Customer Reviews

THE ANVIL OF THE WORLD.

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you start reading Kage Baker's first fantasy novel, The Anvil of the World, you may wonder why the book is so highly rated. That's because the weakest part is the first section. Perhaps it's because so many of the characters have something to hide, or at least some unspoken backstory that Baker feels she must reveal bit by bit, but it took me quite a while to warm up to the tale. In fact, she has so much to hold back about the main character, Smith, that she writes about him almost at arm's length, and I didn't really care what happened to the guy.

You might not, either, because the tone in the first part isn't especially smooth (at least compared to Baker's other works, nearly all of which I adore), and it wasn't until the second part (I should really call them several related novellas) that it finally hit me that, Oh! She's being *funny*! I was taking it all seriously, with perhaps a bit of lighthearted commentary. (I bet it'd all be a lot better on a second read. Or you might not have this problem, since you've been warned.)

But do bear with that rocky start, because once Baker finds her stride, she immediately proves why so many of her books earn 5-star ratings. While showing us the adventures of one Smith, an ex-assassin who's looking for a better life, she creates a believeable world with distinct races and plenty of conflict to cope with. Her portrayal of demons as, to some degree, technology indistinguishable from magic, is nothing short of great. And the book might be worthwhile for the Fatally Verbal Abuse duel.

Do read it. And if it seems hard going to begin with, plod on through. It gets better. LOTS better.

The Anvil of the World (2003) is a standalone fantasy novel. The Children of the Sun are a very prolific people, spreading throughout the world. The Smiths are the most widespread people among the Children of the Sun. Their god -- the Smith himself -- expects them to be ingenious, coming up with solutions to all problems.

In this novel, Smith -- not his real name -- is fleeing a blood feud. He is living incognito with his cousin in Troon. When the cousin loses a man to a vendetta, Smith is asked to become the master of his cousin's caravan. How can he refuse?

Lady Seven Butterflies of Seven Butterflies Studio is shipping a gross of glass butterflies encased in a specially developed packing material. Lord Ermenwyr of House Kingfisher is taking passage with his nurse to Salesh-by-the-Sea; of course, he fully expects to die enroute.

The rest of the passengers are listed on the manifest as Lyran and Demara Smith and family, jewelry designers; Paradan Smith, courier; and Ronrishim Flowering Reed, herbalist. All are Children of the Sun, except Ronrishim, who is probably Yendri. Nothing can possibly go wrong on the way.

The caravan crew includes Keymen Crucible, Smith, Bellows, Pinion, and Smith. The runner is young Burnbright and the culinary artist is Mrs. Smith. After these introductions, the keymen crank the gears and springs, the passengers take their seats, Burnbright blows her trumpet, and they start the journey.

In this story, they travel across the yellow land to the first way station, where they set up camp. Caravanmaster Smith meets Lord Ermenwyr's nurse and is quite impressed. Runner Burnbright informs him that Paradan Smith is a gangster; she has seen his tattoos, including Bloodfires' insignia.

The next day, the caravan is attacked by gliders. The first shot hits Smith in the thigh. He and the keymen fire back with their pistol bows, Paradan Smith sends bolt after bolt from an apparently inexhaustible magazine, and Balnshik -- the nurse -- shoots with an immense old hunting weapon.

The gliders veer off and fly away, dropping a firebomb behind them. One of their number, however, has been shot down. He looks like a pin-cushion, struck by a dozen bolts or more. Most of the bolts were shot by Paradan Smith, with three from Nursie and two from the Caravanmaster. Two others, however, are poisoned and unclaimed.

This story includes more assassination attempts, road hogs, and other perils. They finally get to their destination with only minor damage. Even Lord Ermenwyr survives the journey. But Caravanmaster Smith's troubles are not yet over.

Highly recommended for Baker fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of exotic cultures, exciting journeys, and interesting personalities.

-Arthur W. Jordin

First, a word to people who are wondering "what's all this in so many reviews about Terry Pratchett? Who is that, and why does anybody care, when this book is not by Pratchett-whoever-that-is?" The comparisons to the author Terry Pratchett are a tempest in a teapot; because both this book and Pratchett's are fantasies based on slightly skewed parodies of our Earth, apparently some folks expected them to have exactly the same style. If you're not already familiar with Pratchett's style, you can disregard all this blather and skip to the stuff that's strictly about this book on its own merits. (Although, who knows, you might want to try Pratchett, too.)

