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The Labyrinth Gate
One of my favorite fantasy novels, The Labyrinth Gate by Alis A. Rasmussen (a pen name for fantasy author Kate Elliott) was nominated for Yuletide this year. I would have promoted it earlier, but I had thought that it was out of print (though I still have my yellowed and battered original paperback edition). However, I just discovered that it's recently been released as a Kindle book, this time under Elliott's real name. (Funny story: all these years, I've been misreading "Alis" as "Alia" and only just realized my mistake after the Yuletide discussion.)
Here's the official summary:
I love all the detail that went into the worldbuilding, both the realistic and fantasy elements. The more familiar details include the rigid class structure and the oppression of the poor/commoners by the wealthy/nobility, which fuels the riot that Sanjay and Chryse get swept up in. A more amusing example is that their aristocrat friend Julian finds it shockingly scandalous that they married for love, something that is just not done in his society. The fantasy elements include the magical tarot deck (Elliott created a complete set for the novel, which is listed in the appendix), and the fact that magic isn't just drawn out of thin air--it needs to be fueled by a source of power, and the less scrupulous sorcerers (like Blessa) will forcibly take that power from other people.
I also love the characters, whom Elliot brings to life vividly. Sanjay and Chryse are sympathetic protagonists: they're madly in love and should be happy newlyweds, but that happiness is marred by a seed of discontent. They're an artist and a musician respectively, and having just finished with their university studies, are faced with the prospect of giving up their dreams to seek more practical forms of employment. Their unexpected sojourn to Anglia gives them a chance to mature and decide what they really want to do with their lives.
And then there are their newfound Anglian friends: Julian, a womanizing playboy, and Kate, a disowned noblewoman who scandalously drinks, gambles, and dresses like a man. They're best friends, and the way that they tease and banter with each other has such great chemistry that one finds oneself wondering why they're not a couple. (There is a reason for it, but to say more would spoil the story.)
Julian's Aunt Laetitia is an acerbic but compassionate old woman, who has obvious affection for Julian and Kate, even as she scolds them for their misbehavior. Julian opens his home to Sanjay and Chryse and offers them shelter, but it's Aunt Laetitia who guides them and helps them fit into the new world that they've stumbled into. She's also knowledgeable about magic, and introduces them to the mysterious Madam Sosostris, who offers to send Sanjay and Chryse home in exchange for the treasure of the labyrinth.
In pursuit of that treasure, Sanjay finds employment with Professor Farr, a scholar so obsessed with his research that he sells his daughter Maretha in marriage to the Earl of Elen in exchange for funding the expedition to Pariam, in spite of the Earl's sinister reputation as a sorcerer and rumors that he practices unspeakable debauchery and blood sacrifice. I love Chryse and Sanjay, but it's actually Maretha and the Earl who stood out most in my mind, years after I'd first read the novel. Having a weak spot for the (apparently) sinister types like Snape, I felt sympathy for Maretha's mingled fear and attraction towards the cold but beautiful Earl, and I remember being caught up in the mystery and anticipation and dread as I wondered (along with Maretha) what he could possibly want from her, since he didn't seem to covet her body, and whether the Earl's sinister reputation was deserved or not.
I can't recommend this book highly enough: it contains adventure, romance, complex and likable characters, and awesome worldbuilding! It's lighthearted, with enough humor to keep you smiling, and enough suspense to have you fearing for the characters as you anxiously read to find out what will happen to them. Even reading it a second time, I was spellbound and had a hard time putting the book down.
It's too late to sign up for Yuletide, but if you're interested in writing a treat, you can find the initial fandom discussion here, and the nominator's Yuletide letter here. (I don't personally know the nominator, but was thrilled nevertheless to find a fellow Labyrinth Gate fan!) I didn't request it myself, but only because I had already filled up all my nomination slots, though I may request it next year, especially if no fic gets written for it.
Even if you don't plan to write fic for it, you should still read it, because it is an awesome and entertaining book!
