Book Review – Illario: The Lion’s Eye
Author: Mary Gentle
Cover Artist: Les Edwards
Publisher: Gollancz
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: 2007
Ilario: the Lion’s Eye is set in the same world as Gentle’s much acclaimed Ash: A Secret History. Both are marketed as fantasy but personally I think of them as alternative history. In Ash Gentle introduces us to a medieval Europe that is very much like Europe we know from the history books but deviates on a number of points. The most important one being the Visigoth Kingdom in Carthage that has survived until late medieval times and is living under the Penitence in eternal darkness. Unlike in Ash, we don’t see the story though the eye of a modern scholar but though the main character Ilario. Although presented as a series both books can be read independently.
Ilario is set in the year 1428, almost 50 years before Ash, and while not as ambitious in scope, it adds a lot of detail to our understanding of the Ash time line. Among other things gentle reveals that Cato apparently did not speak his famous words and that Carthage and Rome reached some sort of agreement. Ancient Egypt also has survived, albeit in exile in Constantinople. It seems to have replaced the Byzantine Empire there and is now under threat from the Turks who have conquered most of Asia Minor as well as Egypt. The Arian heresy seems to have taken firm root in parts of Europe, Iberia for example, instead of dying out in the 7th century, and Catholicism, still dominating north-western Europe as far as we can tell, is under a curse that has prevented the appointment of a pope for the last centuries.
Our main character, Ilario, grows up in one of the Arian kingdoms in Spain (the Reconquista wouldn’t be complete until 1492). The south of the peninsula is dominated by Carthage, while in the north Castilia, Leon and Navarra are fending of Catholic crusades against the Arian heretics. Although the kingdom where Ilario grows up is relatively peaceful, court life is far from uneventful. Ilario is a true hermaphrodite, born with functioning male and female genitals. Abandoned by her natural parents Ilario grows up in a foster family who sells her to King Rodrigo to serve as the King’s Freak. This position offers Ilario some protection against the worst abuses but is ultimately humiliating. After several years the novelty wears of and the King sets Ilario free. As a slave Ilario posed no threat to her parents, both influential at Rodrigo’s court. Freed however Ilario is perceived as a threat and an assassination attempt follows. Ilario makes a run for it.
At the opening of the book Ilario just arrived in Carthage, determined to pursue a career as artist. The new art has just emerged in Italy, we’d call it renaissance, and Ilario wants to find a master to learn from. Unfortunately Ilario puts her trust in the wrong man and ends up at the slave market again. The Egyptian book-buyer (read spy) Rekmire’, in the employ of the empress at Alexandria-in-Exile (Constantinople), purchases Ilario to be his scribe. Unfortunately Ilario’s parents don’t give up so easily and another assassination attempt follows. Rekmire’ makes the crucial mistake of bringing this to the attention of the Carthaginian officials who promptly send an envoy to the court of King Rodrigo, bringing the matter out in the open. The only way for Ilario’s now disgraced parents to regain their influence is permanently silencing their child. A journey across the Mediterranean now begins to keep ahead of the assassin’s blade.
With the main character a hermaphrodite it is not surprising gender and sexuality are important themes in this novel. Ilario is quite clearly neither male nor female, not even identifying with one or the other. It makes this review something of a bitch to write since I have to take care with my use of particular pronouns. It doesn’t stop there though. Besides Ilario there are a number of other characters who’s sexuality don’t conform to man/woman, gay/straight concepts. Both Ash and 1610: A Sundial in a Grave address this issue but neither examines it as closely as Ilario does. Ilario’s sexuality and gender lead to some hilarious as well as thought provoking scenes.
Not surprisingly (political) power is also an important theme in the book. A theme not necessarily unrelated to sexuality. As Ilario travels through Europe we see a continent about the leave the Middle Ages. Much more so than in Ash, despite it being set half a century later. There is a revolution going on in the arts in Italy. Master Mainz, whom we know as Guttenberg, makes an appearance and the Chinese Admiral Zhang He, who’s fleet according to some controversial theories even reached the America’s in 1421, shows up in the Mediterranean. A herald to the age of exploration. The balance of power in Europe is shifting and it is sliding towards Carthage.
I’m a fan of Gentle’s work and Ilario was a great read for me. I do have to admit though, that Gentle mixes brilliant sciences with long stretches of dialogue, not all of which is relevant or even interesting. Ilario is an artist, so we can’t expect as much action as in Ash. Gentle makes up for that with witty conversation, Ilario is rather self entered and very hot-tempered, and lots of historical detail, as well as clarifying the Ash time line. For me that is enough to make it an interesting book, even if I think the final confrontation is a bit anti-climatic. I suspect not everybody will see it that way. A good read, historically well researched, but it falls short of the standard set in Ash: A Secret History.
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