I don't generally post book reviews, and honestly, I don't intend for this to be a review. Reviews imply some sort of evaluation, and I do not think it even possible for me to properly evaluate this book, mostly because my thoughts on all fall within the range of "ASDFASDFASDFJL; AHHHHHHH" to even less coherent fangirling. Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente, is the book in question. And yes, I really did love it. A lot.
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| This book pretty much shattered any delusions I had about my own writing abilities. |
Deathless takes place in Russia just before and into World War II. However, if you are expecting a war story, you are mistaken, but only partly. The heart of Deathless is the world of the eponymous Koschei the Deathless. Koschei is a demon from Russian folklore who generally takes on the role of the antagonist. Valente's spin on this Russian folk villain focuses specifically on the tale The Death of Koschei the Deathless, but in a Communist Russia WWII setting. I am not particularly a big fan of Russian culture or Russian folklore and my knowledge in the subject was limited to the one demon Baba Yaga introduced to me by Mussorgsky, so I went into this story with very few pre-conceived notions about the mythos and the setting in general. Valente brought this taste of Russia to a level of accessibility that I not only appreciated, but lapped up. I made sure to read up on the folklore after finishing the book -- but only after finishing as I did not want to spoil any of the plot for myself. In hindsight, I probably could have stood to read up on the folklore as I was going because Valente's take on it was vastly different in some respects, although I feel that she kept the essence of them, and really isn't that all that matters? I won't go much further into the storyline as it essentially follows the folk tale.
Now, let's talk about that prose, that beautiful beautiful prose. It has been a long time, I feel, since I've read a book with such elegance and grit woven expertly into its text. It is clear that each word was chosen and placed with care. Valente is a wordsmith in every sense of the word, a master in her craft, sculpting a moving narrative out of words in precisely a way that may even brush perfection. The analogies and metaphors and imagery that she uses are a little odd, but it fits the exact flavour of the novel. A fountain that spews blood and a house that walks on chicken legs? Definitely odd. A committee of tiny house spirits, 3 bird-husbands, and a soldier-making factory? A little out there even for fantasy. And because of the nature of the folklore, it was only right that Valente's writing be... well, magical. In short, I just really wish that I could write like her.
The theme of magic is prevalent through the story, and I can only liken this quality of magic to that of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and The Night Circus. This brand of magic is one that feels natural and is intrinsic. These are magical worlds, but not in the sense that the magic is the focus. No, the magic is subtle and it tinges every aspect of the world without anyone batting an eye. It isn't strange. It isn't gimmicky. It belongs. It's hard for me to put into words exactly how magic was presented in this book, but it fit, just like how Valente's word choice and placement did.
Maybe I've been in a bit of a rut with all these YA books where the protagonist falls victim to the self-insertion bug, but I also truly adore the personalities Valente injected into these characters (although, hey, this is "adult fiction" so perhaps that has something to do with it). The folk tales don't offer much about their personalities sure, but Valente stayed true to the stories enough so that these were plausible, fully-fleshed characters. I think that the thing about these weak self-insertion characters nowadays is that they are a cheap way for the reader to feel strongly connected to them; if it feels as though you are the character, of course you would feel a deep desire for the character to get what he or she wants. In Deathless, you don't get that sense at all. These are characters who cannot be pigeonholed as "good" or "bad". They say bad things sometimes. They do good things sometimes. But with all of their actions, they are driven by their passions, and I reckon that there is very little more human than passion.
I suppose that this did turn out to be a bit of a review, but ah c'est la vie. I have nothing but good things to say about this book. The prose is beautiful, the characters are rich, and the magic is thick. Sure, the storyline may seem a bit spotty at times, but the magic fills in those gaps of belief, because in the end, this is a fantasy novel. It may be set during WWII and it may be based on Russian folklore, but it is pure fantasy through and through.
