In anticipation for the release of the long awaited Elegy Beach, Steven Boyett’s much loved fantasy-post-apocalyptic tale Ariel has been re-released. And, after reading and enjoying Ariel, we’ve decided to hold a giveaway!

More About the Book:

At four-thirty one Saturday afternoon the laws of physics as we know them underwent a change. Electronic devices, cars, industries stopped. The lights went out. Any technology more complicated than a lever or pulley simply wouldn’t work. A new set of rules took its place—laws that could only be called magic. Ninety-nine percent of humanity has simply vanished. Cities lie abandoned. Supernatural creatures wander the silenced achievements of a halted civilization.

Pete Garey has survived the Change and its ensuing chaos. He wanders the southeastern United States, scavenging, lying low. Learning. One day he makes an unexpected friend: a smartassed unicorn with serious attitude. Pete names her Ariel and teaches her how to talk, how to read, and how to survive in a world in which a unicorn horn has become a highly prized commodity.

When they learn that there is a price quite literally on Ariel’s head, the two unlikely companions set out from Atlanta to Manhattan to confront the sorcerer who wants her horn. And so begins a haunting, epic, and surprisingly funny journey through the remnants of a halted civilization in a desolated world.

Book Website (including chapter excerpts, audio excerpts, interactive maps, forums, and author info): www.arielbook.com

About the Author:

Steven R. Boyett has written novels, short stories, comic books, feature films, essays, and reviews. As a DJ he has played clubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Reno, as well as at Burning Man. He produces three of the world’s most popular music podcasts (Podrunner, Podrunner: Intervals, and Groovelectric), and was among the first people to make a living in that medium.

As owner of Sneaker Press Boyett published poetry chapbooks by Carrie Etter and the late Nancy Lambert. He has also been a martial-arts instructor, paper marbler, advertising copywriter, editor, typesetter, and proofreader. He designs websites, plays the didgeridoo, and composes electronic music. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, composer Maureen Halderson, and their two parrots.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

We are offering up TWO prize packs today, which each include an autographed copy of Ariel along with bookmarks, book fliers, and a signed copy of author Steven Boyett’s live DJ set from WorldCon. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here, naming your favorite post-apocalypse book/movie/comic/whatever.

The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada, and will run until Saturday September 26th at 11:59pm (pacific). One comment per person, please! Multiple entries will be disqualified. Good luck!

Also, while you’re at it – you can sign up for ANOTHER chance to win a brand spankin’ new autographed copy of Ariel over at author Steven Boyett’s blog. He’s currently running a contest, calling for the rattiest, water-damaged, duct-taped, broken copies of Ariel. The person with the gankiest copy will win! The contest has been extended until September 25! You can find out the entry details HERE.

Title: Ariel

Author: Steven R. Boyett

Genre: Speculative Fiction (Sci-Fi/Fantasy), Post-Apocalyptic

Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: January 1983 (original) / August 2009 (re-release)
Paperback: 448 pages

Stand alone or series: When Ariel was first published in 1983, it was intended as a stand alone novel – and remained so for many years (and as such, can be read on its own). But in November of 2009, author Steven Boyett returns to the world of The Change with a sequel titled Elegy Beach.

Why did I read this book: Because Ariel has become something of a cult hit in the SFF world, as a formative years classic novel. I had not yet read Ariel, so when we were offered a shiny new re-released version, I jumped at the opportunity! Plus, with the upcoming release of the long awaited sequel, Elegy Beach, I had to see what all the hullaballoo was all about.

Summary: (from Amazon.com)
At four-thirty one Saturday afternoon the laws of physics as we know them underwent a change. Electronic devices, cars, industries stopped. The lights went out. Any technology more complicated than a lever or pulley simply wouldn’t work. A new set of rules took its place—laws that could only be called magic. Ninety-nine percent of humanity has simply vanished. Cities lie abandoned. Supernatural creatures wander the silenced achievements of a halted civilization.

When they learn that there is a price quite literally on Ariel’s head, the two unlikely companions set out from Atlanta to Manhattan to confront the sorcerer who wants her horn. And so begins a haunting, epic, and surprisingly funny journey through the remnants of a halted civilization in a desolated world.

Review:

The world has changed.

One day, modern technology simply stopped working. Cars would not start, electricity failed, guns would not fire. In the chaos resulting the change of the laws of the physical universe as humanity knew them, the world became a place where magic is real and mythical creatures roam the streets. Pete Gary was fifteen when The Change occurred, and in the five years since he has lived in the wasteland of Florida, foraging for food and trying to stay alive on his own. But then, he sees her – a beautiful unicorn, with a broken leg. Unicorns have reputations as rare, skittish creatures that do not allow humans to come close to them or touch them, but immediately Pete and the unicorn form an undeniable bond. He splints her broken leg, and the two become inseparable. And, from a book he sees in a library, Pete names her Ariel.

