As an author, it may seem somewhat ironic that I find it difficult writing reviews for other people's books...If the book is good, it's much easier. Type off a few things that I liked, give it a thumbs up, or a number of stars, and then move on. However, if a book, such as E.P. Clark's, Midnight Land, is fantastic, world-building, subtle and profound, this task becomes much more difficult. The struggle then becomes writing a review which actually LIVES UP to the book it's intended to recommend.
The complexity of the Midnight Land, also adds to this struggle. At it's heart, the book is not so much a feminist work as it is an infused matriarchal one. I would note that this infusion isn't something male readers should find any struggle with. This world is, after-all, a lived-in matriarchal world, with no preaching of female dominance, or bashing of male-centered ideals. (Not that I would have necessarily had a problem with that point of view, personally.) It is a rich world of backstabbing and political intrigue, down-trodden societies and bitter rulers.The literary center of gravity, is a young woman, Krasnoslava Tsarinorvna, or Slava for short, who has a particular gift: the ability to sense the emotions in others. People have always looked to her with disdain or fear, and as such she's never found her place in the world (a fantastical setting in medival Russia) a particularly a pleasant one. Not to mention that her life in the kremlin was not open for much personal growth. So when a chance arrives to take a perilous trek to the uncharted Midnight Land, Slava jumps at the chance to leave her static existance with her people and her continually graying family.
Slava is unskilled and without much stamina on her new adventure, but thanks to the watchful eyes of her new friends, physically grows stronger and more able.
She also learns that her mystical powers, once thought a burden, might not such a weakness. After rescuing an elk from slaughter by one the members of the party, she quickly feels self-conscious and more of an odd outsider. However the next day, the party, after becoming lost in a dark forest in which the paths seemingly have been magically restructured to entrap them, is saved by the familiar animal.
Later Slava, thinking to be in a dream state, appears to join a fox in spirit form, and redirects the scout team away from danger.
In the end, the Midnight Land, was not such an obvious land of mystery and fantastical intrigue, however it does open up a world of spirituality into the narrative which becomes a frightening and possible new adversary for Slava. She soon finds there are entities within this spirit world who have a great interest in Slava's talent, and wish to even wrench it from her if necessary.
This is a story of human discovery, and spiritual growth. Slava has to face both on her journey to the Midnight Land and back again.
I am greatly looking forward to the second book in this saga, which appears to open up a grand story for the leader of the party, Olga Vasilisovna: The true ruler of another kremlin which has fallen into disarray in her absence.
BMB
