The World

Historical fantasies have surged in popularity, led recently by Susanna Clark and Naomi Novik, who have introduced magic and dragons to the Napoleonic wars. This is a problematic subgenre. While it may entice those who would never read traditional fantasy to step foot into the genre, it may not provide the level of escape that fans of traditional fantasy seek. (See Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories" for a justification of escape.)

I myself find it often leads to difficulty in the suspension of disbelief. Lois McMaster Bujold's underappreciated 1992 fantasy novel The Spirit Ring serves well as evidence. Set in Renaissance Italy it tells a story of a master craftsman's daughter getting caught up in a vicious lord's conquest of the local dukedom. The twist lies in the reality of magic, which is regulated by the Catholic Church and typically takes a folksy form: the craftsman adds a premium to his wares by imbuing them with charms, like a saltcellar that neutralizes poisons in food.

The problem comes as the extrapolation progresses. The vicious lord, Ferrante, has tapped necromancy in his quest for power. Such abuses are strictly forbidden by the Church, which is why it monitors practitioners like Master Beneforte, the craftsman, so closely. In fact, the local bishop is himself a practitioner. And here is where I find the difficulty. Bujold presents her altered Renaissance Italy naturally and convincingly. The magic affects people in reasonable ways. But the extrapolation is only on a small scale, while the introduction of magic would necessarily have an impact on the greater movements of history and culture.

For instance, the Catholic Church is presented to be exactly the same as we know it to have been, save that it licenses magicians. But what would the reality of such magic really mean for the Church and its doctrines? The lack of attention to such macro-extrapolation is a problem for historical fantasies, which too often introduce a fantastical element to a historical era without contemplating sufficiently the ways our world must necessarily be different because of that introduction.


The Girl

Yet if disbelief can be willingly suspended, The Spirit Ring offers a charming fantasy unusual for its flavors: Italian, rather than English or Northern, and Renaissance, rather than medieval.

Fiametta is a wonderful protagonist for this female bildungsroman. She begins as a girl infatuated with a soldier and eager to prove her artistic potential to her father. But her idyll is interrupted by Ferrante's coup, and her father dies in the flight from their beloved home in Montefoglia. Dead but not safe, Master Beneforte's unshriven and unburied soul may now be victimized by Ferrante, who wants to harness its power in a spirit ring.

While Master Beneforte is an entertainingly arrogant artist and Fiametta a sympathetic heroine, the most interesting characters are Thur, the Swiss miner who is accidentally captured by Fiametta's own ring, and the aggressive Ferrante himself. Thur's slow and steady personality complements Fiametta's energy nicely, and he should resonate with any man who has trailed after a beautiful woman whose mind and mouth are both quick. His search for his missing brother involves him in the effort to save both Montefoglia and Fiametta's father, but when he infiltrates Ferrante's circle he and the reader must together reassess the book's villain, who demonstrates a certain "leader of men" charisma.


The Ring

The story has its moments of tension, especially during the dark rituals required to create a spirit ring. Its heroes are very likable, in the manner usual for Bujold's storytelling. The resolution is fitting, but comes rather neatly, highlighting the impression that this is a one-off, and that there is neither room nor inclination for further stories with these characters or in this world. Such an impression can be dangerous in fantasy, where the reader must be invested in the milieu.

In a twist atypical of both fantasy and today's mainstream literature, The Spirit Ring portrays the Church in a generally positive light. Bishop Monreale is fatherly, suffering, and utterly benevolent, even as his active personality and military past make him accessible. Despite bureaucracy and hinted abuses, the Church is a force for good in which people rightly place faith, and its role in regulating magic is shown as beneficial and necessary by the novel's events.

I do not wish to over-emphasize this point. The book is principally a fantasy with light romantic elements set against a Renaissance Italy made magical. It is not a major work, and not Bujold's best, but it's worth reading and deserves much more attention than it gets.


A Note for Bujold Fans

It's not unusual for a highly successful author to try writing something completely different only to fail utterly. Instead of buying the book her fans whine until she hangs her head and climbs back into her rut. Lois McMaster Bujold, famous for her hugely popular science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga, presents an interesting case. In 1992, after having won the Hugo award for best novel for the previous two years, she released the fantasy novel The Spirit Ring. Despite some critical recognition, it sold dismally. In contrast, ten years later she would reenter the fantasy genre with The Curse of Chalion and its sequels, which have not only sold well, but have received Hugo and Nebula awards.

Why the difference? Other authors have moved between science fiction and fantasy freely, why not Bujold? Certainly The Curse of Chalion is a better book than The Spirit Ring. Perhaps crossing over requires a superb novel, not merely a good one. Perhaps the historical context of The Spirit Ring inhibited her science fiction fans from suspending disbelief.

I wonder if another reason rests in that The Spirit Ring was not different enough. While it represents a dramatic departure from the Vorkosigan Saga, there is a similar feel to the book, in everything from the characters to the cover art. Bujold's writing style has developed over the years, and The Spirit Ring is definitely of the Vorkosigan era. In contrast, The Curse of Chalion is a clean break from all things Vorkosigan. It escaped the pitfall of being not similar enough by being not similar at all.


– Panguitch


My reviews of Bujold's other fantasy novels:
• The Curse of Chalion: http://www.epinions.com/content_168241106564
• Paladin of Souls: http://www.epinions.com/content_170295398020
• The Hallowed Hunt: http://www.epinions.com/content_225526910596

See my Vorkosigan Saga Concordance for an overview of Bujold's science fiction series, suggested reading orders, and reviews of the Vorkosigan books: http://www.epinions.com/content_4838039684



Recommended: Yes