Reflection's Edge

Book Review: Envy of the Gods: If the Reward Were Right, by Andrea Savitch

Reviewer: Romie Stott

Summary: Duke Atan Ishtba is cold and ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to reconquer land which once belonged to his family. Raphela is a beautiful peasant girl with a voracious appetite for knowledge. When the two cross paths, Raphela sees that the Duke's reputation for cruelty masks a sincere desire to make the world a better place - and Duke Atan finds his equal in steel and ambition.

Length: 316 pages. The reviewer finished the book in about six hours, but took more than twice that amount of time for chit-chat and popcorn breaks.

From the cover, you might think this book is about: Someone with inhuman powers who is engaged in a battle with a pantheon of gods, and who spends some time in French catacombs or maybe a dungeon during the Crusades. The setting is either fantasy or alternate-universe medieval Europe.

But it's actually about: Two people who are implausibly brilliant and successful, who maintain perfect emotional control of themselves and use wildly anachronistic philosophy and technology to conquer the known world (when they're not busy being madly in love with each other). The setting is renfaire-like in its use of psuedo-history and fantasy-lite.

If this book were a food, it would be: A plate of Cheez-Its topped with Cool Whip and black caviar.

Number of Gods Appearing, Envious and Otherwise: Zero. There is also not any religion aside from exclamations like "by the gods!"

Rightness of Rewards Given Out: 6 of 10. The characters seem very concerned about helping people who are kind and capable, and punishing those who are corrupt. At the same time, the distribution of justice is uneven - for example, whipping posts are forbidden, but torturing someone to death is acceptable. There are also harsh reprisals for treason or backstabbing, most of which are enacted through backstabbing.

Mainstream appeal: Very low, but with a dedicated niche market. Envy of the Gods was clearly written as wish-fantasy fulfillment by and for middle-aged women who read fantasy romance to relax; the tone is somewhere between Mary Sue fanfiction and the more questionable stories in Realms of Fantasy. Basically, if you like renfaires and your kink is powerful, cold-blooded men who fall in love with fiery, unafraid women, this book is for you and you alone.

Fringy-ness: Almost none. It's the kind of book you read to turn off your brain, or to kvetch about with similarly-minded friends. Although torture is mentioned, it typically occurs offscreen; there are occasional scenes in which a man whips a woman.

People are saying: Envy of the Gods is not exactly so bad it's good, but its badness is oddly comforting in small doses. Science fiction fans and Tolkien aficionados are warned to stay well away; no thought was devoted to consistent worldbuilding, names were chosen for their exotic sound, and characters frequently say things it wouldn't occur to them to think in a world this technologically primitive. The few fantasy elements seem tacked-on - glowing rocks instead of candles, or animals which are not horses but which behave and are treated exactly like horses. Meanwhile, plentiful anachronisms (and a library with solutions to every problem) keep life comfortable and enlightened, freeing the characters up for sunset horse rides, interior decoration, and a universal literacy project.

The author is: valiantly trying to expand the sales of her book by marketing it as science fiction or historical fiction, although there is no support for either claim. Her Author's Den page includes links to some of her short stories and poems, along with updates on book signings and radio appearances. She is currently at work on a second novel, a follow-up to Envy of the Gods, with a projected trilogy in store.

To buy a copy of this book, click: here. The book can also be purchased through Ms. Savitch's website, but at a higher price.

If you liked this book, check out:

Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey

Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay



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