John C. Wright is one of the most exciting writers to appear in the world of science fiction and fantasy in recent years. His first novels, the “Golden Age” trilogy (The Golden Age, The Phoenix Exultant, and The Golden Transcendence) were a stunning tour de force in far-future science fiction, with an enthralling story and enough speculations and ideas to fill dozens of novels. After that came his “War of the Dreaming” fantasy duology, consisting starting with The Last Guardian of Everness and concluding with Mists of Everness. With these books, Wright established himself as master of modern fantasy as well.
In “The War of the Dreaming,” Wright tells the story of Raven Varovich, a Russian immigrant to America whose beloved young wife Wendy is dying. Though his wife faces her fate stoically, Raven is inconsolable until he is approached by a mysterious figure named Koschei. Koschei says he can save Raven’s wife – if someone else in the hospital, someone Raven has never met, dies in her place. All Raven has to do is give his consent, since Koschei cannot act on his own. Desperate, Raven says yes, vowing that Wendy must never know.
Unfortunately, “someone else” turns out to be Galen Waylock, the most recent in an ancient line of guardians dedicated to protecting humanity from the dangers of the Dreaming, the world of gods, spirits, myths, and the collective unconsciousness of humanity. Galen is comatose and trapped outside his own body after an unfortunate run-in with his ancestor Azrael, who founded the Guardians but was imprisoned in the dreaming after trying to betray humanity to its enemies. Thanks to Raven’s Faustian bargain, Azrael is able to take over Galen’s body and return to the waking world.
Free for the first time in centuries, Azrael sets out on his mission- to revive the ancient, demonic city of Acheron from its ages-long sleep and turn its master, Morningstar, loose on the human race. Meanwhile, evil forces are at work among humanity, making things ready for Morningstar’s triumphant return. The heroes- Raven, Wendy, Galen’s estranged father Peter and sorcerer grandfather Lemuel, the now-bodiless Galen himself, and a mysterious figure who became invisible to the waking world when he drew too close to the Dreaming- are drawn into the growing conflict and must find a way to stop the rising of Acheron. The possibility of salvation exists in the form of the ancient forces of good that also reside in the Dreaming, waiting for the Guardian to open the gates of the Dreaming and call them to battle with Morningstar- but while awakening the sleeping forces of good may save the human race, it may also bring its own tyranny, loving and compassionate but with no interest in modern concepts like freedom and the Rights of Man.
Wright tells his story brilliantly, his writing wonderfully evoking the idea of gods, ancient myths, and the world of dreams and imagination. His characters are fantastic- brave, loving, guilt-wracked Raven Varovich; the childlike yet strangely wise Wendy; Peter Waylock, a disabled old soldier who rejected his heritage as a guardian of the Dreaming but finds himself drawn into battle to save his son Galen; Pendrake, a mysterious man of great achievements who was erased from human memory; and Azrael, an ancient and sinister figure who was once the foremost defender of the human race. The story takes the reader from our familiar modern world to the wondrous depths of the Dreaming to the horrific city of Acheron.
Wright also does a wonderful job of portraying the intersection of mythical powers and beings with the mundane world and its inhabitants. His heroes perform feats that would seem over-the-top in most works, but seem perfectly reasonable and natural in the universe Wright creates. Wright manages to create a world where it makes perfect sense for the archangel Uriel, a monster from Russian folklore wielding a sword powered by pity, magical powers hidden in the symbols on American dollar bills, Norse giants, a wealthy libertarian industrialist turned pistol-wielding pulp fiction avenger, various Greek and Norse gods, a battle between the U.S. Pacific fleet and a demonic horde, a paraplegic veteran with Thor’s hammer, shapeshifting Celtic monsters who wear human skin subverting the government of the United States with the aid of rogue members of the military, and a Cthulhu-meets-Satan embodiment of evil living in a city of iron under the Pacific Ocean to be in the same story together.
Wright uses the idea of a world based on human mythology and symbolism in many interesting ways. Swords are more effective against supernatural beings than guns because their greater antiquity and symbolic use in human cultures gives them more power over the world of the mythic. The aforementioned wealthy libertarian industrialist turned pistol-wielding pulp avenger draws superhuman power from the fact that he consciously embodies human stories and ideals of justice and heroism. Modern mythic images have power, too; symbols like the American bald eagle and the Masonic images on U.S. currency have their own place and power in the Dreaming. Wright uses this latter idea well, and incorporates it into his theme of ancient myth running up against modern ideals of liberty, equality, and reason.
If you like fantasy and want something that is radically different from the usual conventions, and yet no less fantastic and wondrous, or if you like stories based on legend and mythology, or if you just want a very exciting and imaginative story to enjoy, I can’t recommend The Last Guardian of Everness and Mists of Everness enough. They firmly establish John C. Wright as a fantasist of the first rank.
Questions and comments may be sent to John.Markley@CrucialPop.com
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