Reflecting Fires (Paperback)

Does this sound familiar? I recently completed "The Arm of the Stone" by Victoria Strauss, which was a similarly themed fantasy. Of the two, I think "Reflecting Fires" has the edge in philosophical soundness and character credibility.

Tom Claburn is a new, lyrical voice in the clichéd realms of fantasy. His inventive use of language and symbols reminds me of Gene Wolfe's creative word-play in his multi-volume series, "The Book of the New Sun."

Wolfe says in "The Shadow of the Torturer," "We believe that we invent symbols. The truth is that they invent us; we are their creatures, shaped by their hard, defining edges."

Claburn creates a whole new religion in "Reflecting Fires," along with the necessary accouterments of ritual, vocabulary, and symbolism. It demands a careful reading, but the author rewards us by logically evolving his characters within the `hard, defining edges' of his theology.

The magic in "Reflecting Fires" tends toward subtlety. In the following scene, Cardinal Skye begins to teach his new apprentice, an almost blind boy named Flux, the rudiments of magic:

"Skye smiled almost imperceptibly. `Then let this be your first lesson. Listen: `Flux killed the spider,' `Flux caused the spider to die.' Which is the stronger phrase?'

"Flux thought for a moment. `The first one?'

Skye nodded and reached down to pick something up. `But why?'

"'I do not know.'

The Cardinal placed a spider on Flux's hand. Flux shivered and tried not to squirm.

"...'The bright mechanics is the language of possibility, and with further study you will be able to shape the possible into the actual...All the possibilities will yield to the one you have described, and it will be so.'

"Without a perceptible action from the Cardinal, the tickling spider footfalls on Flux's wrist stopped abruptly. The spider was dead."

However, no religion can survive without change, not even a magical one.

Toward the end of "Reflecting Fires," Claburn gives his carefully woven theology a yank, and his characters must scramble to redefine what they believe. One of them asks Dahlia (one of the main characters and a priestess):

"'What will become of us if the gods speak to everyone? What use will a celebrant be?'

"'We will manage somehow,' Dahlia said. `Perhaps we will reinvent ourselves.'"

Just as in the `real' world, Claburn continues to evolve his characters and their gods until the surprising, complex, and satisfying end of "Reflecting Fires."

I think this novel could make an interesting film, though it would require a "cast of thousands." The author has made films in the past, and I suspect this work was written with that in mind. Read Reflecting Fires and see if you don't agree. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I think this novel could make an interesting film, though it would require a "cast of thousands." I see from his website that the author has made films in the past, and I suspect this work was written with that in mind. Read Reflecting Fires and see if you don't agree.