The Barrow: A Commentary

NOTE: Dirty words will be used.

THE BARROW is a novel published by Pyr, an imprint of Prometheus Books, which focuses on science fiction and fantasy tales. It is the first prose novel by writer Mark Smylie and is set in what he calls the Known World, a backdrop recognizable to those that know of the writer’s other published creation, ARTESIA. Mark saw ARTESIA come to fruition in comic book form, first from Sirius Publications, in 1999. Subsequently, it was self-published through Mark’s own company, Archaia Studios Press, now a wholly-owned imprint of BOOM! Studios. An ardent endeavor, as Mark is both writer and artist of this incredibly detailed story.

THE BARROW is an offset “prequel” of sorts, with the spotlight on Stjepan Black-Heart, a character that appears in the ARTESIA comics and graphic novels. It is set prior to the time of the ARTESIA stories, so knowledge of the Known World or Artesia is unnecessary. Stjepan and his cohorts are on the hunt for a legendary item that could change the face of the political structure, or so they believe. That’s generally all you need to know going into the book; the basic premise is fairly standard. Fortunately, the book isn’t.

Before further observations, I shall preface this with a number of things. Firstly, I am an avowed, vocal fan of Artesia and her Known World, of which I have been since the initial issue of the first comic book series landed in my grubby, manly hands, back at the end of the Millennium. Secondly, I know the writer personally. I will do my best to be frank, but know I am predisposed to be biased. Thirdly, I have never cared for the main character. That said, onward.

THE BARROW is good. I read it in one sitting, even though I wouldn’t call it “edge of your seat” exciting. It opens well, with a “Dungeons and Dragons” adventure flair. The characters are well developed, with enough room for continued growth away from the already published ARTESIA series. As the book progresses, it swings wildly in directions atypical of the modern fantasy novel, while being firmly planted within a circle of what I, in my critical eye, see as extremely typical of the modern fantasy novel. Let me explain:

Stjepan is the “hero” of the book. He’s not what I’d term as “anti-hero”, as his motivations are way beyond his own goals. He’s a murky every-man, a persona with a hard shell and a drive not completely explored, likely on purpose. When I was first introduced to him in the ARTESIA series, I basically felt the same way – he’s the rogue, the mystery man, the probable assassin with a heart. And, if not that, he’s the guy that the writer thinks is the coolest character ever. It oozes off the page, that. That, coupled with the characters of low moral compass, is where the modern fantasy novel tends to set itself now. No longer do you have tales of the proud knight defending the honor of flag and country, of overall good against overall evil. Now, it’s the guys that do filthy things that are much more interesting; good, innocent people being crushed along the way makes it all the better. Stjepan isn’t evil, he’s got issues. Issues draw readers, I guess.

Another thing typical of the modern fantasy novel is the need to name each and every character that appears in the book. I’m not sure when it started, exactly. Robert Jordan did this to a degree no one else has, that I’m aware of. I do know that when it started, I was not unhappy with it. I liked knowing the name of that basic soldier that did something special to save the main character in a bad situation, and that he (or she) was recognized, particularly by the main character. It certainly gave the more modern stories a more human aspect that a lot of the old Sword and Sorcery tales didn’t. Still, back then, it was likely a consideration of space for publication than anything else. Maybe. In any event, the reader learns the name of a secondary (or even tertiary) character, only to have that character killed off a short time later. Am I the only person to feel shortchanged by this? All right, it’s a nitpick. Moving on…

Where THE BARROW moves into atypical of the genre is in two very big areas, at least within its own covers. Within six pages, the first curse word, “fuck”, is uttered. By the time you get to the last page, it comes close to rivaling an episode of DEADWOOD in how often swears of the sort are uttered. The language of the Known World is a curiously modern one, which does make it for an interesting mix of verbiage. Compounding that is the intense sexuality within the book, inherit to the characters and, in some cases, their entire background. In fact, the pansexuality of many of the characters may put off less worldly readers, which is too bad. Sex in the Known World is quite descriptive, as readers of ARTESIA are aware – this ain’t no kids’ book! Still, the written word does quite a bit more than the drawing can do. An excerpt: “…the winking lips of her vulva puckering in invitation.” Yes, there is a reason for that description, though I’ll leave it to you if you think it necessary or not.

THE BARROW also spends lengths of pages in detailing history of the Known World, of which I have not seen the like in a single volume story. I would tend to decry boredom when reading the amount that was laid out within the book, except in how it was brought forth. While it is not unusual to get characters to explain the machinations of countries and sovereigns, the battles that shaped the world, the heroes and villains and belief systems, it is written extremely well. The only problem with the sheer amount of world history presented is it occasionally feels like padding to the overall story of Stjepan and his party.

As stated earlier, I found the book good. It’s not new or eye-opening entertainment, which could be due to my being a fan of the Known World. The overt sexuality and modern curse words make it titillating in some ways, amusing in others and likeable overall by pushing past the staid, single-sexed (or even asexual) characters standardized by editorial design. Mark has a flair for detail that differs from other fantasy writers, likely assisted by his artist’s mind. That, and a fully fleshed out world setting obviously begs for more books, whether prose or graphic.

If nothing else, THE BARROW has thoroughly gotten my blood up to reread my ARTESIA series. If there is a new reader of the Known World, I hope they, too, get interested beyond Stjepan and inundate Mark with desperate pleas that he finishes ARTESIA: BESEIGED! Because, if readers like THE BARROW, they’re in for an even more chaotic ride when it comes to Artesia herself.

So no, Mark, I didn’t hate it.

THE BARROW is available now at better retailers everywhere. Head over to http://www.pyrsf.com/ for more information, or to Mark’s own page, http://swordandbarrow.com/wp/ for all sorts of Known World goodness.