Three Step Trilogy: The Rebel Prince [3]

This post is long overdue. This is not because I indulgently used up my precious blogging time in re-reading the entire trilogy (this did occur and I regret nothing!) or because I have been spending more time on my own writing rather than reviewing (also true, with mixed results). The post is so very late because my netbook has been acting up lately. In fairness, it is mercilessly overworked (I'm currently waiting for it to gain consciousness and send back a T-1000 to retroactively overthrow its tyrant overlord). After two repair jobs in the space of a week it now appears to be behaving itself and (assuming it is not merely lulling me into a false sense of security) I'm hoping we will have many blogging days ahead.  

So, it is mid-way through June that I find myself writing about The Rebel Prince, Book Three in Celine Kiernan's Moorehawke Trilogy. If you have been reading my earlier posts on Kiernan's writing, you will probably not be too surprised to hear that I like this book a lot. There are certain requirements that any final book in a trilogy needs to fulfill: it must elaborate on the premise and promises of the earlier books, build to a climax that works not just for this volume but for the story arc of the entire trilogy, and provide a resolution that meets reader expectations. The Rebel Prince delivers on all counts.

The book opens as Wynter, Razi and Christopher approach Alberon's camp in the company of the Merron. Given that the last Razi has heard of his brother Alberon is that it was he who ordered an assassination attempt on Razi's life, they are unsure of the reception they are going to receive. Their apprehension grows when they realise that the Rebel Prince has gathered all former enemies of King Jonathon's realm (including the dreaded Loup-Garous) to his side. The word to best describe the Merron's position within the hierarchy of the camp is sacrificial. As chosen envoys of the treacherous Marguerite Shirken they are knowingly entering into a trap at the behest of one who desires their destruction. The irony of their position is that it is their own practice of human sacrifice that seems destined to render their lives forfeit.

The Bloody Machine
The wanton destruction of war is embodied in Lorcan's "Bloody Machine." Kiernan has written that Badi al Zaman al Zaziri, a 12th century inventor and author of the "Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices" was a significant source for the trilogy. The inventor was Kiernan's inspiration for the Lorcan and Razi characters and for Lorcan's weapon of  warfare. The King who attempts to wield such a weapon finds himself subject to its horrifying devastation:

All the danger went from Jonathon's face. He was, for a brief moment, just a man. A desolate man, desperately haunted. "Nothing good has ever come of those machines, child. They have paved my way to hell."

Albert Einstein once described his role in the making of the atom bomb as the "one great mistake in his life". For Lorcan Moorehawke, the invention of "Bloody Machine" is a source of unbearable shame. A good man who creates  a terrible weapon, Lorcan signifies how genius becomes corrupted when put into the service of rulers. In a thrilling climax, the machine dishes out death indiscriminately and threatens the future of the entire realm.

A Woman's Place
The historical oppression of women within patriarchal society is a major topic of historical fiction, and an area that is often exploited for general titillation. Salacious details of the exoticised oppression of women of the past can provide cheap thrills in the recurring woman as victim trope.* Given the alternative Renaissance setting of this fantasy novel, I was grateful that Kiernan did not deploy the cliché that all women in the past were necessarily oppressed and lacking any awareness of their unequal position in society.

Wynter Moorehawke frustrates the gender expectations of her time. Qualified in a man's trade and respected adviser of key figures in the kingdom, she is a woman who refuses to know her place. As a women of her time, she is not granted equal status. However, she does find a way to pursue her cause within the constraints of her age and society. Moreover, while she is discriminated against due to her sex, she does wield a considerable amount of power in relation to other marginalised groups within the novel, such as the Merron, for example. Referring to her drafting of Wynter's character, Kiernan has written**:

she is also a woman of her time in that she is strong, independent, self willed and capable. Inspired by the five female blacksmiths who were working in England in 1574, or the many female carpenters and tailors and cobblers registered as full "guildmen" in the 14th and 15th centuries, or the many great female leaders all through history (Boudicaa, Gráinne Úaile, Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great to name a few) Wynter is just one of many women who have found a way to be who to what they needed regardless of convention or circumstances.

Bridging the Gap
The Moorehawke Trilogy tells the story of a kingdom divided as a result of a rift between father and son. The inability of the stubborn King Jonathon and his equally pig-headed heir Alberon to see eye to eye on issues of state has consequences for all. In order to stop the needless deaths of its citizens, and the desecration of the ideals of tolerance that that realm is founded upon, compromises must be made. Cultural differences must be accepted, vengeance must be postponed and bitter pills need to be swallowed all round. The novel's epilogue contrasts the violence of the series with the idyllic space carved out by men and women committed to ideals of love, tolerance and understanding. This understanding is exemplified in the relationship between Razi and Mary as both are freed to love again by their ability to forgive those who have caused the deaths of their former lovers.

A word that sums up Kiernan's writing for me is brave. It is brave that the fate of the highly stratified and predominantly white realm of King Jonathon depends on the diplomatic sensitivity of a dark-skinned Arab character. It is brave that one of the most touching relationships in the trilogy is a homosexual one and that it also involves consensual human sacrifice. It is brave that the Christopher, as love interest in the series, is unashamedly promiscuous (prior to his relationship with Wynter) and extremely violent (no sparkly, "vegetarian" vampires here then!). It is a mark of Kiernan's achievement that all of this occurs without preachiness or the obvious deployment of shock tactics. The cast of characters is diverse because the created world is diverse. And it just works. A brilliantly plotted series, The Moorehawke Trilogy offers a hugely enjoyable reading experience and plenty of food for thought.

*Of course, there are many exemplary historical fiction authors who consciously buck this marketing trend in their writing; A.S. Byatt would be an obvious example here.
**For the full interview from which this quotation was taken, click here.