6 Books with Cass Morris

Cass Morris is a writer and research editor living in central Virginia. Her debut series, The Aven Cycle, is Roman-flavored historical fantasy. She is also one-third of the team behind the Hugo Award Finalist podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists. She currently works as Research Editor and Worldbuilding Specialist at Plato Learning, a company which runs mythology-themed summer camps and other educational programming. She holds a Master of Letters in Shakespeare studies from Mary Baldwin University and a BA in English and History from the College of William and Mary. She reads voraciously, wears corsets voluntarily, and will beat you at Mario Kart.

Today she tells us about her Six Books

1. What book are you currently reading?

I am always reading several books simultaneously, but since this is six books, I’ll pick just one! I’m reading my dear friend Rowenna Miller’s The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill, which I’ve been yearning for since she first told me about the concept. It’s an enchanting exploration of a farming family and how fairy magic weaves into and warps their lives.

 

2. What upcoming book are you really excited about?

Elyse John’s Orphia and Eurydicius. I absolutely squealed when I saw its announcement! I love mythological retellings, and the gender-flip on this one is going to be so exciting.

 

3. Is there a book you’re currently itching to re-read?

I literally always want to be re-reading something from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Right now I’d love to revisit the Lancre Witches in Wyrd Sisters.

 

4. How about a book you’ve changed your mind about – either positively or negatively?

Mists of Avalon. That book is the reason that the past few years’ worth of horribleness from JKR haven’t spun me for as much of a loop as a lot of HP fans, because I’ve already been through this rodeo with a beloved text once. Mists of Avalon was absolutely foundational to me as both a feminist and a pagan, but the revelations that came out about Marion Zimmer Bradley killed all of my joy for it.

 Beyond that, though, looking back, I can also see the huge flaws in the text that weren’t apparent to me when I read it (and made it part of my personality) as a teenager. It’s very gender essentialist in ways that I now recognize as extremely limited and limiting, as a worldview. Its version of paganism is one I now find reductive and unsatisfying. Its feminism no longer represents the kind of feminist I want to be. I can never deny the role that the book played in my development, but I also never feel the need to revisit it.

5. What’s one book, which you read as a child or a young adult, that holds a special place in your heart?

 Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman. I used to re-read it at least once every year. I adored it so much for being one of the first books I read that really explored a feminine viewpoint within a historical context. It had that in common with the American Girl books that I also loved, but Catherine, Called Birdy had a particular sense of humor that absolutely enchanted me. And it was so unflinching about certain realities of cis-girlhood! Growing breasts and menstruating and how the world starts treating you differently when those things happen. No book had ever spoken to me about those things in such a real way.

 

6. And speaking of that, what’s your latest book, and why is it awesome?

My latest book is The Bloodstained Shade, Book 3 of the Aven Cycle, historical fantasy set in a version of ancient Rome re-imagined with magic. It’s awesome because it turns the heat up on the political and magical conflicts to an absolutely sizzling degree! Our protagonists are wrangling with desperate situations and dire temptations, and their antagonist mirrors are eager to shove them over the brink. The whole civilization stands ready to fall into chaos -- or be wrenched back from the edge, but at what cost?

Thank you, Cass!

NB: Reviews of the first two novels, From Unseen Fire and Give Way to Night, are available here at Nerds of a Feather.

POSTED BY: Paul Weimer. Ubiquitous in Shadow, but I’m just this guy, you know? @princejvstin.

Microreview [book]: Give Way to Night by Cass Morris

The follow-up to From Unseen Fire continues the story of the Vitellae family in an alternate Rome with magic.

In Cass Morris From Unseen Fire, we were introduced to Vitella Secunda (second daughter of the Vitellae family), Latona, her sisters, and the world of Aven. “Alternate Rome with Magic” is a shorthand for Aven that works to a point --history doesn’t quite match up perfectly, although it certainly rhymes with the Roman Republic we do know. With the death of the Dictator (a Sulla analogue), Aven is in a precarious political position. Sempronius Tarren, a composite of Gaius Julius Ceasar and Pompey, has ambitions of his own, and soon finds himself connected with Latona and her family as they all fight to keep Aven together, both in the city and abroad. That novel ended with Tarren and Latona having blunted the immediate threat, and Tarren headed off to Iberia to deal with an uprising, and Latona in Aven dealing with her burgeoning powers.

