Initially, I thought a series titled Warrior Nun had to be a spoof, but I quickly found out my error with an action-packed, high drama opening. I’ll confess, too, that I was a tad doubtful even so, but overall I ended enjoying the first season of the Netflix series, Warrior Nun, which is set in Spain (with use of some spectacular landscapes and built-heritage settings.)

Here’s the premise: Ava, a recently deceased, tetraplegic orphan has a supernatural halo thrust into her body during a firefight between mercenaries and a secret order of demon-fighting, warrior nuns. The halo not only resurrects Ava but restores her to full health. Subsequently, she learns that the halo not only gives the bearer superpowers but denotes the military leader of the warrior nun order. Ava, however, in the best epic hero tradition, is by no means sure she wants to embrace the destiny the halo implies and become a demon-fighting nun, warrior or not. As the story progresses, she — and the viewer — learn there’s a tech company (ArqTech) bent on constructing a portal into alternate dimensions and competing for the same magic metal that powers the halo and the warrior nun’s weapons, chiefly the “cruciform sword.”

The first season (so far there’s only one season) charts Ava’s initial delight in her newfound health, through growing awareness of the dangers the halo presents, and gradual drawing-in to the business of both the warrior nuns, i.e. the Order of the Cruciform Sword, and ArqTech.

So far, you may think, so traditional superhero/epic hero fare — which it is! As you may know, especially if you’ve read my Having Fun With Epic Fantasy Tropes post series, there are a lot of epic traditions to draw upon and Warrior Nun does not stint itself in this respect. But as I also mentioned in the Having Fun series, the tropes are “part of what I love” about epic and fantasy, so although I may have done a little finger-tapping over Ava going full-throttle on the whole “refusing the call” arc, overall I was never not going to enjoy a series with its foundations firmly in the epic/superhero tradition.

Secret Order

You may also be wondering how the series dealt with the whole Roman Catholic Church and organised religion aspect implicit to an order of warrior nuns. I began with quite a few questions over that myself and also suspect that the show may not entirely appeal to the ardent among either churchgoers or sceptics. On the one hand, the order, however demon-fighty, are nuns and part of the church. On the other, the church and the order are clearly shown as institutions where politics and power clearly hold sway and engender all the attendant abuses.  Similarly the show touched on the question of corporate power and the abuses attendant on the quest for knowledge and technical advantage in that sphere, similar to a show such as Orphan Black, although it was not as major a part of the Warrior Nun storyline.

Overall, I thought the show trod the line between belief and scepticism reasonably adeptly; most importantly, as a viewer one did not have to “believe” in a religious sense to enjoy the story, although obviously any tale that has superheroes and demon-fighting as its premise requires suspension of disbelief.

Mary & Lilith, out & about

What I found more difficult was the backstory of the first halo bearer, who was famous for fighting “barbarians.” The crusading garb of the first bearer, the appearance of her antagonists, and the history of Spain, suggest a Christians versus Moors conflict, tying it visually to the show’s more supernatural “good versus evil.” Although, arguably, these flashbacks may be part of the “myth” of the halo, I still considered it unfortunate, because the “good” and “evil” of such historical conflicts frequently depend on one’s side in it, and factually reside in the atrocities and tyrannies committed. Arguably, the Moorish civilization was for a long period considerably more advanced than that of Dark and Middle Ages Europe — and while the Crusades had more than their share of atrocities, the later Inquisition was a centuries-long institutionalization of cruelty, terror, and repression.

I believe it would have been better therefore, to ground the mythos of the backstory, as well as the present action of the show, in the realm of the fantastic.

This being said, however, there were still many reasons I enjoyed Warrior Nun overall:

Yep, she *is* a Chosen Hero…

The storyline had depth and all the characters, particularly the “sidekicks” felt well-fleshed out. I liked Ava, the central character, and thought she comprised a nice mix of teen coming-of-age, especially restored to life-and-health coming-of-age, and reluctance to accept the halo-bearing and demon-slaying calling, especially coupled with becoming a nun.

I really liked several of the supporting characters, such as (Shotgun) Mary who was a central character in her own right rather than just a “sidekick”, as was Beatrice, another of the warrior Sisters. And one of the outstanding strengths of the show for me was the bonds of friendship and “band of sisters” loyalty between the women characters.

