Uprooted

Del Rey

Uprooted
Naomi Novik
2015

The Summary
"Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river.  But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

"Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its power at bay.  But he demands a terrible price for his help:  one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

"The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid.  She knows - everyone knows - that the Dragon will take Kasia:  beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn't, and her dearest friend in the world.  And there is no way to save her.

"But Agnieszka fears the wrong things.  For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose."

The Good
Uprooted is a truly intriguing piece of fantasy.  It has all the elements of traditional fantasy - a menagerie of magical creatures, a malevolent forest, a grumpy wizard - but it feels different from the usual books I pick up.  Sure, I can see where Tolkien, among others, might play a part in Novik's novel, and I can pinpoint familiar myths that have influenced many fantasy writers; however, Naomi Novik pulls from unexpected resources, dipping into multiple mythological pools.  Most notably, she incorporates pieces from Slavic folklore, even engaging Baba Yaga in her work.

For this reason, Novik's novel has a different flavor to it than most fantasy I've read.  It's a complex amalgamation of political and social intrigue, magic, myth and folklore, and, most importantly for young Agnieszka, coming-of-age, but Novik manages to keep it fresh and interesting.  I'm unfamiliar with much of the background, with the intricate history and folklore of Agnieszka's native Polnya, so I found it particularly invigorating.

I also liked Agnieszka.  She's clumsy and inexperienced, but she's very intelligent and she's incredibly candid about her experiences.  As she shares her fears, her hopes and dreams and desires, you have the opportunity to see her character in many different ways and through many different experiences that will change her, mold her and make her into a new person.  She's a fantastic narrator.

I was especially taken with her descriptions of magic.  Agnieszka, who spent her entire childhood and much of her adolescence in the great outdoors, climbing trees and running through the woods in bare feet, has an earthy quality to her character that reflects in her descriptions of the world and, most importantly, magic.  She engages tactile sensations, like digging your fingers into fresh dirt, and offers descriptions that often evokes images of soil, summer, and green, growing things - new life.

I loved the way Agnieszka saw the world.

Additionally, I was pleased with Novik's character development.  Although the Dragon - Sarkan - remained fairly unchanged (he was very stalwart in his refusal to bend), I liked how Agnieszka developed.  She goes from a shy, fearful young woman to a powerful, self-reliant young witch.  I enjoyed seeing her mature, develop and grow as a person and as a magical practitioner.

The Bad
Uprooted felt almost too long.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't mind a lengthy story, but Novik's novel just seemed to keep going.  So many secrets unfolded, so many bad things kept happening, so many narrow escapes occurred that it bordered on ridiculous.

I can't tell you how many times Agnieszka escaped an immediate and painful death, even down to the last 50 pages.  As another reviewer pointed out in his article, "It's just that one can't help but be reminded that Novik's Temeraire series will conclude next year as a nine-novel cycle and wonder why a writer so skilled at pacing a long, complicated chronicle over multiple books has crammed this story into one."

This rings true through much of the book.  The last few chapters feel especially rushed, having too much adventure and too many discoveries jammed into a little portion.  Uprooted really does need to be cut into separate novels, preferably a trilogy.

The Ugly
Blood and gore.

Honestly, I didn't expect this novel to be as horrifyingly gory as it was.  Perhaps, because Agnieszka was unused to such violence, we (as readers) see the tragic events as she does - with new eyes and a burgeoning sense of a horror.

Like Agnieszka, we are scarred by terrible things we witness.

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For more of the article I quoted, check out Mac Roger's article on Slate.com:  http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/06/naomi_novik_s_fantasy_novel_uprooted_reviewed.html