The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

The Raven Scholar is a masterful work. One with one, glaring flaw: It takes far too long to set up.

The book opens with an interesting story about Yana Valit. As the daughter of a traitor whose father waged rebellion against the current king, she lives precariously. When it is discovered that she secretly held onto her father's flag it is seen as an additional act of rebellion. The crime seems slight by our standards. But in the Empire of Orrun, it is a very serious crime. Emperor Bersun was about to give Yana a harsh sentence, but spare her exile, knowing that exile would be tantamount to death. But Yana's brother, Ruko, perhaps trying to curry the Emperor's favor, scoffs at the choice. On a lark, the Emperor puts it to Ruko to decide his sister's sentence. Ruko makes the hard choice, sentencing his sister to exile.

But all this is the background.

Enter Neema Kraa. She's an upstart scholar and scribe looking to affiliate herself with one of the eight great lands of Orrin (Raven, Fox, Tiger, Ox, Hound, Bear, Monkey, or Dragon). She has a chance to gain the Emperor's favor by writing up the order of exile issued to Yana Valit. When her best friend and lover, Cain, hears about the crime itself, and how slight the crime was, he objects. But Neema stands by the law as it is written, regardless of how good or bad the outcome. Knowing this will boost her career, she writes up the order. Cain, disgusted, breaks up with her, and leaves for good.

Fast forward to eight years later. Emperor Bersun's reign is coming to its constitutionally-mandated 24-year close. A new Emperor must be chosen via a series of trials, undergone by champions chosen by each of the Great Lands. 

Meanwhile, Neema has chosen Raven, and has risen to the rank of High Scholar, despite her gender and underprivileged background. More than once she's dodged a career-ending bullet. But she remains determined to make the best of it. Her long lost love interest, Cain, has chosen Fox.

Then, the contender for Raven, who happens to also have dirt on Neema, is found killed. She was stabbed in the back by a sacred blade from the Tiger faction -- something which matches a prophecy regarding the doom of Orrin. The Emperor tasks Neema with investigating the murder. And, to make matters worse, he also names her the successor champion for the Trials. Neema is aghast, knowing that this makes her job damned near impossible.

And so, the book becomes both a contest and a murder mystery, all rolled into one. The concept is great, and the writing is superb.

So what's my problem with the set-up?

First, this book is gigantic. 672 pages.

And second? One has to read nearly 25% of that just to get to the hook.

I mean, seriously? That's a lot to get through before the "gotcha" moment!

The mystery continues, but resolves without an Agatha Christie "solution" moment. In fact, the murder seems all but forgotten towards the end of the book. And what's more, the climactic finish ends darkly, abruptly, and inconclusively, as if setting itself up for the inevitable sequel. This may delight some, but I found it jarring.

Andrea Hodgson has been a successful writer for some time, writing many great murder mysteries. She has built up a large fan base. But The Raven Scholar is her first foray into fantasy, which is a genre with a different set of rules. If Hodgson was counting on her loyal readers bearing with her during the long intro, she'll find that fantasy readers have a different tolerance level than mystery readers.

Still, this is a pretty darned good yarn, if a bit long-winded. Once the hook is set, it will utterly transport you.

For some, the juice is worth the squeeze. But for me, I have to classify this one as worthy of being a Hugo finalist, but not a Hugo winner. The too-long intro, and the abrupt ending, are flaws too large for me to overlook. But reading this book is time well spent. A lot of time, perhaps, but a good time.

Eric

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