I was all set to take a summer vacation from blogging when I came across this gem by Andrew Knighton. Ashes of the Ancestors is a slim novella that manages to immerse the reader in a vaguely European medieval fantasy world in an original way and pose telling questions about power, friendship and love.
We see this world entirely through the eyes of a humble priest named Magdalisa, sole living occupant of the Eternal Abbey. This is the resting place of the Empress Chryssania and the select group of lords who helped conquer and sustain the Talaian Empire. While their bones rest in tombs beneath the abbey, their spirits materialize in clouds of ash that cling to their human form. They appear in full armor, with their swords and daggers, though it’s all ash, and issue commands as they see fit to their single living subject.
Magdalisa wears a bracelet of bones from her family, symbol of the grief and loss which binds her to the abbey and which the spirits shake when they summon her. But she is not bitter about her circumstances.
The bones of my family had been worn smooth from resting against my wrist, but in other ways they were unchanged after fifteen years, weighed down with all I had lost. Grief anchored me in who I had been and who I was now. Without those bones, I would not have been in the Eternal Abbey. Without my loss, I would have been just one more stonemason’s daughter, set to follow in her father’s path.
Ashes of the Ancestors, Kindle edition, Location 22
Often Chryssania sits in her throne behind the high altar, and her court, all dead for many centuries, flank her as she offers advice to visiting nobles or presides over the funeral services of those who have been brought in solemn corteges to join them. Magdalisa preserves all the ritual details in her memory and must perform them flawlessly when called upon, as well as attend to all the caretaking needs that keep the sanctuary supplied with fuel, food and treasure. As the daughter of a stone mason, whose family lived until their deaths in the desolate village outside the sanctuary gates, she also maintains the tombs, chiseling inscriptions when necessary.
Into this strange smokey, ashen world, which is perched on a cliff high above the surrounding desolate plane, come a few other living people who want to change everything. First to arrive is Adrana, herself a servant dressed in priestly robes, as part of the funeral procession of Eras, the latest bloody warlord and conqueror, who is to be entombed at the abbey. An argument breaks out among the spirits about the appropriateness of interring Eras. Chryssania believes the violence Eras showed in defending and extending the empire has earned her a place among the “holies” while Serafios, another lord famous for his own bloody conquests but who now preaches peace and reconciliation, opposes allowing her to join them. Chryssania wins out, as her word cannot be overruled, and Magdalisa and Adrana both follow the ritual. Adrana, however, tries to do something (I won’t say what to avoid spoilers) to change the outcome and Magdalisa has to restrain her. Despite that difficult beginning, Adrana wants to stay at the abbey and thenceforth develops a bond with Magdalisa.
Then, during an annual village festival that Magdalisa always attends, a third person dressed in priestly robes appears. This is Olweth, who declares her wish to join the abbey. It is not long before the three of them become friends as they work closely together. But this world and its routines are interrupted again by the arrival of a living lord, Lorkas, the latest ruthless conqueror in the empire. He comes calling with his extensive retinue, apparently to seek the advice of the spirits. But several hidden agendas soon intersect and shake the Eternal Abbey and Magdalisa’s life forever.
I found the climax of Ashes of the Ancestors to be deeply affecting, as it provokes a felt examination of friendship and love in touching but not at all sentimental ways. This is a splendid novella that unfortunately seems to get relatively little attention. I hope that changes. Andrew Knighton is an excellent writer. There are no wasted words, and the details of this world flow naturally out of the reactions of the characters to their situation. I give this one five stars.
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