Aurealis #60, May 2013

Posted byCyd Athens & John Sulyok
Note: This post was imported from an old content-management system, so please excuse any inconsistencies in formatting.
Special Double Review
“Betrayal” by Marta Salek
“Catspaw” by James Bradley

Reviewed by Cyd Athens

 
Cahan, the protagonist in Marta Salek’s “Betrayal,” is a recently graduated warrior mage who is full—of  himself, of magic, and of eagerness to do his part in the war against an unseen but often mentioned enemy. To Cahan’s chagrin, his commander orders him to immediately commence teaching one very special student. Cahan becomes resentful when he meets his charge, a girl, Kiara. He “could count the number of girls contributing something meaningful to the war effort on the fingers of one hand.” After Kiara reveals her potential, Cahan’s reaction changes. When, after several years of training, the pair realizes how they must use their powers to win the war, they make difficult, if predictable, choices. This tale is for those who like militaristic fantasy with an esoteric ambience.

In “Catspaw” by James Bradley two non-human illusionists, brothers Ashok and Ghataka, reminisce about their shared past during a reunion. Ghataka is particularly interested in discussing a former servant of Ashok’s—Samir, a human who became a magician in his own right, fell in love with a woman, and requested Ashok’s permission to marry. Though the events occurred many years before, Ashok humors his brother, answering questions and filling in details. As Ashok’s tale unfolds, it becomes obvious that things are not as they seem. The narrative here is sparse, giving this dialog-driven story the feeling of talking heads in a white room. By the time this tale reaches its end, astute readers have already figured out what’s going on and what’s going to happen.

 
“Betrayal” by Marta Salek
“Catspaw” by James Bradley
 
Reviewed by John Sulyok
 
“Betrayal” by Marta Salek
 
The realm is at war. Cahan is a warrior mage. He is ready to fight; eager to draw blood. But his superiors are not sending him to fight. They have a very special task for him, a very special mage. He is to teach Kiara, a thirteen-year-old girl who may just have as much potential as Cahan does. And if she has even more, she may just be the weapon they need to defeat their enemies.
 
“Betrayal” is broken into vignettes that follow Cahan and Kiara’s relationship over the years of her tutelage. Those vignettes, however, don’t provide any information on the state of the war—are Cahan and Kiara good, evil, other? We also don’t find anything out about either character to become invested in. They’re bland characters that exist in a cookie-cutter-style prose.
 
“Catspaw” by James Bradley
 
After years apart, Ashok and Ghataka find themselves reunited. They are Rakshasa—cat-men, powerful in magic, and superior to humans—and they have much catching up to do. They trade stories of their youth in the royal palace, and of the humans who were part of their lives—servants and friends alike. Their reminiscences, however, are not without purpose.
 
“Catspaw” is deceptively written. The first half sets the scene by building the world of these cat-men, by placing them in a position of power over humans wherein they not only rule them, but treat them no different than prey. That’s just what they are. The second half is when it really gets interesting. The plot begins to take a very specific route amid what, at first, seems like the meanderings of old friends. That specific route is completely unexpected and is a very satisfying payoff.