Customer Reviews

Carthage Ascendant : The Book of Ash 2

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

And won't be writing any blurbs for the Carthage Travel Bureau. Gentle continues to write with that mix of realism, humor, and adventure that made the first volume of this series an excellent mix of alternate history and medieval war epic with a strong, in all senses, lead character. I do not think that the "today"/"academic discussions" sections were integrated as well into the book as in the first volume as they lend less of a aura of mystery and instead almost are a second story going on and overall, with some of the mysteries revealed by the goings-on during this second book, more pedestrian. But, the series continues to be a very worthwhile read, for any number of segments of the sf & fantasy universe of readers.

Carthage Ascendent is the second Book of Ash, although this isn't a series but a tremendous novel published in four parts. It's the only one that takes place away from Ash's stomping grounds of western Europe, where the other three books are set. Here, our heroine, the leader of a mercenary company, is captured and taken prisoner, then returned to her birthplace of Carthage. She didn't know this was her birthplace, and this is not the Carthage you think it is. Oh, and she's got this twin who is the general of the Visigoth army. And if you think that isn't weird enough, there's no sun in Carthage. And now it's getting very cold.

Yes, things are defintely getting beyond a straight historical fiction, but it doesn't read like just fantasy either. The story of Ash is supposedly a manuscript translation, but the editor wants to yank the project because the manuscripts are disappearing from their supposed libraries. Meanwhile the translator has joined an archaelogical expedition and is finding evidence supporting the events in Ash's life.

This second book has a very different sense than the first one, since we meet her as a competent leader, and now she's reduced to a defeated slave. But with two more books to go, there are plenty more plot developments, and they are very surprising. The "voice" in Ash's head is not what she thought it was in Book 1, and dealing with it takes up a good deal of her worries (that is, when she isn't plotting her escape). Her husband shows up in Carthage, too, and she gets to watch the politics of the amirs here after handling European nobility in book 1. Have I mentioned that there is a lot going on here?

Keep at it and enjoy. Check out the reviews of Book 1: A Secret History if you haven't already.

This is the second part of THE BOOK OF ASH (following A SECRET HISTORY), the story of a female mercenary captain in an alternate 15th century Europe. This main alternate history story is framed by the story of a historian in the early 21st century translating a manuscript of this history. He is trying to uncover why we have never heard any of this history as it is being told in the manuscript. This all makes for a very engaging read because, not only does it draw the reader into the mystery, but we also get an extremely well told and realistic tale of a mercenary band in war torn medieval Europe. As in the first book, the reader is again deeply immersed in this reality through the author's use of vivid description, brilliantly imagined characters, and engaging plot devices.

I was tempted to give this book only three stars. The first fifty pages of the book, as well as the last hundred, were exciting and very engaging reading. Unfortunately, the middle two hundred or so pages did not do much to advance the story. The problem was that not much really happened. Sure, we learn some important backstory and a lot of the relevant politics, but it was severely bogged down with superfluous scenes and interior monologues that could easily have been cut without losing anything from the story.

The main reason I didn't give it three stars was the fact that there were so many mysteries that were hinted at in the first book that were unearthed in this one that it made for some very interesting reading. We learn about Ash's past, what her voice really is, as well as more of the history of the world in which she lives. In addition, the final hundred pages were so full of action and military operations, that it was impossible to put the book down. This is the type of action that I had been expecting in a book about a mercenary captain that seemed so sorely lacking in the first book. The author also hits us with another revelation and an even bigger mystery in the last portion of the book. I couldn't wait to get to the next one in the series and see if we didn't find out what was truly going on.

Despite the shortcomings of the storytelling in the middle of the book, I still felt that this was a better than average fantasy story and, thus, felt compelled to give it a four star rating. If you enjoyed the first book in the series (and you'd better read it before trying this one), this one should also grab your attention. This is a must read series for any fantasy fan, especially for those who enjoy stories with a military bent.

Had I been allowed to award half stars, I would have given this second installment of Mary Gentile's medieval reconstruction 3.5 stars. The second book continues its detailed and military reinvention of history directly from where the first book left off, and, in my opinion, should not have been separated from the first, the storyline too joined and directly linked in terms of time and plot for the division into two books to be seen as anything but an arbitrary decision likely based upon some misplaced notion of merchandising. Books one and two should have been published as a single text, as together they possess an obvious and coherent structure.

