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Cartomancy by Mary Gentle check out website: www.orionbooks.co.uk
In Roman times, the priests would examine the entrails of a sacrificial animal to discover portents while the common man looked for omens to decide if an action was appropriate. More recently the fall of cards or rune stones have been examined to discover possible futures. Elaborate calculations based on the movements of the stars still keep astrologers busy.
Who can honestly say they have never peeked at their horoscope in a newspaper or magazine? 'Cartomancy' is divination using maps. The idea of cartomancy is used as a framing device for this collection of stories published between 1983 and 2004. The title story, originally published as a whole in 1991, is split into two with an introduction to the magical map that has been painted on the walls of a room in the Citadel of Virtue and a return to it in the final few pages of the volume. It is viewed by Elthyriel, the Knight-Patriarch of the Order of Virtue, and the other stories represent what he sees. Unfortunately, this framing device does not enhance the volume, mainly because of the diversity of the other stories and the fact that there is nothing within them to link back to the idea of cartomancy. The only other reference to divination is in 'The Tarot Dice', a story that contains characters which are precursors for those appearing in Gentle's novel '1610: A Sundial In A Grave'. Nevertheless, all the stories are worth reading on their own merit and each is accompanied by an afterword by the author. A high proportion of the stories involve physical conflict of some kind and many of Gentle's fighters are women. Several have links to her other works. 'The Logistics Of Carthage', for instance, is set in the same alternative history as 'Ash' and is a precursor by a decade or so for the novel. In the story, we meet Yolande, a mercenary who followed her son to war, found that she had a talent with a crossbow and out-lived him. An impasse has ensued because the Abbott refuses to give one of the company a proper burial because she is a woman. The captain has left the corpse in the church until the monks relent. Neither side will give way and the body rapidly begins to decay in the heat of North Africa. 'The Road To Jerusalem' also has its roots in an alternative history. Whereas 'The Logistics Of Carthage' deals with a Europe where the country of Burgundy did not disappear from the maps in the 1477, 'The Road To Jerusalem' takes the idea of the Order of the Knights Templar surviving to the present day. Both stories deal with honour. In the former, it is the conflict between the honour of the monks and the mercenaries that causes the stalemate. In the latter, it is that of Hyacinthe Tadmartin, who despite being giving dispensation for her vows to the Templars, refuses to break them. She is put in an impossible position after being called to give evidence at an enquiry into the deaths of civilians at the hands of friendly fire. 'What God Abandoned' is another story that plays with history. Although Prague was sacked in 1620, it is not known if Rene Descartes was with the army there. The ideas expressed in the story, though, are connected with the ideas explored in greater depth in the 'White Crow' stories and novels based around the premise of Hermetic science. The military theme is continued in 'Orc's Drift' (written with Dean Wayland and the only collaboration here). This story is pure fun. The desert outpost is occupied by orcs and the troops are bored. Then a fairy turns up... 'Anukazi's Daughter' and 'A Shadow Under The Sea' are both set in the same fantasy world. Both feature betrayals and both have strong, female warriors as principal characters. 'A Sun In The Attic' could also be regarded as fantasy but of a much gentler kind, with the emphasis on politics rather than warfare, but like so much of Mary Gentle's work, there is room for doubt. It could be Science Fiction. Here, the situation arises because research into the applications of lenses could lead to revelations best left uncovered. The question is between the greater good of the people and scientific development. 'Kitsune' is set in the present but continues the martial theme with the narrator, Rowena, being a martial arts teacher. There are hunters in 'The Pits Beneath The World' but the story is pure Science Fiction using the theme of a misunderstanding between ours and the alien's cultures to good effect. These and the other stories in this volume are well crafted and are a fair representation of Mary Gentle's work. Most have female lead characters who are slightly out of kilter with the rest of their society and most of these women are willing to actually fight, sometimes with actual swords. They are all strongly motivated. Don't expect softness or sentimentality from this writer. Pauline Morgan
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OTHER REVIEWS - June 2004
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From
time immemorial, people have had a desire to know what the future
holds for them. As a result, many methods of divination have been
devised. 
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