The Shasht War

Books of Arna #2

by Christopher Rowley

Thru Gillo has proven his courage in battle against the invading forces of Man the Cruel. But when he falls into the hands of the enemy and is taken to the distant land of Shast, he will be forced to trust a most unlikely ally -- a human woman....

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Christopher Rowley is a prolific writer of both science fiction and fantasy novels. He was born in 1948 in Lynn, Massachusetts to an American mother and an English father. Educated for the most part at Brentwood School, Essex, England, he became a London-based journalist in the 1970s. In 1977 he moved to New York City and began work on The War For Eternity, his first science fiction novel. He currently lives in upstate New York.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike the first volume, The Shasht War takes place largely in the human lands, the titular Shasht, some 10 months journey by sea from 'the Land' of the Mots. Rowley introduced the Mots and the other 'monkey people' in the first volume, and here, he gives us a glimpse into Shasht society, largely through the eyes of a handful of captured Mots, including our main protagonist Thru Gillo.

Unlike the almost constant action of the first installment, Rowley slows the pace to develop the world here, especially Shasht. Shasht for eons was ruled by petty kingdoms, almost constantly at war with one another. A few centuries ago, all of the human kingdoms fell under the sway of the Shasht. I am not quite sure what (if any) message Rowley is trying to do with this series, but the Men and Mot's society could not be more different. The Mots act as the stewards of the land, leaving over 80% of the world in a state of nature. They carefully control the population and live in relative harmony; little crime of any note, everyone works hard, but they successfully overcome things like droughts and such with aplomb.

Humanity, on the other hand, has a singular religion something akin to a mixture of Aztec and Islam. Strick purdah means the women are basically chattel of their men, and slavery abounds. Further, the 'God who eats' demands regular sacrifices upon the great pyramid in the capital city, where the victim's hearts are cut out. While nominally the Emperor rules, much of the power resides in the priests, the 'red tops', so called as they shave their heads and paint them red. All in all, a serious dystopia, where a handful of rich and powerful keep the masses squarely underfoot. Worse, they have degraded the land, ruthlessly exploiting it for generations until now, famine rules.

So, Thru has been taken captive, along with some other mots and mors, but Thru manages to escape, but where to go? Another 'monkey' captive, one of Thru's squeezes, has been kept by the Emperor. The church really wants some monkey blood shed on the pyramid, but the Emperor refuses to turn over his 'pet' and the other mots are on the run, aided by some disgruntled nobility.

Fun, but overall, pure popcorn fantasy. I do like the juxtaposition between the environmentally conscious 'monkey men' and the rapacious humanity, driven by greed and power. Not very subtle, however! The pacing moves the tale along at a decent clip. 3 monkey stars!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book of Arna by Christopher Rowley. In this one the war between the Peoples of The Land and Man The Cruel rages on. After several defeats at the hands of Mankind the Peoples of The Land have learned to fight and have had several victories of their own. Thru Gillo has proven his strength and courage in battle after battle. He has become one of the Peoples most important leaders in battle. After a disastrous defeat Thru and several other Mots are taken captive by Mankind. They are put on a ship as prisoners and sent to Shasht, the homeland of Man The Cruel. There they are to be sacrificed and made and example of for the religion of Man. They escape and Thru is separated from his friends. Alone in Shasht Thru must seek help from an unlikely ally, Mankind. His escape and return to his homeland is imperative so he can report on what he has seen if The Peoples of The Land are to have any hope of defeating Mankind. This book is a great addition to this series and I recommend it.

[S. A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has a really interesting non-human culture in clash with a very backward human one. It's interesting and handled in an interesting way, though the plot is familiar enough. Lots to say about war here.