Song of Homana - Part One - Chapter Three

[kalinara]

Last time, Carillon and Finn found their way to a roadhouse and we saw that, at least on Carillon's end, their weird diplomatic pseudo-marriage is going quite well. Keep it in your pants, dude.

We also met a harper, who brought disturbing news. And I'm wondering how I keep ending up reviewing books about bards/harpers. I think I had a thing for them as a kid.



The harper introduces himself as Lachlan, a harper and a priest of "Lodhi the All-Wise, the All-Father." This is intriguing, because it's the first explicit mention of a religion outside of the Cheysuli(and presumably Ihlini) old gods. And it makes me realize that Shapechangers never once mentioned the HOMANAN religion and what they might believe.

I wonder if we'll get to see a religious discussion between Lachlan and Finn sometime. I wonder if Carillon even has a religion.

Anyway, Lachlan explains that the All-Father has given some the gift of song, healing and words, and he has all three. Interesting, there seems to be a magical component, as he says that some would call him a sorcerer and he won't dispute it. And when he plays, Carillon feels him inside of his mind.

This time, Carillon remembers visions of his childhood: the horse he was given on his eighteenth birthday, his investiture as heir, and his eagerness to prove himself. And he realizes that he's watching his memories with the knowledge of what follows.

He remembers being imprisoned in Atvian iron, "a bloodied, soiled, exhausted boy in a man's body". When the music fades, Carillon realizes that he's holding his knife with the blade pointed toward Lachlan. Finn is holding his wrist, quietly telling him "not yet" and "perhaps later, when we have divined his true intent".

I'd advise them to get a room again, but Carillon's not really in the mood. He's understandably angry at pretty much everyone at the moment. He lashes out at Finn:

I let go the knife. Finn let go the hand. I drew it in to my body, massaging the ridges of scar tissue banding my wrist as if it bore iron still. And I glared at him with all the anger in my eyes.

"What did he give you? A Cheysuli on the throne?"

Finn did not smile "No," he said, "He gave me Alix."

It took the breath from my chest. Alix. Of course. How better to get to Finn than to remind him of the woman he had wanted badly enough to steal? The woman who had turned her back on him to wed Duncan, his brother.

The woman who was my cousin, that I wanted for myself.

Ugh. Song of Homana is going so well, please don't remind me of its terrible predecessor. But notice how sanitized this recollection is. It's a soft retcon, really. The abduction is acknowledged, but there's no mention of the sexual harassment, menacing or rape attempts. Carillon was there for a lot of that behavior, but he doesn't mention it. And really, it's hard to imagine that he and Finn COULD be friends after all that.

So...retconned, I suppose. Good, this book is considerably better when you block out everything that came before. Besides, as I've said before, Finn's so different that we might well decide he's been possessed by a demon. Consistent characterization, what's that?

Anyway, Carillon asks if Lachlan is Ihlini, which is a fair question when your main enemy is a sorcerer:

Finn shook his head. "Not Ihlini; I would know. And I have heard of this All-Father god." He grimaced in distaste. "An Ellasian deity, and therefore of less importance to me, but powerful nonetheless." He shifted slightly on the stool, leaning forward to pour himself more wine. "I will have a talk with him."

I am amused by Finn's distaste/disinterest in "an Ellasian deity". He doesn't deny it exists. He just dismisses it as unimportant.

Carillon observes Lachlan. He thinks that the harper is his own age, and is tall and strong, though lacking Carillon's own substantial height and weight. He makes his rounds and eventually comes over to Carillon's table. Carillon offers him a seat, some wine, and a jagged gold coin.

He observes that Lachlan's hair doesn't reflect light properly and realizes that it must be dyed. Carillon is weirdly a little smug about that. I'm just glad that he manages to avoid bringing up the somehow predatory glint of Finn's hair.

Lachlan doesn't accept the gold, which Carillon interprets as a calm, clear insult delivered with great care. But he doesn't know what Lachlan intends by it. Carillon gives a version of the truth: that they come from the Caledonese war against the Steppes, and he uses the accent to give the impression that he himself is from Caledon.