Also, the “band of sisters” were totally kickass and the action sequences were really good. And yes, I believe the show well and truly passed the Bechtel test.

There are definite badass moments…

I do have some quibbles, such as nuns stalking about in broad daylight carrying swords with (apparently) no questions asked, as well Ava acquiring instant youth-culture panache despite having spent most of her life a tetraplegic in a convent-run orphanage. Ostensibly, she watched a lot of TV—except the orphanage was presented as cash-strapped and spartan, so that didn’t really wash in terms of either the panache or the ability to set a broken leg.  I felt a little more care could have overcome these infelicities, but they were still very minor moments in terms of the overall flow of the story.

… plus moments of action cool

Overall, I believe fans of the Buffy and Angel ‘verse, and viewing such as Orphan Black, Constantine, and The Old Guard, with a little Da Vinci Code thrown in, will likely enjoy Warrior Nun as well. And if you’re into kickass women warriors who more than hold their own in the superhero pantheon, along with band-of-sisters’ comradeship-in-arms, then I recommend giving Warrior Nun a go.

The bonds of sisterhood define the show

“Double author trouble” — Mary Victoria ‘n’ me at Natcon 2012

As those of you who visit here regularly may have picked up, Mary Victoria is a longtime friend-in-writing.

So I was pleased to be able to revisit Tymon’s Flight, Book One in Mary’s Chronicles of the Tree series, on August 1. All part of my current post series on the Supernatural Underground, in which I’m shining the spotlight on worldbuilding in Fantasy.

Mary Victoria’s world Tree; art by Frank Victoria

As said in the SU post, I’ve always considered the Tree an outstanding example of Fantasy worldbuilding. So if you haven’t yet discovered it yourself, then you may like to rock on over to Supernatural Underground (by clicking on the link below 😉 ) and find out more:

Year of Worldbuilding in Fantasy #7 — “Tymon’s Flight” by Mary Victoria

I’m also continuing the ‘homegrown’ overlay initiated last month with Tamsyn Muir and Gideon the Ninth, because although Mary has subsequently relocated to the UK, the Chronicles of the Tree series was written and published when she was resident in New Zealand.

All good stuff, huh? I hope you’ll think so at any rate, on reading the SU post. 😉

USA

The About The Characters post series focuses on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series, in large part because:

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ from my Legend Award Finalist's Interview, 2013

Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from both The Gathering Of The Lost and Daughter of Blood — in alphabetical order, of course!

(The quotes, together with the covers, indicate the books in which the character appears.)

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UK/AU/NZ

Kharalthor: Heir and Battlemaster of the House of Blood

“I’m not asking!” Kharalthor’s fist pounded again, and Myr wondered how long the chair would survive such treatment. “The contract’s been signed. Blood’s honor is at stake!”

~ from © Daughter of Blood, The Wall of Night Book Three: Chapter 1 — Lady Mouse

Having posted on my The Young Lions read last week, I realized that I had a few more “terribly important observations” to share, so here we are for “m’thoughts”, Take 2. 🙂

These observations are a little more eclectic, one coming from a writer’s/writing perspective and the other two relating to social observation from an historical perspective. Bearing in mind that The Young Lions was contemporary fiction in its time, being a book about WW2 published in 1949, but current readers will view it through the lens of history.

Uncanny Prescience
In that respect, I noted last week that some of what we observe currently in the US social and political situation is predicted in the book, through a character called Colonel Pavone:

“I am not very interested in the war,” Pavone was saying. … “I am more interested in the peace later…because that issue is still in doubt. … And I am afraid that America will be isolated, hated, backward, we will all be living there like old maids in a lonely house in the woods, locking the doors, looking under the beds, with a fortune in the mattress, not being able to sleep…[thinking]…the murderers are breaking into kill us and take our treasure.”

I couldn’t help finding this somewhat prescient in terms of a number of current issues, not least the response to Covid 19, but also in terms of gun control and immigration—although the latter is certainly not restricted to the US.

