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Urgus the Scribe
Sometimes it takes an outsider to recognize what is worth saving.
A city is in decay, and peril. In desperation its aristocratic leader and his troubled daughter turn to the Gatherers, the tax collectors, to defend them. Despised by the citizens they serve, the tough Gatherers, under Hector, their brooding, semi-civilized chieftain, fight heroically to save a culture in which they have little part. And midst it all there is Urgus the Scribe, recording the violence and gallantry about him while wriggling out of every danger. And making time to satisfy - he thinks - the desires of the society ladies...
A city is in decay, and peril. In desperation its aristocratic leader and his troubled daughter turn to the Gatherers, the tax collectors, to defend them. Despised by the citizens they serve, the tough Gatherers, under Hector, their brooding, semi-civilized chieftain, fight heroically to save a culture in which they have little part. And midst it all there is Urgus the Scribe, recording the violence and gallantry about him while wriggling out of every danger. And making time to satisfy - he thinks - the desires of the society ladies...
ebook
First published July 3, 2011
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About the author
Robert David Boyle
4 books7 followersLives in Brisbane, Australia with his wife, daughter and manic poodle. Plays trumpet for various musical theatre companies and community orchestras. Urgus the Scribe is his first published novel.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 7, 2019
Urgus is the scribe to Hector, the chief of the Gatherers, a bunch of hard-bitten barbarian types, who are used by the City to gather their taxes from the Sorgons, who are peaceful farmers. The Gatherers live outside of the walled City and are looked down upon by its citizens. This arrangement has stood for generations, but on the last gathering of taxes, the Sorgons fight the Gatherers, aided by the Seapeople, who are sea rovers and live only to plunder. Urgus narrates the story as he accompanies Hector to important meetings. In an unprecedented move, Hector is invited into the City by the First Consul. They find the City in decay. The factories silent and the people only concerned with the games in the arena. Once a centre of culture and industry it is now a sad reflection of its former glory. The leaders are weak and have lost control. For the first time in living memory, war is coming. I found this to be a simple, but a well-written tale. The events that follow uncover lots of secrets, lots of plots and twists too. I loved the character of Urgus, described by one of the other characters as a weasel, he is self-seeking and cowardly. Concerned more with his own needs and safety, but a keen and honest observer. Also, he is loyal to his Lord and hero, Hector. Without saying more, I would recommend this to sword fantasy fans as a good read.
March 1, 2013
Rather than include exerts from in-world historical texts or other common world building techniques Boyle writes about the daily events as they happen and leaves the reader to deduce much of the background. This adds greatly to both the impression that this is a record from a larger world and that the narrator has the unthinking prejudices and ignorance of a real person.
The novel tells the story of the Gatherers, a tribe of vassal warriors charged with collecting taxes from other subjugated states by a classical empire. As the story proceeds the Gatherers uncover a potential rebellion which may actually be an invasion. With the empire rotten with decadence and the forces ranged against them divided by hidden agendas the Gatherers are forced to change not only their role in the empire but their very way of life.
The eponymous scribe is the only Gatherer who can write. He is also a lecher and a coward. At the start of the book he is attached to the personal staff of Hector, chieftain of the Gatherers and arguably the hero of the story, a position Urgus struggles to keep as the story proceeds. Apart from the epilogue, the story is told in as series of extracts from his scrolls, so is filled with examples of self-justification and prejudice. However, Boyle successfully describes events clearly enough that the reader can deduce other possible interpretations and produces a more sympathetic character than many fantasy heroes.
Even filtered through Urgus’ perceptions the other major characters are described with similar depth and credibility.
With an empire more interested in violent arena games and fashion than maintaining its power it would be easy to draw parallels with the Roman Empire. However, the other nations are different from the Goths and Vandals, making the possible collapse more than a retelling of the sack of Rome. The scale, both geographically and narratively, is also quite small emphasising personality over history.
Overall I enjoyed this novel greatly, and foresee rereading it in the future. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys well-constructed low fantasy or believably flawed protagonists.
