The Phoenix and The Mirror, Avram Davidson

I’m really not sure what to think of this. It reminds me of John M. Ford’s The Dragon Waiting, somehow; something about the style, the density of it and allusiveness. I’m sure I missed some things by not being aware of the Vergil stories, not picking up on all the mythological references properly — and I have a pretty good background in that sort of thing, since I took Classics.

It’s a slightly different style than expected, too, I think. It slides seamlessly between scenes without any transition, it slips from direct speech into reported speech — it doesn’t make things easy. I quite liked the writing style, for the most part, but I wouldn’t like it to be a common one, if that makes any sense.

The story itself… it’s a quest narrative, but the quest is more about knowledge than action, at its heart. It’s about making a magical object, in a context where magic isn’t easy, isn’t a shortcut as it can be in other fantasy works. It’s a long slow process, like any other way to make something, and it requires sacrifices and effort. It’s an interesting take on it.

I wasn’t overwhelmingly fond of the portrayal of women — Cornelia, Phyllis and Laura seemed pretty nebulous, and the love aspect was just flung in there — but The Phoenix and the Mirror was something a little different to my usual fare. It just wasn’t as good as I’d hoped.