Pervasive Sexism
I also noted that: “One of the themes in the book…is that of anti-semitism in US society and in the military.” This is not surprising, given the era and the immediate aftermath of WW2, and it makes for compelling reading.

Yet although it was definitely not a theme of the book, as a 21st century reader I couldn’t help noticing the constant and casual sexism whenever I was reading the point-of-view of Michael, one of the three leading characters. Michael is oldest of the three main characters, although still in his twenties, with a pre-Army career in show business. He is divorced early in the book and has a number of affairs both before and after his marriage. It’s not the affairs, as such, but the constant “internal” disparagement and dismissal of women that leapt out at me as a reader. For example:

“Far off, a single battery spoke into the subsiding sky. Probably, thought Michael, it is one of the women’s batteries, coming, like women, a little late for the raid, but showing their intentions are of the best.” 

Well, I suppose “their intentions are of the best”—but otherwise it’s almost breathtakingly dismissive and condescending, especially considering the significance of women’s contribution, from farms and factories to Bletchley Park, to winning the war. And this example is only one among very many…

The Hollywood version…

Nonetheless, the disparagement and dismissal occurs almost exclusively in Michael’s point-of-view. Noah’s wife, Hope, is portrayed as a strong and intelligent character, and he is devoted to her, so it is perhaps not surprising that the same reflections don’t arise. They also don’t arise in Christian’s interactions with women, although these chiefly comprise his affair with his superior officer’s wife. She is an interesting character, if not a positive one—but as this is true of the majority of those in the book, most of whom are men, I don’t think I can call it sexism.

So as a reader and a writer myself, I am left wondering if Michael’s disparaging and/or condescending animadiversions on women are a reflection of his character, which in turn reflect how a great many men at the time thought—and some or many may still do, as the #MeToo movement has made clear. If you have read the book yourself, or do read it subsequently, you will have to let me know what you think. 🙂

Whatever the case may have been for Irwin Shaw, Michael’s attitudes toward women are not examined, or their effects explored, in the same way as those of antisemitism: both in shaping Noah and in the significance of the concentration camp at the end of the book. In that sense the “everyday sexism” does come across as a reflection of the era, one that we see expressed through Michael because he is the philanderer and “ladies man.” It certainly makes for interest reading, though, 70 plus years later.

The ‘Prologue’ That Doesn’t Fit
As an author, I was struck by the extent to which the first chapter doesn’t “fit” with the rest of the book. It isn’t called a prologue, but it serves as one, for a number of reasons. As posted last week, The Young Lions follows three point-of-view characters: Christian, Noah, and Michael, from 1938 until 1945. The rest of the book is told exclusively through, and from, the points-of-view of these three characters.

The exception is the first chapter. Although we first meet Christian in it, the point-of-view character is Margaret Freemantle, who we later meet again as the woman with whom Michael is having an affair in 1940, immediately before his marriage breaks up. This point-of-view difference struck me as quite unusual.

In addition, both the characters of Christian and that of Margaret seem quite different from when we next meet them: Christian as a newly fledged soldier during the invasion of France, and Margaret as Michael’s lover-de-jour. He seems more introspective and philosophical in the “prologue” chapter than anywhere else in the book, while she seems a great deal more intelligent, insightful, and principled.

Given these differences: of approach, of character, and of overall tone, and the way Chapter One serves as a prologue to the rest of the book, I can’t help wondering if it was a late addition to the text, perhaps included as a result of editorial feedback.

Another reason for my speculation is because the remainder of The Young Lions is grounded within the characters and follows their internal alteration, if not outright erosion, through the course of a war that is chaotic, confusing, corrosive, and anything but simple. By contrast, Chapter One is told from the outside looking in: by Margaret, the American, looking at Austria. The colours may be vivid, but the “picture” is almost crude by comparison, and two dimensional, i.e. the picture postcard beauty of Austria at Christmas time, with the darkness of the Nazi regime lurking beneath.

While this may be absolutely true of the times, it’s the crudeness that sits awkwardly with the rest of the book. Hence my speculation that perhaps a 1948 or 1949 editor felt that the reading public would need the “moral” to be clearly drawn early on to accept the book—because in my view, as discussed last week, The Young Lions is a book that addresses the reality of war, in which morality plays very little part. Although, as also noted last week, there are “moral compasses” within the book.

