The Pariah by Anthony Ryan is Gripping Dark Fantasy | Book Review

A Novel Of Complex Politics and Religious Brouhaha

It's such a joy to click with a novel. Those initial pages which plunge you into the world and characters, the expectations you build of who the central cast might be... to then see those expectations continually undermined by the changing circumstances of Anthony Ryan's protagonist, Alwyn Scribe, that's a ride and a half. The storytelling mode adopted in the *Covenant of Steel* is from the point-of-view of an older Alwyn, scribbling down his youthful experiences. I'm particularly partial to this narrative model - recent and hallowed examples of it include Richard Swan's *Empire of the Wolf* and, of course, Gene Wolfe's *Book of the New Sun*. The sense of dramatic irony and foreboding a capable author can work into a story with this literary device is potent. Anthony Ryan proves himself adept with it time and again, as here:

I like to think I learned more from Deckin Scarl that day than I did throughout the preceding years of our association. However, the principal lesson he would teach me in very short order would be this: all ambition is folly when it fails to be matched by reason. (96)

This is but one example that stands out among many - often, we as readers are given the contours of an idea as to where events may soon go. Yet that doesn't take away from seeing the events unravel on the page - rather, interest is heightened. It's one of those strategies that invite readers to speculate as they read. That's why I love this method of storytelling - it makes the reading of a novel even more explicitly collaborative between author and audience. This pet passion out of the way, let's turn the attention to another element of this work that delights.

I love fantasy novels that take their cue from historical events before going in widely fun new directions; in some ways, *The Pariah* is such a novel. Several characters and cultures have roots in popular, archetypal figures from history: Alwyn's first leader and benefactor, the outlaw Deckin Scarl, is a deromanticised version of Robin Hood. While he certainly steals from the rich, he's likely to give to the poor only if that serves his aims or increases his reputation for largesse with the common folk. Similarly, Captain Evadine Courlain will send your J'oan of Arc radar pinging. And the Ascarlians are quintessential worshippers of an Asgard-adjacent pantheon if I ever saw one. Similar comments can be made about the tenets of the Covenant of the Martyr, the chief religion of Alwyn's homeland. What makes each of these elements so gratifying to read about is the way Ryan makes them his own.

I'd be doing this novel a disservice if I didn't stop to consider the protagonist. Alwyn Scribe's path throughout *The Pariah* is a spectacular one - in the span of five-hundred and sixty pages, Anthony Ryan portrays a young outlaw turned jaded prisoner turned soldier in a complex relationship with a Joan of Arc figure - and really, isn't that every young man's truest aspiration? To see a character grow and learn from their mistakes only to make various new ones; to see them develop down a path that, if you're lucky, you're partial to and enjoy--on both accounts, Alwyn's development spoke to me. He is intelligent and perceptive, but brash; qualities that make for a character as likely to get into trouble as he is to get out of them or coast by just before them. Often, Alwyn knows better than to do a thing; almost as often, he does it anyway. This is a believable and relatable lead, even in those moments of callous disregard for another's life - perhaps because Ryan imbues him with a potent sense of guilt.

What's a great leading man without a support cast to watch his back, or at least put a dagger or two in it? Well, you'll have to make due with the first. Let me calm you - while there is little in the way of people backstabbing Alwyn, he's more than happy to backstab a former teacher or two, whether to survive or to deliver vengeance. As for his friends, there are several notable ones: Toria is one of the first people that Alwyn chooses to save at his own expense - and one of the finest. Toria's caustic, competent, and short-fused, but steadfast. The way she sticks with Alwyn through thick and thin is great, and I hope to get more of that dynamic in the sequel, even as the two's paths diverge. When Alwyn joins Covenant Company after his imprisonment, Toria joins, too, as does another prisoner of the Pit Mines, Brewer. In gaming terms, the three would make for an excellent tank and dps group, though the closest thing they have to a freelancer is a Caerith spell-worker known as the Sack Witch! If you love your characters clothed in an abundance of mystery, you'll love the Sack Witch; I know I did. If you're in for a taste of gallantry and knightly deeds, there's even a turncoat knight with a death-wish whose acquaintance you might enjoy - look for Wilhum Dornmahl.

I couldn't even get started on Evadine Courlain, the Captain of Covenant Company and the figure around which I suspect much of the next two books will revolve, in addition to the better part of this one. I have thoughts about the Anointed Captain, this holy figure that goes through her own share of travails in this first book - and I hope to voice them another time.

*The Pariah* scratched my itch for a complex and adult work of fantasy, one that succeeds as much on strength of character as it does on the appeal of its low magic setting. You'll particularly enjoy this novel if you'd like an intimate read that has deep political dimensions - I think this would appeal to a lot of George R. R. Martin fans, in fact. Anthony Ryan starts off a trilogy that doesn't lack for anything - not bone-crunching battles and unexpected defeats; not even the occasional miracle. I'm eager to jump onto book two in the series, *The Martyr*.