The Baker's Boy

4.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Jack is an orphaned baker's boy in Harvell castle, whose mother, an ash maid, is long dead, and whose father he never knew. Regularly beaten for daydreaming, he strikes it lucky when the suave Chancellor one day needs a blind scribe - someone who can copy but not read. But when something strange happens at the ovens one day, Jack finds himself unexpectedly on the run with Melli, daughter of a powerful lord.

Review
In the mid-1990s, grimdark fantasy existed, but no one really talked about it. For me, J. V. Jones' Book of Words trilogy was the first time I'd consciously encountered a story where grime, grit, and true villains were explored as thoroughly as heroes and nobility. This was a series in which things constantly went wrong, and Jones subverted expectations trained by years of having the good guys prevail. That, coupled with compelling characters and an intriguing storyline, was enough to make me a fan, and she has consistently delivered (though now absent from the bookshops for many years).

While I've enjoyed her (few) other works, this is the first time I've gone back to the Book of Words trilogy. For one, thing, the books are big. But I'm glad now, that I did. There has been relatively little fantasy in recent years that has made me so eager to pick up a book each time I put it down, and to read so quickly – going through the first two books in just a few days.

The outlines here are familiar ones – orphaned servant boy in poverty finds he has strange powers that may come from his mysterious relatives. But Jones does a great job of putting familiar elements to work in interesting and sometimes novel ways. She goes a bit too far sometimes – as with a sadistic archbishop – but overall, it's great stuff.

Highly recommended for anyone enjoying fantasy with a tougher edge. Note, also, that this is perhaps not quite true grimdark. It's grim, but not as dark as it might be, there are good folks to root for.

PS While I always enjoyed Darrell Sweet's art, this cover is misleading in that the heroine, Melli, has dark hair, not blonde.