I may be quite wrong, of course, and after 70 years will probably never know, but for whatever reason, Chapter One acts as a prologue that—to my author’s as well as my reader’s eye and “ear”—does not align with the rest of the book.

Open for some serious writing business…

Today I ticked off another plot milestone for WALL#4 and the series, one that has been causing me quite a few headaches as I’ve jigged and rejigged the current section, endeavouring to get the denouement to “work.”

With anything that’s important to the resolution of the book and/or series, I have to get it right, otherwise everything associated with it, especially the storyline going forward, tends not to work. Absolutely no pressure, you understand!

Sometimes, feeding the hordes can be fun — & delicious 😉

It is a good feeling, though, when it all comes together—At Last! I’d like to say that a metaphorical, if not actual, Snoopy dance ensues at such moments, but more often than not I have to rush off to the next task in the Life Authorial, whether it’s banging out a blog post or throwing a few ingredients in the pot to feed the hungry hordes.

And tomorrow one must leap up, refreshed or otherwise, and embark on the next chapter. (If you’re thinking, “Just like any other job”, then you are quite right, imho.) Although when the next chapter involves a switch in point-of-view and narrative focus, I sometimes find myself reluctant to get going, because it’s so much more comfortable to bask a little longer in the completed milestone glow. Especially when the switch may also lead to plot-and-character wrangling headaches: you just never know…

In this case, I believe I’ll be OK because I already have some lead-in ideas jotted down, and a potential scene already rough-drafted in a moment of inspiration a few weeks back. So fingers crossed!

Essential for jotting down ideas…

In thinking about all this, though, I realized that one of the distinctive aspects of the writing life is that although there are ups and downs and milestones, so much of the “within book” achievement happens without fanfare and is largely invisible to anyone but the writer. I tend to think that’s as it should be, i.e. what the world wants, and should get, is the finished product, since that delivers the “reading experience.” But it’s always worth remembering that, as with any longterm project, there will have been a lot of lesser milestones en route to the big one, which is, of course, “The End.”

I also realized that this current section has several major series milestone/resolves in it, which like today’s have either been part of the story arc from the outset or from reasonably early on in WALL 1 or 2. So that’s part of the satisfaction in concluding a piece like today’s as well. 🙂

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Previous Inside The Writing Life Posts:

• A Little About The Writing Itself
• About Those Muses, Then…
• Naturally Self-Isolating
• Writing Novels, Posting Blogs

The Young Lions (1949) by Irwin Shaw is one of those books that I’ve “known about” for a very long time, but never quite gotten around to reading. So when a tattered paperback copy (“slightly abridged” according to the legend) arrived in the house a few weeks back, I decided it was time to take the plunge, particularly as The Young Lions is regarded as one of the defining novels dealing with World War 2.

The story follows three soldiers from immediately before the war to its end. Christian, formerly a ski instructor, is a sergeant in the German army, although he’s actually Austrian. Michael and Noah are American, the former older (but still in his twenties) and working in show business at the beginning of the war; the latter, the son of an immigrant Russian Jew, is employed in New York as a “playground director.”

Although predominantly about the war, the early sections of the book establish Michael and Noah in the wider context of their civilian lives: Noah newly married to Hope, who is expecting their first child when he’s conscripted; Michael divorced from a Hollywood starlet and with a succession of girlfriends. One of these, Margaret, has met Christian in Austria in 1938—this is by way of a ‘prologue’ to the rest of the book although it’s not presented in those terms.

Overall, I found The Young Lions a worthwhile read, although initially I struggled to get into it. I think this may be because none of the three main characters is particularly likeable. Noah is the most appealing of the three, but so diffident and un-get-at-able that he’s difficult to like as a character. There is, of course, reason for this. One of the themes in the book, with respect to Noah, is that of anti-semitism in US society and in the military, and how that plays a major part in shaping his experience and character, particularly early on in the war.

