KFPF: The Steerswoman's Road
Title: The Steerswoman's Road (actually two novels, The Steerswoman and The Outskirter's Secret, first two of four in the series)
Author Rosemary Kirstein
Published: 2003, Ballantine Books
Synopsis: Steerswoman Rowan and her traveling companion Bel follow the trail of a mysterious gem across the known world, braving natural travails and a conspiracy of wizards determined to keep the gems' secret from the eyes of the world.
Rating: 10 labryses, easy. SO MUCH AWESOME. The world is richly detailed, the characters fascinating, and the writing fast-paced and intellectually engaging. We get to see the characters conflicted, frightened, exhausted, vulnerable, in victory and in defeat, and love them through all of it - these aren't perfect people, but they are heroes.
The setting is at first glance approximately medieval with some light magic, wherein the steerswomen represent the most advanced available body of knowledge. The steerswomen (and steersmen) of this world are a school of explorers, scientists, and cartographers bound by the rule of their order - information must be given to those who ask, and a steerswoman's questions must be answered. Those who lie or refuse a steerswoman's question fall under the ban of the order; no steerswoman will receive their question. Wizards do not, as a rule, answer questions from a steerswoman - the implication being that they wish to keep their secrets, and are willing to tolerate the loss of the steerswomen's accumulated knowledge.
Despite the presence of wizards and outland barbarians in the story, and despite the low tech level of the world, this is by no means a usual sword and sorcery fantasy. There's a story under the story. Read it, find out.
Author Rosemary Kirstein
Published: 2003, Ballantine Books
Synopsis: Steerswoman Rowan and her traveling companion Bel follow the trail of a mysterious gem across the known world, braving natural travails and a conspiracy of wizards determined to keep the gems' secret from the eyes of the world.
Rating: 10 labryses, easy. SO MUCH AWESOME. The world is richly detailed, the characters fascinating, and the writing fast-paced and intellectually engaging. We get to see the characters conflicted, frightened, exhausted, vulnerable, in victory and in defeat, and love them through all of it - these aren't perfect people, but they are heroes.
The setting is at first glance approximately medieval with some light magic, wherein the steerswomen represent the most advanced available body of knowledge. The steerswomen (and steersmen) of this world are a school of explorers, scientists, and cartographers bound by the rule of their order - information must be given to those who ask, and a steerswoman's questions must be answered. Those who lie or refuse a steerswoman's question fall under the ban of the order; no steerswoman will receive their question. Wizards do not, as a rule, answer questions from a steerswoman - the implication being that they wish to keep their secrets, and are willing to tolerate the loss of the steerswomen's accumulated knowledge.
Despite the presence of wizards and outland barbarians in the story, and despite the low tech level of the world, this is by no means a usual sword and sorcery fantasy. There's a story under the story. Read it, find out.