Okay, lots of people seem disappointed that this book isn't an identical clone of Terry Pratchett, judging by some of the other reviews. Get over it, people! Do you really want a world consisting only of Pratchett clones? Look at all the wretched imitations of Tolkein out there; do you want that? I am a Pratchett fan, but that's not the only stuff I read; I like other writing styles as well. In fact, I read this book the same week as I read "Going Postal." I enjoyed them both, but they are both very different. I didn't expect them to be the same, and I wasn't disappointed. Kage Baker is starting from an entirely different place; her science fiction series about The Company is far more serious and more - "technical," I guess. I read this book expecting more Kage Baker, but in a fantasy vein, and I wasn't disappointed.

Let me point out that there are some similarities: the world view that humans are often stupid and overlook the obvious; that many people who try to help others tend to offer theoretical help rather than practical help, and so they ain't much help (Willowspear's sudden realization: "I've been teaching them meditation, when I should have been teaching them gardening!"); the view that some of the other species of upright featherless bipeds in fantasy may well be a better lot than humans - not in the sense of good, wise, elves a la Tolkein, but in the sense of more practical, more able to see the consequences of their actions, be they trolls or demons.

A few reviewers have commented on the rather extensive prologue, setting our stage. I liked it, and felt it was necessary; otherwise, later on, when Mrs. Smith is telling some of her history, you'd wonder why Smith doesn't already know a lot of this. You have to read the prologue to know that Smith gained Mrs. Smith sort of ad hoc as part of the family business, that she was a Mrs. Smith before she ever met him.

This novel features Lord Ermenwyr, who has appeared in quite a few short stories. In this book, he is still a teenager. We also meet a couple of his brothers and a sister whom we have only heard about in other stories. We acquire far more background about his unusual parents. The older brother, Erdway, really is a dolt.

Other things to like about this book:
*real estate developers as incarnation of evil
*supernatural cabbage moths
*demons run insurance companies (does that really surprise you?)

In short: it's not Kage Baker's Company series; it's funnier, and at least as well written. It's not Terry Pratchett; deal with it, you fanatics. It's an unusual fantasy with a happy ending and some inspired scenes along the way.

"We were just like any other family, except for a few things like Daddy's collection of heads and the fact that half the world wants us all dead." Lord Ermenwyr

Kage Baker is one of my favourite authors. Her books about the Company are not to be missed. How successful would she be at fantasy? If The Anvil of the World is anything to go by, she has nothing to worry about. With her trademark wit and punchy style fully in evidence, The Anvil of the World contains enough juicy goodness for even the most cynical palate.

The book is actually a collection of three linked novellas starring Smith (an alias), a man of many mysteries and an unknown past. A blood feud (the Children of the Sun are notorious for them) has forced him to become the caravan master in his cousin's business, and he's selected to lead one to the pleasure city of Salesh with some valuable cargo. Things don't quite go as planned. In the second story, Smith has started a hotel in Salesh with the staff from his caravan, and business is booming, especially during festival time when freedom is loose and the participants are looser. Unfortunately, a death in the hotel could cost him everything as the constable gives him just four days to present a murderer or the constable will shut down the hotel. The third story involves an expedition to rescue Lord Ermenwyr's sister. This becomes a mission of destiny for Smith, as it turns out he holds the fate of the entire world in his hands. One wrong decision will result in the death of everything.

Baker has a wonderful way with words, and The Anvil of the World is a breezy read. She is a master character-builder, knowing just how much detail to add to make you care about (or at least be entertained by) each person in the story. The two biggest characters are Smith and Lord Ermenwyr. Smith is a former assassin who's given it up because he was getting tired of killing. Now he just wants to be left alone to run his business. Ermenwyr is a decadent demonic half-breed who whines a lot and thinks he's going to die all the time. He's also immature and stubborn, causing Smith no end of grief. It's even worse when his family gets involved.

The world Baker has created is alive. While there are many races around, there are mainly two: The Children of the Sun (humans, basically) and the Yendri, a deeply spiritual people who abhor violence (though they're not above having others do it for them). The Children of the Sun have all the foibles that our own human race has, especially where ecology is concerned. In fact, that's one of the minor problems I have with the book, that the ecological message is heavy-handed at times, especially in the last story. One pitfall she avoids, however, is making the Yendri pure of heart. Many of them think they are, but Baker does a good job showing both the good and the bad side of them.

The best thing I can say about this book is that it's fun. While Ermenwyr is the source for most of the humour, everybody gets involved. Smith is the straight man for the most part, trying to deal with people trying to kill him or his companions. When he realizes that he is the key to whether or not the world is destroyed, he is suitable (and humorously) overwhelmed. Some of the events are absurd enough that they make the reader laugh even without character involvement. However absurd the events are, though, they are realistic in the world that Baker presents. I had no trouble suspending my disbelief for any of it.

