14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"The Voices of the Dead will Echo Through the World...", September 18, 2008
The first installment of Pamela Freeman's "Castings" trilogy may seem at first like a typical fantasy novel, with swords as everyone's weapon of choice, horses as everyone's mode of transportation, and copious amounts of ale and stew making up everyone's diet. But it doesn't take long before "Blood Ties" reveals itself to be quite different from the usual swords-and-sorcery realm: in its setting and atmosphere, in its plot and story-structure, and in its myriad of themes and ideas.
For starters, there is no supernatural evil "Dark Lord" out to destroy the world, just a number of squabbling and greedy warlords who have divided the land into a number of Domains, having invaded and conquered the original inhabitants. Now known as "Travelers", due to their wandering lifestyles, these dark-haired people are harassed and despised by those that forcibly took their lands. Such prejudice naturally leads to various crimes of murder, rape and theft against the Travelers, with little consequences for the perpetrators. Even though the invasion of their lands took place hundreds of years ago, the injustice still rankles amongst the Travelers, and the massacres of their people are remembered in song, passed on from generation to generation.
Two other notable features to this fantasy world are Freeman's portrayal of death and the presence of "stonecasters". In this world, the spirits of the dead linger on earth for a fixed period of time before moving on to (what they hope) is rebirth. Stonecasters are those that can read fate in the throw of a collection of small engraved stones, most of whom also seem to be able to communicate with the spirits of the dead - though some are better at this than others.
Into such a world are born our two main protagonists: Bramble and Ash, both with Traveler blood. Bramble is a wild young woman of the countryside who likes nothing better to roam the woods all day, whereas Ash is a young assassin's apprentice in the city, just coming to terms with the reality of killing. Most of the attention is on these two as they struggle through various obstacles in life, and both are interesting and three-dimensional characters: sympathetic without being too good to be true.
But it is the plot itself which makes "Blood Ties" so unique in the fantasy genre, for the story (such as it is) moves at a languid and meandering pace, spans a number of years, and bears no resemblance whatsoever to the typical aspects of what we deem "fantasy". There are no quests for magical items, no dragons that need slaying, no long-lost heirs to the throne or innocent farm boys with great destinies. Instead, Freeman explores the world through the eyes of her two characters, focusing on the day-to-day struggles of survival in a harsh world. It is so removed from the clichés of fantasy literature, that a segment involving Bramble would read (if taken out of context) more like a girl-training-wild-horse story, as she teaches herself how to ride.
And that's why I enjoyed this book so much, for along with Bramble and Ash's stories, there are several shorter chapters dotted throughout that tell the stories of periphery characters and their place in the world. It's an interesting feature to the book, and although some may grow impatient with these chapters considering they often have little bearing on Ash or Bramble's stories, they help to enrich the overall story and the customs and cultures that Freeman has created for this world. Furthermore, they allow us to catch a glimpse of worldviews that oppose Bramble and Ash's - such as the memories of a soldier who explains why he is so loyal to the warlord who poses such a danger to the rest of the world, and his reasoning that it may not be such a bad thing if he was to unite the Domains.
However, there is a thread of a definitive plot at work in the story; that of a third character named Saker, who travels the world in the attempt to raise the ghosts of massacred Travelers from their graves to wreck vengeance on the descendants of the conquerors. Toward the end of the book, another element is introduced (perhaps just a *little* too late to have the impact that it should) that hints toward a more concrete plot that will no doubt be developed further in later books.
Amidst all the pain and despair, Freeman is careful to include moments of joy and peace, and ultimately "Blood Ties" feels more like a story about a world than any particular person, full of its own history, culture and unfolding future. Presumably, the sequel
Deep Water (The Castings Trilogy) will delve more into the brewing tension between the warlords and the Travelers, but for now, the exploration of this created world is all the reader needs to sustain their interest.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but not great..., March 26, 2009
I was less enchanted with this book than previous reviewers. One thing I should point out is that, while this is touted as Freeman's first adult book, it really reads more like a Young Adult novel with some rape thrown in.
I did enjoy the jump from character to character--as another reviewer noted, I too preferred short chapters from other points of view over the typical flashback--but one of the main characters, Bramble, is too forced and cliche in many ways. I preceived her as a "Mary Sue" character; a term used when an author makes an idealized character who is one-dimensional and trite. Bramble does develop some as the book goes on, but never to my satisfaction. I never truly believed in her, and the *constant* references to her selflesness, independence and love of animals got old; after awhile I was like, "Okay, we get it!" Ash, on the other hand, is a well thought out personality, and his motivations are believable.
The writing style was not up to the standard I would like; Freeman constantly uses the same words over and over again, rushes through critical scenes, and goes completely off in left-field at times. The latter might be seen as charming to some, but I felt more as if she were trying to incorporate every idea she has ever had for short stories into this book.
Overall, it was a fair read, but I was definitely not left chomping at the bit to go buy the sequel, and if not for the occasional references to sex and private parts this would be more appropriate in the YA section of the bookstore.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Book 1 in the new Castings fantasy trilogy, April 14, 2008
The Domains are ruled by warlords, cruel and powerful men. But the Travelers are a unique people who choose not to make a home in any one domain. Instead, they follow their own path; and because of prejudice, they are hated by most settlements.
This epic fantasy follows the story of many characters whose lives begin to slowly intersect. Narrated by first person from the different characters' points of view, the jumping from person-to-person can be tedious to follow. But the first-person view did give greater depth to each person. I actually preferred this to a normal "flashback" style of giving backstory. The characters are vivid and interesting, each with completely different stories to tell. As the overall tale begins to intertwine the characters, the novel ends on a minor cliffhanger.
This first book was almost just an origin/backstory for everyone. And the next in the trilogy will pick up with a more centralized story. I'll be interested to see where the story goes now that most of the characters' backgrounds have been given and now can delve deeper. With magic, murder, adventure, and mystery, Blood Ties is an exciting beginning to a brand new fantasy epic.
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