Reviews
The Silver Road reviewed by Lucy Sussex in the Sunday Age:
To come.
Faren Miller reviews The Silver Road in Locus, November 2006:
To come.
The Silver Road reviewed by Stephanie Gunn at HorrorScope, August 2006:
Grace Dugan is one of the founders of the Clarion South workshop and a graduate of the original Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer’s Workshop at Michigan State University. She has published short stories in the likes of Eidolon I and Agog! Smashing Stories.The Silver Road is her first novel, published by Penguin Australia.
The Silver Road follows the paths of three characters. Zuven, a girl who is drawn towards life as a Servant, dedicating herself to a religious path. Yelela, a young woman who has chosen a life as a soldier. And finally, Haga, a champion swordsman who has dedicated his life to rebellion.
This book is unusual by the standards of today’s fantasy novels. For one, a great deal of plot is covered in its 440 pages – as much as other author’s cover in a four or five book series. In contrast to what one expects from fantasy nowadays, Dugan’s work seems rushed, glossing over much of the events. One gets the feeling sometimes that little beyond the surface of the characters is revealed, that they are somewhat two-dimensional and predictable in their actions.
Dugan turns any thought of predicability on its head as the novel progresses. Despite the lack of depth, the reader cannot help but be drawn into the story – I found myself wanting to know much more about this lush world, much more about her three major characters. There is one particular scene near the end of the book in which Dugan visits extreme trauma on one of her heroines. In a turnabout for most formulaic fantasies, Dugan has her heroine rescue and avenge herself, making her, for me, the standout character in this book.
And if you had any lingering thoughts of Dugan following standard fantasy tropes, just read to the end of the book. In the end, none of her characters are predictable. I, personally, would love to see a sequel to this, or at least further novels set in the same world. Dugan has left me wanting more, something that’s rare these days.
All in all, The Silver Road is a very enjoyable read and well worth the cover price twice over. A very refreshing addition to your fantasy shelf. I, for one, am eagerly awaiting Dugan’s next novel.
Alice Taylor reviews The Silver Road on Boingboing, August 2007:
This is a great summer read, a hop-along story of three characters whose lives are fatefully intertwined: Zuven, an orphan peasant, but of rather more interesting blood; Yelela the noblemwoman, the sole female to ever enrol in soldier school, and Haga the Baron, swordsman adventurer, and rebellious traitor to the false king.
Lighter and quicker than fantasy tomes from George R.R Martin or Robert Jordan, The Silver Road is a discrete story – not part of an indefinite series – set in a familiar fantasy medievalesque world. Happily, it manages to remain fresh and interesting, despite the traditional setting; Grace Dugan’s heroines are curious and thoughtful, and while set in a supposed time of great patriarchy and female subjugation, both find strength and break rules in mostly satisfying ways. Her heroes are a headscratcher – like him or loathe him? – and the fantasy land invokes the interestingness of great massively multiplayer games of today: one minute highlands jungle, a small trek from searing-heat desert ports, and a skip away from highland castles. Variety aplenty. Grab it for your beach holiday, and hope for a sequel.