By: Jennifer Roberson Publisher: DAW Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: DAW Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 448 Publication Date: April 03, 2007
Audrun and her husband Davyd, along with the others of the land of Sancorra, have been left homeless because of the brutal Hecari. Consulting diviners, they learn that their newest child must be born in the peaceful province of Atalanda. They must now travel close to the sinister woodlands of Alisanos, where darkness awaits. Joining a karavan for safety, the family moves ever closer to the dangerous, mystical forest. And, as they are all about to discover, Alisanos is moving ever closer to them.
Karavans I've never read a book by Roberson and had only gave this one a chance because it kept coming up as a recommendation in Amazon. Honestly, the cover and blog did not grab me. The fact that it had such high reviews did.
Overall, I think the book was wonderfully written, with well defined characters and setting. As a matter of fact, I was overly intrigued by the story line and had a difficult time putting the book down. On the down side, it was a terrible let down for me because the book had a fabulous conflict and climax, yet was completely lacking in a resolution. I feel as though I've read an incomplete book.
Too many questions, too much filler, too few answers. KARAVANS is a serious, adult, swords and horses and gods-and-demons (vs. elves and goblins) fantasy. The setting for the story is a strange, Middle Ages-ish, Eastern European-ish world where the supernatural plays an important role. However, the story is really about the choices that men and women make when stakes are high, outcomes are unknowable, and all of the alternatives are bad. Contrary to what some other reviewers have said about the book, it is not bereft of action, but the action does get buried in some tedious filler.
KARAVANS begins in a "province" called Sancorra, in a world that might or might not be a past or future earth with what looks like a 17th century level of technology. Sancorra has just been overrun by cruel and efficient (and perhaps Romanesque) Heccari warriors. The Heccari rule with an iron fist, ruthlessly extracting high taxes, literally decimating (that is, killing one-tenth) of villages they deem too crowded, and generally making life miserable for their subjects. The Heccari conquest has created a small stream of refugees fleeing oppression, and some of those refugees travel in Western-style wagon trains (called "karavans").
Pregnant Audrun, her husband Davyn, and their four children are seeking a new life outside Sancorra, and they are reluctantly accepted into a karavan that employs palm-reader Ilona and guide/muscle Rhuan. Audrun's urgent desire to get to her new home in Atlanta ("Atalanda") is a central subplot. Unfortunately, it is not very interesting. Audrun is an 18th century version of supermom and her good-hearted but pig-headed husband Davyn is no less cliched. The two muse in annoyingly familiar ways about how they met and married, how their daughter is blossoming into womanhood, what it's like to be pregnant, etc. At the end of the book, however, Audrun is thrust into a situation that will probably result either in her demise or in her becoming a stronger character.
In contrast, sadder-but-wiser girl (woman) Ilona and brave-and-tormented Rhuan are by far the most interesting characters in the book. Roberson handles the unresolved sexual tension between the two of them well. (I didn't especially enjoy the parts of the narrative where Roberson plays up Rhuan's hunkiness, but then I am a straight guy.)
The series is built around several mysteries that are only partly resolved in this book. These include the true nature of Alisanos, the true nature of Rhuan and Brodhi, and the true relationship between Alisanos and Rhuan and Brodhi. Some things are revealed. We learn that Alisanos is less Mirkwood (the dangerous, enchanted forest of Tolkein) than Chaga (the alien jungle that invades Africa in Ian McDonald's saga) with (that word again) mysterious origins and the ability to transform all humans who touch it into something other than human. We learn that at least some of the denizens of Alisanos are shapeshifting demons, and that Rhuan and Brodhi are in some way dependent on those demons. We also learn something about the existence of powerful gods in this world, but I cannot say what (partly because it would involve a spoiler and partly because so little is revealed).
Nevertheless, viewers of the television series "Lost" will feel unpleasantly at home with KARAVANS, because Roberson reveals the answers to readers' questions only in dribs and drabs. Writers often keep one big secret from readers, but I think Roberson keeps far too many. Fewer secrets would have meant a shorter and tighter narrative and also have resulted in fewer complaints about the pace of the novel.
For other reasons, readers of Michelle West's Sun Sword series will find a great deal here that is familiar. First, there are resemblances between the two authors' worlds. While clearly rooted in classical fantasy and Classical mythology, their worlds are nonetheless original. The worlds are inhabited not by elves and goblins, but by demons and gods -- supernatural beings that are very alien and typically quite hostile to humans. They also feature cruel human societies -- the South in West's books, the Heccari in this one -- showing that evil beings have no monopoly on inhuman behavior.