The strengths of the first book continue here: a detailed and realistic portrayal of warfare in the late middle ages, and a strong characterization of the mercenary band fighting under the Lion Azure standard of the story's protagonist, Ash. The latter's character evolves further, and there are some poignant as well as harrowing moments of self-realization on the part of our tale's heroine. The evolution of her relationship with several of the narrative's secondary characters--Floria, Fernando del Guiz, and Godfrey--as well as the emerging roles of John de Vere and Ash's lieutenants are deftly done, and over all the writing seems more solid than some of the prose found in the first book.

However, I found elements of this multifaceted tale beginning to become less relevant or incongruous to the tale at large. As another reviewer has noted, the ongoing and in part separate story of the discovery of the Ash manuscripts upon which the main narrative is based, being told by a modern day historian in the form of emails to his publisher, has begun to be less integrated into the larger tale, with a smaller presence than found in the first book. While I do believe its lessening presence is probably a necessary development in order to contain its inherent interruption of the flow of the narrative, its continued presence no longer seemed as relevant to the rest of the story, providing little that informed or questioned the underlying themes of history or perception contained in the first book, becoming more a separate and increasingly contrived element that intruded upon the rest of the text. Further, the introduction--or I should say development--of the voices and stone golem into a "machina rei militaris," a "tactical computer" through which other "wild machines" speak with inhuman and demonic direction, introduced an modern day or science fictional element that seemed to me incongruous with the medieval realism with which the bulk of the tale is written. Combined with other elements--Carthage, relicts of ancient Rome, pyramids in Tunisia--these temporally contradictory introductions, though to a degree present and accepted in the first book, begin to become more and more contrived and preposterous within the medieval realism of the story's main setting--almost a kitchen sink approach--regardless of any earlier meditations present in the first book upon the existence of parallel or alternate histories, or the questionable basis upon which we reconstruct the past. While some fans of science fiction may find this willy-nilly approach to plot elements intriguing, I found it discordant and unsubstantiated within the structure and realism of the main story, unfounded introductions that remained only tangentially and artificially integrated.

I will continue to read this tale for the medieval realism and strength of it main story, while trying to ignore its newer and less plausible elements. It seems unfortunate that the author found herself compelled to introduce these elements. The medieval reconstruction of history and the qualities she had invested in her characters and their initial conflicts were certainly rich enough on their own around which to build a compelling story. The author now seems to be throwing in additional and unnecessary motifs that add little credibility and in part undermine and distract from the main thrust of her story. Nor is this an instance of where "too much is not enough."

Having now just finished this book, I have mixed feelings about this novel. I picked up the first book out of curiousity and I found it to be an excellent book, I had high hopes for the second one. Hmm, not too sure about that.

The story continues with Ash still dumbfounded that the Visigoth General named The Faris ,whom she has a resemblance to, is invading nearly all Europe in such a hastely fashion. After a battle ensues against these Visigoths, Ash is taken captive to the heart of it all. Carthage. While there she is told and begins to unfold her being and why she hears these "voices" in her head. Thus begins the great escape.

Ash is a woman with power and she knows how to use it. In this book Ash is reduced to a prisoner. She is use to being on the other side of the coin. She suffers not only mentally but emotinally as well ( as any prisoner should ). Like I mentioned earlier Ash was a headstrong captain of The Lion Azure, now her pride and self esteem are thrown out the window. And that my fellow readers is real. She begins to show signs of fear, obviously, to a point of wanting to strike a deal with the very same people trying to destory Burgundy so that she may live another day or more. She'll say anything and do anything for her life. I think thats great, a real capture of human emotion.

While the book is heavily story driven near the middle and the end, I found at times struggling to get thru the book. This book nearly took me 3 weeks to finish. The first one I finished in a little less than two weeks. I admit there are some slow times in the book. At times I felt the book was getting a little overly descriptive about things and I admit I skipped over a paragraph or two from time to time. Its a step down from the first book in my opinion, but still a good book.

Ash's story was originally published as one mammoth book in the UK. In USA (and the rest of Europe) divided into four tomes. A wise option IMHO.
"Carthage Ascendant" is the second volume of this format.
As the tale was conceived as whole book, you definitely must read them in order. So my recommendation is start from "A Secret History" and the follow the thread.

This is an alt-his tale full of attractive ideas, images, violence and well defined characters.

Ms. Gentle has researched both in medieval history and warfare; that allows her to present the reader with a very well documented backdrop.

