This is my first review, and I ask everyone who reads it for patience and leniency. Maybe I shouldn't have written it at all. But the book I read is so well written and interesting that I wanted to tell other people about it. There are strange nations with bizarre customs, political intrigue, unusual magic, Chimera warriors who make Frankenstein's monster look like a regular guy, living ships that look like drakkars with horse heads, and a talking cat as one of the main protagonists.
Chimeras of Estmer is an amazing book that seems to be both an epic fantasy in the most traditional style and a completely crazy read with no analogue in world literature. I don't know how to explain it. Reading this book is like suddenly discovering a chubby Pikachu lurking at the royal feet in an old portrait of Elizabeth I.
Like most epic fantasy books, Chimeras of Estmer is set in a very well-constructed world. The geography, the history, even the economy are all very well explained. For example, the book mentions silver coins that have copper added to them by order of the King Ossian, and it's a real medieval version of inflation. Nowadays when governments run out of money they just print it and have inflation, but in the Middle Ages rulers had to add cheaper metals to the silver and gold coins they minted.
It seems that many of the characters in this book are also historically based. For instance, the prototypes for chancellor Gyrodus were probably the all-powerful Enguerrand de Marigny (who built a magnificent gallows in Paris, only to be hanged on it after his downfall) and a medieval Spanish lord whose name I can't remember. But this lord was accused of plotting to use dark magic to kill his king, marry his daughter and become king himself. With such prototypes and a very mysterious past, Gyrodus is a far cry from the traditional evil chancellor trope.
But if I were to list all the historical associations that come to mind, it would take a lot of words. Suffice it to say that this book contains two parodies of Henry VIII, King Ossian of Estmer (in whose service the aforementioned Gyrodus is) and his colleague, King Blandamour IV of Auralond. The prototypes of Lord Siwald, who in a distant province created an army of monstrous chimeras by combining humans, animals and even household utensils with his alchemy, must have been Gilles de Rais and Dr Frankenstein at the same time. And I still can't figure out how many ancient leaders of nomadic tribes the well-informed author used as prototypes for Kemlilin.
In addition, there are several storylines in Chimeras of Estmer. For example, Gyrodus is plotting his intrigues in the capital and once again trying to kill Prince Roderick (unlike his Spanish prototype, Gyrodus tried to kill the prince first and then the king). At the same time, a country girl called Tessa rebels against her foster mother, for whom she has worked like Cinderella, and leaves home. The same day, her cat (called Smokey because of his grey fur) suddenly starts talking and tells Tessa that he is actually a man and a former apprentice of a great mage. His enemy killed his old teacher and turned Smokey into a cat. This robbed him of his human form, his memory and his magical powers. After a certain incident, Smokey's memory has returned, so now he must regain his human form, magical powers and find his enemy to kill him and get back the important thing that belonged to Smokey's teacher.
The problem is that neither Tessa, who left home penniless, nor Smokey (cats don't usually have bank accounts, even in the craziest fantasy books) have any money. So the ever resourceful Smokey suggests that Tessa should travel around Estmer, demonstrating him as a trained cat and putting on funny shows. This should help them both make money and get on the trail of a mysterious murderer.
Meanwhile, King Ossian is sending his heir Roderick on a campaign against Lord Siwald (the villain who's holed up in his castle and is about to take over Estmer and some neighbouring kingdoms with his monstrous army). This is rather unfortunate, as Roderick and some of his friends (including the multi-talented Kemlilin) are beginning to suspect that the same person is behind the attempts on his life. So it's up to his clever sister Tristana to investigate the assassination attempts in the capital. She is assisted by Kemlilin, with whom she communicates via a talking mirror (i.e. the magical version of a smartphone).
So there are several stories in this book, seemingly unconnected at first, but then converging like streams flowing into a mighty river. In this way, Chimeras of Estmer is reminiscent of books by George R.R. Martin and Ted Williams, or the lesser known Gregory Keyes, who use a similar technique to create their stories. The only difference is that Heather Marsh has somehow managed to cram so many characters, plots and adventures into one book. Most writers would have needed at least a trilogy to do the same.
