Customer Reviews

Quest for the White Witch

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

 

 

finds Tuvek/Vazkor nearing his quest for his mysterious witch/goddess mother. This book has more in common with "The Birthgrave" than its immediate predecessor, "Vazkor, Son of Vazkor". It has more of the epic feel, with Tuvek discovering, as his mother did, the realm and scope of his powers through his travels through strange and mystical kingdoms. This is classic Lee, with all the epic quality of "The Birthgrave" (though please read that first), and Tuvek/Vazkor's character is much more sympathetic and likable than in "Vazkor, Son Of Vazkor" as he grows gradually less bent on vengeance as the story progresses. If you loved "The Birthgrave" as I did, this is similar in tone, and worth reading as well.

The Birthgrave is an epic in every sense of the word, a book that manages to reflect the literary climate of its time yet simultaneously subvert every cliche and sexist pitfall that plagued the fantasy genre in the 70's. It is both a monumental feminist statement and a simple adventure story, a woman's answer to the sometimes insulting sword and sorcery written by men for men at the time. It contains all the power and tragedy of ancient creation myths, yet it is also a modern story, because in the end it is not just a dated piece of pulp fiction, it is an incisive and downright harrowing exploration of the debilitating effects of childhood trauma on a person's mental state. I wept for the tragedy of Karrakaz, rejoiced in her resolution, but it had come so late in the story that it was almost not enough. I wanted to know what this poor woman would make of her life, and even though I knew the sequels would be about her son, I picked up Quest for the White Witch anyway, hoping for a glimpse into the titular character's future.

Tanith Lee is one of my favorite writers, but I've read just as many bad works from her as good. Generally with her sequels to books that should have been stand-alones, she just goes way overboard (the abominable Metallic Love springs to mind). Quest for the White Witch falls prey to Lee's worst tendencies to make up trite plot complications and indulge in character angst. If The Birthgrave is the Babylonian Enuma Elish, then White Witch is your average overwritten plot to a Xena/Hercules show or a B-grade Conan movie from those good old days of misogyny and muscle-bound heroes.

Vazkor Junior is thankfully a half decent fellow compared to his pulp fiction contemporaries, but the man needs to lighten up a little. He does nothing but angst about his mother for the entire book. Wherever he goes he is loved and admired by comrades, women, and strangers alike. He defeats enemies easily. His superhuman powers essentially allow him to god-mode his way through any problem the story presents. Yes, his mother had those same powers, but they were presented realistically within the context of the story.

Vazkor Junior's powers and problems come across as cartoony by comparison. Karrakaz' sense of doom and isolation from the human race was entirely justified given her childhood trauma, but Vazkor was raised in a human village with loving stepparents, so there was no reason for him to feel so ostracized. Tanith Lee already established that Karrakaz was capable of getting along with humans just fine if her paranoia didn't get in the way; Vazkor has no reason to reenact his mother's story when their childhood experiences were completely different. Are we really supposed to sympathize with this guy?

When Vazkor finally comes face to face with his mother, the book plunges off the deep end. Trying not to spoil anything, I could not believe in the ending because Karrakaz' actions were completely out of character. The character I knew from book one--and you get to know her very well--would never have done any of these things, especially not after her liberation from her psychosis. The whole thing just left a sour taste in my mouth and brought the cycle of negativity right back to the sense of loneliness and futility that plagued the heroine throughout book one. Karrakaz is smarter than this, even if Vazkor Junior isn't. An Oedipal fiasco. I wish I'd left it at "I have no Dark Prince...to walk with me. I am alone. And yet, I have myself, at last , I have myself. And to me, at this time, it seems enough. It seems more, much more, than enough."