REVIEW: House of Muir by Luke Tarzian
How can I do justice to House of Muir, the second full-length novel in Luke Tarzian’s Shadow Twins series and the sequel to Vultures? Luke Tarzian’s work is the doom metal of grimdark fantasy, a symphony of sludgy down-tuned prose that plumbs the greatest depths of human grief and suffering while somehow finding hope within a universe of chaos and decay.
Tarzian’s prose is meticulously crafted, eloquent and sublime in its dark artistry. House of Muir practically begs the reader to slow down, savor each word, and absorb every sensation. The closest point of comparison is the queen of grimdark herself, Anna Smith Spark, although Tarzian has his own distinct style. With his lyrical prose and ability to create a dark, fever dream-like atmosphere, Luke Tarzian can be described aptly as a modern-day Edgar Allan Poe.
House of Muir explores themes of life and death, heredity and free will, and the cruelty of time. The novel is a deeply emotional read, dealing with questions both personal and existential. Perhaps most of all, House of Muir is a parable for finding that single ray of light in a world of despair.
Although House of Muir is a dense and often challenging read, there is an irresistible dark beauty that pervades every sentence. Like all of Luke Tarzian’s work, House of Muir is imbued with many layers of meaning and interpretation that reveal themselves slowly but often in striking fashion.
As a scientist, I especially appreciate Tarzian’s depictions of equilibrium and entropy, represented by opposing spirits of balance and chaos, setting up an epic struggle that governs the nature of the universe. According to the second law of thermodynamics, entropy will prevail, an agent of chaos bringing an ever-increasing amount of disorder to the universe. House of Muir is about finding meaning in that chaos, truth in that madness.
For readers new to Tarzian’s world, the best starting point is his masterful novella, The World-Maker Parable, which serves as a prequel to the Shadow Twins series. The World-Maker Parable is just as brooding and poetic as the main books of the series, but it provides a more digestible point of entry.
Altogether, Luke Tarzian has crafted a cacophonous nightmare with House of Muir, establishing himself as the poet laureate of the grimdark community. Rarely has an author achieved this level of literary prowess in the fantasy community. Patrick Rothfuss, Mark Lawrence, and Anna Smith Spark all come to mind. It’s time to add Luke Tarzian to that list.
Read House of Muir by Luke TarzianThe post REVIEW: House of Muir by Luke Tarzian appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.