Despite this cramming, the book is very well written. When you read it, you can almost see with your own eyes cities and high castles, blue seas and deep forests, beautiful ladies and ugly chimeras. It's like watching a good movie. The author really paints bright pictures in your brain with her words. Maybe it's because she chooses her words very well to describe what happens in her book. For example, she compares the bright green eyes of the cat-turned-wizard to polished shards of malachite, or calls the tumultuous sea the princess sees through the window "the restless twin of the blue sky".
Moreover, all the characters, whether good or evil, major or minor, have their own personalities and seem to be living people. Gyrodus can even be sympathetic at times. After all, it can be hard for an intelligent man to be in the service of a crowned idiot who is mainly interested in hunting and the tits of court ladies. And when you read about the misfortunes of a kitchen boy who inadvertently witnesses another attempt on the prince's life, you feel sorry for him and start to think that this book is sometimes too realistic.
In short, it is a great book, on the level of George R.R. Martin or Tad Williams or the lesser known Cate Elliott or Gregory Kees. It's like a historical novel set in an imaginary world, with political intrigue, great battles and a little drop of half-forgotten and forbidden magic. You just read it and enjoy the style of writing.
But then suddenly there's a chubby Pikachu peeking out from behind the embroidered skirts of Elizabeth I. In one chapter, for example, King Ossian is consulting with his advisors on how best to launch a military campaign against the rebellious Lord Siwald. This episode is very George R.R. Martin-esque. But then the council ends, and Gyrodus (who was also there) returns to his chambers and begins training his aqua spy. It's a little puddle of water that he's read spells into so that it can crawl and also become sentient and spy on people. Who's going to pay attention to a little wet spot in a military camp in the northern province where it always rains in the summer?
The little puddle starts calling Gyrodus "Daddy" and behaving like an unruly child. At first, you don't pay much attention to this episode. What's the big deal? The warlock chancellor creates a magical tool for his crimes, that's quite normal in a fantasy book. But after a few chapters, the former puddle rebels against its creator, becomes human and even one of the main characters.
Gradually, the level of madness increases. The talking cat Smokey, initially seen as the protagonist's animal companion, eventually pushes Tessa aside and becomes another main character in his own right. Plants and animals turn into people, a beautiful princess becomes a pretty good detective, a barbaric pirate becomes a political and military genius, and Prince Roderick (i.e. Prince Charming of this book) happens to be someone's toy. Literally.
And then it begins to look as if the author has carefully collected all the clichés of classic fantasy, only to turn them inside out. Or maybe just to show the world what a fantasy book can be when a talented writer lets his or her imagination run wild.
However, Chimeras of Estmer is certainly not a comic book or a parody. Sure, some of the characters sometimes get into silly situations, but this novel is too well written and original, and the imaginary world in which the action takes place is too vividly described and well explained, for this book to be considered a parody. The magic system is also very interesting and unusual. Moreover, the funny episodes are constantly interspersed with the scary ones.
This novel is also very serious in some ways. In my opinion, there are two ways to make a fantasy book serious and realistic. The first is to add detailed scenes of sex and violence to make the book seem more "mature". The second is to have a good writing style and include a certain amount of psychology and philosophy in your book to make the reader think. After all, thinking is also quite mature.
In the case of Chimeras of Estmer, the author certainly chose the second way. At times the book seems to turn into a real satire, and the author starts to laugh at people's desire for power at all costs and their inability to use that power properly. For example, in one of the episodes, Smokey makes a rather venomous remark about Gyrodus, saying that he doesn't know any good trades, has never known much about science or magic, but has always been very ambitious and therefore had no choice but to pursue a political career. Some of Kemlilin's comments, such as "the dead don't pay taxes", are also great in their cruel irony, but difficult to understand out of context.
There are also some rather interesting definitions of who can be considered human and who can't. For some characters, due to their somewhat unusual nature, this is indeed a serious problem. The words of some of the characters, such as "You will be free when you stop being afraid" or "You are human when you act human", could even be described as inspirational.
All in all, Chimeras of Estmer is a near-perfect book that has a little bit of everything a good fantasy book should have. There's great adventure, and magic, and humour, and even a bit of philosophy, and the characters are rather unusual and yet like real people.
Perhaps the first few pages can seem a little dull. But from the end of the first chapter, when Smokey suddenly starts talking, the novel becomes much more interesting to read. When he tells Tessa his story at the beginning of the third chapter, the story becomes a real page-turner, and after another chapter, when Kemlilin defeats the mounted knight without even laying a finger on him, you can't put the book down. In fact, I am sorry that it is only a single volume and that there is no sequel.
