Cartomancy

Cartomancy is a collection of short fiction by Mary Gentle. I am appreciating this kind of writing a lot more than I used to for some reason. I got a short story collection by Frank Herbert on the to read pile as well as the Wastelands anthology of post-apocalyptic short stories. Martin's Dreamsongs must have converted me. But let's stick to the book at hand. This collection is a mixture of fantasy, historical fiction, alternative history and science fiction and covers themes such as gender issues, sexual identity, Hermetism and a fascination with key events in history as well as the question what would have happened if such an event had run another course.

Let me first of all state that I am completely in love with the Gollancz cover design for Gentle's books. I used two other covers in the same style for my reviews of 1610: A Sundial in a Grave and Illario: the Lion's Eye. Cartomancy is graced by a similar cover. I sincerely hope no one at Gollancz will feel the need to redesign the covers any time soon. Too many crappy fantasy book covers around as it is. They can't possibly not screw up a redesign.

This collection is a cross-section of Gentle's writing in a way. It contains 15 short stories, most of which tie in to one of her novels somehow or are stories in which she develops ideas and concepts that will appear in her books. The stories are accompanied by short afterword by Gentle with a little additional information. After the introduction Cartomancy opens with The Logistics of Cartage, a story that is set in the First History universe and is set some 20 years before the events in Ash: a Secret History. Ash is by far Gentle's best know work, I consider it one of the best novels I ever read. The publisher makes a point of singling it out on the cover of course. Perhaps I am gullible like that but I did consider it one of the highlights of the collection. In 80 pages she takes us through the hardship, humour and tragedies of a 15th century mercenary company and reveals a tiny bit of Ash's past (although that is not the point of the story).

While The Logistics of Cartage of no doubt draw most readers in, there are a number of other jewels in this collection. I particularly enjoyed The Road to Jerusalem, an alternative history where Knights Templar have survived as a military organisation. What God Abandoned, a story featuring René Descartes, is an other favourite of mine. It is set in Prague right after the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 and uses the interest Descartes seems to have had in the Rosicrucians as a theme. Not to focus entirely on (alternative) history I will also mention The Pits Beneath the World. A science fiction story that features a young girl brought along on a scientific expedition to a planet inhabited by what appear to be sentient insectoids. She has formed a bond with one of them but they turn out to be more alien than she thought.

I must admit I haven't read Gentle's entire catalogue yet, especially some of her older works are pretty hard to find, and that my influence my view on this collection. I still recognize things in a lot of stories that later turn up in her novels (and most likely missed even more). While this makes Cartomancy very enjoyable for those who are familiar with Gentle's novels, I wouldn't consider this a good place to start if you consider reading Gentle. As with a lot of these collections, Cartomancy is more accessible to the real fan. Still, for someone who considers herself a natural at long fiction, she does a pretty good job at the short stuff.

Other Reviews of works by Mary Gentle

ASH - Jul 27, 2008

Ilario: The Lion's Eye - Feb 3, 2008

1610: A Sundial in a Grave - Sep 11, 2007

Rats and Gargoyles - Sep 10, 2005