Second, both West and Roberson are, at least to some degree, feminist (or womanist) authors. In their worlds, women's status is inferior to that of men, but women's interpretations of the world are as important to the plot as are men's, and while men's actions are more visible than men's, women's actions can be just as important as those of men. Third -- and I probably shouldn't be saying this in such a long review -- both women are fine writers, but both tend to be wordy and repetitive. (West is worse in this regard than is Roberson, for what that's worth.)
I purchased this book based on my enjoyment of Roberson's short story "Ending and Beginning" in the DAW 30th Anniversary volume (which I recommend). That story, which I found to be inventive and emotionally rich, introduces the KARAVANS world and establishes the relationship between Rhuan and Ilona. For something like two years, I impatiently awaited the release of the mass market paperback (yes, I'm cheap). If Roberson had been as focused here as she was in the short story, I would have been much more enthusiastic about the book. Nevertheless, I don't think this is a bad book, and I do intend to read the next installment in the series.
Good But Slow Start...Much Like Other Roberson Books This is a pretty good book, offering a new reinterpretation of gypsies and caravan life. The world in developed pretty well, and is set up to be just mysterious enough to get the reader asking for more.
The three main character groups are 1. a family trying to escape a brutal conquering army by joining the Karavan 2. A fourtune teller who is a permanate member of the Karavan 3. two demons in disguise, one who loves the human world, one who hates it.
The details are a bit fuzzy. For example, why is the brutal army trying to conquer the world? The obvious answer is power, but I am talking generalities. What motivates an army to murder thousands just so a commander can be all powerful? What holds the army together? Who are the demons? Why are they there? Roberson hints at some greater reason, but there are no answers. What is the mysterious Deepwood? Why is the fortune teller's life all entwined with everything? Is the prophecy about the family's unborn little sister true? What will become of them all?
What development is there is really interesting. Her cast is dynamic, and shows a world of interesting cultures and magics. While this book is a first novel written to wet your literary appetite, it does it pretty well.
But to be honest, a lot of Roberson's series start with a first novel that sets up mysteries to be answered later.
What is really nice is to see Roberson come at a story as a master writer. I have enjoyed watching her grow as a writer from the Cheysuli chronicles, and this latest book makes me appreciate her development into one of the greatest fantasy writers of our generation.
Awesome Book!!!! I loved reading this book!!! The attention to detail and character development was superb. If a book could be felt and experienced like a 3D movie, then this book was it. I felt what the characters felt and saw what they saw. I haven't experienced a book like this since Jean M. Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series. Definately, read this book. I didn't even care that at the end of the book nobody really traveled far.
Solid start to a very promising saga Skipping past the summary of the plot, which you can easily find elsewhere (among these very reviews actually), I'll provide a short personal analysis instead. This book, Karavans, is the first installment of a series that bears the same name, currently made up of 2 books with a 3rd on the way. It was an enjoyable read for 3 main reasons:
1. The writing style is outstanding. It is mature, sophisticated and very descriptive, without being tedious. You get a very clear image of all the settings because the descriptions are so detailed, but it's never excessive. It is easy to concentrate, and thus not frustrating to read. Also, no character is dwelled on for too long at a time, so you revisit all the subplots frequently. Last but not least, it is not self-pretentious writing. I really thought the language was very sensible, and it did not resort to cheap tricks meant for shock value, so that was a huge bonus.
2. The characters are well constructed. They are multi-dimensional and you can relate to them, a point which some authors struggle with. They have well-defined personalities; some are more complex than others, just like in real life, but they are all believable, and quite different from one another. Needless to say, they are interesting and make you want to find out more about them.
3. The story is great. Seriously, this is hard work, not something coughed up on a whim. Some people say that the pace is a little slow. It certainly could be faster, but this first volume of the series is mostly a foundation for a storyline to be built on. But do not be alarmed, it is not stale or boring, because it is very well-written. And the story only gets better as it unfolds.
The book itself gets 4 well-earned stars; I have finished the sequel also, Deepwood, which allows me to recommend this book even more because the series is looking excellent at this point, so I really think you will be rewarded for investing in the experience.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
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