Lachlan looks at Finn, who doesn't give him a response, and notes that Finn is Cheysuli and Carillon's accent is not quite right. He identifies him as Solindish or Homanan. Carillon claims to be a mercenary, with no realm.

Then this happens:

"Take your payment," I said. "It was made in good faith."

"And in good faith, I refuse it." He shook his head. "You have more need of it than I. I have no army to raise."

I laughed out loud. "You misunderstand mercenaries, harper. We do not raise armies. We serve in them."

"I said precisely what I meant." His face was solemn, eyes flicking between us shrewdly.

And then he turned away.

I really do enjoy the undercurrents in this dialogue. Lachlan is fun.

And we get another married couple moment:

Finn put out his hand and gathered up his knife, not his precisely; like me, he hid his away. He carried instead a knife taken from a Steppes plainsman, and it served its purpose. In Finn's hand, any knife did.

"Tonight," he said quietly, "I will have conversation with that harper."

I thought fleetingly of the Ellasian god the harper claimed to serve. Would Lodhi interfere? Or would Lachlan cooperate?

I smiled. "Do what you have to do."

Get a room.

But they can't, actually. The roadhouse is crowded and there are no private rooms, so Carillon pays for two pallets on a floor of a room occupied by three others, who are already asleep.

Finn joins Carillon, silently. We're told that the door didn't even squeak for him like it did for Carillon. (Carillon, your mancrush is showing again) He informs Carillon that Lachlan's gone. This is pretty fucking suspicious, considering that they're in the middle of an Ellasian snowstorm. Carillon has a lot of questions but no answers.

In the morning, they head out. There's some nice post-storm imagery. Storr also appears, hurling himself into Finn's arms. He'd spent the night in the forest. Finn hugs him and I'm actually kind of moved in spite of the fact that I spent all of Shapechangers hating both of them.

Carillon tells us about the lir bond from his perspective:

What their bond is, I cannot say precisely. I know only what Finn has told me, that Storr is a part of his heart and soul and mind; half of his whole. Without the wolf, Finn said, he was little more than a shadow, lacking the gifts of his race and the ability to survive. I thought it an awesomely gruesome thing, to claim life only through some sorcerous link with an animal, but I could not protest what so obviously worked. I had seen him with the wolf before during such greetings, and it never failed to leave me feeling bereft and somehow empty. Jealous, even, for what they shared was something no other man could claim save the Cheysuli. I have owned dogs and favorite horses, but it was not the same. That much I could tell, looking at them, for Finn's face was transfigured when he shared a reunion with Storr.

I really like this bit, and it makes me realize again how much Alix was cheated. If Roberson had wanted to truly explore the Cheysuli, she could have had Alix as the perfect observer. She has an outside perspective, raised by Homanans, but her heritage entitles her to explanations that Carillon wouldn't get. Her own powers could have given her even more insight.

But honestly, I can't think of a single passage in Shapechangers that told us as much about Cheysuli culture as this one.

So anyway, Finn has a new horse that they bought from the tavern-master and this happens:

I handed the reins to him. "How does he fare?"

"Well enough." The fond half-smile remained a moment, as if he still conversed with the wolf. I had thought once or twice that his expression resembled that of a man well-satisfied by a woman, he wore it now "Storr says he would like to go home."

...I...am not sure how I feel about this comparison, Carillon.

They head off. For some reason, Ms. Roberson really wants us to be aware of Carillon's size, as he notes that the gelding grunts when he mounts, since he is heavier than the plainsmen who originally rode him. Carillon thinks they'll reach Homana today and suggests that they go to the Keep soon, which startles Finn.

Carillon teases Finn about being reluctant to see Duncan, but Finn's just surprised they're going openly into Cheysuli land so soon. Then this:

I shrugged. "We are nearly there. The Keep lies on the border, which we must cross. And, for all that, I think we both wish to see Alix again."