The novel tells the story of the Gatherers, a tribe of vassal warriors charged with collecting taxes from other subjugated states by a classical empire. As the story proceeds the Gatherers uncover a potential rebellion which may actually be an invasion. With the empire rotten with decadence and the forces ranged against them divided by hidden agendas the Gatherers are forced to change not only their role in the empire but their very way of life.
The eponymous scribe is the only Gatherer who can write. He is also a lecher and a coward. At the start of the book he is attached to the personal staff of Hector, chieftain of the Gatherers and arguably the hero of the story, a position Urgus struggles to keep as the story proceeds. Apart from the epilogue, the story is told in as series of extracts from his scrolls, so is filled with examples of self-justification and prejudice. However, Boyle successfully describes events clearly enough that the reader can deduce other possible interpretations and produces a more sympathetic character than many fantasy heroes.
Even filtered through Urgus’ perceptions the other major characters are described with similar depth and credibility.
With an empire more interested in violent arena games and fashion than maintaining its power it would be easy to draw parallels with the Roman Empire. However, the other nations are different from the Goths and Vandals, making the possible collapse more than a retelling of the sack of Rome. The scale, both geographically and narratively, is also quite small emphasising personality over history.
Overall I enjoyed this novel greatly, and foresee rereading it in the future. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys well-constructed low fantasy or believably flawed protagonists.
February 10, 2013
Urgus the Scribe is a book about its namesake that describes his adventures as the scribe for the Gatherers, a group of tax collectors/warriors who collect taxes for and defend a decaying Romanesque city.
The world building in this novel is superb and you often times feel like you are really there. Plot-wise, it has a very slow beginning and action was minor until it started picking up in the middle. The main character, Urgus, is rather unlikeable and full of faults. The story is mostly told in first person by Urgus, which does add a little bit (only a little) to his likeability as at least you know what he was thinking. I wished I could say he grew or become heroic, but he pretty much remains unchanged throughout the novel. Perhaps he did change a little in epilogue, but I don't want to spoil anything by discussing that. There are quite a number of well-developed characters in the present who were interesting and likeable, but I wished we got more of their history and back story. Many still remain a bit mysterious to me.
Overall, I found the book to be likeable, even while it's main character maybe was not. But not every book can have a hero who saves the day, or someone who grows up and becomes honorable. Even though it has a slow start, I found myself enjoying it near the end and interested in where the story was going to go. This is a good book to spend a few evenings with.
See my reviews at http://www.michaelscifan.us
The world building in this novel is superb and you often times feel like you are really there. Plot-wise, it has a very slow beginning and action was minor until it started picking up in the middle. The main character, Urgus, is rather unlikeable and full of faults. The story is mostly told in first person by Urgus, which does add a little bit (only a little) to his likeability as at least you know what he was thinking. I wished I could say he grew or become heroic, but he pretty much remains unchanged throughout the novel. Perhaps he did change a little in epilogue, but I don't want to spoil anything by discussing that. There are quite a number of well-developed characters in the present who were interesting and likeable, but I wished we got more of their history and back story. Many still remain a bit mysterious to me.
Overall, I found the book to be likeable, even while it's main character maybe was not. But not every book can have a hero who saves the day, or someone who grows up and becomes honorable. Even though it has a slow start, I found myself enjoying it near the end and interested in where the story was going to go. This is a good book to spend a few evenings with.
See my reviews at http://www.michaelscifan.us
October 28, 2011
This was a very engrossing adventure. I found myself quickly caring about the characters and wanting to know what happened to them. It has some exciting battle scenes and tense incidents. There are also a number of humorous interludes which are handled with a light touch. I laughed out loud in some spots. Underlying the adventure, however, is a serious theme about "civilisation" which is developed throughout the novel, but not allowed to get in the way of the story. A real page turner.
June 29, 2012
This is a great first novel, full of adventure, great characters, and a dash of humour. It also has a more serious, thoughful side. Looking forward to reading more from this author!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews