Nights of Villjamur (Legends of the Red Sun) [Paperback]

 

 

Create your own review

In recent years Tor, in the UK at least, have developed something of a reputation for publishing more serious, innovative fantasy. China Miéville has been around for a while, but new, exciting authors have emerged from the Tor stable: Alan Campbell, Hal Duncan, Adrian Tchaikovsky. Something all these authors have in common is that they've delivered novels that deviate from the norm, that are a cut above much of the bubblegum fantasy being peddled around at the minute. Their novels actually try to do something a little different.

Mark Charan Newton is the latest new talent to emerge, and with his debut effort Nights of Villjamur, it's safe to say that he continues this innovative, more serious tradition. He's joined their ranks - and he fits in very comfortably indeed.

An ice age is looming. In its wake, thousands of refugees descend upon the 'Sanctuary City' of Villjamur, hoping for shelter from the impending ice. But there's trouble at the top - the emperor is growing increasingly paranoid about his position, and his suicide leaves a vacuum in government at the worst possible time. Brynd Lathraea, Commander of the elite Nightguard, heads out into the Boreal Archipelago to escort the emperor's daughter, Rika, home to take the throne. Yet other political factions are waiting to play their hands...

At the same time: Investigator Jeryd of the city's Inquisition finds himself investigating the mysterious murder of a councillor, while trying to patch together his own failed personal life; a young womaniser arrives in the city with his own hidden agenda; and reports come in of some sort of massacre on the northern islands of the empire. In this land under a red, dying sun, events are about to come to a head...

Several things become apparent after reading just a few chapters of Nights of Villjamur. The first is that Newton writes very fluidly, with a stylistic and - dare I say it - more literary flourish than you often find in fantasy. His prose is often refreshingly noir, and is pleasingly evocative and visceral. Furthermore, he strikes a fine balance between description and action, deftly avoiding clumsy info-dumps. The pacing is very good; at no point does the narrative get bogged down.

What also quickly shines through is Newton's worldbuilding, which is both innovative and beguiling. To my mind, the real star of the novel is the city of Villjamur itself: a hulking, brooding mass of humanity laced in snow. Newton imbibes the city with real life and vitality, from the glittering spires to the most rancid hovels. The city has a pulse, a heartbeat - it's a living entity. This is clearly something that Newton wanted to get across, and he achieves this with aplomb. The wider setting - the Boreal Archipelago - is hauntingly beautiful; I could clearly envisage these wintry lands beneath a bleeding, dying sun.

There's a lot of cool stuff in Newton's world, and I won't remark much on this to avoid spoiling anything. Suffice to say that I think the whole idea of the cultists and their ancient technology is a very fine one indeed, an idea with almost limitless possibilities. I really like the whole idea of men and women devoting their lives to these ancient technologies, and in some cases becoming obsessed with the results of their studies.

Newton proves just as adept at characterisation as he does with his worldbuilding and prose, if not more so. There are some strong characters here, from the lonesome, melancholy Tuya, to the albino commander Brynd (whose personal life is almost as dangerous as his professional one), to the noir-ish Jeryd, who knows he's screwed his life up and doesn't know how to fix it. Newton's strength is that he understands how human emotions work, and subsequently his characters feel like fully fleshed-out individuals. He creates relationships that are both believable and, in Jeryd's case, touching. These are people you can find sympathy and anger for, depending on who they are and what they do.

Nights of Villjamur isn't your usual by-the-numbers fantasy story. This is a tale about humanitarian issues, about politics, about relationships, about surviving. Newton manages to deal with a number of themes and issues, exploring them without bludgeoning the reader over the head with them. We see heroism, we see the dangers and vileness of right-wing politics, we see love in its different guises. Against the moody backdrop of the city, it's a heady, enthralling mix.

Some aspects did niggle a little. I never really got a physical feel for the rumel race, couldn't quite picture them properly, so I think a little more description would have helped. One or two events seemed a little contrived, and I would have liked to have seen some aspects - the anarchist group, the power struggle between Rika and Chancellor Urtica - developed more. I would also have liked a little more resolution at the end of the novel, but then it is clearly labelled as the first book in a series, so perhaps that particular criticism isn't fair.

