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A review by mburnamfink
House of the Rain King by Will Greatwich
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
House of the Rain King is one of the rarer things these days. A novel that unabashedly believes in the power of good, that common decency can triumph over ancient injustice.
For monastic novice Emwich, this is the most important day in his life, the day when he takes his vows and becomes a monk sworn to the service of the Rain King. Pretty big stuff. And then the actual divinity shows up and everything goes entirely off the rails. It's one thing to believe in a centuries old mythic cycle; it's another thing to have an actual god who drowns people by his presence show up with a retinue of supernatural creatures and human mercenaries and demand the old ways be followed.
The Rain King's mythic cycle is one of flood, marriage, and sacrifice. Seven days of rain fill the valley of the Tile to brim, inundating every sign of human activity under the High Flood. At the end, a princess of the birds arrives and marries the Rain King, dying and becoming one of the saints. The Rain King departs, the waters recede, and life in the Tile begins afresh.
At least, that's the plan. The first obstacle is the ordinary obstinance of people in the face of catastrophe, as the good farmers, burghers, and monks of the Tile try really hard to deny the presence of a god in their midst, and the water lapping under their doors. The second obstacle is that the mythic cycle is grounded in truth, but only partially in truth, and the whole truth shall set ye free.
For there is corruption at the heart of the monastery, and the monks (save young Emwich) have forgotten the truth of their vows and are more interested in maintaining the web of debts that secures the valley. Tarwin, an orphan and victim of this system (he is enslaved until he pays off the debt of raising him), discovers early on that the flood has broken open a local ruin called the Rose Tomb, which is full of gold, and undead horrors, and gold!
These two storylines, or perhaps quests, cut a line through the human mercenaries, a band called The Sparrows. The Sparrows owe an obvious debt to The Black Company, with their skill at arms, absolute adherence to the honor of their contract, a surface nihilism concealing a moral heart. Brywna, one of the leaders of The Sparrows, is a bone deep romantic. Fichin, the other leader, is a callous materialist. The company splits to pursue both courses, and well, I won't spoil the book, but magic, adventure, and mystery happen.
House of the Rain King is a good book: imaginative, well-paced, often surprising, and warm-hearted. There are gems of writing and world-building that sparkle, and nothing that cracked my suspension of disbelief. But I also felt that there was an edge missing that would be present in a great novel, and the closest that I can come to expressing it is that while the story tracks many characters, they all have the same point of view. It's a strong, moral point of view, but what is most precious about myth is its fluidity.
(I received an ARC of this book from the author, and no other compensation)
For monastic novice Emwich, this is the most important day in his life, the day when he takes his vows and becomes a monk sworn to the service of the Rain King. Pretty big stuff. And then the actual divinity shows up and everything goes entirely off the rails. It's one thing to believe in a centuries old mythic cycle; it's another thing to have an actual god who drowns people by his presence show up with a retinue of supernatural creatures and human mercenaries and demand the old ways be followed.
The Rain King's mythic cycle is one of flood, marriage, and sacrifice. Seven days of rain fill the valley of the Tile to brim, inundating every sign of human activity under the High Flood. At the end, a princess of the birds arrives and marries the Rain King, dying and becoming one of the saints. The Rain King departs, the waters recede, and life in the Tile begins afresh.
At least, that's the plan. The first obstacle is the ordinary obstinance of people in the face of catastrophe, as the good farmers, burghers, and monks of the Tile try really hard to deny the presence of a god in their midst, and the water lapping under their doors. The second obstacle is that the mythic cycle is grounded in truth, but only partially in truth, and the whole truth shall set ye free.
For there is corruption at the heart of the monastery, and the monks (save young Emwich) have forgotten the truth of their vows and are more interested in maintaining the web of debts that secures the valley. Tarwin, an orphan and victim of this system (he is enslaved until he pays off the debt of raising him), discovers early on that the flood has broken open a local ruin called the Rose Tomb, which is full of gold, and undead horrors, and gold!
These two storylines, or perhaps quests, cut a line through the human mercenaries, a band called The Sparrows. The Sparrows owe an obvious debt to The Black Company, with their skill at arms, absolute adherence to the honor of their contract, a surface nihilism concealing a moral heart. Brywna, one of the leaders of The Sparrows, is a bone deep romantic. Fichin, the other leader, is a callous materialist. The company splits to pursue both courses, and well, I won't spoil the book, but magic, adventure, and mystery happen.
House of the Rain King is a good book: imaginative, well-paced, often surprising, and warm-hearted. There are gems of writing and world-building that sparkle, and nothing that cracked my suspension of disbelief. But I also felt that there was an edge missing that would be present in a great novel, and the closest that I can come to expressing it is that while the story tracks many characters, they all have the same point of view. It's a strong, moral point of view, but what is most precious about myth is its fluidity.
(I received an ARC of this book from the author, and no other compensation)