Chimeras of Estmer is an amazing book that seems to be both an epic fantasy in the most traditional style and a completely crazy read with no analogue in world literature. I don't know how to explain it. Reading this book is like suddenly discovering a chubby Pikachu lurking at the royal feet in an old portrait of Elizabeth I.
Like most epic fantasy books, Chimeras of Estmer is set in a very well-constructed world. The geography, the history, even the economy are all very well explained. For example, the book mentions silver coins that have copper added to them by order of the King Ossian, and it's a real medieval version of inflation. Nowadays when governments run out of money they just print it and have inflation, but in the Middle Ages rulers had to add cheaper metals to the silver and gold coins they minted.
It seems that many of the characters in this book are also historically based. For instance, the prototypes for chancellor Gyrodus were probably the all-powerful Enguerrand de Marigny (who built a magnificent gallows in Paris, only to be hanged on it after his downfall) and a medieval Spanish lord whose name I can't remember. But this lord was accused of plotting to use dark magic to kill his king, marry his daughter and become king himself. With such prototypes and a very mysterious past, Gyrodus is a far cry from the traditional evil chancellor trope.
But if I were to list all the historical associations that come to mind, it would take a lot of words. Suffice it to say that this book contains two parodies of Henry VIII, King Ossian of Estmer (in whose service the aforementioned Gyrodus is) and his colleague, King Blandamour IV of Auralond. The prototypes of Lord Siwald, who in a distant province created an army of monstrous chimeras by combining humans, animals and even household utensils with his alchemy, must have been Gilles de Rais and Dr Frankenstein at the same time. And I still can't figure out how many ancient leaders of nomadic tribes the well-informed author used as prototypes for Kemlilin.
In addition, there are several storylines in Chimeras of Estmer. For example, Gyrodus is plotting his intrigues in the capital and once again trying to kill Prince Roderick (unlike his Spanish prototype, Gyrodus tried to kill the prince first and then the king). At the same time, a country girl called Tessa rebels against her foster mother, for whom she has worked like Cinderella, and leaves home. The same day, her cat (called Smokey because of his grey fur) suddenly starts talking and tells Tessa that he is actually a man and a former apprentice of a great mage. His enemy killed his old teacher and turned Smokey into a cat. This robbed him of his human form, his memory and his magical powers. After a certain incident, Smokey's memory has returned, so now he must regain his human form, magical powers and find his enemy to kill him and get back the important thing that belonged to Smokey's teacher.
The problem is that neither Tessa, who left home penniless, nor Smokey (cats don't usually have bank accounts, even in the craziest fantasy books) have any money. So the ever resourceful Smokey suggests that Tessa should travel around Estmer, demonstrating him as a trained cat and putting on funny shows. This should help them both make money and get on the trail of a mysterious murderer.
Meanwhile, King Ossian is sending his heir Roderick on a campaign against Lord Siwald (the villain who's holed up in his castle and is about to take over Estmer and some neighbouring kingdoms with his monstrous army). This is rather unfortunate, as Roderick and some of his friends (including the multi-talented Kemlilin) are beginning to suspect that the same person is behind the attempts on his life. So it's up to his clever sister Tristana to investigate the assassination attempts in the capital. She is assisted by Kemlilin, with whom she communicates via a talking mirror (i.e. the magical version of a smartphone).
So there are several stories in this book, seemingly unconnected at first, but then converging like streams flowing into a mighty river. In this way, Chimeras of Estmer is reminiscent of books by George R.R. Martin and Ted Williams, or the lesser known Gregory Keyes, who use a similar technique to create their stories. The only difference is that Heather Marsh has somehow managed to cram so many characters, plots and adventures into one book. Most writers would have needed at least a trilogy to do the same.
Despite this cramming, the book is very well written. When you read it, you can almost see with your own eyes cities and high castles, blue seas and deep forests, beautiful ladies and ugly chimeras. It's like watching a good movie. The author really paints bright pictures in your brain with her words. Maybe it's because she chooses her words very well to describe what happens in her book. For example, she compares the bright green eyes of the cat-turned-wizard to polished shards of malachite, or calls the tumultuous sea the princess sees through the window "the restless twin of the blue sky".
