Harry
Turtledove completes his Opening of the World trilogy with The Golden Shrine, picking up with Count Hamnet Thyssen leading a
ragtag collection of Bizagot nomads, Raumsdalian refugees, and the
sorcerous Marcovefa against the invading Rulers who are intent on
conquering everything that gets in their way, whether the Bizagot tribes
or the millennium-old imperial city of Nidaros.
The
final novel of the trilogy spends most of its time describing the
battles between Thyssen’s band and the invaders as they move
throughout the steppes populated by the decimated nomadic tribes and the
ruins of the empire. What becomes clear very quickly is that while the invading
Rulers can overwhelm anything most of the indigenous population can
throw at them, Marcovefa, who learned her magic in the desolate land on
top of the glacier, can match nearly any magic thrown at her, and that
the Rulers fear and respect Thyssen.
Although Turtledove never quite reveals what it is, the Rulers
apparently have a prophecy about Thyssen that casts him in the role of a
chosen one.
The
exact nature of Thyssen’s role and the location of the titular shrine
are the two biggest questions throughout the novel, although
Turtledove’s characters don’t have a lot of time the spend pondering
either of them. Instead, when Thyssen isn’t fighting the Rulers, he’s
trying to figure out his relationship with Marcovefa,
as well as how to react to his former lovers, and keep his band
together.
Although
there are many battles, the first part of the novel tends to move
slowly, punctuated by moments of excitement, many of which revolves
around Marcovefa and her discoveries that perhaps the Rulers are not as
easy to defeat as she assumes. Her
own arrogance is often juxtaposed with the arrogance of the Rulers, both
of which seems justified by their actions, although it is only
considered admirable in Marcovefa who is working with Thyssen and the
other defenders.
After
the adventures of two volumes, which introduced the primary settings (as
well as the stranger setting above the glacier and on the other side of
the gap), there is a familiarity of the Raumsdalian Empire and the
Bizagot steppes. Turtledove is able to continue to introduce novelty
into the story, partly through the use of magic and partly with the
inclusion of strange places and creatures.
When
the war between the Rulers and everyone else does come to an end, almost
through the use of deus ex machine,
the novel enters into perhaps its most interesting phase as Turtledove
explores the aftermath of the battle.
Despite his hatred of Emperor Sigvat II, Thyssen throughout the
novel loudly claims no desire to usurp the throne.
Turtledove puts him into a situation where he has the
opportunity. At the same
time, Thyssen, Ulric Skakki, Trasamund, and the rest of the characters
suddenly find themselves in a world without war, but also without any of
the social structure to which they are familiar.
Turtledove ends the novel before he can really look at the way
they will rebuild their world, but the hints are there for an intriguing
follow-up to the trilogy.
While parts of The
Golden Shrine are repetitive, the novel introduces new territory,
both physically and psychologically, to its characters and readers.
Turtledove provides a resolution to the situation he has
carefully set up whether the overall political situation or more
personal resolutions between his characters. As with most of
Turtledove’s works, the world will continue on past the events of the
novel, but he does provide closure for this fantasy series.
