Safe Passage by Karen Menezes is the first book of a three-part series: The Chronicles of Capherayna. Its official genre is magical realism. I’d also call it secondary world ecofiction, uniquely told in a folk/fairy tale voice. By way of content warning, themes include violence against children and children in peril (also typical of traditional folk and fairy tales).
Lightbender and the Zaeltik
In a civilization beset by increasingly blatant political corruption and power grabs by the wealthy, an order of monk/mage/healers travel the land of Capherayna. These adepts assist the mundane people as best they can. The main point-of-view character, Lightbender, happens upon a fresh massacre in a Zaeltik village in the remote back country. Governmental forces, intent on clearing the forest of plant life, animals, and inhabitants in order to more conveniently extraction its mineral resources, cruelly target the most vulnerable.
Lightbender meets up with others of his order, the Illusionists, and they form plans to both protect the survivors and lead the resistance. When all seems most hopeless, Lightbender discovers a power deep in the old-growth forest. If they can manage to utilize it, perhaps the Zaeltik will have some chance of survival in the hostile, modern world.
A Safe Passage Through The Forest
Safe Passage explores the interaction of people and the natural environment and really shines when it describes the myriads of plant and animal life in the deep forest. I think this would be considered environmental or ecological science fiction. The setting is not only crucial to the plot, but also takes on a role as a character in the story, an entity with wants, needs, and an agenda of its own.
Dialogue is first rate, with sassy children, tedious old folks, and buddies who joke and tease but are always ready to defend each other.
Everyone and everything are very much in danger, but conflict is somewhat diffused as direct encounters are cleverly avoided. Since this is the first book in a trilogy, Lightbender (and the reader) might get more up-close and personal with the enemy in subsequent books.
Disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) from the author, with no obligation or promise of published review.
If you found this review of Safe Passage interesting, you might like to read my review of Nightjar.
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You’ll find my latest Sean Joye short story in the St. Louis Writers Guild’s latest members anthology. Love Letters to St. Louis contains my first science fiction story, “Welcome to Earthport Prime: A Self-Guided Tour.”This adorable letter-shaped volume of short stories, poems, essays, and illustrations. Profits benefit the guild’s young writers’ program.