Author: Steven Oliverez
Publisher: Aventine Press
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: May 2005

I mentioned in my review of Demonsouled, I am in the middle of a 4 book review streak, consisting not only of relatively new releases by authors, but also representing the launching of their (although The Crimson Sword was an example of High Fantasy, Holly Phillip’s In the Palace of Repose, a delightful collection mixing the fantastic with horror elements, and Jonathan Moeller’s Demonsouled, a story that is also of the High Fantasy variety with more of a RPG influence seemingly. All quite different thematically, and the latest is no less a contrast from the others. The novel is written by Steven Oliverez, and is entitled The Elder Staves, and not only was I pleasantly surprised, and considered it a mild treat to read, but also Mr. Oliverez establishes in this, just his debut novel, that he is a writer whose next work justifies not to go unnoticed, and his progress merits monitoring.

The back drop of The Elder Staves mirrors that of a constant them in the story, one of diametric contrast. The world is a relentless, unforgiving, glacial wasteland. It is no devoid of life, or completely incapable of supporting life but it only seems even vaguely suitable for the damned as:

”For most though it was simply the world below a world, a place that if ignored did not exist in any shape or form. It was an idea mostly, a vague thought that did not encompass the frozen landscape or crystal sculptures. For them this place was nothing, a real nothing, where time and form did not matter because the world ended long before one crossed into this land.

Looming above the desolate wasteland, in stark contrast, is the sky city Tyr, whose origins date back to the mythological entity, Alphus. The city remains aloft by a magic embedded in 3 staves, the possession of which is synonymous with holding one of three positions in the Council that make up the ruling body in Tyr, called the Elders. At the beginning of the novel we find it is a time of some isolated civil unrest in Tyr. The social hierarchy of the floating community is one in which only a noble can obtain position on the Council, and only nobles are gifted with innate magical ability. An individual noble’s adeptness at the craft, and the degree with how much natural talent he or she is bestowed with however varies greatly. As of late, there have been small acts of terror perpetrated in Tyr, occurring in a time when the city is in the early stages of an Industrial Revolution, a prospect that the luddite Council, especially its head, and most powerful member Daran, are less than enthusiastic about.

The main character in the novel is noble born, whose family is in good standing, enough so that he is a more than reasonable prospect to one day becoming a member of the Council himself, however the thought of which, although not a source of any apprehension, is also not one that motivates Carn either. Carn is a character that will please fans that have this seemingly popular and rather infantile need to read about a character that is in need of their empathy. Carn represents in many ways the middle ground that populates the aforementioned abundant opposites that Mr. Oliverez employs in of The Elder Staves. Carn is the son of a noble, one who wants him to be a future strong member of the council, however, he is in many ways the son of a man whose ideologies are the exact opposite. He is a noble thus gifted with the ability to practice and harness magic, but he would at times rather tinker with his all too practical tools. He sees or makes an attempt to witness all possibilities, instead of limiting himself by preconceived biases that are the weaknesses of both factions. Essentially he is the product of Tyrs, and not just any one part of it.

Carn’s best friend, and the person who is the focus of the Council’s investigations regarding many of the recent local agitations, is Tyr’s greatest inventor and idealist, and a member of the noble class himself. It is Garret whose factories provide occupations for many, it is Garrett whose research into alloys and such has given him a virtual monopoly on many industries, and given him wealth unequaled in Tyr. It is Garret who has unlocked the secret of guns, and gunpowder, an innovation not governed by the laws that govern Tyrs, bred by magic.

The civil disorder comes to a boiling point, into what could at least be coined a beginning of a civil war when Daran, and the Elders order Garret’s arrest after a series of terrorist-like attacks in Tyrs directed at the noble infrastructure. The guards are sent to Garret’s; simultaneously the Elders themselves find that they are infiltrated and what seems impossibly so, but no less true, a fight where their mortality is threatened. Without giving away too much, that is the gist, as Mr. Oliverez spins a fantasy story, taking place in a magic-dependent society entering a industrial period in its development, where in a short period of time Carn will both find and fight for his love, as well as his home. At odds with not only the tangible problems of present day Tyrs society, but a ghost from Tyr’s purposely forgotten past.

I like a lot of what I see in The Elder Staves, but it’s not without some flaws. I would like to have seen a more expansive explanation of the relationship of the nobles and their magic ability. There is a bit of a 2-D feel to what we get to see in regards to Tyrs, as our POV references are limited. At times, the novel shows it’s penned by a first times author, the flow of the story is not always seamless, but it’s still admirable as Mr. Oliverez makes the attempt to cover many emotional elements, weaving it rather nicely around his plot at a rate better then many veterans do in regards to romance element contained in the novel The surrounding characters are left at times not as fully realized as I would usually prefer, which goes along with a theme that occurs when I sit here thinking of what I found lacking in the novel and what is the most viable to way to mend them, and that is simply explained by one word. That word is more. This novel is limited to 200+ pages and I really think what’s lacking in The Elder Staves is simply, and directly related to the venue not being large enough to encompass what Mr. Oliverez could have accomplished. I say someone needs to make sure he receives the opportunity to do so in future attempts. As it stands it is more then promising however.

As mentioned, there is a lot I enjoyed about the novel. I think the story was effectively (even with a few rough areas in the telling) told, a nice mix of action, and emotional elements. The romance element was handled with tact and care, giving it a weight of import, yet not relinquishing the readers right to believability. Although most of them centered around Carn, the other relationships were more then adequately displayed, and the climax was, even if not unforeseeable, not lacking for impact, with regards to both the outcome or its method. Oliverez, on a few occasions gives the readers some small tidbits of information of some minor future events within the narrative that successfuly provides a sense of added anticipation and tension, a practice he employs smartly by limiting it to a few choice occasions. I also liked the fact that Mr. Oliverez didn’t feel it necessary to villanize either the Council or Garret’s ideals, he just presented them for the readers exclusive judgment.

I also really enjoyed many of Mr. Oliverez’s depictions as one can come away from this novel with a identifiable style associated with his work; Daran in the process of casting a multi-layered spell being attacked by dozens of Assassins:

“Daran’s finger shot open like loaded springs, stretching out as far as the aged mechanism of bone and flesh A small spark, the tiniest flicker, like the spark of a flint or a tiny bit of wood that becomes airborne and drifts off from a larger fire, glowed briefly at the center of the stormy, chaotic sphere.

All in all, admittedly a pleasant surprise, albeit one that can use more polish that one would think comes from repetition, from an author who could have without doubt in my mind filled a text twice as large, for the better; - a rather delightful, promising debut by Steven Oliverez. This work deserves a look, there is a lot to like here, and that I think can appeal to a lot of people due to accessibility.

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Topics: Aventine Press, Steven Oliverez, The Elder Staves