Having said that, the friendships that Noah does make are exceptional—and coming to understand that, among much else, is what the journey of the book is really all about, to my mind. It’s not about liking the characters, and certainly not about cheering them on, or cheering for them. It’s about understanding Christian, Michael, and Noah, and the way the war shapes and erodes them—and also those about them, more often than not for the worse. In this sense, The Young Lions is not a “read” or simply a “story”, but an experience—and with too much in it for a blog post to cover, except for some very ‘big ticket’ items.

I’ve heard it said that a title should ‘frame’ a book and act in some way as a key to its contents. If so, then in this case the ‘key’ is either deliberately misleading or profoundly ironic. To me a title like “The Young Lions” points to the idea of soldiers as heroes, or at least as valiant warriors, and war as an heroic business. This is the exact opposite of the book. None of the three main characters are heroic, although Noah probably comes closest, displaying presence of mind, resilience, and resourcefulness under fire. But he, like the others, is shaped by war’s juggernauts of brutality and violence, and the veteran soldier’s priority of survival. And the war is far from an heroic enterprise.

The Young Lions is a war novel in the tradition of The Red Badge of Courage, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and Catch 22. Rather than heroism and daring, chivalry and honor, it is about savagery and survival and betrayal, rations and constipation, banality, confusion, and anarchy. Amid all of this, there are instances of military resolve, among which Christian’s rearguard destruction of a bridge in Italy, and Noah’s D-Day conduct (for which he is awarded a silver star) stand out. Christian’s original commanding officer, Lieutenant Hardenburg, also exemplifies a relentless personal and military courage. Michael may be also said to find his own courage, albeit in a confused and desperate way, in the final confrontation of the book.

The film poster…

I believe, though, that there is at least one “hero” in the book, although not in any Marvel movie sense of the concept. Lieutenant—later, Captain—Green is a quiet, unassuming, and underrated man, who quietly does his competent best under fire and sometimes in extraordinary circumstances. In terms of the structure of the book, he is the counterweight to Lieutenant Hardenburg, who dominates much of the earlier action. Tellingly, Hardenburg ends committing suicide, while Green deals with ensuring his men survive, and restoring order and the values of life and decency when dealing with a liberated concentration camp at the end of the war.

The importance of this is encapsulated by Noah’s statement in the final passages of the novel, that: “When the war is over…Green is going to run the world…The human beings are going to be running the world! … There’s a lot of Captain Greens! He’s not extraordinary!”

“He’s not extraordinary” is of course the ‘key’ phrase for Captain Green, when in fact the rest of the book suggests that he may, in fact, be exactly that…I also felt a sadness in reading Noah’s statement of faith, i.e. that human beings would be running the world, with so much of what we’ve seen in recent years suggesting a winding back of that conviction. Including in the United States—although that, too, is predicted in the book, through the viewpoint of a Colonel Pavone.

I think, though, that one of the touchstones moments of the book, comes in an exchange between Captain Green and Michael, on the latter rejoining his unit late in the war.

Green peered sharply at him. “What kind of soldier have you turned out to be, Whitacre?” he asked.

Michael thought for a moment. “Miserable, Sir,” he said.

Green smiled palely … “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.

That “Miserable, Sir” encapsulated the banality, confusion, and topsy-turviness of so much of The Young Lions, but also the tenacity of endurance and survival. I also believe it speaks to the way Michael has stayed grounded, and like Green himself, retained his humanity, compassion, and sense of perspective.

Although The Young Lions took me some time to get into, I found it interesting and insightful throughout, and ended with a sense of appreciation and reading satisfaction. I would recommend it to anyone interested in “big books” that deal with the the complexity of war and its effects on human beings, as well as in an ordinary soldier’s and “every man’s” experience of World War 2.

The Wall of Night Series map; artist Peter Fitzpatrick

The About The Characters post series focuses on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series, in large part because:

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ from my Legend Award Finalist's Interview, 2013

Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from both The Gathering Of The Lost and Daughter of Blood — in alphabetical order, of course!

(The quotes, together with the covers, indicate the books in which the character appears.)

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UK/AU/NZ

USA

Keron: a House of Night honor guard, in Garan’s eight-unit

“There are Morning priests with the Stoners,” Keron said. He was another new recruit to the guard, but he had keen eyes. “I count six, maybe seven in House of Morning colors.”

