Monday, December 17, 2018

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: From Unseen Fire by Cass Morris




From Unseen Fire is a fantasy novel and the first in a series by debut author Cass Morris.  The book takes as its setting an alternate version of Rome, known as Aven, complete with Latin names and gods, but with magic being a common element of this world.  As such, how the world works, both within the borders of the Aven Empire and without is clearly altered as the presence of magic affects both the actions and the laws by which the characters must act.  Note that despite the presence of magic, the existence of real Roman features such as slavery are still very much in play in this book and this isn't the type of book to try and change that - our characters are generally members of the upper class of Aven/Roman society, and that's where their interests lie (and with the fate of the Empire itself).

The result is certainly interesting, although it's a bit too much of a first novel in a series for my liking - the book does resolve general plot threads so it's still a bit satisfying but clearly so much more is going to come in this series that the appetite isn't quite whetted by this book.  Still, the characters are very good and the chemistry between them is very strong, and the plot does take some surprising but pleasing turns.  I will probably be back for the sequel.


------------------------------------------------Plot Summary--------------------------------------------------
When the Dictator took control of the Republic of Aven, good men and women suffered.  Latona of the Vitelliae, a woman of a prominent family as well as a Mage blessed by Venus and Juno with the powers of Fire and Spirit is one of these - when the dictator discovers her powers, she is forced to serve him.  Meanwhile the ambitious Sempronius Tarren, who wanted to rise up in the ranks of the republic, was forced into exile.

Now the dictator is dead.  And with him gone, those exiled and those who remained will converge upon Aven to decide the fate of the Republic.  Sempronius once again seeks higher office and to drive the Republic into a new progressive expansionist future.  But he has a secret: he is a mage of Shadow and Water, and the law forbids mages from holding higher office.  Meanwhile Latona and her mercantile husband have also returned to Aven....and Latona feels a calling to use her powers, seemingly growing, for the public good, despite it not being something a woman should do.

Latona and Sempronius will find themselves drawn together...a dangerous combination due to Sempronius' secrets and Latona's marriage, but it will take the two of them to try to lead Aven back to glory against those who would seek to take it back to the good old ways.

And meanwhile in Iberia, Latona's brother is leading a small force against a war leader of Iberian peoples who is using blood magic to unite the clans under his rule and to fight a bloody war against the Aven-allied peoples.  If the situation back home doesn't clear up fast, the Republic may start to be destroyed from the outside-in.......
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From Unseen Fire is mainly the story of two protagonists: Latona and Sempronius, as they each try to make their way in this new world after the Dictator's death.  Most chapters are told from one of their perspectives, with occasional glimpses instead into other characters' third person perspectives, particularly the characters far away in Iberia.  And they're both great in their own ways - Sempronius is ambitious - while he truly believes his politics are best for the Republic, he's definitely also got his own interests at heart and is willing to do whatever it takes to handle them - but in such a way that he's rather charming and fun to watch as he deals with his rivals.  Meanwhile Latona isn't ambitious enough - she has immense power, not to mention great intellect, but has always been a bit too afraid (thanks to the Dictator) to use it.  But when events conspire to make her feel needed, she takes action, even when it would not be proper - and Sempronius and her sisters help prod her in this regard.

They're both great characters, and the chemistry between the two works rather well, leading up the inevitable moment where they decide finally to consummate that romance (not really a spoiler since the reader will be expecting it from the beginning).  I really want to see more of the duo in the future, since so many secrets still lie between them.

Meanwhile the secondary characters are also excellent, such as Latona's two sisters - the widow Aula who is as sharp a political mind (or more so) than Latona and cares for Latona's well being as well as Latona's sister Alhena, who possesses the mage power of prophecy, are also really good side characters.  This is not a book lacking strong women despite a patriarchal society, and they all shine quite well.  The characters in Iberia are also excellent, although for the most part they feel kind of distant from the main narrative.

The worldbuilding is....well I suppose it's somewhat good and somewhat bad.  The idea of this alternate Roman Empire/Republic with the presence of magic is really well done, and I'd love to see some of these magic powers explored further.  On the other hand, that really is most of what is changed from reality in this book, so problems such as slavery still very much exist and are unexamined in this novel.  And while the plot works rather well and is a satisfying conclusion to this part of the narrative, the story clearly hangs some major cliffhangers, one of which is rather annoying since youd expect it to happen in this book.

Ah well, I'll almost certainly be back for the sequels, since I enjoyed these characters and the world so much and want to see what happens next.
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