All things considered, Nights of Villjamur is a very strong debut epic fantasy novel. Liquid prose with noir stylings evoke a brooding city in all its glory and despair, filled with believable characters and dozens of small innovations that make the world that bit more intriguing. This is a grown-up fantasy that touches on real-life concerns, and this is where fantasy is at its most potent and relevant. Newton is certainly a new talent to watch, and I look forward to the next in the Legends of the Red Sun series...

looking through the reviews im not suprised to see a very mixed reaction,when i first read nights of villjamur i also had a very mixed opinion,mainly due to how much information is avaliable. I personally love reading books that boggle your mind with the qwerky references to the atmosphere in which its written e.g in this book we know that in the city the polite way to say hello is ' sele of jamur' etc.

The story is good and deep, however i felt that because there are so many characters involved in the storyline each with their own individual roles to play it leaves less time to actually relate to any one character.Leaving me feeling abit out of the picture ( normally when i read i find myself reading the characters out as if i am the character).

one thing good about the characters is they relate to reality, brynd: hiding the secret he is gay, randur: a womaniser, eir: pampered yet strives for something more, Jeryd: leads a good life until someone spoils it, tryst: a victim of prejudice, Dartun: ambitious, tuya: the dark horse.

another point it doesnt really have a main character, i suppose i a novel doesnt need to have a main character but i think it reads better if there is one.

Dispite these i revelled in the creation of two moons, bohr and astrid and the little comments made by characters referring to them, the mentioning of jorsalir text, jamuns for the money and the word jamur before the name of the emperor's family.

mark charan newton has a vivid imagination,and his work will only continue to get better.

If you didn't live through the Golden Age of Speculative Fiction (I didn't) and haven't gone back and read some of the fantastic 1930's-1950's novels (I have), you are certainly missing out. Today, Fantasy Novels and Science Fiction novels tend to be more character based than they were back then. Back in this `Golden Era' the novels tended to be focused on the setting. The locations within these novels really seemed to live and breathe - they left you with that `oh, I wish I could visit there!' type feeling. In modern fantasy / sci-fi though, we seem to focus more on characters. What seems to have happened is that we've kind of accepted that `medieval' type setting and authors have enjoyed being able to create their stories within that kind of world. Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Painted Man, think of those worlds. Although they all have different rules and such - they feel quite similar.

Well, there are critics who really, really hate this aspect of fantasy. They actually play on it a bit, saying that `fantasy is all the same' and try to overemphasise these kinds of similarities. What I'd like to do though is invite a critic to try and do that to the book well will be reviewing today, this is: Mark Charan Newton's book: `The Nights of Villjamur'. I challenge them to do this because there is next to nothing within this novel that isn't unique or at least rare within our genre.

An Ice Age is coming (OK, so that reminds us of another Fantasy Novel - but that's one of the last things that will be familiar) and the ancient city of Villjamur is getting ready to shut its gates and wait it out. The well populated Islands that surround Villjamur are in a state of panic and realise that there is no way that they can survive the cold when it hits. They flee to Villjamur in hope of refuge, but their city is already full and they cannot take any more people within their walls.

Already, I hope you're intrigued, but I really struggle to do these early events justice. The build up of fear in the early chapters and the beautiful descriptions of a unique city that is full of unfamiliar creatures, races, architecture and cults is phenomenal. Not even a quarter-way through the book you will feel as though you have visited this amazing world and that it is completely new. I think this is quite unique in modern fantasy as I have said and a reason so many fans have gotten behind Mark's work.

Essentially the novel draws you in with a sense of uncertainty. You want to see how things are resolved and what will happen to this world, which seems to be in a state of panic. This feeling of panic and uncertainty is pressed all the more when the Emperor kills himself and leaves Villjamur without a male heir. Instead, they have to call upon his daughter who is off in a far away land following rituals completely foreign to Villjamur.

Once the scene is set the characters begin to take shape. It is hard to identify the protagonist, because there are three characters who could argue that title; Commander `Brynd', Investigator `Jeryd' or Island Boy `Randur'. Each has their own interesting storyline that until the very end of the novel are fairly independent of each other and this is a technique that works very, very well.

