Review: A World of Magic and Beauty, Bone-Crackingly Real
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 12, 2013
I love books that take me to another place and time. I devoured "The Mammoth Hunters" by Jean Auel, and when I started reading "Bones of the Earth" by Scott Bury I suddenly, happily found myself back in a world long before modern times, when the tools were rudimentary, and people lived in a close and intense and often dangerous relationship to the Earth. Set in the 6th century C.E., "Bones" is the story of a young warrior, Javor, living in the Carpathian Mountains, round about where Ukraine, Romania and Hungary share borders.The hard-scrabble existence of these people is described in exquisite detail, their huts, their food, their weapons, their superstitions. The book begins with a fertility ceremony in which the young (fertile) members of the tribe are brought together to get going on the mating process. But in this book, scenes of haunting beauty are quickly replaced by violent pillaging at the hands of brutal raiders. The raiders lash out and kill indiscriminately, and take two of the young women with them. Javor and his friend set out to try and rescue the women. Their triumphant return from this impossible mission hints at Javor's magnificent potential, as well as the supernatural danger that lurks in the deep forest, and foreshadows some of the themes of the book.Rather than take you through the many twists and turns of the plot of "Bones" I would like to simply tell you what is magical about this book. Javor is an immensely likeable hero, flawed, unique, strong, courageous. Photius the mystic, an older man, Javor's mentor, is a fascinating character study and full of surprises himself. Danisa, the young woman they rescue along their travels in dangerous, dragon-infested parts, provides a female foil to keep Javor in a perpetual state of longing and existential confusion. The dynamics between these three main characters are constantly shifting, and perfectly intertwined with developments in the plot. The characters are three-dimensional, and sparks fly in their dialogue.Another strength of the book lies in the monsters. The dragons play a key role on "Bones," but these dragons were continually surprising me. Anyone who loved "Eragon" and the two sequels will revel in the discovery of the lesser known "Bones of the Earth," which is a superior read. And there are other monsters, here, many other monsters ... truly those were dangerous times Javor lived in.All the way through the book, unexpected things kept happening, and by the conclusion of it I was so immersed in Javor's world, I almost couldn't stand for it to end. The perfect summer reading escape, whether for adults or teens, a richly drawn portrait of 6th century customs and traditions, a rip-roaring series of attacks and carnage and brutality, tasteful yet bone-cracking real, "Bones of the Earth" is a unique sensation. I urge the author to finish the sequel. This story MUST go on. I believe it was foretold ...