Through a Brazen Mirror [Paperback]

_Through a Brazen Mirror_ fleshes out the ballad "The Famous Flower of Serving-Men". It is compelling from the first few pages, wherein a young man stumbles into the King's kitchens during a rainstorm. He announces he's looking for a job, proclaims his robust health, and promptly faints. But the young man, William Flower, is more than he seems; his quiet diligence causes him to rise quickly through the ranks of the castle servants, until eventually he comes to the attention of the handsome young King, who is questioning his sexuality. Meanwhile, in a mysterious tower in the woods, a sorceress has foreseen that her daughter will cause her death. Since the rules of magic forbid killing one's own blood, the sorceress instead tries to destroy everything around her daughter, releasing plagues and storms upon the land. I'll warn you right now, don't expect a "fairy-tale" happy ending; Sherman's ending is sadder but much truer to life than the ballad's original ending. But she leaves one major plot point open to imagination, softening the tragedy a bit. And everyone is a little wiser at the end.

Delia Sherman writes in a lovely style of prose, atmospheric and somewhat archaic, reminding me of the early books of Patricia McKillip, before her work became more abstract. The magic in Sherman's world is not cheesy D-and-D stuff; it's the very sort of magic that medieval people actually believed in. And through it all, even though it's a sad story, Sherman weaves a delightful ribbon of dry humor. I very much enjoyed this book.

Elinor, who disguises herself as a man in order to find employment in the King's kitchen, is an interesting figure. She is not a great warrior queen or lightning-fingered mage. She is a middle-aged woman just trying to survive after having everything taken from her. What Elinor lacks in humor or liveliness of spirit, Sherman suffuses her with discipline, focus, and total devotion to the tasks at hand. This makes for a rather grim character, but all the more compelling.

While I wished that the book could have been more "gay positive", the story would probably have rang less true. The young king is struggling to cope with his sexuality while, at the same time, trying to provide for the needs of his kingdom and subjects. His resolution at the end of the tale, while not the most satisfactory, is perhaps more "realistic" because of it.

Recommended.