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eoghann's review
3.0
What About The Ordinary People
Most fantasy is about heroes. Big muscly barbarian heroes perhaps or wimpy longing but incredibly powerful sorcerors. The point is they are heroes and they do amazing, world changing things. What the author Mike Reeves-McMillan sets out to do with his novel Beastheads is tell the story of the ordinary people in his fantasy world.
The group of characters he gathers are not heroes by the usual definitions. They're not really particularly brave. They're not doing anything incredibly out of the ordinary. They won't be changing the world single handed. But just because they are ordinary does not mean they are boring.
Fantasy (and most genres) tends to be more plot and action based than anything else. Character exploration may well happen, but it is not the driving force of the story. Beastheads reverses that.
There are larger events playing out in this fantasy world and the characters do play a role, it's just not the pivotal one we have come to expect. Rather we are asked to consider the plight of a race that might form part of the background in most fantasy novels.
Okay That's What It's Not About, What Is It About?
Well after the disparate group of characters comes together they have a mission and that mission is to facilitate the negotiation of a treaty. But the negotiations are not what the author focuses on. Instead we follow these various characters (all of them damaged in some fashion by their life to date). We see how they interact with each other, how they interact with the Beastheads themselves and we see how this mission gives them a purpose and enriches both them and those around them.
The Beastheads are a loosely knit grouping of clans comprising of various peoples with different heads (dogheads, catheads, cattleheads). These clans were created by the former Elvish empire for the elves own selfish reasons and have evolved a complex system of rules (vel) to guide their behavior and keep the peace. They exist as an independent entity, but are threatened by the Human Purity movement which is developing in one of the neighboring countries. The treaty would give them protection, but it will also radically alter their way of life.
This is the background to the personal stories that play out. There are several viewpoint characters in the book, but the one we spend the most time with is the former apprentice Shaman Berry and as a result hers was the story I most connected with. Her struggle to find her identity and role in life having broken her bond with her Shaman is an easy one to relate to.
She is also the one who has the most visible opponent in the form of a rather angry and conservative Cattlehead Shaman who speaks out against her. That dynamic gives her story and energy that some of the other stories lack.
No Drama Without Conflict
Conflict can take many forms of course. In fantasy it's most commonly simply battle. But it doesn't have to be as Berry's story shows. The verbal opposition she faces up to gives her story a conflict. That element is somewhat lacking or incomplete for some of the other characters.
For example Breeze and Wave are an interesting pair. Driven out of the university where they studied by the human purity movement they are sympathetic to the beastheads, even though they can pass as human. But while there is a moment of tension where Breeze almost loses control of his wolf-self, it is not followed up on and so their story remains incomplete.
Stone and Vigilant also get some viewpoint time. Their story is simpler, though certainly one people will be able to relate to given that this fantasy world is about as homophobic as our own. But while Vigilant does work through some internal conflict the end result never really seems in doubt.
If I'm going to point to one significant weakness in the story it's that while the author does a great job of presenting all these characters to us and showing us their lives, he doesn't give most of them enough of a challenge to strive against. They've all had worse things happen to them in their past than are happening to them right now.
Structural Passivity
The other thing that I noticed was that because of the way the story is told, there's a strange sense of passivity to many of the events that happen. We are told about them happening, but we don't directly connect with a lot of them.
In some places I think this a deliberate style choice. For example each of the characters is introduced at the very start of their story (generally near the beginning of their life in fact) and their story is told up until they all meet as Gryphon Clerks. As a result the early chapters are in some sense back story. They are relevant because it's the story of what makes these characters who they are. But it's all stuff that happens before the meat of this story, if you see what I mean.
While I'm not a huge fan of relying on the flashback as a storytelling device I do wonder if in this case starting in the present and flashing back when necessary rather than starting in the past might have produced a more dynamic story.
Another area where the book feels passive is that it is actually taking place in a time where big events are happening. These events are, from the afterward, apparently detailed more in some of the other Gryphon Clerks books. Here, however, this stuff comes in as reportage and our characters don't really have an opportunity to react to most of it until near the end.
It's Good to Read About People Doing Good
For all that I may have some issues with the structure of the book, there is a lot to like about it. But perhaps the thing I enjoyed the most is that these are fundamentally decent people. Flawed, sure, but they mean while. And these decent people are trying to do good things here.
It's a fine line to walk between showing people doing good and preaching about that good, but I think Beastheads pulls it off. Yes there are certainly some obvious parallels. Homophobia is touched on, as is rape. Clearly the beastheads themselves are the victims of extreme racism. And the alcohol abuse element immediately made me flash to stories about Native Americans in colonial times.
But the characters don't lecture, or at least not very much. It's more a case of leading by example which stops things from getting too preachy. And the characters are likeable enough that you are rooting for them to improve things.
Fundamentally I think its much more difficult to tell this type of story well than it is to do an action based piece and so while I think there's room for improvement, there's also a lot to like about it.
Is This For Me?
- Do you like fantasy stories but are bored of elves and traditional settings?
- Does the idea of yet another traditional quest fantasy have you rolling your eyes?
- Do you like stories that are driven by emotional stakes rather than battles?
- Are you more interested in character exploration than physical exploration or action?
This one is for you.
Did You Like It?
Yes I did. Sometimes I have to slog through books just so I can give a fair review. In this case I was happy to pick it up and read the next few chapters each night. At less than three dollars for 283 pages it's a bargain and while there are things that I think could be improved it's a fun read.