One word of warning for those who wish to browse just one of the stories in the bookstore: The stories are not individually titled and there's no way to distinguish where one ends and another begins other than reading. Read the whole book, as it's well worth it. While each story stands on its own, they do read better as a whole, with events in one story influencing the next.

Other than the occasional blunt message as noted above, there really isn't anything noticeably wrong with The Anvil of the World. Baker has further cemented her place as one of the best authors of the genre, showing that she can handle fantasy just as well as science fiction.

David Roy

The first thing that should be noted about Anvil of the World is that though it focuses on a very small group of characters and one main character throughout and follows them chronologically, this isn't really a novel. Unless it's one with some major transition problems. Rather, it's three novellas with some large gaps of time between the three different adventures. Like any collection of stories, then, Anvil tends to be a bit uneven.
The first story, which has the unenviable task of filling in the backstory--who are these people, why are they behaving as they do, what world is this and how does it function, tends to be the slowest-moving one and the weakest, though it isn't without its strong points. It's funny in places, suspenseful in others, and mostly holds your attention. If you find it lagging a bit, as I did, continue on, because both the pace and the writing pick up in the rest of the book, as does the humor, though it's already pretty evident from story one. Some reviewers compare the humor to Pratchett. Personally, those works never did much for me. I found these more along the lines of the Robert Asprin Myth series, which I found more enjoyable. While the humor is uneven, the not-so-funny parts are outweighed by the laugh-out-loud/read aloud to your neighbor parts.
The main character is well-drawn, with a mysterious past, a nicely-honed sort of taciturn narration and wonderful reactions. The other major character, a semi-demon, also grows on you, though his dialogue is at times a bit overdone (annoyingly so when it's meant to depict his childishness). The rest of the small group range in quality of characterization, with the matronly chef the strongest and sharpest, while others are a bit cliched or too sketchily drawn.
The world itself is a bit sketchy in the larger details, but where Baker shines anyway is in the small stuff: sharply humorous details with regard to clothing or festivals or food. It's easy to forgive the somewhat vague worldview with so much richness in the smaller details.
As mentioned, the first story, which follows the group as they form (for the first time) a caravan, has a lot of necessary exposition which tends to slow it down a bit. It still manages, however, to get in some excitement (various attacks on the caravan and other more personal ones) and suspense (what's causing the attacks, who among the caravan is the bad guy). The second story, more of a murder mystery, has a much better pace and consistent tone to it and adds to our understanding and liking of the characters (though the semi-demon's brother, even more childish, can be even more annoying in places) The third story maintains the quick pace and strong wit, but its attempt to deepen/broaden the tone meets with mixed success. The weakest part is the environmental analogy which would have worked fine had it not been so overdone in terms of frequency and obviousness.
Overall, though mixed, the book was a fast and enjoyable read, with the funniest parts truly laugh-out-loud funny, making it quite easy to forgive the not-so-funny parts or the weaker written areas. There is clearly room for a sequel, one that I'd certainly pick up without any qualms.

While it isn't the greatest book in the history of books, I really enjoyed journeying through it with Smith and the characters... especially Lord Ermenwyr (perverted, drugged, nasty but hopelessly good-hearted hypochondriac that he is). It's definitely got action and some interesting race relations within the world, and certain politics paralleling some of our own environmental concerns.

The first section of this book actually was published as a short story called "The Caravan from Troon". The second two "stories" were written later when the novel was requested. In this light I find the book even more appealing, on a personal quirk that tells me I have three highly interconnected stories instead of one. I personally found the second two parts the most interesting and could not stop reading!

I would recommend this book as a fun read (not for little kids!), riddled with hilarious situations (Such as the duel of "Fatally Verbal Abuse") as well as "swash-buckling" action and an engaging storyline and cast of characters. Try it!

This is the first fantasy novel by Kage Baker, who is better known for her Company novels. It's a bit disjointed (it's based on three shorter novellas), but it shows much of Baker's characteristic deadpan, tongue-in-cheek humor.

