Book Review: The Conclusion of the Rook and Rose Trilogy

 

Labyrinth's Heart, by M. A. Carrick (Orbit)

Labyrinth's Heart completes the “Rook and Rose”trilogy by M. A. Carrick (in real life, Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms). Thestory began in the Venice-like city of Nadežra with the arrival of con-artistRen, bent on impersonating a long-lost cousin of an aristocratic family andthereby worming her way into rank and riches. An uneasy peace between thenobility and the natives they oppress barely holds in the city. Between theRobin Hood-like Rook (which turns out to be not an individual person but avocation transmitted through a magical mask), gangs tussling for territory, andthe mind-controlling medallions left over from “the Tyrant,” Ren soon findsherself acting several, mutually incompatible roles. One of them, by the way,is a reader of special tarot-like cards, a “patterner.”

At the beginning of Labyrinth's Heart, Ren’sprecarious balancing act comes crashing down with the arrival of a schemingsocial climber who knows her true story and will not stop at pressuring Ren toget what she wants, even at the expense of Ren’s now beloved family. Ancient maliceawakens, the oppressed classes rise up against tyranny, and mystery piles uponmystery.

The three volumes weave together old evils, cursed clans,transcendent magic, political corruption, social upheaval, and a love story ortwo. Together, they form a long, slow simmer of a story that shines with itssympathetic characters and rich cultural setting. The cards used for“patterning” divination are particularly vivid, with a cohesion and archetypalresonance that makes them utterly believable. (The authors designed a deck ofthese cards that will soon be available.)

I’m a huge fan of the work of the authors and I loved thesebooks. However, since this is a review, I must offer a few caveats. One is thatthe volumes should be read fairly close together. It had been several yearssince I read the middle book, and I found myself struggling to recall too manyevents, characters, place names, and clan relationships.

Two, a corollary, is that Labyrinth's Heart is nota stand-alone. There’s simply too much backstory for a book entire in itself,although the authors make a valiant attempt to supply synopses of previousbooks, character lists, glossary, etc.

Three is that one challenge of such a long, complex storylies in the sheer number of characters, each with a backstory. The inevitableresult is that Ren, who was the front-and-center protagonist at the beginning,fades from time to time into a lesser position when everyone else’s story comesto a climax and resolution. Along with that complexity comes a multiplicity ofendings. It’s a bit like the final volume of The Lord of the Rings,where the story does not end with the destruction of the One Ring or even withthe hobbits returning home. Indeed, it goes on for chapter after chapter, andso, too, does the “Rook and Rose” saga. This is a good thing for readers whoare sad to say good-bye to this marvelous world and its people; not so much forthose who want a single, definitive “they lived happily ever after.”

A minor point is that Grey Serrado (Ren’s love interest,among other roles) has grown up thinking he was cursed (what looks likepsychological child abuse turns out to have a basis in reality). How that cameabout and how it’s resolved play out in Labyrinth's Heart. The problemfor me is that I never picked up on his being cursed in the first two books, soI was a bit taken aback when it became an important secondary thread. All theseare minor quibbles, however, compared to the grand, sweeping scope of thebooks.

I leave you with oneof the many beautiful, poetic lines from “Rook and Rose”:
May yousee the face and not the mask.