Gahan Hanmer

I was offered a free copy by the publisher. What made me say yes to this offer was that the story was about an attempt to set up a fake mediaeval kingdom in the modern world. As a (lapsed) 17th century re-enactor it ticked my 'experimental archaeology' box and I thought it would be worth reading.

Having read it it was much more than I expected it to be and I really enjoyed it on a number of levels.

Firstly there is an interesting piece of straight literary fiction here. It isn't a work of fantasy and there is strictly no magic. Given a billionaire determined enough this story could play out for real. The premise is simply that several hundred people are recruited over a period of over a decade to live in a remote and isolated part of Canada. These people are selected carefully for their lack of attachment to the modern world and their willingness to live in a pseudo mediaeval world. Those willing to invest in the project become the nobility, with rank determined by depth of funding.

The story starts near the end of the recruitment phase of the project. Our protagonist is the last recruit. An old school friend of the King, he's chosen because his outlook is expected to help solve a problem. Jack is a flawed hero, as the best heroes often are. He's trapped by his (requited) love for the King's fiancée. He also has nothing to go back for, his attempt at a theatrical production company has just failed at he's at a personal low.

Swept up in events Jack moves from modern day to mediaeval and from there we join him in discovering the new Kingdom on the Edge of Reality. Sadly for Jack's friends this leads to a political thriller with more than a dash of warfare thrown in. The resolution is edgy and bloody. One wonders which of the possible paths it will end on, and I recommend that you read it yourself to fund out.

Secondly it appealed to the historical re enactor in me. I've dressed up in old fashioned clothes for most of a couple of decades and socialised with a lot of similar people. I've seen the range of interest from immersion to casual approximation of history. Personally I couldn't go live in a pseudo mediaeval world, I just like visiting the past. I'm more like an uncle than a parent in this regard.

However what struck me was the very well observed human behaviour in this situation. It was also combined with an American fascination with feudalism, I've noticed over the years that many Americans appear more royalist than even enthusiastic British people. It must be a novelty thing.

Spoilers aside the behaviour seemed spot on. The social fabric coalesced in the same way reenactment groups are want to. With certain people factionalising and others happy to just go with the flow. There was also a difference in character in how the 'commoners' behaved depending on which of the main nobles they lived under. In a land with no laws the people do exactly what the boss will tolerate and nothing more. Why risk punishment for being wrong if you can just ask for direction? There is a wonderful bit where the lady of the house is approached to select the chicken for dinner, and she is unable to issue an appropriate directive. Eventually she has to go in person and point at one.

On another level I enjoyed the craft that had gone into this novel. I could see the classic pieces of the hero's journey unfolding and enjoyed identifying the archetypes. This enhanced the story for me, and there were a number of twists built in, making it a rough scaffold rather than a railroad. The characters were interesting too, the main ones were multifaceted and had more to them than initially met the eye, but only enough detail for the story to unfold. The story read easily.

Reading this story, and the subsequent interview with the author, gave me the strong impression that this was a labour of love. It has resulted in an interesting and very readable work of literary fiction.… (plus d'informations)

intriguing and mildly educational this book makes us really consider if our way of life is better now than that in the middle ages. This is a good mix of modern-day life and beliefs intermingled with that of a couple hundred years ago. I am no historian but I believe the historical references correct.

Although we are told people went to this new land voluntarily and are told they can leave at any time, but really how? To me they are brought in on false pretenses and due to no outside communication or transport and being surrounded by hundreds of miles of desert they are in fact trapped! When they arrive all their clothes, and other possessions are burned or otherwise destroyed and are expected to fit in and live in a much different environment.

Jack was my favourite character as through him we can live through all the insecurities, fear and questions he had, and learned along with him just what it would be like in the middle ages. He constantly questions his new way of life and government in just the same way we do today.

Overall, I think I'll stay here in the 21st century thanks very much… (plus d'informations)

I have conflicting feelings about this book.

