Review - Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Written in Red by Anne Bishop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a novel which benefits from a patient reader who is willing to suspend early judgement. I had my doubts about it for a bit. The story is slow to become detailed enough for my enjoyment. There were times that I felt the internal "rules" of the Others weren't clear enough or followed consistently. For instance, early on we see the Others attack and eat 3 men who trespass, with no chance given for an explanation. Yet they tolerate Asia Crane's meddling with nothing more than snarls till she knowingly breaks a rule, at which point she is only banished. And in they meantime, the human employees come and go with no sense of terror. I feel like any sentient species should have worked up a consistent justice system, even if it is a violent one, in order to prevent complete anarchy from taking over. There must be some rule system that is not well shown.

However, as always, Bishop's characters shone through. While I wasn't a huge fan of the lead character, Meg, the secondary characters really pull you into the alternate world story that the author has built. There are many tales hinted at and left to explore in this world, which could easily surpass her Black Jewels series in complexity, if Bishop will stretch her authorial wings a bit. Sam was a particular favorite of mine, as Bishop uses him to let you get comfortable with the Others and then reminds the reader rather forcefully that he is a Wolf, not a dog. Her representation of two cultures at a crossroads of change was interesting; I was originally a little vexed with what appeared to be inconsistencies until I realized that two cultures starting to reach out to each other would be very hit-or-miss in their understanding.

Definitely recommended for fans of Bishop's previous work, who will find commonalities from earlier series amongst the newer elements of this setting. This would also make an excellent entry novel into alternate-world fantasy for a new fantasy reader, as it is not heavy on alternate vocabulary or magic rules which might be offputting to a novice reader. I am very much looking forward to the sequel, due out in about a year.