I picked up this book, Kushiel’s Scion, to have something to read while the TV was unhooked, and I finished it on Friday night.
Kushiel’s Scion follows the adolescence of Prince Imriel nó Montrève de la Courcel (accenting omitted because I don’t want to start a trend), who is the adopted son of Phèdre nó Delaunay, Kushiel’s Chosen.
Maybe I should back up a bit.
This book is the fourth written by Jaqueline Carey in this specific world of historical fantasy. The first three books in the Kushiel’s Legacy series - Kushiel’s Dart, Kushiel’s Chosen, and Kushiel’s Avatar - were all about Phèdre, Imriel’s adopted mother. Imriel actually appears in the third book as a child that Phèdre rescues from this terrible place called Daršanga, where everyone is excessively tortured for the pleasure of its ruler, the Mahrkagir. In this new book, Imriel is Kushiel’s Scion (perhaps?), and the story is told in his voice rather than Phèdre’s.
There is a good bit I like about the stories. For whatever reason, I’ve grown an attraction to Carey’s storytelling, even if it is a little flowery for my tastes. I’ll simply attribute that to the nature of the people who are the main characters in her stories.
If this book has a flaw, it’s that it recounts the tales of the first three books far too often. I think that the other books in the series could stand on their own if they had to. By comparison, you cannot read Kushiel’s Scion and appreciate it as well, because it seems as though Imriel is always recounting one of Phèdre’s stories to someone. That’s fine, but it doesn’t do a lot for his story, which unfolds over the course of the book. I found myself constantly waiting for him to remove himself from the protection of the Montreve household and venture out on his own.
But overlooking that, the book offers a lot. The world that Carey sets here is quite beautiful. Very much it exists in fantasy, but it is very real and alive in her mind, and you can tell. You can even imagine that the places that people allude to in the book have rich histories, even if they are only mentioned in passing. Evidence of this exists in the multitude of Wikipedia entries for the Kushiel books.
My favorite parts of the book are when Imriel finally does get out on his own, and starts to become involved in affairs in Tiberium. I enjoyed his sessions with Claudia, and they left myself yearning for my own lessons in covertcy (also known as “spycraft”). And no, to you who have read the book, I do not mean that in the dirty way that you’re thinking. Well, ok, fine, that wouldn’t be so bad either.
As always, the central myth of Elua and his precept, Love as thou wilt, is personally very alluring. Being able to make decisions, as the characters in the book did, using mostly this ideal would make for quite the perfect rationale. I think it’s details such as these that really help with understanding the motivations of the people in the novel, and give the whole story coherency and credibility.
The basics of the plot show Imriel growing into manhood on Phèdre’s family estate. While travelling to court to entertain the queen’s desires, some notice arrives that Imriel’s mother (a traitor throughout the first three books - and there I’ve just ruined them for you) has escaped her self-imposed imprisonment/sanctuary and can’t be found. Some aspersions are cast on Imriel at court which he finds difficult to reconcile in his adolescent mind, and he wonders about his inner desires, which conflict with the terrible deeds done to him in Daršanga.
There is a complex web of marriages and alliances that sends Imriel to Tiberium where he takes up study with his friend Eammon, and meets some new allies. There is some trouble during his new friend’s weeding that causes Imriel to really come into his own.
Throughout the story Imriel is unsure of his desires, whether it’s for the queen’s daughter, Sidonie, or for the Tiberium Senator’s wife, Claudia. He searches for answers to some questions left unanswered by Phèdre in the first three books, and comes away with some success.
Thankfully, the end is left open for another book. Hopefully there will continue to be more in this series.
I really enjoyed reading Kushiel’s Scion, and recommend the series if you’re into fantasy.
