Babylon Steel [Paperback]

I had no idea what to expect from Babylon Steel. I'd read the synopsis and thought the premise sounded interesting. What I found was a novel that has a strong central character, and a fun and well-constructed plot, which was a blend of fantasy and thriller with a dash of humour. There's also some pretty good social commentary. This is a very good debut, and I really hope we see more of Babylon Steel, and certainly more from Gaie Sebold.

Babylon Steel is an interesting novel. There are three distinct acts, but also an additional, `historical' thread of chapters that alternate with the main story set in the `present'. It's a little difficult to go into too much detail, but the search for the missing girl is only part of the overall story, as Babylon and her companions (also her employees) find themselves mixed up in some local politics, and Babylon's own past catches up with her.

The setting is an interesting one. In Sebold's reality, there are multiple "planes", connected by various portals (some stable, some not), and Babylon's home is on a plane situated on an intersection between a number of them. As a result, the place is populated by a large number of intelligent and morphologically different species. I'm not sure if this would technically make the novel Sci-Fi or still fantasy... I suppose both? The technology levels remain low - for example, people still fight with swords and not guns.

Usually, I find the alternating-time-periods structural device frustrating, but the way Sebold has written the novel, I found myself getting invested in both threads equally. The importance of events in the historical chapters becomes clear relatively early on (not explicitly, but it's easy to figure out where the story's probably going), and informs the final act of the novel.

The historical chapters also gave Sebold the space to add layers and complexity to Babylon, to explain her evolution from orphan to tough-as-nails warrior-madam. The young Babylon (not yet going by that name) was selected to join a religious order by an Avatar of one of her plane's gods. She is one of a few chosen, and through her eyes and the other initiates' experiences, we get an examination of the predatory, manipulative nature of relationships between the "low-born" and members of an elite. Sebold gives voice to teenage frustrations, confusion and emotions very well, in a way that I think anyone can relate to: it's written from a female character's perspective, but I imagine only the most confident and arrogant teen male has never had similar insecurities. I thought it was handled very well, without any pretension or gloss. Babylon of this time is so tragically naïve. Ultimately, I really liked the way the two threads wove together, allowing us to get to know Babylon on a deeper level. It offers a great contrast between the older and younger heroine.

Sebold's writing is very good, with fluid prose and a steady pace to the story. Her sense of humour lacks the frenetic "look, I'm being funny!" feel that some debut authors seem to suffer (even Terry Pratchett's first few novels were a bit much), and instead Sebold deploys it when necessary and to maximum effect. It's calm and observational, more than quippy (though there are some good quips, too). The levity peters out about a third of the way into the novel, as the story takes on a more serious tone to match events. The humour in Babylon Steel is more likely to make you chuckle or smirk than laugh out loud, but I thought that was perfect, and therefore liked it a hell of a lot. Also, given my rather more conservative tastes when it comes to sex scenes in fiction, I was glad that Sebold keeps them short and restrained, never descending into over-description or exaggeration.

Along with her superb writing style, Sebold has a gift for characterisation. For example, each of the employees at Babylon's brothel - be they entertainers, security or the cook - is colourful, realistic and often good fun. They have quirky names (the bondage twins, for example, are called Cruel and Unusual; one of the guards is called Previous; and the cook is called Flower, because he's big and green). More minor characters are equally well-conceived and realised on the page.

Babylon Steel ends on a relatively upbeat note, which suggests there may be more adventures to come for the eponymous heroine. Given how much I enjoyed this, I really hope there are more novels.

Highly recommended, Babylon Steel is a fun novel, from a very talented debut author.

For Fans of: Amanda Downum, Gail Z. Martin, Kate Elliot, Karen Miller, Terry Pratchett (sort of), Will King, Michael Sullivan, Anne Lyle, Scott Lynch, Juliet McKenna

Babylon Steel is an ex sword-for-hire who runs the Red Lantern, a high class brothel in Scalentine, city of many portals. When she has a few problems balancing the accounts and having enough ready cash to pay her taxes she takes on a missing person case from the mysterious Darask Fain against her better judgment. Along the way she runs into trouble from the prudish Vessels of Purity religion and the past she's tried to leave behind finally catches up with her. Its a fine rollicking adventure tale with an interesting female lead and a collection of colourful characters as Scalentine, having many portals, is a melting pot of people from many planes. There is a good dollop of mystery, some magic (its a multiverse where you can hop from world to world using portals and there are some "glamour" style spells but no-one throwing fireballs) and an interesting world(s). It was a very enjoyable debut and I look forward to seeing what Sebold does next. Recommended to all lovers of fantasy.

Babylon Steel, former sword-for-hire and prostitute, runs a brothel called The Red Lantern in Scalentine, a hub city containing portals to different lands. Unfortunately, business hasn't been great and with a massive tax bill looming, Babylon needs money fast. Salvation comes from Darask Fain in the Diplomatic Section, who commissions her to find a missing Guidain heiress who's presumed to have been kidnapped just before her important political betrothal to another Gudain family.

But this is a bad time for an investigation. The approaching Two-Moon (when both of Scalentine's moons are full), means there's a lot of craziness about. A religious order called the Vessels of Purity are campaigning against prostitution and threatening the Lantern and someone's brutally beating up prostitutes. Worse is the arrival of a group of people from Babylon's past, a past that she thought she'd escaped for good, and which threatens to destroy everything she's worked so hard for ...

Gaie Sebold's debut novel is an epic fantasy featuring a strong, sexually confident woman who controls her own destiny.

Babylon's chatty, first-person voice carries you through the various plot strands. It's refreshing to read fantasy with a female character who knows what she wants and what she likes and while Babylon might not be great at asking for help, she understands when she's outgunned and is competent at what she does. I enjoyed her relationship with her brothel's crew, particularly with Previous, an ex-mercenary who works as a guard, and Precious, the huge, scaly cook. I also liked the way Sebold mixes in Babylon's backstory, as an abandoned orphan on Tiresana, a dying land under the control of ruthless Avatars.

There's a lot of plot, perhaps too much as the last quarter rushes to tie up all of the loose ends. There are also a lot of side characters and at times, I did find it a little difficult to keep the names straight - a character list would really help.

The world-building is great, with Sebold creating a vivid impression of Scalentine, its various quarters, its diverse, multi-species population and the portals that are so important to its existence. If I have one plea it's for a city map in the next book, so you can see the scale more visually.

In conclusion, this is an assured epic fantasy debut novel offering strong storytelling and stronger female characters and as such is well worth a look.