On one hand, there is trite occurrences that have nothing to do with anything... and I am all about WHY, so that drove me nuts. Let me share what I mean:
"I used to own a transvestite bar" pg 6
"'Do you mind if I take mine off?' And she did, without bothering to get off the horse. First the blouse went flying... and there she was quite irresistibly buck naked in her tennis sneakers." p31
To my thinking, these two situations - his former business and a woman begging for an affair - translated to no respect for the main character, Jack. I wasn't endeared to his reaction to the failed business plus "transvestite" didn't translate into anything - not exceptional acceptance of all people and certainly not interest in men. No... he repeatedly fell for swooning women as if he had no morals or self-control at all. And this scene with a women chucking clothes makes me think of a sexual dream that I'd rather not experience from a man's point of view. (ugh!)

So from the very beginning, Jack plunged to the bottom of my lil' respect ladder and had to work his way back up sweatin' all the way!!

On the other hand, the overwhelming feeling reading this book is AWE & DISCOVERY.

When Jack finds himself in the medieval world, his point of view is so fresh and open. He is so willing to give everything a try, that I felt immediately connected with him, awed by the overwhelming stars and hugely expressive silence. The author really captures what it would FEEL LIKE for a contemporary person to step into a medieval world with every hope of enjoying it.
"'I have a good feeling about Albert's kingdom. Do you know what I mean? It's a feeling. There are no clocks here, no electricity or doctors. There's nothing here that we used to have, and yet nothing seems to be missing, nothing at all. And the big thing that was missing in the modern world, the inside thing, the thing that makes you feel connected to people and the sun and the moon and all the little stars in the sky - that's starting to come back to me. And it's a feeling, just this tremendous, amazing feeling.'" pg 120
I love the moments where this feeling overwhelms Jack. When he's surrounded by so much life, he feels insignificant and instead of being frightened, he embraces that feeling.

I enjoyed Jack's humorous responses, too. He has moments where he feels dressed up in a costume or realizes the person he's talking to is uncomfortable in their situation. He is so thoughtful to keep such realizations to himself while creatively assisting any way he can. It's funny when he has to re-adjust himself to being ok with wearing armor and galloping around the countryside. I'm sure that's exactly how I would feel in such a situation!!
"If you don't think I felt totally crazy, you have to remember that I was dressed from head to foot as a medieval warrior, and with what I had on my horse thrown in, I was carrying about two hundred pounds of armor and weapons and standing in the middle of some impossible kingdom on the farthest edge of reality. I wasn't in any state to make a rational decision about anything, but in my gut I knew that going back... wasn't an option... the life I had left behind didn't seem attractive or even real anymore." pg135
Do I like Jack by the end? Meh. He's so real I can't say that I like him or that I don't. I like many of his decisions and he drove me crazy plenty of times.

Did I like Albert, the designer behind this medieval kingdom? I enjoyed Jack's perspective on him, but I didn't get to know him myself. Did I like Queen Jenna? Nope. Leo was cool - he has intelligence AND morals. Amazing. I liked Marya, the local "doctor", as much as I learned of her. And Guy Hawke? I loved hating him. He is thoroughly evil and a multiplier of evil. Plus his name sounds like Guy Fawkes to me, so I felt like he deserved to be burned at the stake.

I absolutely loved "sweet Mora" - she was the epitome of everything beautiful in the kingdom, a type of the innocence, the perfection, the intelligence the kingdom represented. When Jack wasn't sure he wanted to settle down with her, he was debating the entire situation. When she cried over past ravishing, her pain was the pain the kingdom was feeling at the hands of that bully.

Cover Commentary: I really don't like this cover. The mottled colors are sort of like stonework and the rapier is plain to me. HOWEVER... I read this book at a car parts swap meet and the cover started it's own conversation: "What's that about? How interesting! Sounds like I'd like it!!" All day men eye-balled the cover wondering what cool book this chick was reading. I had to laugh... it's an effective cover!! And the website really is beautiful.

My Rating: 3.5 - Worth the Time. The beginning started off at a 1 or 2 (for me) with no explanations to improve, so the world-building and the awe & discovery were truly amazing.… (plus d'informations)