One of the best things about "The Anvil of the World" is Baker's truly original take on world-building. The world in which Baker sets her story is not the typical sword and sorcery realm, nor is it the domain of urban fantasy. Instead, it's the Wild West and the Renaissance combined with a little unfettered Industrialism and an eco-conscious indigenous population. Add a retired assassin, a gourmet cook who's been around, a demon lord and his nursemaid, and a few religious terrorists, and you have the makings of a fun novel. I'll not go into the plot, since other reviewers have done that. Besides, any book that begins by describing a "golden city" that's so dusty that all its inhabitants suffer "from chronic emphysema," wheezing is "considered refined, and the social event of the year [is] the Festival of Respiratory Masks" is to be savored as much for its humor as its story.

Kage Baker's first venture into fantasy, "Anvil of the World," is a funny but fragmented story full of religious fanatics, reformed demons, orgiastic festivals, verbal duels dead gossip columnists and a key that can destroy mankind. What's not to love?

Smith is a mystery man, an ex-assassin who has joined his cousin in a caravan going from dusty Troon to Salesh, with a sickly half-demon playboy Lord Ermenwyr and his beautiful nurse, a mysterious courier, the capable cook Mrs. Smith, a cold Yendri healer, a sulky runner, and a load of glass butterflies. As the caravan proceeds, they thwart attacks

When the caravan arrives (minus a few passengers), the butterflies are shattered and Smith and his friends have to open a hotel, only to have a celebrity guest croak in the middle of an orgiastic festival of free love. One verbal mage duel and a few surprises later, a Yendri sacred site is endangered, and a race war may break out -- with religious Yendri fanatics seeking out a mythical object that could wipe out all human beings.

When the first page casually mentions the "Festival of the Respiratory Masks," you can tell you've got a winner. This is not a tightly-written book, but it makes up for its lack of tightness with continuous humor and a cool invented world with interesting magic, some rather weird demons, and invented fantasy races whose "magic" is scientific in nature (the Yendri doc's explanation of infection is a hoot).

Fans of Terry Pratchett will find some similarities in "Anvil": Smith is somewhat reminiscent of Sam Vimes, and the humor is like a mildly racier version of Pratchett's. The verbal duel is pure genius, where two mages call each other names -- and magically transform one another ("I know you are, but what am I?!"). And like Pratchett, Baker manages to toss in a little social commentary -- religion, enviromental problems -- without being preachy.

The main problem lies in the structure. "Anvil" was originally three novellas, and so the story is divided into three main parts. What's wrong with that? Only the barest threads seem to tie the plotlines of the first two to the third climactic one. The dialogue is spectacular, especially when the demon siblings are bickering ("You can't tell us to shut up. We're DEMONS"; "You're going to break heads! You're going to rip off limbs! You're going to do amusing things with entrails!")

Smith is a likable guy, solid and essentially honest in nature. Mrs. Smith is a pleasant older woman whose respectable appearance hides her racy past; Willowspear and Burnbright are okay but not amazing. It's fussy, sickly, blunt, underage-playboy-mage-turned-junior-gigolo Lord Ermenwyr who really steals the show, whether he's resurrecting demons or whining about his food.

"Anvil of the World" is one of those books that begs for a sequel. While it's rather fragmented and a bit confusing, it's also too hysterically funny to not check out.

I've read all of Baker's Sci-Fi novels and enjoyed them, but her foray into Fantasy is like nothing that has come before. This book had me laughing out loud. Her characters, setting, and situations are completely orginial and fun. I agree with another reviewer in that she does a wonderful job of limiting her fight scenes, but I want to point out that they are not lacking. Baker is concise, but vivid. Besides, the semi-demons and their worldly knowledge crack me up.

This novel is just plain flat out fun to read.

While this book is basically three novellettes cobbled together - the stories flow in a serial fashion. The only thing that differentiates the novellettes from a single story is slight character changes and emphasis and ... that each novellette is more fun, engaging and amusing than the previous one.

The world building resembles medieval fantasy with lots that's familiar but with enough original quirks to keep you off balance. As weird as it is, you find yourself wondering - is this world any worse or even better than our own - or just different and shaped by it's own history?

There is a good variety of characters and they are all key elements to the tales that unfold. The characters engage you in a way that is ... "dumb and misguided, yet lovable", even when they are doing slightly evil things. They are also definitely "pathetic and weird". I think the author thought that she would see what it was like to put the fate of the world in the hands of the bumbling down-and-out losers that never did anything right and then ask you - the reader - is this world really worth saving? And if it is, could this bunch do it?

If fun was the deciding factor in the "Locus" and "Nebula" best of the year awards, this book would grab first place.

Wow ... fun and thought provoking. What are you waiting for - go out and buy it and tell your friends about it? To the author ... write more adventures in this world! This is the first Kage Baker book I have read and now she jumps to my "buy on first sighting" list.