The Burning Land

This is what I call a "hangover" book, because after I read it I spent the next few days thinking about it. I like hangover books. Strauss' has taken her writing to a higher level in this book. Since I consider her previous books to be excellent, I'm saying this is a jewel of a novel. This is a fantasy about religion, demagogues, and power. There are sympathetic and compelling characters. There's a lot of internal and external conflict. Although it is the 1st of two books, it wraps up the main plot so it doesn't have you banging your head till the next book. The religious worldbuilding in this book is extremely well-done. In fact I've not seen better.

Victoria Strauss draws on her academic expertise, (Comparative Religions) to give us a strange, new world filled with warring theocracies, noble protagonists, politically motivated antagonists, and more subplots than you can stir with a stick. In it's base form, this is a story of a quest, trials, spiritual growth and redemption. A Hero's Journey, indeed. The characters are carefully crafted and three dimensional, the world, a shadowy replicant of the best, and worst of our own. As an added treat, the mechanics of magic in Victoria's world is fresh and original. This fact alone makes The Burning Land worth the read. A day's end, the inhabitants of Victoria's world must decide if the weary Gyalo is Savior or Destroyer, herald of a triumpant future or harbringer of doom. A story filled with themes that challenge our intellect, imagery that gripes the imagination, told in manner that stirs the soul.

Gyalo Amdo Samchen, along with a pair of dreamers and a group of soldiers is sent into the burning land to rescue refugees sent into the desert by the now-deposed and atheistic Caryaxists. The burning land is more than a desert, though. It is the place where the god Arata laid down after his great battle against evil--the place where the prophet received his prophecy. Gyalo's mission seems to be a straighforward rescue, but as he travels, he begins to learn of high-level political ploys. Although the Caryaxists were overthrown, all is not well in the world and, increasingly, Gyalo finds himself at the center of a storm. To his shock, there is a large group of refugees living in an oasis in the burning land--including dreamer Axane. Some of them believe that he may be the next messenger (prophet) sent to lead them out to the promised land, but others fear he is a demon sent to destroy them. What he finds shakes his faith and forces him to confront his destiny. Because everything he has ever believed is suddenly turned on its head. Author Victoria Strauss delivers a stunningly powerful fantasy. THE BURNING LAND combines fascinating world-building with epic yet fully nuanced characters, and an exciting plot line. Gyalo's travels through the burning land are mirrored in the growth of his powers and insights, and the increase in his own doubts. Axane has always been a doubter, but her faith in humanity shows a hopeful path for the future--if anyone will dare take it. The somewhat ambiguous ending left me anxious for more--for a resolution to the question of what happened to Arata, and what happened to the new messenger. THE BURNING LAND is the best fantasy I've read in a long time. I highly recommend this one.

When the heretics threw out the rightful King and his followers and dismantled the religious worship of Alta, the government in exile fought to reclaim what was theirs. State and church working together defeated the heretics and the worship of Alta became mandated. Shapers (sorcerers) take vows of celibacy and use a drug that weakens their powers.The Dreamers of Arsace, those people who can visit other places in their dreams, sense a disturbance in the Burning Lands. The church believes apostate shapers are using unfettered magic and mount an expedition to find out who is causing the disturbances. Gyalo, a very religious shaper, leads the expedition. After much hardship the troupe crosses the desert to find the cave city of Refuge, a place where Arsacian exiles fled persecution. Here Gyalo's adventures begin as he questions his beliefs and believes that the god Alta has awakened from his slumber to usher in a new age. Back home he would be declared heretic.There are so few fantasies that convincingly seem like they are on real earth, but world builder phenomenal Victoria Strauss does it so effortlessly, fans will think that Arsace is a magical France after the revolution failed. Gyalo is the key character, who firmly believed in magical tethering until Refuge makes him challenge all he once believed. Knowing he will be condemned and in love with the daughter of the ruler of Refuge , he still tries to do what is right as a new age dawns. Fans of Sterling Lanier will enjoy trekking with Gyalo as he journeys the fantastic realm of THE BURNING LAND.Harriet Klausner

Strauss has a real talent for creating arresting imaginary worlds with fully-realized societal underpinnings: culture, religion, folkways. In Burning Land, one man's orthodoxy is another's blasphemy, and Strauss addresses this in a fresh way that sheds light on an eternal problem. Her prose (especially her talent for visual description) is deep and compelling; it helps the plot draw you into a totally believable fantasy world; and you'll end up caring deeply about the political/religious issues that her characters face with various levels of commitment and expedience. (Not to mention that the plot is meticulously crafted and pretty darn thrilling.)