Navola

"We always sit at the plank."

This is like if my favorite author, Guy Gavriel Kay, wrote Game of Thrones without gratuitous sex scenes and almost all political intrigue. Which is to say, yes please, more of this for me.

Navola is run by its bankers. Davico, son of Devonaci, is coming of age as part of the di Regulai family, shrewd, powerful merchants who have pull everywhere. Devonaci is a master businessman, and Davico spends all his days growing up comparing himself to his father and coming up short. But time doesn't care if you're not ready, and Davico finds himself thrust more and more frequently into the types of political intrigue he hates. His adopted sister, Celia, however is steeped in intrigues, and finds herself more than capable of navigating the twisty Navola mind. When things come to a political boil, though, Davico's naiveness may be his and his family's downfall.

Right off the bat I'll say that this isn't a book for just anyone. It's like...literary fantasy? Not a whole lot happens immediately, or at all. Some action-adjacent things happen around the 50% mark, and then again for the last quarter of the book, but by and large this is a character-driven political fantasy seen through a vaguely Italian lens. That appealed to me, but probably won't to an average fantasy reader. Yes there is a dragon (or...a part of a dragon, I guess), but I wouldn't call it a central character. The last quarter of the book is brutal though, and made me experience a large enough mental WTF that I spent a chunk of my cruise holed up in my cabin finishing the book to find out what happens.

My only hangups really was the ending and how the author basically (major ending spoilers here) wrote Celia out of the book. Yes, she does put in an appearance, but I was rather put out at how quickly/easily Davico washed his hands of her betrayal. I feel like something of that magnitude needed longer to marinate. But even that wasn't a large enough of an issue for me to not enjoy things thoroughly.

Recommend this for fans of Guy Gavriel Kay, and political/character-heavy fantasy.

Navola masterfully blends intricate world-building with a gripping narrative, immersing readers in an Italy-esque city-state brimming with power struggles and hidden dangers. The setting, reminiscent of Renaissance Italy, adds authenticity and creates a world that is both familiar and unique.

The story's gradual pacing allows for deep immersion into the world of Navola. This slow build mirrors Davico's journey, drawing readers into the intricacies of political machinations and personal revelations. As the plot accelerates, both Davico and the reader are plunged into a whirlwind of intrigue, betrayal, and suspense.

The cast of characters is well-developed, each operating with their own hidden motivations and agendas. The dynamics of power, family loyalty, and ambition are explored with nuance, adding richness to the narrative.

Navola is a remarkable literary fantasy, offering a captivating blend of world-building, character development, and plot complexity. It is deeply engaging and thought-provoking, making it a must read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
In the city of Navola, Davico DiRegulai is the heir to the quiet power that controls the city and much of the region. But the DiRegulai legacy is one of trickery and violence, and Davico is a poor fit.

Review
For some years, I confused Paolo Bacigalupi and Christopher Paolini – for no reason other than that I knew nothing about either and both had Paol in their names. Gradually, though, it seeped through that they were different people, and that I kept hearing good things about Bacigalupi. So, I took this opportunity to read one of his books. It's not what I expected. One of the mentions of Bacigalupi that I kept seeing mentioned his book, The Windup Girl. I still haven't read it, but perhaps I should have started there.

Navola, rather to my surprise, relies heavily on Italianate language and references. On the one hand, that's great – I can't think of many other English language books that do this, and it was a fun chance to exercise my long-rusty Italian skills. On the other hand, it's so heavily Italian inspired that it felt often like a Neapolitan alternate history rather than a third-world speculative story. That's in part because there's very little actual magic in this fantasy story; it's much more on the Mary Stewart Crystal Cave line than, say, J.V. Jones' Baker's Boy. That's fine in itself (sometimes a plus), but I frankly felt that if I knew more of the history of the Italian peninsula, I'd recognize a lot of what was happening. It seemed to me from very early on that there were echoes of Naples, Rome, the Borgias, Leonardo Da Vinci, and a host of other (not always contemporaneous) matters. For me, that real world similarity made the book much less interesting.

Bacigalupi is certainly a skilled writer. The prose is rich and flows smoothly. However, I would also have liked to feel much more engaged by his protagonist and other characters. There was a distance and almost clinical/mechanical feel to things that kept me from really investing as I'd have wanted to. Also, while the Italianate references were fun for me, I felt a non-Italian speaker would have been fairly confused at times.

The base story – person growing up to defy expectations – is a familiar one, but often here felt subsumed to the descriptions of Machiavellian intrigue and manipulations. I wish, honestly, that Bacigalupi had brought this personal element more to the fore. To my mind, that would have made a more engaging and involving story.

Overall, interesting, and obviously a help in properly identifying Bacigalupi. But I'm not sure that I feel a need to go on to his other books. I'm willing, but, on the basis of this one, will likely not search him out. If the opportunity does arise, I'll look for a book that's more firmly either fantasy or science fiction, and less alternate history. This one was well written, but not gripping.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.