19 February, 2002
Gate of Ivrel
C. J. Cherryh
1976
194 pp
In the past, I've tried to read five novels by Cherryh. I liked one a lot(The Paladin), thought one was okay (Angel with a Sword), disliked a third (Russalka), and failed to find the other two sufficiently interesting to read beyond the first hundred pages or so (Cyteen and Downbelow Station). Since the last two are widely lauded as her best books, I decided that Cherryh was not for me. However, I read a review of this book on rec.arts.sf.written which made it sound so interesting that I decided to give Cherryh another try.
The Gates are relics of a dead alien empire. Once, they linked the worlds of the qhal through space and time. Something bad happenned, resulting in a huge disruption in the space-time continuum, destroying qhal civilization. Eventually, humans discovered the Gates, and their potential for destruction, and sent out a team to destroy them all. Morgaine is the last surviving member of that team.
Vanye is the bastard son of a tribal lord on a nameless primitive world. He's been bullied and tormented his entire life by his two elder, legitimate brother, and during one of their conflicts, he killed one of them, and maimed the other. As punishment, he's been exiled and must become an oathbound fighter for any lord who provides him food and shelter. Circumstances conspire so that Morgaine is that person.
The great strength of this book lies in the the characters of Vanye and Morgaine, and the way their relationship develops. Initially, Vanye fears her as a witch out of the darkest legends of his people. Over the course of their journey, he comes to know her as a human being, and eventually falls in love with her.
Another interesting relationship in this book is that between Vanye and his brother Erij. It's far from a good, wholesome filial relationship. It's clear that, on one level, they absolutely hate each other, with good reason. But, by the time they're reunited about halfway through the book, they're the only close family they have left, in a society which values family very highly. Because of this, both brothers are torn between their mutual hatred and a need to believe that brotherhood really means something. This conflict continues until the very end--
(Spoilers!)
when Erij lets Vanye go to follow Morgaine through the Gate, it's partly
because he knows that Vanye loves her, but it's also partly because Vanye
is a legitimate, non-maimed, heir to Erij's lands and a threat to his
power. Most of the central characters in this book display that sort of
duality; Vanye is likeable, but far from flawless, and Morgaine lives up to
her bad reputation. However, they have enough positive, sympathetic
qualities to tip my opinion in their favor.
There are a couple of truly nice characters in this book. They come to bad ends.
One thing I disliked about this book is that the climax of Morgaine's quest happens "off-screen," because it happens while Vanye (the viewpoint character) is separated from her. I suppose Cherryh did it that way because the novel is really Vanye's story, and important things happen to him while Morgaine is accomplishing her mission. Even so, it would have been more satisfying for me as a reader if I'd gotten to see the conclusion of the nominal quest.