Give Way to Night continues all of these stories and splits the narrative between Iberia, where Tarren has gotten a command (and the Vitellae son, Gaius has been there since the first book), and Aven itself, focusing on Latona and her magic-less elder sister Aula, and her younger sister, Alhena. Like Latona, Alhena is a mage, too, although with very different, more prophetic gifts, which grow in potency and power as the novel unfolds.

The first book did a lot of the groundwork that this novel takes full advantage of. We learned about Aven and its late Republic Rome analogues (often really on the nose, even using the same terms for the political factions) and introducing us to the set of characters that take stage in this novel. With the slow build gone and things ramping up, this novel launches into a two headed narrative feet first (making this novel not a good way to start the series, it fully assumes you have read the first novel and while it touches on events of the first novel, that laid down worldbuilding and setup are indispensable) . The novel takes place in Aven (or more generally, Truscum (Italy) and in Iberia (Spain) in a pair of narratives with Latona and Sempronius as the major viewpoint characters, but with a spread of other points of view on both sides of the conflicts. Morris is definitely of the school that “POV solves everything” and carefully uses viewpoint to show all facets of what is going on, and develops a range of character personalities, problems, and voices thereby.  Things escalate quickly, and while there are chances and places for the reader and the characters to catch their breath now and again, this is very much a novel where the protagonists are backfooted by their foes over and over again. 

The forces of Chaos (in a Moorcockian sense) definitely press matters as much as they can. In that, we get battles, dark magic, battles, magical entanglements, political scheming, and personal struggles. I cheered when a character finally made a personal choice that I wondered when it was going to happen since the start of Unseen Fire, and in general, character growth is something the Vitellae women in particular get a fair amount of. The men in the novel are a little less well run down the tracks that way (although they do go through challenges). This is a novel which, like the first, centers on its female characters and develops and grows them throughout the novel. 

I have spoken in many reviews about the idea of an off-ramp for a first book, a way to stop the reading of a series in a neat way at the first book, but with the opening of going on to the second book there. This second book, however, takes no such pains to provide an off-ramp for the reader, and in point of fact ends in a rather startling, shocking and suspenseful cliffhanger for the fate of a major character. The plot lines of the novel do resolve well, but it is the personal plots and drives that do not tie off, casting off into the future of the third novel. In point of fact, aside from the cliffhanger, a number of characters come to rather pointed crossroads or changes that look to drive the third novel. This again is in keeping with the aforementioned character growth.

That is the ultimate strength of the first and now the second novel. It’s not an expy copy of Rome and the events of the rise of Gaius Julius Ceasar, and the author is not trying recapitulate those historical beats (even if you substitute Iberia for Gaul). These novels, Give Way to Night in particular as the series gets into high gear, is a much more personal and character driven set of narratives. Not only the protagonists, the Vitellae family, and Sempronius, but also the two sets of antagonists--the ultimate foe within Aven, and Ekialde, the chieftain of the Lusetani, who really sets himself as the antagonist against the forces of Aven in Iberia, they all have very personal drives, wishes, hopes and desires that don’t always orthogonally fit in with a black and white narrative. Neitin, Ekialde’s wife, clearly comes in here for Morris’ use of her point of view to provide a conflicted point of view on the “enemy camp” - she supports and loves her husband, but the methods he turns to in his quest to drive back the outsiders causes her to doubt and reconsider the wisdom of those methods. But again, its not just an intellectual exercise--its tied to her love for her son. And given what we learn about the force behind the antagonist in Aven, I could find sympathy even there, for reasons the characters within the novel might not understand, but I, as a reader, do. 

I had high hopes but also slight fears when I picked up Unseen Fire, and I did wonder about the roughness of a bit of the aspects of that novel and a couple of missed opportunities. This novel builds on the foundations of the first novel as things kick into high gear. It’s an improvement on all fronts, taking the sturdy but sometimes imperfect standard of the first novel and moving forward strongly on nearly all fronts. (Some of my criticisms of the first book DO apply but the verve of this book as opposed to the slow build of the first did make me think about those flaws much less). The brick city that Morris built in the first novel is starting to transform itself into marble, and I fully hope that the third book completes that transformation.

