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A review by sgbrux
To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts
5.0
"Her heart saw the truth with all of love's dangerous clarity. Mykkael is a man who holds to integrity before honour. Ethics mean more than his promise. He will act on his human principles, first, and see himself damned if an oath, and right choice, should come to be set into conflict."
Merciful powers. I went into this never having read anything by Janny Wurts, and having no idea what to expect from the language or writing style of a standalone fantasy novel written over 20 years ago, but To Ride Hell's Chasm astounded me over and over again.
Wurts's storytelling is breathtaking. Hell's Chasm has a mode of urgency and mystery that volleys between the Royal Guard Barracks and the Garrison Keep for the first part of the book, then expands into vast, cinematic settings that feel wild and fraught with peril. The book follows the well-respected Commander of the Royal Guard, Taskin, and the incredibly competent Captain of the Garrison, Mykkael, as they scramble to uncover the truth behind the missing Princess Anja, for she mysteriously disappears right before her betrothal banquet to her handsome, beloved prince of the Devall throne.
The first several chapters are structured according to time of day following her disappearance, which helps to create a sense of urgency in finding out what happened to her. But we also get these brief sequences at the start of every few chapters that offer us glimpses into where she's at and what her emotional state is.
Wurts's expertise and deep love for horses shines in the story, which resonated with me personally; I've been obsessed with horses since I was a small child, doing everything from reading large amounts of horse fiction, collecting and playing with figurines, pretending to be a horse, attending horse camp, spending way too much time riding around on horses in video games... It's a problem lol. And so I appreciated Wurts's generous depictions of each of the six horses in the story, and how she developed the relationship Princess Anja had with them. It was a tender and heartbreaking experience as the story went along. I love animal companions, especially horses.
Bryajne, Covette, Vashni, Fouzette, Kasminna, and Stormfront wrecked me in Hell's Chasm :(
Basically, if you enjoy:
• mystery and magic
• court intrigue
• an ailing king
• a tragic, societally outcast hero
• one capable princess
• monsters and beasts
• unspoken romance
• treacherous, expansive landscapes
• constant peril
• wonderful dialogue
Then I think you'll appreciate Hell's Chasm. There are also major themes of racial injustice and prejudice, as the main hero Captain Mykkael is dark-skinned and hails from a region of the world considered barbaric and uncultivated by the society at large.
But this a dense read, especially when you consider that half of the book is spent on the run—out in the wilderness under constant danger—but everything is in the title: To Ride Hell's Chasm. It's quite literally a desperate ride for survival that focuses on the tender connection between a princess and her prized horses, and an honorable outcast who is duty-sworn to protect her while being haunted by his past.
For me, this will be a story I crack open again and again.
Other quotes I enjoyed (some are spoilery so beware!):
"Since when has a title been proof of intelligence? Prince Kailen will be drunken and whoring by morning. Simplistic, male adolescent behaviour, should that earn my applause?"
"Dress a milch cow in jewelry, she's still a cow. What's your name, Bessie? Who shall I say's come ploughing the gate?"
"You insolent sprig! Move aside! Apologize at once, or I'll see you publicly gelded." ...
"Since I won't apologize, and you can't shove past, you need not threaten my bollocks, madam cow. Looking at you would dismast any bull who ever had the healthy urge to rut."
"It's tragic how the lack of imagination so often shapes our defeat."
"Before this fair world, this demon's shape-changing pawns had taken another; and after this conquest, would reach between stars, seeking the next target to set under attack."
"He lived as himself. Moment to moment, he surmounted his impaired strength through trained skill, and the unshakable self-trust of a man who had been put to the extreme test, and who had won triumph through the unflagging use of his wits."
"Tested by her own uncertainty, she tried to measure the volatile nature of a spirit who could not be contained or predicted. She studied the living man, and encountered a presence, a potential whose imprint on the world could not be known through its state of pent stillness. The warrior himself could not be understood. His power could not be analysed. He could only be recognized by his impact, as movement and action begat consequence."
"What was her worth, as princess or as human, that these dumb, trusting beasts should give up their lives for a horror outside their natural understanding? They had served her, unstinting. Where came the right, to demand of their grace the ultimate, ruinous sacrifice?"
