Beyond the Gap

Harry has an extremely fertile mind and in Beyond the Gap, I can see the beginning of a magnificent saga. He has skillfully created his characters on the base of an Ice Age Fantasy. Mammoths and Musk Ox litter the landscape (or snowscape) as they must have in the Ice Age. I can see the Rulers creating problems for the Raumsdalian Empire and the Bizogots. In the end the good guys should win. Carry on Harry! I love it. I like to keep my rerviews short and to the point. Waffle disinterests me. J

For thousands of years, the great glacier has been the central fact of life for the Raumsdalian Empire and the barbarian Bizogots living in its shadow. But now a Bizogot ruler brings word that the 'gap' no longer simply drives a wedge into the glacier, it has actually divided it in two. A way is now open to the long-forgotten and mythical north. Perhaps, the Raumsdialian emperor guesses, even the great Golden Shrine can be found. He authorizes a small party of Raumsdalians including a mage, a scholar, and a couple of fighters to head north to explore. Soon after they leave, though, they are joined by a group of soldiers and the troublesome woman once wed to Hamnet Thyssen (one of the fighters), is now married to Eyvind Torfinn (the scholar), and is having an affair with the Bizogot ruler who brought the news. Gundrid delights in making trouble and especially in tormenting Hamnet who has never gotten over her betrayal. The journey to the north--into the land of the glacier takes the Raumsdalians a long way from home to a world where wood is virtually unknown, where crops cannot be planted, and where the nomadic life is considered normal. Fortunately for the Empire, the Bizogots have always been divided--and can be bribed to attack one another when they might otherwise threaten the Empire. What they discover beyond the gap, though, changes everything. Because there are people living there--people who style themselves the 'rulers' and who look at the opening in the gap not as an opportunity to seek knowledge, but as a chance to conquer the rich lands of the south. And the Raumsdalian Emperor has absolutely no interest in hearing about a risk to his comfort. Author Harry Turtledove spins a strong tale of magic, character growth, and cold. Turtledove is best known for his alternate history stories and BEYOND THE GAP, while not an alternate history, carries a lot of Turtledove's historical knowledge with the Raumsdalians standing in for the Romans, the Bizogots for the Germans, and the Rulers for the Huns. Turtledove's fantasy stands out from much of what is being written now because it focusses on people and on the conflict between civilizations rather than the angst of particular dark elves or whatever. Not that Turtledove doesn't have his tortured characters--certainly protagonist Hamnet is tortured and equally clearly Gundrid carries demons of her own that she cannot shake. But we get the idea that the deeds of these characters carries more weight than simply their happiness or their acquisition of wealth. Civilizations stand in the balance as well as personal romance--and that's good stuff.

Beyond the Gap (2007) is a Prehistorical Fantasy. The Glacier had been covering the northern plains forever. Only myths tell of a time before this mountain of ice. Legends also speak of a Golden Shrine -- sacred to the gods -- on the other side of the Glacier, but few believe these old tales. The Glacier had been retreating even before the founding of the old Raumsdalian Empire. Over the centuries, a gap in the great Glacier has been extending further north. Now the Jarl of the Bizogot clan nearest to the Glacier comes into the Empire to tell of the Gap opening up to new lands with strange animals and plants. He requests Raumsdalian aid in investigating the new territory. In this novel, the Emperor sends Count Hamnet Thyssen back with Jarl Trasamund to scout these new lands and to hunt for the Golden Shrine. Ulric Skakki is included because of his extensive scouting experience (and his secret trip through the Gap). Earl Eyvind Torfinn also accompanies them to advise on matters related to the Golden Shrine and Audun Gilli-- a trained but drunken wizard -- is persuaded to come along. Unfortunately, Earl Torfinn is currently married to Hamnet's ex-wife. Everything would have worked out fine, but Gudrid convinces the Emperor to send her along with the expedition, together with six expendable guardsmen. Hamnet would have left the group, but the Emperor sends a scroll commanding him to take Gudrid with them. As the only woman in the party, Gudrid has plenty of opportunities to irritate Hamnet. After traveling through Bizogot clan lands for weeks, the party finally reaches Trasamund's land and meets members of the Three Tusk clan. The men are much like Jarl Trasamund and many of the women are pretty, but they all stink. Of course, the Raumsdalian men have been without baths for weeks and are just as odorous, but Gudrid wears her attar of roses. The Three Tusk shaman is a woman, which really surprises Gilli. Liv does not understand the Raumsdalian tongue and Gilli doesn't speak the Bizogot language. Since only a few can speak both languages, Hamnet spends a great deal of time translating for Gilli and Liv. When the party leaves for the Gap, Liv goes along. Although Trasamund tries to get her to remain behind, he really doesn't want to get her mad at him -- only a fool irritates a wizard or shaman -- and Liv wins the argument. Hamnet continues to be the translator of choice, but he sometimes involves Earl Torfinn to translate technical terms. As they are traveling through the Gap, feeling uneasy as the walls begin to close in, Liv joins Hamnet as he stands guard one night. She awakes with the feeling that some magical power has been used nearby. Hamnet advances with her in the direction of this magic and she throws up shadowy figures to the side. Suddenly, lightning bolts flare at these shadows and then another shadow changes to a snow owl and flies away. Shamans and wizards can take on the appearance of an animal, but canno

I'll make this brief. If you are a fan of Harry Turtledove of course you will buy (or borrow) this book. If you've never heard of Turtledove you should try this book. Granted, he is not the most dynamic writer, but he is a craftsman at what he does. What he does is ideas. His sound knowledge of history makes his alternate reality settings seem real. (He is a former history professor, for crying out loud.) He also adapt at molding characters that are totally human, with both good and bad characteristics. His characters, like his settings are believable. Not giving away anything this story is set in an ice-age alternate reality. The protagonists seek to discover what is on the other side of what had been for thousands of years an impenetrable glacier. They find something they never expected. The good news for Turtledove fans is that the ending leaves the way open to at least a sequel.

The Raumsdalian Empire has expanded slightly northward for centuries by occupying the tiny bits of land freed by the retreating great glacier. However, Bizogots' clan chieftain Trasamund comes to the capital Nidaros to report new phenomena. Apparently, for the first time as far as anyone knows, a narrow opening into what has always been a solid unassailable mountain ice has occurred. The city is excited with the news and the opportunity for courageous somewhat crazy risk-takers to explore the other side of the ice that legend insists leads to the Golden Shrine of the gods. Though normally the two cultures clash as one is urban and the other is nomadic, Count Hamnet Thyssen joins Trasamund to lead an expedition to trek through the crack in the ice cap to see what is there. This is a fantastic Bronze Age saga that compares two rival cultures battling for supremacy yet united on the mission to see what is on the other side. The story line is filled with action, but most important insures that the audience feels they are at a time just a couple of millennia since the Ice Age ended. The cast especially the explorers (and not just the intrepid two leaders) is solid as they add to the sense of time and place. Fans of Harry Turtledove will enjoy this opening prehistorical thriller in which the anticipation is to learn what is on the other side. Harriet Klausner