Jerzy is a slave. He has never known anything but slavery in the Master Vineart's fields, toiling away at the grape vines that create the magical wine that is so coveted by the powerful and all of the Vinearts.
Jerzy's life is uneventful until one fateful day when he happens to get a face full of the grape mash and feels something magical in the wine. Knowing death is certain now that he, a lowly slave, has tasted the magical brew, the Master summons Jerzy to the main house. But instead of walking to his execution, the master gives Jerzy a test and takes him on as his apprentice. Jerzy has the gift to craft and use spellwines.
While Jerzy is receiving his training, strange things are happening all over the realm. Cities are disappearing, strange monsters are causing death and destruction, and diseases threaten to kill off many of the spell vines. The Master is confused and worried by these changes of events, and therefore hastens Jerzy's training. Even though Jerzy is talented, is he ready to up his training...when he's just begun?
Flesh and Fire was interesting to say the least. I was intrigued by the idea of creating a fantasy world revolving around wine, one of my favorite things ever!
I was really into Flesh and Fire and enjoyed Laura Anne Gilman's characters, who I felt had a lot of depth and a quality about them that made me want to keep reading. Jerzy in particular had innocence to him where everything was new and different. It was interesting to read about small and seemingly insignificant things through Jerzy's eyes.
However, there was something about the general plot line that lacked excitement. Laura Anne Gilman revs her story engine with something exciting like a battle with a sea monster, but then almost immediately switches gears and bogs down what was once a promising plot with political mumbo jumbo, and speculation. It became tedious.
I was almost through the entire book when I became very ill over the holidays and put it down for a week or so. After improving, I realized that I just couldn't bring myself to pick up the book again, so sadly, I never did reach the end.
Laura Anne Gilman had a great concept for a good series, but it just fell flat because of her roller coaster of a plot line. Sometimes exciting, sometimes not. I became more frustrated than enthralled, and ended up just not caring in the end. Pity. I had a lot of hope for Flesh and Fire.
