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A review by shell_s
Shield and Crocus by Michael R. Underwood
5.0
Here is another astonishingly original, heart-rending and thrilling fantasy from Michael R. Underwood, this time a breathtaking mash-up of superheroes and epic fantasy.
And here is my third or fourth, and FINAL, edit of this review, after psyching myself out a lot about doing it justice. I am going to avoid plot spoilers and just talk about what I liked best.
Overall one of my favorite aspects of this world is that these heroes explore why stirring rhetoric and clever put-downs during a fight, AND daring anecdotes told as legends to children, are necessary to beating the wicked--even when the heroes don't quite beat the odds, and must retreat. Because such words may inspire those who hear it (or read it, as the case may be) to overcome their own fears. And hopefully, eventually, fight their own battles despite the risks.
Also I found so much brilliant originality to this story, including the way that each main character's unique race came with special abilities that were part of their "superpowers." (Even though it was their personalities and close and complex relationships that made them the most memorable for me, because character is my main draw to any story.) For example...
Elder protagonist Wonlar Pacsa (humble handyman and artificer by day, "First Sentinel" and leader of the vigilantes calling themselves the Shields of Audec-Hal by night) AND his son Selweh (and heir apparent to lead the Shields, as "Aegis") are yellow-skinned Ikanollo. They can see the emotional threads of friendship, fear, devotion, hate, and so on stretching between everyone as bright color coded beams of light. (This was by far my favorite ability and it is never wasted. It adds such poignancy while also giving Wonlar vital cues to guide him in a combat or crowd control situation or to let him know how his friends and allies and his son are faring.)
Wonlar is also a genius inventor and martial arts master, which made for lots of clever and entertaining tactics. And he has a devastating weapon he dare not use and the slow teasing out of what happened when he did and whether he will get desperate enough to change his mind adds incredible depth to character and story alike. His grief over his wife's passing and the ways in which he failed her (and other Shields who fell) hangs heavy on his soul.
His beloved son Selweh (whose deceased mother was also a Shield) is a relentless combatant wielding an artifact shield called "the Aegis" that boosts his strength and stamina and emotional connection to their city and its soul. For me their close-knit father and son relationship is the heart of this story and much dramatic conflict.
Wenlizerachi (Shield name "Blurred Fists") is a red-skinned Pronai capable of supernatural speed, but at a cost--his rapidly maturing race generally die of "old age" at thirty. (I was reminded of the cheerful Ocampa in Star Trek Voyager and how their serene acceptance of this brief life span inspired them to take risks and make the most of their time.)
Rova Remembers (Shield name "Sapphire") is of the hulking blue-skinned Freithin race created by the experiments of the one of the five tyrants and liberated by the Shields. I loved her resilience and compassion and how badass she was as a front-line brawler.
Sarii Gebb (Shield Name "Sabreslate") is a stubborn, stone-shaping gray-skinned Jalvai. She is more jaded than the other heroes which made for VERY interesting arguments and some very valid counter-arguments to Wonlar's ambitious schemes. As the only Shield currently married to another Shield, she is one of the characters with the most to lose on every dangerous mission.
Sarii's wife Bira Qano (Shield Name "Ghost Hands") is of the flat-faced race of Qava, born without sensory organs with extraordinary powers of telepathy and telekinesis. Her mental communication proves crucial to the heroes' coordination and success on several exploits. Her willingness to push herself to dangerous limits, her conviction their city needs them trust, and her trust in the ever-hopeful Wonlar all make for interesting conflict with her wife.
The villains were equally imaginative in concept, and often terrifying in their power. There's palpable fear the city and heroes would be doomed if the masterminds ever set aside their greed and differences and united to consolidate power and control.
Cobalt-3 is an A.I. in an almost invincible body, with its own droid army, who is obsessed with experiments on sentient creatures (and its dialogue is inadvertently comical like a cross between Dalek and Borg rhetoric).
Nevri is a ruthless Machiavellian politician and "ex" crime boss who tries to make the heroes offers they can't refuse.
Yema is a devious sorcerer specializing in attack spells (evocations for your D&D fans) and mind control spells/effects over individuals and crowds and (natch) his own enslaved army.
Omez is a cruel scientist and slave-keeper (and slave-breeder in his labs) and it's interesting to me that fighting him and Yema often becomes an act of liberation as much as exchanging blows or fire.
The Smiling King is a bizarre Lovecraft-esque being of pure chaos who spreads madness and outbreaks of manifesting superpowers. Sequences involving him are some of the most horrific and gritty, but also give rise to some of the most surreal and thrilling action tableaux.
To speak of the protagonists and antagonists only scratches the surface of this immersive adventure. It was the kind of book to which I sacrificed sleep gladly, and pulled myself out of reluctantly like waking from a dream that won't fade. It was frequently edge-of-your-seat suspenseful, and by turns funny and heartwrenching. (There was more grimness and grit in parts than I would like, but I accept these as common ingredients for the superhero genre.) And the final mission was stunning in its beauty and catharsis.
To say any more risks spoiler territory. So I'll end with my own, not-quite-battle cry...
