Mask of the Sorcerer
I bought Mask of the Sorcerer from Darrell Schweitzer at World Fantasy Con. I was writing a modern horror novel at the time and was interested in seeing different takes on forbidden knowledge. Darrell fished out Mask of the Sorcerer.
As other reviewers have pointed out, the cover is awful. It looks like a guy wearing a mask, which is appropriate enough, except he seems to be holding one of those Godzilla-headed sticks that, when you press a lever, causes its mouth to open and close. In practice, this book is about Sebek-like crocodile-headed gods and monsters, but I don't think Schweitzer had Godzilla-sticks in mind when he wrote the book. Fortunately, I bought it from the author rather than off the shelf, so the cover didn't influence me much.
Set in a fantasy version of Ancient Egypt, Mask of the Sorcerer follows Sekenre, a boy who will become a sorcerer whether he likes it or not. His idyllic but simple life as a Reedlander is interrupted when his father, Vashtem, kills his mother and sister. Sekenre is left all alone to puzzle out what happened and why, but he is destined for greater things. The Sybil, an ancient crone who handles the mysteries of fate, has bigger plans for him and bestows three wishes for when he is in trouble.
The world in which Mask of the Sorcerer takes place in is richly detailed. Much is made about the way characters pronounce the names of certain gods, which determines where the person comes from. The notion of one's origins is a central to the book, as Sekenre unravels his father's past and his own.
A sorcerer is actually the sum of the sorcerers who have died at his hand. Thus, when Sekenre kills a sorcerer, he gains all the lives that were slain before him. These ghostly sorcerers can manifest themselves with Sekenre, having arguments and dispensing advice. Mask of the Sorcerer has a lot in common with the Avatar cartoon, which details a similar young lad who has the souls of many others inside him for advice. It also has a sense of finality seen in the Highlander, in that all the sorcerers ultimately see each other as foes to be defeated and consumed.
Mask of the Sorcerer is at its best when Sekenre deals with mundane events. As a young boy, Sekenre barely comprehends the world outside of his father's hut. As a sorcerer, he can rely on generations who have gone before for advice. Occasionally, the book becomes so dreamy that it's difficult to determine what's happening - Sekenre's travels into the afterlife and other worlds get a little confusing.
There are occasional references to the Cthulhu Mythos. There is mention of Dholes, but the magic that arises has nothing to do with Dholes. If I remember correctly, there was also a mention of the Voorish Sign. But these references are unnecessary and a little jarring in such a finely crafted world.
Ultimately, this is a tale of a boy becoming a man becoming a sorcerer becoming a god. It is the rare fantasy tale that casts divine aspiration in a different context from the typical Greek god mode. It never feels forced or false. While it occasionally wanders into incomprehensibility at times, Mask of the Sorcerer is a breath of fresh air in a genre crowded by typical fantasy conventions with trite cosmologies.
As other reviewers have pointed out, the cover is awful. It looks like a guy wearing a mask, which is appropriate enough, except he seems to be holding one of those Godzilla-headed sticks that, when you press a lever, causes its mouth to open and close. In practice, this book is about Sebek-like crocodile-headed gods and monsters, but I don't think Schweitzer had Godzilla-sticks in mind when he wrote the book. Fortunately, I bought it from the author rather than off the shelf, so the cover didn't influence me much.
Set in a fantasy version of Ancient Egypt, Mask of the Sorcerer follows Sekenre, a boy who will become a sorcerer whether he likes it or not. His idyllic but simple life as a Reedlander is interrupted when his father, Vashtem, kills his mother and sister. Sekenre is left all alone to puzzle out what happened and why, but he is destined for greater things. The Sybil, an ancient crone who handles the mysteries of fate, has bigger plans for him and bestows three wishes for when he is in trouble.
The world in which Mask of the Sorcerer takes place in is richly detailed. Much is made about the way characters pronounce the names of certain gods, which determines where the person comes from. The notion of one's origins is a central to the book, as Sekenre unravels his father's past and his own.
A sorcerer is actually the sum of the sorcerers who have died at his hand. Thus, when Sekenre kills a sorcerer, he gains all the lives that were slain before him. These ghostly sorcerers can manifest themselves with Sekenre, having arguments and dispensing advice. Mask of the Sorcerer has a lot in common with the Avatar cartoon, which details a similar young lad who has the souls of many others inside him for advice. It also has a sense of finality seen in the Highlander, in that all the sorcerers ultimately see each other as foes to be defeated and consumed.
Mask of the Sorcerer is at its best when Sekenre deals with mundane events. As a young boy, Sekenre barely comprehends the world outside of his father's hut. As a sorcerer, he can rely on generations who have gone before for advice. Occasionally, the book becomes so dreamy that it's difficult to determine what's happening - Sekenre's travels into the afterlife and other worlds get a little confusing.
There are occasional references to the Cthulhu Mythos. There is mention of Dholes, but the magic that arises has nothing to do with Dholes. If I remember correctly, there was also a mention of the Voorish Sign. But these references are unnecessary and a little jarring in such a finely crafted world.
Ultimately, this is a tale of a boy becoming a man becoming a sorcerer becoming a god. It is the rare fantasy tale that casts divine aspiration in a different context from the typical Greek god mode. It never feels forced or false. While it occasionally wanders into incomprehensibility at times, Mask of the Sorcerer is a breath of fresh air in a genre crowded by typical fantasy conventions with trite cosmologies.
posted by talien | 10:53 AM
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