Weight of Stone by Laura Anne Gilman
(Book Two of The Vineart War), Gallery, $24.99, 384pp, hc, 9781439101452. Fantasy. On-sale date: October 2010.
In Flesh and Fire (see this review), Laura Anne Gilman introduced a new form of magic, based on wine. Her magicians, Vinearts, are completely wedded to their art: they are raised as slaves in the vineyards, grow to learn the taste, smell, and feel of not only the grapes, but the dirt in which they grow, the vines upon which they grow, the vats in which they are distilled, and on and on.
In the first book, we followed Jerzy as he was plucked from slavery at the House of Malech. Vineart Malech saw in Jerzy the makings of his successor and heir, and trained Jerzy in the ways of magic. Something dark, mysterious, and dangerous was threatening the Lands Vin, and Malech decided to break with tradition and send Jerzy to learn with another Vineart. As the book ended, the dark forces were moving, Jerzy was forced to flee, and the first steps of a quest were on.
Weight of Stone picks up right where we left off in Flesh and Fire. Jerzy is on a boat with Ao, the apprentice trader, and Mahault, daughter of a lord-maiar who wants to be a Solitaire (a female mercenary soldier). Jerzy is looking for the source of the “taint”, that dark magic which has created deadly sea serpents, twisted good men’s minds, and killed vinearts in their homes.
Unfortunately, Jerzy is only a year out of slavery, and still very unsure of himself. He has, and does, use magic easily and powerfully (or so it seems to everyone else), and is thus the obvious leader of this expedition. Obvious, that is, to everyone but himself. Nevertheless, he has a touchstone: Master Malech’s belief in his abilities. And so they voyage.
They wander about, slowly, gathering clues to the source of the taint, and in the process, pick up a fourth member of their team: Kainam, heir to the throne of another principality who has left home to find the magic that has twisted his father’s mind.
The Sin Washers (priests) are the third power in this world (alongside the magic-making vinearts and those who wield political power). And the Sin Washers have decreed Jerzy apostate for working in another vineart’s fields. To prove his innocence, Malech calls Jerzy home, just as the quest is getting moving. But Jerzy is nothing if not loyal to his master, and home he comes. His friends vow to continue the quest, but Jerzy must be seen to return—and stay at—the House of Malech. He returns to his vines, and to the proper monastic nature of a vineart.
But the peace of mind Jerzy hopes to find at the end of his wanderings is not easy to come by. And the evil he sought now seeks him out, even at home. So Jerzy must once again return to the road (well, the high seas). And on goes the quest.
At every turn, Jerzy is called on to do more, to be stronger, than he thinks he is or can be. And every time, Jerzy comes through. That’s one of the slow parts of the novel: Everyone around him, and even the reader, is fully cognizant of Jerzy’s burgeoning power and ability… everyone but Jerzy. And he agonizes over his growing strength at every opportunity.
The chief flaw to Weight of Stones is that it’s the middle book of a trilogy. Just as our adventurers alight on what may be a major clue, and it appears the action is truly about to be joined… the book ends. But don’t let that throw you: Gilman’s world is interesting and gripping. Things move a little slowly, but you’ll still want to keep turning the pages, and with me, you’ll be waiting for the next book.