight off the mummy infestation and stand up to Mary Crawford, knowing what she is.

When I finished reading Mansfield Park and Mummies I was a little agitated, because I realised something insidious had occurred. With a little common sense and some mental arithmetic, I could remove Nazarian’s additions and be left with just Mansfield Park. I had been tricked into reading Jane Austen, and I had enjoyed it. The novel is utterly charming, and while it is quite different to her original stories, it still retains a strong sense of her own work, despite the emulation of Austen’s style. She is currently working on a second Austen mash-up novel, Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons, which I personally feel lends itself even more to this type of thing. She has also put the first three chapters of the book up as a preview here. Recommended to everyone, especially to people who don’t really think Jane Austen is their sort of thing; I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. —Paul Charles Smith 
FanLit thanks Paul Charles Smith from Empty Your Heart of Its Mortal Dream for contributing this guest review.