On the Bookshelf: The Scroll of Years by Chris Willrich
I thought I’d resume discussing my current reads here on my journal, as I try to resist the irresistible trend of social media becoming the default platform for all conversations. (See my reasoning here.)
First up On the Bookshelf: The Scroll of Years by Chris Willrich.
I fell in love with Chris Willrich’s tales at first read, after coming across them in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I was so excited about them I messaged BCS editor Scott Andrews to let him know, and he pointed me to Willrich’s novels.
I recently finished The Scroll of Years, and I still don’t know how to talk about it. Perhaps because it’s one of those books that defies categorization. A risky move for a genre book, sure, but one that’s paid off in this case.
It’s as if it were a fantasy novel co-written by the ghosts of Italo Calvino and Fritz Leiber and transcribed by a dragon monk who sees only in ethereal. This is a tale that revels not only in unconventional characters and unexpected twists but also in storytelling itself. In fact, this is very much a novel about storytelling at every level — the characters’ greatest powers are their abilities to tell tales, the narrative ventures into one different genre after another, and the idea of being able to escape into a good story is actually key to the plot here.
The book mostly follows the thieves Bone and Gaunt, lovers that are trying to escape their pasts and find a safe spot to raise their coming child. But the narrative often shifts away from them to explore other characters’ tales that intersect with the story of Bone and Gaunt. And it’s a wildly imaginative cast of characters — weird magical assassins, a band of mysterious thieves, and even an unconventional dragon. To say any more would be to reveal too much!
The Scroll of Years isn’t traditional fantasy — it’s certainly not high fantasy or grimdark. Nor is it an easy read, as it demands your attention at all times. But it is a unique read and unlike anything else being published at the moment. The literary magic and originality of it alone are enough to earn five out of five scrolls from me.
Related Links:
Website – http://www.chriswillrich.com
X: https://twitter.com/librariangoblin
BCS Stories by Chris Willrich:
“Hausferatu” — Issue #384, June 15, 2023“On Magog’s Pond” — Issue #367, October 20, 2022“A Manslaughter of Crows” — Issue #341, October 21, 2021“Eyetooth” — Issue #314, October 8, 2020“Shadowdrop” — Issue #261, Tenth Anniversary Month Double-Issue I, September 27, 2018“How the Wicker Knight Would Not Move” — Issue #99, July 11, 2012
