Identify Books Supposing Monument
| Original Title: | Monument |
| ISBN: | 0441012639 (ISBN13: 9780441012633) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Ian Graham
Paperback | Pages: 454 pages Rating: 3.7 | 328 Users | 31 Reviews
Representaion Concering Books Monument
First published in 2002, so a bit after George R R Martin started his 'Song of Ice and Fire' but before grimdark fantasy became a bandwagon, "Monument" holds a special place in my remembrance as one of the first modern fantasies that made me such a huge fan of the genre. Re-reading it though is a bittersweet experience, as the world created by Ian Graham is as vividly dark and dangerous as I remembered and its protagonist as despicable and irrepressible as an unfolding natural cataclysm, but the plot sort of comes apart at the seams towards the end of the story. It's a case of a very cool setting that deserved, in my opinion, a stronger punchline. Not that the conclusion is a poor one, especially if you like to find a core message in a book. In this case the kernel of the story is how to break the endless cycle of violence where dark deeds give birth to vendettas spawning successive generations and only the most ruthless have a chance of surviving.
Drink had bloated him. Over his belt sagged an ale gut – a flaccid drum of flesh, straining against his tunic. His face was swollen. And never a handsome man, he now resembled a boar. His nose had been broken so frequently in drunken brawls that it had crumpled into a snout. His beard – thick, tangled, lice-thronged – was the dull black of a tusker's pelt. His slightly hunched shoulders, barrel chest, and lumbering movement added to his porcine appearance. Only his eyes looked fully human. Set in watery, bloodshot whites, the green irises were sharp, attentive. They glittered insolently.
We first meet Balas on the lowest rung of the social scale – a homeless drunkard and petty thief, as far from the clean image of the Arthurian knight-hero as you can possibly get. Yet the fate of Druine may rest on his burly shoulders and on his huge beer belly. Not that Balas has any higher ideals to pursue : he is just trying to survive against impossible odds, being chased far and wide over Druine by the all powerful Pilgrim Church theocracy and their armies. The McGuffin or 'monument' from the title is a priceless artifact that Balas steals from a monk trying to save him (a hint of 'Les Miserables' here?).
... a black iron disc, about four inches across. In the centre nestled a blue gemstone, measuring an inch from side to side. Near the disc's edge, four more stones – blood red this time – were inset at the cardinal compass points.
In an intriguing development, the artefact that starts the whole debacle is lost to Balas very early in the proceedings, but not early enough to avoid getting noticed by the Inquisition-like leaders of the Pilgrim Church. And in the world of Druine the Pilgrim Church controls everything with iron fist and burning stake, plus a few other secret tools that Balas is unfortunate enough to discover for himself. Yet Balas, the lowest of the low, has an ace up his ragged sleeve : when you have nothing to lose, you either lay down and die or you start fighting back. Killing is apparently the thing Balas is best at, killing and having absolutely no scruples about fighting dirty, lying and betraying everybody when cornered. He is bad news both to his enemies and to the few people who are trying to help him.
You are a wicked man. Yet you thrive. Many have tried to kill you – yet you have escaped them all. My father, however, died. He was fair-hearted, ... But he died. And it was a painful death. There is no logic to this. No sense. No reason. I can only assume everything is just a cosmic joke. And to be happy, you must choose whether to laugh or weep.
A good part of the novel is explicit gore, with a bodycount higher than a Rambo movie, yet Mr. Graham somehow manages to make the quest about more than mere survival. A key to unlock the mystery of Balas is to spot the difference between the Gospels of the original pilgrims (founders of the current religion) and how their teachings have been twisted in the rise of the political and repressive Church. But I should probably let potential readers discover these answers by themselves, if they are interested in this style of dark fantasy and are not turned off by detailed scenes of carnage.
For my money, I believe this novel deserves more recognition and a wider audience. I may have had some problems with the ending (view spoiler)[ climbing the highest mountains in the land for days and then getting a close glimpse of the ocean from the top is one of them (hide spoiler)] , but for a debut novel "Monument" is truly memorable.
Mention Containing Books Monument
| Title | : | Monument |
| Author | : | Ian Graham |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 454 pages |
| Published | : | February 22nd 2005 by Ace (first published 2002) |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Fiction. Adventure |
Rating Containing Books Monument
Ratings: 3.7 From 328 Users | 31 ReviewsCriticize Containing Books Monument
Grimy, Gritty, Great!!A ripping good adventure yarn.
Herman Hesse flavored sword & sorcery
This book got exciting at page 9, and was suspenseful throughout!
It's a rare occurence when a despicable character can hold your interest throughout an entire story, but such is the case with this tale. Anhaga Ballas is a vagrant, a drunk, a thief and a killer; I did not like him at all. Ballas had been imprisoned by the Pilgrim Church of Druine for killing a man who worked for them. When he sees a fellow prisoner meet a horrific fate, Ballas makes his escape and is therafter pursued by the wardens of the church. His one wish is to flee to the fabled land of
There is something special about a book when the protagonist can repeatedly steal from, threaten, or-and I swear this happens at least three or four times-punch out innocents in order to satisfy his own objectives and still feel worth rooting for. How? The world Anhaga Ballas finds himself in is not that of a young adult or children's fantasy. The world is brutal, dark, and ominous. Even those spaces not explicitly disturbing, places described as being pleasant/rustic, still feel as if they are
This was GREAT book. I picked this one up on a whim and was not disappointed. Basically, the story follows Ballas, a sort of anti-hero. He's rude. He steals. He betrays his friends. And yet, the reader can't help like him for all that.
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