The entire late middle age world is reconstructed accurately; its reality is overwhelming. The mercenary way of life, camping, battles, cities and courts are vividly described. The new alt-his issues & places e.g. Visigothic Carthage are as compelling.

The story is presented as a contemporary new translation of medieval manuscripts, with the addendum of new revolutionary documents recently discovered by a historian.
This is shown as a series of emails exchanged by the translator and his editor.

Ash is a very young & capable mercenary leader with eight hundred warriors under her command and now at the service of Lord Oxford & the Duke of Burgundy.
All of them are confronting the mysterious visigothic invasion that has already conquered Italy and part of the Germanic states.

After the battle at Auxonne the action veer to Visigothic Carthage where the city, the politics, the Lord-amirs, slaves & soldiers are described in detail.

Characters are well fleshed, each with its own vital problems to solve and interact. Interesting issues about ethic, gender, love, politics & warfare are presented to the reader in a shocking cavalcade.

In this volume the fantastic and sci-fi elements catch wind and grow up.

This book is strictly for adult readers due to its violent scenes and language; it will be fully enjoyed by alt-his lovers, fantasy fans & sci-fi buffs.

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

I like the series because it seems to be an accurate, gritty view of life in 15th century Europe. The author brings out little details that usually aren't found in period novels, like her men always cussing and "scratching under their codpeices". Now there's something I wouldn't have thought about...

And when Ash is commanding her men in battle, shouting orders, getting her men in position, I can almost smell the smoke from Angelotti's guns and hear the screams of the horses. These are the best parts of the book. The author definately knows how to present a battle scene from the perspective of a company captain.

Unfortunately, there is too little action in the first two books, and especially this book. Ash's long periods of self-examination really grow boring and add nothing to the story, except a feeling of "hey, no kidding Ash; you just figured that out?". This book is about 200 pages too long. And slow. And Ashes attraction to del Guiz makes her seems EXTREMELY shallow.

But despite all that, I'm still drawn to the story because, first, I keep waiting for a battle and second, I love the feeling of being dropped into the period. The author's research into battle tactics and the period itself really make the story come alive.

I would recommend the book to people who like historical novels or who might enjoy the medieval mercenary setting. The series is worth a look.

Glenn Bontrager

The second volume of the US edition of Mary Gentle's brilliant novel _Ash_ (published as one HUGE book in the UK) takes the young woman mercenary Ash to Carthage.

There she learns more about her mysterious "twin", and about the strange darkness that covers Carthage. And the reader learns more about the curious nature of the alternate history Gentle has created. The book is also full of bloody action and bawdy humour, as with pretty much everything Gentle (what an inappropriate name in some ways!) has written.

The entire novel is excellent work, highly recommended.

This is part 2 of "Ash: A Secret History" - an excellent fantasy novel by UK author Mary Gentle. The novel describes the life of Ash, a Joan of Arc-like mercenary leader. Ash is a young teenager, living in mercenary army camps at the end of the 15th century. She starts hearing voices in her head, giving her tactical advice on battlefield situations. When she becomes a successful battlefield commander, she forms her own mercenary army and gets involved in the protection of Burgundy against an invasion.

This novel gives a very gritty, realistic view of life in the 15th century. Right from the start the reader is confronted with the mud, blood, sweat and pain of the life of a soldier. Gentle is not afraid to hurt or kill her characters. Even though the story is brutal and often horrifying, it is always a compelling read.

"Ash: A Secret History" is presented as the translation of a manuscript, complete with footnotes explaining some of the archaic terms. The correspondence between Pierce Ratcliff, the fictional scholar who is translating the work, and his editor Anna Longman, is inserted between the chapters of Ash's life. This correspondence adds an entirely new dimension to the story, explaining some of the anachronistic expressions and some of the differences between Ash's version of history and our own. Another reviewer called this novel a combination of fantasy and scholarly mistery.

Mary Gentle, an accomplished scholar herself, acquired an MA in War Studies as part of the writing process of this novel.

"Ash: A Secret History" was advertised in the UK as "the largest single-volume fantasy novel ever", which is quite possibly true at 1100 pages. In the US, however, the novel was split into 4 separate volumes: "A Secret History", "Carthage Ascendant", "The Wild Machines" and "Lost Burgundy".

The first volume offered great combat scenes, a gritty depiction of medieval life, and a pair of weird plotlines. This second book bogs down. The ending is fun, but way too many words are spent to too little effect. Still, it beats most multi-volume fantasies.