The Math

Baseline Assessment: 7/10

Bonuses : +1 for a character focused reading experience that is strong and plot driving

+1 for more excellent worldbuilding that makes for an epic historical fantastic reading experience that is rich and rewarding. 

Penalties: -1 some of the unexamined social ideas in the first novel are still left disappointingly untouched.

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10 well worth your time and attention

POSTED BY: Paul Weimer. Ubiquitous in Shadow, but I’m just this guy, you know? @princejvstin.

Microreview [book]: From Unseen Fire, by Cass Morris

From Unseen Fire is an imaginative reimagining of the end of the Roman Republic, in a world very much like 1st Century B.C. Earth, with the addition of magic.

The Dictator is dead!

It is a time of turbulence in Aven. The longtime dictator of the Republic is dead in his villa, and as power abhors a vacuum, the suppressed political forces in the city and in the Republic are on the move. Men from every political stripe are trying to shape the future of the Republic to their vision.

And a family of three strong women have their own ideas as to what their future, and what the future of Aven, should be.

In the meantime, in Iberia, a tribal leader has a vision of an Iberia no longer under the thumb of Aven, and the will and desire to make that vision into a reality.

This is the world of From Unseen Fire, a debut novel from Cass Morris.

The world of Aven can be summed up as “Roman Republic Analogue with Magic” The names are mostly similar-but-different, from the city name to the provinces. The Gods seem to be the same in name and portfolio. The dating system is Ab Urbe Condita, from the Founding of the City, the same as Rome herself used. Historical characters have renamed analogues. When I first heard of the novel and the pitch that “The Dictator is dead”, I jumped to the island of conclusions that this was a story of the aftermath of Julius Ceasar. Instead, judging from the date of 689 AUC (67 BC), this is really a different story--about the aftermath of the fall of Sulla, the Dictator of Rome who in our history very much helped pave the way for Julius Ceasar to rise to power. And in some ways, one of her major characters, Vibis Sempronius, a charismatic politician who returns to Aven in the wake of the fall of the Dictator, is indeed an analogue of Gaius Julius Caesar.

The characters of the novel are it’s strongest highlight. While Sempronius does appeal as a major main character and a plot driver (especially once I realized he was the analogue to Gaius Julius Ceasar), it is the Vitelliae who really shine as characters in the novel. The three sisters Aula, Latona, and Alhena and really shine as a trio of characters, and Latona is one of the central point of view characters in the novel. They work well independently and as a family whole that support, reflect, and refract each other. We get a lot of the worldbuilding of the day to day life of a powerful House from their stories. Beyond that though, the character arcs are what are important, and Latona’s relationship with her sisters, her husband, Semipronius and others are a deep dive into who and what she is--and what she *wants* to be.

Beyond the characters, and beyond using Rome as a template for her world, the innovation that Morris uses in the novel is to imagine an ancient world with magic. She takes great pains to keep the active existence of magic from having changed history out of complete recognition too much (mainly in the fact that combat magic is very much discouraged in this verse). While this is “Rome with Magic” and the history, culture and geopolitical situation is somewhat analogous to 1st Century B.C. Rome, it is not exact, and the author does make some interesting invention to make this world her own, primarily in focusing on the culture of magic and how it would influence Roman society.

The external plot of the novel, the rise of a leader amongst the Luisetanians named Ekialde, shows more invention still. Instead of the Gaul-analogue being the major focus of late Roman Republic external politics, here, Morris has chosen the Spain-analogue as that focus and external political problem to stir the pot of Aven politics. That plotline, though, does come off as more of a sideline to the politics of Aven. There is conflict and battle, but the author is much more invested in social and personal conflicts than in military ones. Readers who want to see extensive pages of Aven military arms and glory are going to be disappointed. Readers who are looking for an alternate look at the last days of the Roman Republic in a Rome with magic are definitely going to find lots to love.