Moreover, all the characters, whether good or evil, major or minor, have their own personalities and seem to be living people. Gyrodus can even be sympathetic at times. After all, it can be hard for an intelligent man to be in the service of a crowned idiot who is mainly interested in hunting and the tits of court ladies. And when you read about the misfortunes of a kitchen boy who inadvertently witnesses another attempt on the prince's life, you feel sorry for him and start to think that this book is sometimes too realistic.
In short, it is a great book, on the level of George R.R. Martin or Tad Williams or the lesser known Cate Elliott or Gregory Kees. It's like a historical novel set in an imaginary world, with political intrigue, great battles and a little drop of half-forgotten and forbidden magic. You just read it and enjoy the style of writing.
But then suddenly there's a chubby Pikachu peeking out from behind the embroidered skirts of Elizabeth I. In one chapter, for example, King Ossian is consulting with his advisors on how best to launch a military campaign against the rebellious Lord Siwald. This episode is very George R.R. Martin-esque. But then the council ends, and Gyrodus (who was also there) returns to his chambers and begins training his aqua spy. It's a little puddle of water that he's read spells into so that it can crawl and also become sentient and spy on people. Who's going to pay attention to a little wet spot in a military camp in the northern province where it always rains in the summer?
The little puddle starts calling Gyrodus "Daddy" and behaving like an unruly child. At first, you don't pay much attention to this episode. What's the big deal? The warlock chancellor creates a magical tool for his crimes, that's quite normal in a fantasy book. But after a few chapters, the former puddle rebels against its creator, becomes human and even one of the main characters.
Gradually, the level of madness increases. The talking cat Smokey, initially seen as the protagonist's animal companion, eventually pushes Tessa aside and becomes another main character in his own right. Plants and animals turn into people, a beautiful princess becomes a pretty good detective, a barbaric pirate becomes a political and military genius, and Prince Roderick (i.e. Prince Charming of this book) happens to be someone's toy. Literally.
And then it begins to look as if the author has carefully collected all the clichés of classic fantasy, only to turn them inside out. Or maybe just to show the world what a fantasy book can be when a talented writer lets his or her imagination run wild.
However, Chimeras of Estmer is certainly not a comic book or a parody. Sure, some of the characters sometimes get into silly situations, but this novel is too well written and original, and the imaginary world in which the action takes place is too vividly described and well explained, for this book to be considered a parody. The magic system is also very interesting and unusual. Moreover, the funny episodes are constantly interspersed with the scary ones.
This novel is also very serious in some ways. In my opinion, there are two ways to make a fantasy book serious and realistic. The first is to add detailed scenes of sex and violence to make the book seem more "mature". The second is to have a good writing style and include a certain amount of psychology and philosophy in your book to make the reader think. After all, thinking is also quite mature.
In the case of Chimeras of Estmer, the author certainly chose the second way. At times the book seems to turn into a real satire, and the author starts to laugh at people's desire for power at all costs and their inability to use that power properly. For example, in one of the episodes, Smokey makes a rather venomous remark about Gyrodus, saying that he doesn't know any good trades, has never known much about science or magic, but has always been very ambitious and therefore had no choice but to pursue a political career. Some of Kemlilin's comments, such as "the dead don't pay taxes", are also great in their cruel irony, but difficult to understand out of context.
There are also some rather interesting definitions of who can be considered human and who can't. For some characters, due to their somewhat unusual nature, this is indeed a serious problem. The words of some of the characters, such as "You will be free when you stop being afraid" or "You are human when you act human", could even be described as inspirational.
All in all, Chimeras of Estmer is a near-perfect book that has a little bit of everything a good fantasy book should have. There's great adventure, and magic, and humour, and even a bit of philosophy, and the characters are rather unusual and yet like real people.
Perhaps the first few pages can seem a little dull. But from the end of the first chapter, when Smokey suddenly starts talking, the novel becomes much more interesting to read. When he tells Tessa his story at the beginning of the third chapter, the story becomes a real page-turner, and after another chapter, when Kemlilin defeats the mounted knight without even laying a finger on him, you can't put the book down. In fact, I am sorry that it is only a single volume and that there is no sequel.