Here's the official summary:
With marriage comes change, and for Sanjay and Chryse, that change is literally world altering. After their wedding reception, they accidentally drop a gift—a pack of special tarot cards—onto an elevator floor. The cards scatter, the lights go out, and all at once, they find themselves transported to Anglia. It’s a strange parallel world not unlike Victorian England, but matriarchal in nature and shaped by powerful sorcery.
While fleeing a riot in the streets, the pair is rescued by aristocrats Julian and Kate, the first of many new friends and adventures. To get home, they must find a treasure in the labyrinth city of Pariam—a quest that becomes ever more daunting as it attracts the attention of the evil Princess Blessa. Wonderfully conceived and full of memorable characters, The Labyrinth Gate is vibrant fantasy on every level.
I love all the detail that went into the worldbuilding, both the realistic and fantasy elements. The more familiar details include the rigid class structure and the oppression of the poor/commoners by the wealthy/nobility, which fuels the riot that Sanjay and Chryse get swept up in. A more amusing example is that their aristocrat friend Julian finds it shockingly scandalous that they married for love, something that is just not done in his society. The fantasy elements include the magical tarot deck (Elliott created a complete set for the novel, which is listed in the appendix), and the fact that magic isn't just drawn out of thin air--it needs to be fueled by a source of power, and the less scrupulous sorcerers (like Blessa) will forcibly take that power from other people.
I also love the characters, whom Elliot brings to life vividly. Sanjay and Chryse are sympathetic protagonists: they're madly in love and should be happy newlyweds, but that happiness is marred by a seed of discontent. They're an artist and a musician respectively, and having just finished with their university studies, are faced with the prospect of giving up their dreams to seek more practical forms of employment. Their unexpected sojourn to Anglia gives them a chance to mature and decide what they really want to do with their lives.
And then there are their newfound Anglian friends: Julian, a womanizing playboy, and Kate, a disowned noblewoman who scandalously drinks, gambles, and dresses like a man. They're best friends, and the way that they tease and banter with each other has such great chemistry that one finds oneself wondering why they're not a couple. (There is a reason for it, but to say more would spoil the story.)
Julian's Aunt Laetitia is an acerbic but compassionate old woman, who has obvious affection for Julian and Kate, even as she scolds them for their misbehavior. Julian opens his home to Sanjay and Chryse and offers them shelter, but it's Aunt Laetitia who guides them and helps them fit into the new world that they've stumbled into. She's also knowledgeable about magic, and introduces them to the mysterious Madam Sosostris, who offers to send Sanjay and Chryse home in exchange for the treasure of the labyrinth.
In pursuit of that treasure, Sanjay finds employment with Professor Farr, a scholar so obsessed with his research that he sells his daughter Maretha in marriage to the Earl of Elen in exchange for funding the expedition to Pariam, in spite of the Earl's sinister reputation as a sorcerer and rumors that he practices unspeakable debauchery and blood sacrifice. I love Chryse and Sanjay, but it's actually Maretha and the Earl who stood out most in my mind, years after I'd first read the novel. Having a weak spot for the (apparently) sinister types like Snape, I felt sympathy for Maretha's mingled fear and attraction towards the cold but beautiful Earl, and I remember being caught up in the mystery and anticipation and dread as I wondered (along with Maretha) what he could possibly want from her, since he didn't seem to covet her body, and whether the Earl's sinister reputation was deserved or not.
I can't recommend this book highly enough: it contains adventure, romance, complex and likable characters, and awesome worldbuilding! It's lighthearted, with enough humor to keep you smiling, and enough suspense to have you fearing for the characters as you anxiously read to find out what will happen to them. Even reading it a second time, I was spellbound and had a hard time putting the book down.
It's too late to sign up for Yuletide, but if you're interested in writing a treat, you can find the initial fandom discussion here, and the nominator's Yuletide letter here. (I don't personally know the nominator, but was thrilled nevertheless to find a fellow Labyrinth Gate fan!) I didn't request it myself, but only because I had already filled up all my nomination slots, though I may request it next year, especially if no fic gets written for it.
Even if you don't plan to write fic for it, you should still read it, because it is an awesome and entertaining book!