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Full Circle (The Castings Trilogy)

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The third part of Pamela Freeman's "Castings Trilogy" is called "Full Circle" for a reason, as this is the final installment that reunites the characters, wraps up all the plotlines, and resolves the crisis that has been (literally) haunting the sub-created world of the Eleven Domains. It is a satisfying finish, which takes Freeman's unique premise, ties all loose ends together and manages to be both rewarding and bittersweet.

A thousand years ago, the war-lord Acton and his people invaded the south-lands and established the fiefdoms ruled by various war-lords. The system does not treat the original inhabitants of the land particularly well, and the Travelers (as they are now called) are constantly threatened by the dominant race that took over their homeland. Stories of the communities that were massacred are remembered through song, and even up until the most recent generation, Travelers have been under threat by Acton's descendants. This has led to an enchanter by the name of Saker resurrecting an army of Traveler ghosts and marching against those that oppress them. The armies of the dead are set loose in various villages and cities; an unstoppable force that leaves carnage in its wake.

Unsurprisingly, none of this is as black-and-white as it appears to be. Our two protagonists Bramble and Ash, as well as a range of allies, can see that Saker's vendetta is only causing more hatred between the two factions. As such, they've been working on separate quests in order to raise Acton's ghost and have him make reparations to the army that is causing such unmitigated havoc. In the preceding book Deep Water, Ash came to terms with his own personal identity and his ability to raise the dead, whilst Bramble was taken on a journey deep into the past in which she realized that Acton and his history were not as clear-cut as she'd assumed.

At the opening of "Full Circle" Bramble and Ash are reunited in the caverns where Acton's bones are hidden, and together they manage to raise him from the dead. Meanwhile, Saker and his army are picking up living allies from the Travelers who are tired of their treatment at the hands of the warlords, whilst Lord Thegan himself - the most powerful warlord in the Domains - is using the catastrophe as an opportunity to gain more power and eradicate ever higher numbers of Travelers.

Tension and suspense is upheld throughout the entire book, as one faction continually ups the stakes against the other, and in which every death counts for something. The dilemma seems almost unsolvable, but when all the pieces are finally in place, Freeman finds a way to resolve the situation that remains true to the themes she's built and the characters involved. There is even a beautiful call-back to the various first-person narrative chapters that have been strewn throughout the trilogy, in which periphery characters are given the opportunity to tell their stories. Here, the reasoning behind their inclusion (beyond simply adding depth to the world and the plot's circumstances) are given further meaning.

I actually read this entire trilogy along with Freeman's thesis "Kings: What A Good Idea," as a companion piece, in which she researches the role of monarchy in fantasy-fiction, and the ways in which her novels deliberately subvert its role in the epic-fantasy genre.

With an interest in understanding why fantasy literature so often used monarchies in governmental world-building, as opposed to democracy or egalitarianism, Freeman deliberately painted the patriarchal Lord Thegan as a man with ambitions to become a dominant king-like ruler over the entirety of the Domains. At the same time, he and Acton (whom Thegan uses as a precedent) are marked with charisma, intelligence and the ability to inspire loyalty amongst the masses.

Instead of the heroes working toward putting the rightful heir back on the throne, the ultimate goal to end the racism and strife that divides the Domains is to try and establish a system in which every voice is taken into account. It's this twist on the usual fantasy clichés that make "The Castings Trilogy" so memorable. Likewise, Freeman has a lot of fun with the idea of legends being changed and misunderstood over time, such as with what really happened when Acton invaded the Domains and how he ended up being a tyrant to one group of people and a hero to another, as well as the origins of the Kill Reborn ceremony that is performed every year in a modified form until its full significance has been all but forgotten.

In keeping with several fantasy tropes (such as the immutability of prophecy and the ultimate "destiny" of major characters), whilst departing from the usual formula in several other significant ways, "The Castings Trilogy" is an intriguing and rewarding read, just as concerned with character development and responsible themes as it is with the hero's journey. The likes of Bramble, Ash, Martine, Flax, Leof and even Saker are all realistic and likeable characters, with strength, determination and the occasional flaw. If there was one weaker aspect, it was that the romantic pairings never felt *quite* convincing to me. Often they seemed to be based on physical attraction with little in the way of any real interaction between partners.

But romance is hardly the main purpose of the story; instead Freeman focuses on the importance of forgiveness, for both the forgiver and the recipient, and how hatred and vengeance are the true enemies of mankind, as opposed to any fairytale "dark lord." As the makers of their own history and the tragedies that haunt them, it is ultimately up to people themselves to choose a new path and change the future.

A millennium ago Warlord Acton and his horde conquered the south-lands. They created a feudal system with warlords ruling over fiefdoms in which the native population Travelers were treated as slaves or simply annihilated in wide spread genocide.

Now a thousand years of brutal reign by the New Blood descendents of Acton is threatened by Saker the Enchanter who has raised an angry army of the dead Travelers who seek vengeance against those whose ancestry butchered them in life. The slaughter matches that of the original butchery of Acton while Lord Thegan takes advantage of the conflict to gain more power.

Bramble, Ash and others fear Saker's blood feud is causing more death and destruction and increasing racial animosity, which fuels the worst of the New Blood leaders. Desperate, they feel the only way to end the race war is to have Ash raise the ghost of Acton in order to persuade him to atone for his alleged transgressions; of which Bramble who traveled back in time to the age of the invasion knows is not quite as it has come down in song of us vs. them.

This aptly titled great finish to the Castings Trilogy fantasy saga (see Deep Water and Blood Ties) will stun the audience with its exhilarating pace yet profound insightful look at the destruction of the racial divide. Filled with action, but fueled by a strong cast in which no one is more evil even the cruel Thegan and motives are not black and white. Full Circle (and the entire saga) is a refreshing super fantasy that will entertain readers yet also leave fans pondering who truly wins and how the masses lose when racism rules.

Harriet Klausner