My review system insists on whole stars only otherwise I would probably have gone with 3.5 out of 5
Most fantasy is about heroes. Big muscly barbarian heroes perhaps or wimpy longing but incredibly powerful sorcerors. The point is they are heroes and they do amazing, world changing things. What the author Mike Reeves-McMillan sets out to do with his novel Beastheads is tell the story of the ordinary people in his fantasy world.
The group of characters he gathers are not heroes by the usual definitions. They're not really particularly brave. They're not doing anything incredibly out of the ordinary. They won't be changing the world single handed. But just because they are ordinary does not mean they are boring.
Fantasy (and most genres) tends to be more plot and action based than anything else. Character exploration may well happen, but it is not the driving force of the story. Beastheads reverses that.
There are larger events playing out in this fantasy world and the characters do play a role, it's just not the pivotal one we have come to expect. Rather we are asked to consider the plight of a race that might form part of the background in most fantasy novels.
Okay That's What It's Not About, What Is It About?
Well after the disparate group of characters comes together they have a mission and that mission is to facilitate the negotiation of a treaty. But the negotiations are not what the author focuses on. Instead we follow these various characters (all of them damaged in some fashion by their life to date). We see how they interact with each other, how they interact with the Beastheads themselves and we see how this mission gives them a purpose and enriches both them and those around them.
The Beastheads are a loosely knit grouping of clans comprising of various peoples with different heads (dogheads, catheads, cattleheads). These clans were created by the former Elvish empire for the elves own selfish reasons and have evolved a complex system of rules (vel) to guide their behavior and keep the peace. They exist as an independent entity, but are threatened by the Human Purity movement which is developing in one of the neighboring countries. The treaty would give them protection, but it will also radically alter their way of life.
This is the background to the personal stories that play out. There are several viewpoint characters in the book, but the one we spend the most time with is the former apprentice Shaman Berry and as a result hers was the story I most connected with. Her struggle to find her identity and role in life having broken her bond with her Shaman is an easy one to relate to.
She is also the one who has the most visible opponent in the form of a rather angry and conservative Cattlehead Shaman who speaks out against her. That dynamic gives her story and energy that some of the other stories lack.
No Drama Without Conflict
Conflict can take many forms of course. In fantasy it's most commonly simply battle. But it doesn't have to be as Berry's story shows. The verbal opposition she faces up to gives her story a conflict. That element is somewhat lacking or incomplete for some of the other characters.
For example Breeze and Wave are an interesting pair. Driven out of the university where they studied by the human purity movement they are sympathetic to the beastheads, even though they can pass as human. But while there is a moment of tension where Breeze almost loses control of his wolf-self, it is not followed up on and so their story remains incomplete.
Stone and Vigilant also get some viewpoint time. Their story is simpler, though certainly one people will be able to relate to given that this fantasy world is about as homophobic as our own. But while Vigilant does work through some internal conflict the end result never really seems in doubt.
If I'm going to point to one significant weakness in the story it's that while the author does a great job of presenting all these characters to us and showing us their lives, he doesn't give most of them enough of a challenge to strive against. They've all had worse things happen to them in their past than are happening to them right now.
Structural Passivity
The other thing that I noticed was that because of the way the story is told, there's a strange sense of passivity to many of the events that happen. We are told about them happening, but we don't directly connect with a lot of them.
In some places I think this a deliberate style choice. For example each of the characters is introduced at the very start of their story (generally near the beginning of their life in fact) and their story is told up until they all meet as Gryphon Clerks. As a result the early chapters are in some sense back story. They are relevant because it's the story of what makes these characters who they are. But it's all stuff that happens before the meat of this story, if you see what I mean.
While I'm not a huge fan of relying on the flashback as a storytelling device I do wonder if in this case starting in the present and flashing back when necessary rather than starting in the past might have produced a more dynamic story.
Another area where the book feels passive is that it is actually taking place in a time where big events are happening. These events are, from the afterward, apparently detailed more in some of the other Gryphon Clerks books. Here, however, this stuff comes in as reportage and our characters don't really have an opportunity to react to most of it until near the end.
It's Good to Read About People Doing Good
For all that I may have some issues with the structure of the book, there is a lot to like about it. But perhaps the thing I enjoyed the most is that these are fundamentally decent people. Flawed, sure, but they mean while. And these decent people are trying to do good things here.
It's a fine line to walk between showing people doing good and preaching about that good, but I think Beastheads pulls it off. Yes there are certainly some obvious parallels. Homophobia is touched on, as is rape. Clearly the beastheads themselves are the victims of extreme racism. And the alcohol abuse element immediately made me flash to stories about Native Americans in colonial times.
But the characters don't lecture, or at least not very much. It's more a case of leading by example which stops things from getting too preachy. And the characters are likeable enough that you are rooting for them to improve things.
Fundamentally I think its much more difficult to tell this type of story well than it is to do an action based piece and so while I think there's room for improvement, there's also a lot to like about it.
Is This For Me?
- Do you like fantasy stories but are bored of elves and traditional settings?
- Does the idea of yet another traditional quest fantasy have you rolling your eyes?
- Do you like stories that are driven by emotional stakes rather than battles?
- Are you more interested in character exploration than physical exploration or action?
This one is for you.
Did You Like It?
Yes I did. Sometimes I have to slog through books just so I can give a fair review. In this case I was happy to pick it up and read the next few chapters each night. At less than three dollars for 283 pages it's a bargain and while there are things that I think could be improved it's a fun read.
My review system insists on whole stars only otherwise I would probably have gone with 3.5 out of 5
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