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost, The Wall of Night Book Two: Chapter 28 — Border Crossing
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UK/AU/NZ

USA

Garan groaned inwardly as he turned and saw Dalay and Sri in the doorway, with an apologetic Keron—who was supposed to have been watching the approach to their quarters—beside them. You could at least have coughed, too, Garan thought, his eyes meeting the young guard’s—but then decided he was being unfair. Keron couldn’t have anticipated that his eight-leader was going to give in to stupidity at just the wrong moment.

~ from © Daughter of Blood, The Wall of Night Book Three: Chapter 13 — Watch and Ward

The Fantasy Hive is a collaborative UK-based site that describes itself as “a hub for all things fantasy. Book reviews, games, author interviews, features, serial fiction.”

‘Fantasy, together’ is their motto, and they aim to “unify fans of speculative fiction through shared enthusiasm and appreciation of the genre.”

So I was very pleased to be interviewed as part of The Fantasy Hive’s current Women In SFF Author Spotlight feature — and enjoyed answering their questions. 🙂

So if you’re feeling like a little bit of author interview goodness, just click on:

Women In SFF Author Spotlight — Helen Lowe

It’s  a month-long feature so that means there are lots of other authors being interviewed, too. Here are some of the names I’ve spotted, but there may well be more:

Juliet McKenna

Anna Stephens

Rowenna Miller

Fonda Lee

Alix E Harrow

Andrea Stewart

‘Talking to’ the writing life in times past.

This weekend, I’ll be talking to the (Christchurch) Children’s Literature Hub, a subgroup of the NZ Society of Authors and a support network for those who want to create, edit and market books for children through to YA readers.

I’ll be talking to the Hub from “inside the writing life”, chiefly about my journey as a writer and adding in any tips and wisdom I may’ve managed to glean along the way. 😉

I have chosen not to take on speaking engagements, workshops et al over these past few years, chiefly because although the contact time may be low, the amount of time required for preparation is usually really high and eats up significant chunks of actual writing time.

I suspect Saturday will be a little smaller… 🙂

But every now and then it feels important to support fellow writers and the community by fronting up, and even more so (I’m currently feeling) when we’ve been through an experience like the Covid-19 lockdown and are all looking to reconnect.

It’ll be fun to meet up with fellow writers again. And also to revisit those heady days when Thornspell and The Heir of Night were both making their bow to the world—before the Canterbury earthquakes rolled their juggernaut over Christchurch and the decade of “aftermath.”

Only to be succeeded by Covid-19, which is cutting a far wider swathe…

All good reasons (she types, shaking off introspection) to seize the day and talk the good talk of writing and books — entirely in keeping with the banner message below. 🙂

A little but wonderful every day, indeed!

Last week, I celebrated NZ author Tamsyn Muir’s Locus Award 2020 for First Novel, received for her debut book, Gideon The Ninth.

In the comments, Liz was kind enough to cite my own Morningstar Award with approval and asked if many other NZ writers had won similar international awards for speculative fiction.

I promised to put on my thinking cap and do a bit of google-fu, then answer this week.

While I can’t speak for “all time” on this topic, these are the other NZ speculative authors that I’m aware of, who have received international awards in the past decade.

Duly noting that I don’t keep close tabs, so if I’ve missed an author and book, please forgive the omission. Also, if you ping me with a comment I shall correct ‘interfrastically.’

2010: The Bridge by Jane Higgins — The Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing
.

2012: The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe* — the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best First Novel
.

2016: The Chimes by Anna Smaill — World Fantasy Award for Best Novel
.

2017: Silver Silence by Nalini Singh — Romantic Times (RT) Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award winner (Paranormal World Building category);

In the same year, Nalini Singh also received the RT Career Achievement Award for Paranormal fiction—and she’s had more NY Times Bestseller spots than you can shake a stick at. #JustSayin’

I think this is pretty good testament to the strength of NZ speculative fiction writing!

Especially as for every win there are comparable shortlistings, both for the same authors and others in the field, such as Lee Murray, a three-time finalist for the Bram Stoker Award.

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* Yep, I know that's me, but I'm trying to do a "proper" list! :-)