"I ached to possess you the moment I dreamed of the spirit I saw in your portrait. But your strength of character would have been wasted alongside a man of the sword. Your people revere you. Their need for your peace is more pressing than mine, that has been too well tempered for war. Anja, brave heart, you were never for me."
Merciful powers. I went into this never having read anything by Janny Wurts, and having no idea what to expect from the language or writing style of a standalone fantasy novel written over 20 years ago, but To Ride Hell's Chasm astounded me over and over again.
Wurts's storytelling is breathtaking. Hell's Chasm has a mode of urgency and mystery that volleys between the Royal Guard Barracks and the Garrison Keep for the first part of the book, then expands into vast, cinematic settings that feel wild and fraught with peril. The book follows the well-respected Commander of the Royal Guard, Taskin, and the incredibly competent Captain of the Garrison, Mykkael, as they scramble to uncover the truth behind the missing Princess Anja, for she mysteriously disappears right before her betrothal banquet to her handsome, beloved prince of the Devall throne.
The first several chapters are structured according to time of day following her disappearance, which helps to create a sense of urgency in finding out what happened to her. But we also get these brief sequences at the start of every few chapters that offer us glimpses into where she's at and what her emotional state is.
Wurts's expertise and deep love for horses shines in the story, which resonated with me personally; I've been obsessed with horses since I was a small child, doing everything from reading large amounts of horse fiction, collecting and playing with figurines, pretending to be a horse, attending horse camp, spending way too much time riding around on horses in video games... It's a problem lol. And so I appreciated Wurts's generous depictions of each of the six horses in the story, and how she developed the relationship Princess Anja had with them. It was a tender and heartbreaking experience as the story went along. I love animal companions, especially horses.
Bryajne, Covette, Vashni, Fouzette, Kasminna, and Stormfront wrecked me in Hell's Chasm :(
Basically, if you enjoy:
• mystery and magic
• court intrigue
• an ailing king
• a tragic, societally outcast hero
• one capable princess
• monsters and beasts
• unspoken romance
• treacherous, expansive landscapes
• constant peril
• wonderful dialogue
Then I think you'll appreciate Hell's Chasm. There are also major themes of racial injustice and prejudice, as the main hero Captain Mykkael is dark-skinned and hails from a region of the world considered barbaric and uncultivated by the society at large.
But this a dense read, especially when you consider that half of the book is spent on the run—out in the wilderness under constant danger—but everything is in the title: To Ride Hell's Chasm. It's quite literally a desperate ride for survival that focuses on the tender connection between a princess and her prized horses, and an honorable outcast who is duty-sworn to protect her while being haunted by his past.
For me, this will be a story I crack open again and again.
Other quotes I enjoyed (some are spoilery so beware!):
"Since when has a title been proof of intelligence? Prince Kailen will be drunken and whoring by morning. Simplistic, male adolescent behaviour, should that earn my applause?"
"Dress a milch cow in jewelry, she's still a cow. What's your name, Bessie? Who shall I say's come ploughing the gate?"
"You insolent sprig! Move aside! Apologize at once, or I'll see you publicly gelded." ...
"Since I won't apologize, and you can't shove past, you need not threaten my bollocks, madam cow. Looking at you would dismast any bull who ever had the healthy urge to rut."
"It's tragic how the lack of imagination so often shapes our defeat."
"Before this fair world, this demon's shape-changing pawns had taken another; and after this conquest, would reach between stars, seeking the next target to set under attack."
"He lived as himself. Moment to moment, he surmounted his impaired strength through trained skill, and the unshakable self-trust of a man who had been put to the extreme test, and who had won triumph through the unflagging use of his wits."
"Tested by her own uncertainty, she tried to measure the volatile nature of a spirit who could not be contained or predicted. She studied the living man, and encountered a presence, a potential whose imprint on the world could not be known through its state of pent stillness. The warrior himself could not be understood. His power could not be analysed. He could only be recognized by his impact, as movement and action begat consequence."
"What was her worth, as princess or as human, that these dumb, trusting beasts should give up their lives for a horror outside their natural understanding? They had served her, unstinting. Where came the right, to demand of their grace the ultimate, ruinous sacrifice?"
"I ached to possess you the moment I dreamed of the spirit I saw in your portrait. But your strength of character would have been wasted alongside a man of the sword. Your people revere you. Their need for your peace is more pressing than mine, that has been too well tempered for war. Anja, brave heart, you were never for me."