Jeryd is investigating the murder of a high profile politician. The investigation takes him down into the darker side of the city. He speaks with a number of shady characters, races and creatures along his journey, perhaps my favourite are: `The Banshees'. They wonder around, minding their business until someone is killed. Instantly they are compelled to scream out and dash towards the location that the individual is killed. It's quite eerie having them described to you for one, but even more eerie is when the characters describe hearing them and you are left wondering who has died. Of course Jeryd's investigation into the murder takes you down a number of unexpected routes and you will find out that things are far more complicated than just your typical murder.

Randur seems to have arrived in the city with some kind of task in mind. I will state now - Randur is the coolest character there has ever been within the Fantasy genre. He is attractive, he is lean, athletic, women fall over him (not in a cheesy-traditional sense), he is loveable, he isn't a goody-two shoes - dammit, he is just cool! His story progresses from a kind of illegal immigrant exploring the city through to a young man who is within touching distance of political events. This begins when he starts to teach the new empress's sister (Eir) how to dance and use a sword. You can see where this is leading, but the dynamics of their relationship (high born and low born) and great and the fact that Randur lives life so close to the edge, whilst she has been sheltered away makes for some fantastic dialogue between the two.

Finally, we have Brynd. We begin the novel by seeing much of the action through his eyes. He is the commander of `The Night Watch'; a group of soldiers who have enhanced abilities. He investigates some of the strange events that are occurring on the surrounding islands. His story starts off as a way to show us as readers what is going on outside Villjamur, but his role does grow and the ending for this character certainly sets up us for a promising second novel (which is already out by the way!).

So, I've tried to tell you about the novel without spoiling things - quite a difficult challenge... so sorry if I've failed or left you a bit perplexed! What you need to know about this novel is that some of the very best elements of fantasy come together in this single novel and I would argue that it is one of the finest examples of `fantasy literature' out there today. You have exciting, intelligent plots, an unusual world, a unique usage of technology, a range of species that are fairly irregular in fantasy as well as some new ones that are completely unheard of and finally, Mark Charan Newton as the author has some of the most beautiful prose I have been lucky enough to stumble upon.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 78 customer reviews on Amazon.co.uk

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Escapism
Overlapping, unpredictable plots that captivate and engage. Moulded using vastly imaginative and detailed settings with a level of description that can make the reader feel the... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Dann

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh, original and just what the fantasy genre needs !
It really baffles me why people have given this book a bad review?

The fantasy genre has been becoming so stale and tired of late that almost every book has the same... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Mr. C. J. Howard

2.0 out of 5 stars Great story,awful writing
Within a few pages of starting this book I wanted to reach for my red pencil and correct the frequent errors of grammar and usage. Read more

Published 5 months ago by M. Daly

2.0 out of 5 stars Some potential, but poorly written
Nights of Villjamur is a fantasy of a dying world illustrated by an oversized cast of characters, let down by poor writing and lazy characterisation. Read more

Published 6 months ago by M. Hepworth

2.0 out of 5 stars No redeming character
I tried hard to like this book having read 150 pages but even then I was struggling to pick the book up. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Mr. Russell Scott

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice read, with great characters
I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I began this book, but it' the first book I've read in a while that's ended in a truly satisfactory way. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Adam Bourke

4.0 out of 5 stars review of kindle edition
I have to admit I found this a bit slow to get started but once about 10% (no page numbers see?) of the way in it all started to come together and I could settle down and enjoy... Read more

Published 8 months ago by Big Jim

5.0 out of 5 stars A slick new fantasy voice
Released in 2009, Nights of Villjamur introduces a brand new fantasy series that at once pushes the boundaries of the genre, whilst accepting its tropes and themes, with the... Read more

Published 8 months ago by Leo Elijah Cristea

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, but not flawless, debut
Nights of Villjamur is a well written, well paced fantasy work. Set in a world of political corruption, cults and a multi-racial society, the story follows a few inter-connected... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Michael

5.0 out of 5 stars Get it
A welcome new voice in the crowded field of fantasy writing that manages to stand out. A well realised tale with a challenging storyline.

Published 12 months ago by Matt the Reader

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 78 customer reviews on Amazon.co.uk

Search Listmania!