The first thing my parents taught me, more by accident than intention, was that travel is in the blood. It's a drug. It is magic. I was born on the northern edge of Montana, where on cold, clear nights you could see the aurora stretching across the night sky, like psychedelic fingers gripping the fabric of the universe. By the time I was four, we were already living in a dozen places spanning multiple states and geographic regions. My earliest memories are split between the American West and the azure beauty of the Caribbean, spending a year of my life on a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico, running along sunny sandy beaches with my dog Chewie (short for Chewbacca well on). ), we are both still puppies.
A few decades, over a dozen countries and several continents on this journey, praying to the church of Bourdain (who made me and many others believe that traveling across this beautiful planet was no only possible, but necessary), and I'm always looking for that feeling of sitting in a bar with a never-before-seen view, the smells of the kitchen wafting over me accompanied by the gentle hum of languages I don't understand. It’s that dose of simultaneous contentment and exhilaration that comes from new ground beneath my feet, from fascinating and unexplored architecture, from the ebb and flow of conversations in the local dialect. In the air and in a word: culture.
The second lesson my parents taught me, again more by accident than anything, was that books are constructed with the same magic that travel is imbued with.
Travel is a culture and if books transport us to new fantastical worlds, then by definition fiction, and fantasy in particular, is a culture. The sharing of cultures that we have encountered, seen through a single view or created as a whole. Recreating that feeling of sitting at the bar in a new country – a feeling I've experienced in almost every country I've visited and which is pure magic in every sense of the word – is difficult on the page, but it is there, my friends. An old favorite of mine is Robert Jordan (I know, I know, you either LOVE Mr. Rigney or he's not your cup of tea, but I'm in the former camp) who has created such scenes by the dozen , such as when Rand and Mat sing for their dinner at inns and taverns or when Nynaeve, Elayne, Egeanin and Thom share a meal at Arad Domon where sursa (chopsticks) are used instead of a fork. The hostess murmurs that she left forks under their napkins and it was a nice touch since I found myself in such a situation (although I'm decent with chopsticks these days). It showed how even something as simple as a glass of water was largely influenced by a character's culture, whether they were a wetland or an Aiel. Some of my other favorites in recent years have been Fonda Lee's The Green Bone Saga, Jaran by Kate Elliot and The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon.
Fonda Lee's The Green Bone Saga is a realistic trilogy that draws inspiration from Japan, Hong Kong and other cultures scattered across the archipelagos and islands of Southeast Asia with its history of wars against imperial powers, isolationism and deeply rooted traditions rooted. Lee creates a world that is both modern and fantastical. It is fully experienced with all its complexities and contradictions, and populated by intriguing characters who show us their world through their eyes: the way future street toughs admire the Green Bones (men and women who use jade to give them magical abilities) to the way we see clan leaders exploit and protect traders in their territory. Boat Day, a festival meant to bribe the Typhoon God with feasts and shows, is another great example where we don't just see people's beliefs and religions. Lee uses the scene to set the stage for a first encounter that will greatly raise the stakes of the burgeoning clan war to come.
Lee's talent for conveying culture and meaning through names is visible throughout the series, such as the opening scene at Twice Lucky, a bar where we learn about his world through the evocative scene of a musical low and low opera in the background, smoke. in the air, and the pungent smell of fish stew and fried squid balls filling the room. It's exactly the kind of scene that anyone who has visited a new city will recognize: walking down a side street and the smell of something delicious or musical chords you've never heard before always beckons you in. deeper into this new magical place. Speaking of magic, the jade magic that allows only certain individuals to harness the power of jade (and is also toxic) adds depth to The Godfather's storylines that will draw you in from that first scene in the bar. Here is the secret, dear reader, the setting, the story, everything is magical.
In Jaran, Kate Elliot creates a fully realized migratory society that echoes the Khanates of Asia and Eurasia, but with some unique twists that borrow from other societies that allow her to create a Khanate in which women, not men , hold the real political authority. . From the jump, we realize we're in for a treat as we're introduced to a future Earth subject to an impenetrable alien empire known as the Chapalii, and follow the representative of the heiress of humanity as she flees her responsibility (a responsibility she never wanted). ) seeking refuge on a remote planet only to discover that the empire has emissaries hidden in places it shouldn't. This “primitive” (for our protagonist, Tess) Rhui civilization holds deep secrets that draw her ever deeper into the Khanate, despite creating a thrilling mystery, the reason I kept turning the page was to discover how these people lived, what they thought. , what they fought for and how Tess (as a woman and an outsider) would fit into their highly structured society where gender defined what was allowed and what was forbidden. Tess bends these rules, becoming one of the only horsewomen (one of the elite warriors who protect their own lands while seeking to conquer their rivals) and giving the reader insight into all facets of Rhui's life. Culture through character is truly Queen (or Khan).
Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree shows us an entire world constructed from diverse and fragmentary societies, some more fleshed out than others, but all very different, each based on their culture's view of a specific type of magical creature: the dragon. We get to see Asian dragons side by side with European dragons which, I admit as a lover of all things dragon, would have hooked me on its own. The fact that Shannon also creates societies with disparate perspectives on religion, outsiders, sexuality, and other cultural elements – all developed from their perspectives on dragons – drew me in on a deeper level. Imagine an early Catholic-like society with a living savior who believes that he alone holds the knowledge of how the world was saved once from demons (or were they dragons?) and how it will be saved again. Or take an isolationist Japan where contact with any foreigner could be punished by death, and the future Dragonrider accidentally saves a foreigner's life and has to pray that he can escape attention before he loses everything. Within these nations lies a hidden group of assassins and spies reminiscent of the real world's historic Nizari Isma'ili leader, Rashid ad-Din Sinan or the Old Man of the Mountain (look him up – he is also the inspiration for the Assassins). Creed series) which has eyes and ears everywhere. Each of these societies has elements of truth about what happened the last time the world was threatened by demons (dragons). Although these truths form the foundation of their culture, they are often obscured by layers of dogma that have grown around them over time. Shannon leaves the reader wondering if these conflicting cultures will be able to put aside their differences and sew these threads of truth into the whole fabric. This culture shock forms the backdrop to a twisting and twisting plot that unfolds over hundreds of pages. Fantasy lovers, devour your heart out.
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Sin in Steel
Sin in Steel
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My debut to come, Sin in Steel, shows us the world I created through the eyes of Sambuciña 'Buc' Alhurra, an incredibly chaotic heroine who is part Sherlock Holmes, part young Indiana Jones and ALL herself. Buc shares a sisterhood with Arya Stark and Lila Bard from VE Schwab's Shades of Magic. Her world's first private detective, Buc is too smart for her own good, with a razor-sharp blade hidden in her sleeve and an even sharper tongue. We can follow her as she defeats pirate queens, mages and uncharted seas to solve a mystery. His world is an exciting conglomeration of the Mediterranean basin – think Venice, Cordoba under the Umayyad Empire – with distinct cultural styles that one would find in the Caribbean and the South China Sea.
Anthony Bourdain said that travel “…leaves marks on your memory, on your conscience, on your heart and on your body.” I think good books do too. I have already Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia at the top of my to-read pile. Jazz Age Mexico, where the Mayan god of death sends a woman on an impossible journey? Yes please.
What are your favorite places, in books or in real life?
Ryan Van Loan is a debut fantasy author who served six years as a sergeant in the US Army Infantry (PA National Guard), where he served on the front lines in Afghanistan. His next novel, Sin in Steel was purchased by the Tor Books publication as a series.