WHEN YOU LOVE A STORY, SPEAK UP--BOOST THE SIGNAL!
And here is my third or fourth, and FINAL, edit of this review, after psyching myself out a lot about doing it justice. I am going to avoid plot spoilers and just talk about what I liked best.
Overall one of my favorite aspects of this world is that these heroes explore why stirring rhetoric and clever put-downs during a fight, AND daring anecdotes told as legends to children, are necessary to beating the wicked--even when the heroes don't quite beat the odds, and must retreat. Because such words may inspire those who hear it (or read it, as the case may be) to overcome their own fears. And hopefully, eventually, fight their own battles despite the risks.
Also I found so much brilliant originality to this story, including the way that each main character's unique race came with special abilities that were part of their "superpowers." (Even though it was their personalities and close and complex relationships that made them the most memorable for me, because character is my main draw to any story.) For example...
Elder protagonist Wonlar Pacsa (humble handyman and artificer by day, "First Sentinel" and leader of the vigilantes calling themselves the Shields of Audec-Hal by night) AND his son Selweh (and heir apparent to lead the Shields, as "Aegis") are yellow-skinned Ikanollo. They can see the emotional threads of friendship, fear, devotion, hate, and so on stretching between everyone as bright color coded beams of light. (This was by far my favorite ability and it is never wasted. It adds such poignancy while also giving Wonlar vital cues to guide him in a combat or crowd control situation or to let him know how his friends and allies and his son are faring.)
Wonlar is also a genius inventor and martial arts master, which made for lots of clever and entertaining tactics. And he has a devastating weapon he dare not use and the slow teasing out of what happened when he did and whether he will get desperate enough to change his mind adds incredible depth to character and story alike. His grief over his wife's passing and the ways in which he failed her (and other Shields who fell) hangs heavy on his soul.
His beloved son Selweh (whose deceased mother was also a Shield) is a relentless combatant wielding an artifact shield called "the Aegis" that boosts his strength and stamina and emotional connection to their city and its soul. For me their close-knit father and son relationship is the heart of this story and much dramatic conflict.
Wenlizerachi (Shield name "Blurred Fists") is a red-skinned Pronai capable of supernatural speed, but at a cost--his rapidly maturing race generally die of "old age" at thirty. (I was reminded of the cheerful Ocampa in Star Trek Voyager and how their serene acceptance of this brief life span inspired them to take risks and make the most of their time.)
Rova Remembers (Shield name "Sapphire") is of the hulking blue-skinned Freithin race created by the experiments of the one of the five tyrants and liberated by the Shields. I loved her resilience and compassion and how badass she was as a front-line brawler.
Sarii Gebb (Shield Name "Sabreslate") is a stubborn, stone-shaping gray-skinned Jalvai. She is more jaded than the other heroes which made for VERY interesting arguments and some very valid counter-arguments to Wonlar's ambitious schemes. As the only Shield currently married to another Shield, she is one of the characters with the most to lose on every dangerous mission.
Sarii's wife Bira Qano (Shield Name "Ghost Hands") is of the flat-faced race of Qava, born without sensory organs with extraordinary powers of telepathy and telekinesis. Her mental communication proves crucial to the heroes' coordination and success on several exploits. Her willingness to push herself to dangerous limits, her conviction their city needs them trust, and her trust in the ever-hopeful Wonlar all make for interesting conflict with her wife.
The villains were equally imaginative in concept, and often terrifying in their power. There's palpable fear the city and heroes would be doomed if the masterminds ever set aside their greed and differences and united to consolidate power and control.
Cobalt-3 is an A.I. in an almost invincible body, with its own droid army, who is obsessed with experiments on sentient creatures (and its dialogue is inadvertently comical like a cross between Dalek and Borg rhetoric).
Nevri is a ruthless Machiavellian politician and "ex" crime boss who tries to make the heroes offers they can't refuse.
Yema is a devious sorcerer specializing in attack spells (evocations for your D&D fans) and mind control spells/effects over individuals and crowds and (natch) his own enslaved army.
Omez is a cruel scientist and slave-keeper (and slave-breeder in his labs) and it's interesting to me that fighting him and Yema often becomes an act of liberation as much as exchanging blows or fire.
The Smiling King is a bizarre Lovecraft-esque being of pure chaos who spreads madness and outbreaks of manifesting superpowers. Sequences involving him are some of the most horrific and gritty, but also give rise to some of the most surreal and thrilling action tableaux.
To speak of the protagonists and antagonists only scratches the surface of this immersive adventure. It was the kind of book to which I sacrificed sleep gladly, and pulled myself out of reluctantly like waking from a dream that won't fade. It was frequently edge-of-your-seat suspenseful, and by turns funny and heartwrenching. (There was more grimness and grit in parts than I would like, but I accept these as common ingredients for the superhero genre.) And the final mission was stunning in its beauty and catharsis.
To say any more risks spoiler territory. So I'll end with my own, not-quite-battle cry...
WHEN YOU LOVE A STORY, SPEAK UP--BOOST THE SIGNAL!