The novel does show some first novel roughness, in execution and in concept. When dealing with the Roman Republic, eliding the place and role of slaves is a choice that I think could have been handled somewhat better than what the author chose. While we briefly get their point of view, it feels very much like “the good slaves” sort of view of Roman history, avoiding the real issues and conflicts involving that institution in Roman history. In addition, an alternate Rome that merely and simply borrows Roman Gods in name and role feels like a missed opportunity. While it does make for a convenient shorthand to appropriate those Gods, since this is already a Rome where history is not precising mirroring our own, there was a chance for creativity here.

That said, these flaws definitely are outweighed by my delight with the book, and really, a novel about the end times of an analogue of the Roman Republic is a book that is practically designed for me to highly enjoy, especially when executed to a good level. Given that the ending of the novel seems to be aiming Sempronius for this world’s analogue to the Gallic Wars and his true ascent to power, I am invested and most interested in how Morris’ version of Rome will evolve alongside...and differently, from our own history.

*** 


The Math

Baseline Assessment 7/10

Bonuses : +1 for a strong set of characters, good use of women in a patriarchal setting. +1 for an intriguing magic system.

Penalties : -1 novel misses some opportunities to interrogate and look at some aspects of Roman culture, especially slavery. -1 for some first novel roughness in some of the ideas and execution.

Nerd Coefficient :7/10 an enjoyable experience, but not without its flaws


Reference: Morris, Cass From Unseen Fire [DAW, 2018]

POSTED BY: Paul Weimer. Ubiquitous in Shadow, but I’m just this guy, you know? @princejvstin.

Summer Reading List 2018: Paul

While winter is for reading and trying to stay warm in the Great White North when the Ice Giants and the White Dragons roam the wastelands of Minnesota, summer is for getting out there and enjoying the all too brief warm weather. That hardly means, however, that reading comes to an end, far from it. It does mean that reading time on weekends is while having lunch somewhere on the North Shore, or even more distant destinations, and audiobooks consumed to eat up the miles driving on the highways and byways in search of photographic subjects. So here, find a list of six of the books I am looking forward to getting to before Summer turns to Fall, and green shifts to hues of red, gold, and orange before a clattering change to brown.

1. From Unseen Fire, by Cass Morris.

 When I first heard about a take on an alternate fantastic Rome with magic, I sat up and paid attention. Set roughly after the fall of their Julius Ceasar figure, From Unseen Fire looks to feature a bevy of strong characters, crunchy politics and worldbuilding and magical intrigue.

2. The City of Lies, by Sam Hawke.

I met Sam in Australia during my 2017 Down Under Fan Fund adventure, and later in Helsinki at Worldcon that same year. I learned about her forthcoming novel, and became excited by the high concept. That debut novel, City of Lies, looks to be an epic fantasy of city states, poison, treachery and ancient magic. A pair of siblings trying to save their city state in a time of magic, war, and poisons? I'm on board!

3. Red Waters Rising, by Laura Anne Gilman.

 I’ve been a fan of Laura Anne Gilman’s previous Devil’s West novels (Silver on the Road and The Cold Eye), set in an alternate early 19th century western North America where a Devil-like figure controls a large portion of the land west of the MIssissippi river. The novels follow Isobel, a young woman who enters into the Devil’s service. She’s grown in power, authority and ability, and judging from the blurb, this this third novel in her story challenges all she has learned and done to the utmost.

4. Trail of Lightning, Rebecca Roanhorse.

 Trail of Lightning is a debut novel from the author, who has been getting award nominations and accolades for her short fiction, particularly her fantastic “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™”. This novel promises a Native American look and setting for a post-apocalyptic novel, something I’ve just not seen before. I’m excited to see what she does with the concept.

5.By Fire Above, Robyn Bennis.

I really enjoyed the steampunk adventures of Captain Dupre in Bennis’ first novel, The Guns Above. I enjoyed the worldbulding, the excellent action beats and the strong characters in that first novel. I am looking forward to more and going deeper on both the world and the characters in this next novel. .

6. State Tectonics by Malka Older

 The third and final novel of her Centenal Cycle series, the previous volumes (Infomocracy and Null States) created a fascinating near future world where the political order and society have been painfully moving to a new and intriguing one, and yet showing that even such a change is no utopia, providing challenges and opportunities all of its own. Deep currents of change and reaction in the political spheres have been building in the previous two novels, and in this third novel, those forces appear to be moving toward a head. I am very eager to find out if Older will stick the landing for the characters and world she has created.