Finn did not meet my eyes. It was odd to realize the time away from Homana had not blunted his desire for his brother's wife.

No more than it had mine.

He looked at me at last. "Do you wish to take me to her, or go for yourself?"

I smiled and tried not to show him my regret. "She is wed now, and happily. There is no room for me in her life except as a cousin."

"No more for me except as a rujholli." Finn laughed bitterly; his eyes on me were ironic and assessive as he pushed black hair out of his dark, angular face. "Do you not find it strange how the gods play with our desires? You held Alix's heart, unknowing, while she longed for a single word from your mouth. Then I stole her from you, intending to make her my meijha. But it was Duncan, ever Duncan ... he won her from us both." Grimly he put out his hand and made the gesture I had come to hate, for all its infinite meaning.

"Tahlmorra," I said sourly. "Aye, Finn, I find it passing strange. And I do not like it overmuch."

Ugh.

This is the sort of thing that didn't bother me when I read the book before Shapechangers. But since I have, I'm grossed out again. Stop reminding me of your terrible book, Ms. Roberson, when I'm actually sort of enjoying this one.

And also, I'm not sure Duncan "won" so much as he was the most successful rapist of the two of you.

It is interesting to read this and remember what I'd THOUGHT these references meant before I read Shapechangers. Obviously, they acknowledge that Finn abducted Alix to make her his mistress. And that's not great. But I'd always assumed that he attempted to COURT her, not RAPE her. And the emphasis here on Alix choosing Duncan makes it seem like the men regretfully accepted her choice. Which of course they didn't.

It's not that this passage is incorrect. But I never expected how bad Shapechangers actually was.

Finn and Carillon bicker a bit about tahlmorra and the prophecy. Carillon is a bit disgruntled about it, since as a Homanan, he feels no real connection to it. Finn's a fan.

Finn starts leading the way to the Keep. When Carillon wonders how Finn knows the way, Finn crankily points out that this used to be his home. Carillon has a very long suffering spouse moment when he decides to stay silent, noting that sometimes with Finn it's the best thing to do.

Comments

[copperfyre]

I wish this book would stop referencing Shapechangers, I remember how terrible everything was!

[kalinara]

Seriously. This book is much better if we don't think about Shapechangers. Tell me more about Finn and Carillon's bizarre romance instead!

[teres]

If I recall correctly, you're still reviewing books with harpers (though I see you'd just begun Bardic Voices now, so probably no new ones), so I think you really did!

Lachlan is a good character to hold our interest; just from the previous chapter and his introduction here, I already want to see more of him (and getting new worldbuilding along with what seem to be new magical powers is quite cool, too!).

When the music fades, Carillon realizes that he's holding his knife with the blade pointed toward Lachlan.

Given that he was apparently unaware of this, Lachlan must be quite powerful, and I'd hope he won't become much of an antagonist...

If Roberson wanted to sanitise Shapechangers so much, I'd have preferred not to have a mention of Finn "wanting Alix badly enough to steal her", either; at present, it feels rather half-hearted, because this already indicates that Finn was a much worse person back then.

I am amused by Finn's distaste/disinterest in "an Ellasian deity". He doesn't deny it exists. He just dismisses it as unimportant.

I like that, too; I don't think I've encountered that myself and it's a good way to show this setting is polytheistic.

Yeah, Lachlan clearly knows what's going on here, even if Carillon and Finn don't understand that yet (and I think he's less of their enemy than they think, too).

It's a better and less biased look than we ever got in Shapechangers, I think, and it helps that they're allowed to be more of a culture here.

I had thought once or twice that his expression resembled that of a man well-satisfied by a woman, he wore it now

...I did not realise that this tendency started so early, and I don't quite know what to make of it continuing until now (though part of it is probably that Roberson should pay a bit more attention to her writing).

(Shapechangers also ruins the last interaction for me, and I've read your review of it a lot further back than it was for you when you wrote this.)

Until next time, then!