In the fantasies that I read, the caravan guards are rarely given more than a fighter’s role. In Kai Ashante Wilson’s Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, the focus is the caravan guards and the two special men among them. The novella succeeds on the relationships between this men. To review Sorcerer of the Wildeeps properly, I have to acknowledge that it is more than just fantasy, though. It’s got a bit of science fiction in it, and those twists that Mr. Wilson puts in the stories add depth to his world. Those elements fit right at home in the world that he created; so, it comes as a surprise to learn that the main character Demane does not. But it’s more than just his sorcery and heritage that set him apart. In this quick but dense novella, Kai Ashante Wilson has created an excellent, character focused fantasy.

TL;DR

Sorcerer of the Wildeeps is a character focused fantasy that explores Demane’s interactions with his fellow caravan guards and his surroundings. I loved Demane and want to see more of his world. Highly recommended.

From the Publisher

Since leaving his homeland, the earthbound demigod Demane has been labeled a sorcerer. With his ancestors’ artifacts in hand, the Sorcerer follows the Captain, a beautiful man with song for a voice and hair that drinks the sunlight.

The two of them are the descendants of the gods who abandoned the Earth for Heaven, and they will need all the gifts those divine ancestors left to them to keep their caravan brothers alive.

The one safe road between the northern oasis and southern kingdom is stalked by a necromantic terror. Demane may have to master his wild powers and trade humanity for godhood if he is to keep his brothers and his beloved captain alive.

Story

Tor.com published Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, and it lives up to the quality that I expect from Tor.com. (See my review of The Ballad of Black Tom.) This is the story of a merchant caravan and the men who guard it traveling from a northern oasis to sell their salt in the South. There is action; there is fighting and magic, but plot isn’t the novella’s focus; characters are. The plot works, but it wasn’t what I enjoyed the most.

The story takes its time traveling from the oasis to the Wildeeps. On the way, we get to know Demane and the brothers; we learn about them, about their world. We come to care for them. Spending time with the caravan guards on their night off lets us into their brotherhood and into their confidences. We see their joking friendships, their personality differences, and their respect for the sorcerer. I appreciated Mr. Wilson’s ability to make the guards individual characters, and his ability to make me care about them in such short order. Demane, the main character, carries Sorcerer of the Wildeeps.

When the action gets started, it happens fast and is furious. I wasn’t quite ready when the ending came, especially after the slow pace of the beginning of the story. It worked, though. After the last word, I continued to think about the story, which is the mark of a good story in my opinion.

Character

I found Demane compelling from start to finish. He hides himself in many ways, and the tricks that he uses to hide his true self make sense when we see the tricks he uses to hide his sorcery. During the story, I want him to just declare his love freely, but this hidden love, like his hidden self, provide an undercurrent of tension. Like our world, Demane’s society looks down on LGBT relationships, and like in our world, biology doesn’t care about society’s acceptance. His voice was the correct one to use for this story because he’s as much an outsider as we are. Whether through heritage or orientation, Demane is set apart from his fellow guards. His comments on the brothers, the Captain, the world, everything show the compassion that he feels deep down. Demane loves these men as brothers, and it shows through the writing. While I didn’t understand his magic system, it felt powerful when he fully unleashed it. His slips from vernacular into more science fiction language are beautiful. These scenes make me want to see more of the world. Demane makes me want to see more of the world.

The Captain is the next most intriguing character in the story. To be fair, I don’t understand what the Captain is. I think he’s a vampire that eats light? Frankly, the categorization of his biology is unimportant. Just know that that the Captain is excellent, and his character showed through action rather than dialogue. The men’s reaction to him characterizes him for much of the story, but we do get to see more than just their views. Mr. Wilson describes the Captain as talking in song. I really want to see this portrayed in a movie or TV show; I mean, really, who wouldn’t like a character who sings like an angel? As the Captain moves through the story, he is characterized by his discipline, and I could tell the person he is from his actions.

Dialogue

When researching this book, I saw more than one review that was negative because of the dialogue. Specifically, how the characters talked instead of the content of their dialogue. Certain reviews danced around the topic calling the dialogue too modern for a fantasy, which makes no sense. A man using magic is believable but modern language usage is just too much. No. One very creative review basically says that the hip hop nature of the dialogue threw him out of the story. Fine, but I just don’t get it. I loved the dialogue. All of the characters interacted like a bunch of young men, and it felt true to me. Despite its fantasy set dressing, Sorcerer of the Wildeeps hints clearly that it is not a past fantasy. Demane understands quantum concepts; so, I think it’s safe to say these aren’t medieval times. Mr. Wilson’s dialogue flowed and pulled me along. It felt like a group of friends talking to each other, at ease in each other’s company. But if fantasy characters that sound modern is enough to bother you, there’s probably more in this story that will bother you.

Conclusion

To review Sorcerer of the Wildeeps without mentioning the length is a disservice. The book is short, which is a welcome change of pace from door-stopper epics. But it has enough length that I was invested in the world and the people. I enjoyed it so much that I had to see if Mr. Wilson has any more stories set in this world. A Taste of Honey is another Tor.com offering but doesn’t look to be a direct sequel. There are two stories that I believe are in the same universe. «Légendaire.» is a short story from Apex Magazine, and Super Bass is another story on Tor.com. Even though I haven’t read those stories – which is why I’m putting these links here – I’d like to visit Mr. Wilson’s World again. Sorcerer of the Wildeeps introduced me to Kai Ashante Wilson, and it’s a hell of a introduction. I listed more of his work to read, and I plan to return to Demane’s world even if he’s not there. If you’re a fan of character based fiction with strong world building, then Sorcerer of the Wildeeps is for you.

8 out of 10