By Martha Hubbard
Galler-Smith, Barbara and Langston, Josh. Captives. Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, 2011. ISBN 079 -1-894063-53-1.
On the floor of a forgotten cave, the first light of midsummer awakens Amrec, an ageless man, in what had been his undisturbed place of safety for hundreds of years. To his horror, an unknown woman lies stretched out beside him. She is also beginning to wake. Panicked, he runs away; all she sees of him is a white spot on the back of his head. So begins a fascinating tale of love, betrayal, exile, and recovery.
In the shadows of the Black Mountains of Amorica (now modern-day Brittany) Druid Mallec serves the spiritual needs of several villages inhabited by the Suetoni, a tribe of Celts. For most of his life, he has been tormented by visions of a dark-haired beauty. The desires created by these dreams are so powerful he has never taken a wife, satisfying his emotional needs through caring for his communities, teaching and researching his people’s traditions and history. His home and school for young druids and driads is Eban Enclave. He is also advisor and friend to Chief Gar and his wife Setaine of Gillac.
Far from Amorica, on a ship sailing for the slave markets of Rhodes, Rhonwen, a beautiful, ferociously angry, young woman, vows to remain alive long enough to wreak painful vengeance on those who have betrayed her. The list is long and increasing with every evil turn of events. To the rebel Roman general Sertorius and his lieutenant Perpenna of her Iberian homeland, she has just added the vicious slave-master Scotus. Others will soon join her catalogue of infamy.
From what seems at times like a cast of thousands, the evil Driad Deirdre stands out. Her jealousy of Druid Mallec is so poisonous that she is willing to corrupt her druidic vows and arrange for him to be captured and sold into slavery. Ugly as this act is, it precipitates a chain of events that brings Mallec and Rhonwen – whom we always knew was the beauty of his dreams, by now hideously disfigured – together. How these two find each other, and their adventures afterward, including a fateful meeting with the young Gaius Julius Caesar, form the heart of an engrossing and readable book.
As well as interesting, believable characters, much attention has been paid to historical and geographical accuracy. The entire story is incredibly well-plotted. Each detail, no matter how minor, has its correct place in the unfolding of the events. The story of Caesar’s capture by pirates and his subsequent crucifixion of the offenders, a well-documented event, is used to create a pivotal transition in the book.
I have a small quibble with names. While the Vennetii and Redones mentioned in the book were, in fact, Celtic tribes, I could find no mention of the Suetoni. It’s possible that the authors plucked this name from Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, the author of a massive biography of Roman Emperors, On the Life of the Caesars, commonly known as The Twelve Caesars.
This apart, the way in which the writing celebrates and illuminates the cultures and connectedness of the Celtic communities of Western Gaul, the British Islands, Iberia, and Belgica adds a wealth of valuable detail to the story. I was happy that one of the main settings was Western Gaul as, too often, stories about the Celts focus only on Ireland. Finistère is a part of France that has long fascinated me. Anyone who has travelled through the sparse villages and eerie menhirs of the lands at the end of the earth knows that the spirits and ghosts of those ancient people still walk in the silent fields. It is territory ripe for fantasy writing.
The Mediterranean settings, especially the island of Rhodes, have also been used very effectively. I would love to have seen the Colossus and I enjoyed the way its ruins were put to good use here.
Captives, book two of the Druids Saga, is an engrossing, fast-paced read, which I totally enjoyed and can heartily recommend to anyone interested in Druids, Romans, mystery, and magic. I had not read Druids, the initial book in the series, nor do I think it necessary to do so in order to enjoy Captives. However, I now want to go and get a copy, as I enjoyed the second part of the saga so much.
Addendum: For readers interested in the application of the Bechdel test:
1. Are there two or more female characters with names?
Many more than that.
2. Do they talk to each other?
Occasionally.
3. If they talk to each other, do they talk about something other than a man?
Definitely.
Thus, this saga scores a perfect three on this scale.
Captives can be purchased through Amazon.com.