The Black Chalice [Hardcover]

I picked up Marie Jakober's The Black Chalice at When Words Collide back in August. I started reading it shortly thereafter and I made steady progress on it. For me, this book was not one that I had a problem putting down, and it cost me no more than a few minutes of sleep most nights. That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it immensely, just that the rise and fall of the tensions of the book did not grip me so fiercely that I needed to know what was coming next.

Set in a fictional region of medieval Germany, after the First Crusade, the Black Chalice deals mainly with Karelian, the Count of Lys, and his squire, Paul. The book, however, is written mostly from Paul's viewpoint, many years in the future from the events the book describes; sorcery, love, betrayal and civil war. This was a most effective storytelling method, because when the story is not told from Paul's point of view, we see events very differently and that reveals to the reader the way interpretation of events can alter how history is told and judged. History may be told by the victors, but it is also told by those who care to write it.

Character is one of the strongest and most enjoyable elements of The Black Chalice. Jakober did an excellent job of giving her characters believable desires, needs, and viewpoints. Villains, such as they are, are in fact merely people driven by their own beliefs, rather than evil for its own sake. Though you might not end up wishing these characters well, their actions are believable and logical. This was a book I enjoyed foremost because of the strong, dynamic characters, who grew (or fell) during the telling.

The theme of Christianity versus paganism was a constant one in this book, and Christianity was not portrayed well. Certainly, this may have matched the viewpoints of people deemed heretics, witches, and blasphemers, many of whom found themselves burned at the stake or suffering similarly gruesome deaths. It is true that Christianity has a bloody past, so I did not find Jakober's harping on this theme to be overwhelming. However, it felt very forced at some points.

Overall, the Black Chalice struck the right balance of history, fantasy, action, drama and strong character and it was well written and well told. I enjoyed it and I'll be looking for more books by Marie Jakober in the future.

This book ended much, much differently than I thought it would when I started it. It is utterly captivating, in the true sense of the word. Jakober draws you in to her characters; they become real. The stories themselves are complex - the way only stories with a ring of truth can be. The plots are intricate, subtle, and maddeningly intoxicating. Once you get started, you don't want to stop.

Jakober is a gifted storyteller, and Edge Science Fiction Fantasy Publishing has produced a stunning book. I saw this book from across the room and knew I had to have it. If you get the chance, get the hardcover copy. This is one of the best-written stories I have read in many, many years.

It is 1105 in Medieval Germany. Karelian of Lys has just returned from the Crusades with his squire Paul and a retinue of his men. It was a long, horrifying war, but Karelian has earned some land and money and wishes to settle down and raise a family. But, on the way to his wedding, a witch queen magically summons Karelian to her fabled castle in the mountains for the purpose of forging an alliance. She has powers that tell her Karelian's liege lord, the Duke believes he has the right to rule all of Germany and Christendom. He will not only bring war to the country, he will want to eliminate worship of the pagan deities she is devoted to. The Duke's attempt to take the crown of Germany will test loyalties in this novel of belief, magic, betrayal and love. Sorcery is inconsistent with Paul's Christian beliefs and although Karelian wants to live the rest of his life in peace, his love for the witch queen and his own beliefs draw him into the political struggle.

30 years later, Paul is a monk and he has been commanded to put the story to paper. However, the witch queen's enchantment forces his quill to spin the story truthfully, exposing all motivations and events regardless of whether Paul would have described them in a different light. Although Paul is writing the story, there are times where the perspective shifts and segments are narrated by the witch queen or Karelian, and these were welcome breaks from Paul's inner-conflicts. I would have appreciated a more linear chronicle to the flashback storytelling, but the device provides ample opportunity for Paul's self-reflection and ruminations about faith. Unfortunately, there is nothing redeeming about Christianity in this book and the pagan gods provide a contrast. Then there is the magic, which I determined to be a genetic trait, as religion seemed irrelevant to its practice. Although there is little magic at first, it builds in its usage until the magic is openly exercised as the conflict escalates.

There are a lot of great things about this book. This story truly sets a sense of time and place and the characterization was excellent. Although I know the whole book didn't take place in winter, much of the story does, and the overall feeling is cold and bleak due in part to the descriptions of the landscape and also the battles, killing, rape and other violence in the book. The writing was very well done. The part of the book where we meet Karelian's betrothed and learn about her narrow life and the consequences of her actions for a small piece of happiness were so well done, I would have appreciated more about her and her son. I didn't find the story as satisfying as I thought it could be and that is mostly because I wanted less of the irritating Paul and more of Karelian, his wife, his lover and the other characters I liked.