Together, Pete and Ariel travel around the southeastern United States, stopping in libraries for maps and books, gathering what food they can, and avoiding any confrontation. When they reach Atlanta, however, Ariel draws unwanted attention – someone wants Ariel’s horn, the source of her magic and power. Though they find friends and help, danger surrounds Pete and Ariel. After a fight with a gryphon and its powerful rider leaves a man dead and another friend in pursuit of a powerful necromancer in New York City, Pete and Ariel have no choice but to head north, to confront the threat head-on.

Ariel is one of those books that I wish I had discovered as a younger reader – written by author Steven Boyett when he was nineteen years old (around the same age as protagonist Pete), Ariel is a fantastic debut effort that obviously resonates with those who read the book at around the same age. Still, even though I’m a little older and it has been over twenty years since Ariel’s initial publication, it is a novel that stands the test of time and a solid book in its own right. Blending elements of fantasy (unicorns, swords, necromancers, and magic) with a post-apocalyptic setting, Mr. Boyett creates a vivid, jagged landscape where magic triumphs over the crumbling ruins of civilization. Like the best works of the post-apocalypse genre, Ariel isn’t so much about the why of the apocalypse, but rather about what happens to the people in the aftermath. As such, a number of familiar themes appear – the scarcity of resources leading to the development of gangs and power hubs that rule with violence and fear, for example. But Ariel takes these themes in a slightly different direction by virtue of its fantasy elements – technology like guns or even vehicles no longer work, and magic becomes commonplace. Swords, crossbows and blowdarts are the weapons of choice; horses and hang gliders the preferred methods of transport. And of course, there are unicorns, necromancers, and animal familiars in the mix too. Though the combination might sound unorthodox, Mr. Boyett pulls off the blend smoothly, and with great flair – what can be more striking than images of a shimmering white unicorn and her human male partner walking along the cracked remains of freeways, doing battle in the Empire State Building with katanas and hooves and horn flashing? The juxtaposition is original, memorable, and totally rocks.

Beyond the intriguing premise, the strong setting and visuals that Mr. Boyett paints in Ariel, it also just happens to be a pretty damn good story. The plot is a journey/road quest story, tinged with a little bit of old school Star Wars (Malachi in particular makes a great Obi Wan mentor character to Pete’s Luke). As Ariel and Pete travel north, and meet others who join them (a young boy out to prove himself to his father, a woman who is enamored with Ariel at first glance), Ariel leads up to a dramatic, epic battle in the tradition of high fantasy.

That said, Ariel is also clearly the work of a young, debut author – which is both good and bad. Ariel is rife with literary allusions, both explicit in the form of direct quotes from Shakespeare, Don Quixote, and (of course) Peter S. Beagle himself, as well as implicit allusions (with character names like Ariel and Faust). In this sense, the book feels very much like a debut novel from a young author, trying to establish a place in the literary cannon, drawing upon the works of admired authors before him. And for the most part, I think the literary references are well done.

On the negative side, Ariel suffers from a number of first-novel flaws; there are a few indulgent scenes that really didn’t need to be as long as they were (step by step hang gliding instructions, for example), and scenes that should have been longer were sadly truncated. The ending in particular felt sadly rushed – kinda like the ending of The Karate Kid. You know after Daniel crane kicks Johnny in the face, he grabs the trophy and freezeframe on a coy Mr. Miyagi THE END! in about forty-five seconds flat? Ariel felt rushed like that, missing the necessary emotional release I felt the book really needed.

The pacing of the story felt uneven at times as well, complete with some clunky dialogue and cumbersome writing, and the plot was sprinkled throughout with some inconsistencies that didn’t quite add up – food seemed waaaaaaay too easy and convenient to find, and people willing to share goods without any struggle or too much mistrust; blow guns can’t possibly be so strong as to stop a grown person in their steps and knock them backwards; people in general seemed entirely too scarce (even though I intellectually know that most of the population has simply vanished, it felt strange that the roads were so open and free of conflict for the most part, but then at other junctions cities were blockaded by a border patrol of sorts). Also, the Japanese samurai sword ninja dudes were a bit over the top – how the heck did everyone 1) become sword-wielding jedi/samurai master?; and 2) where did they get these wonderful Hattori Hanzo-esque blades in the first place? Especially when the folks using them are (from what I can tell) white, southern men? I’m not gonna argue the point too much though, because frankly, who doesn’t love some samurai swords with their fiction, cheesy or not? But, I digress.

So far as characterizations go, there are also strengths and weaknesses. Pete, as the protagonist and narrator, certainly came off as incredibly genuine and fully-dimensioned, completely believable as a normal young man in a situation much larger than himself. He’s flawed and very human, and very real because of it. As for Ariel, her relationship with Pete is central to the book and it’s complicated – the two love each other, but can only be together as familiars and share a deep bond, beyond death, so long as Pete remains pure (read: a virgin). Virgins and unicorns have been tied throughout mythology (usually to female characters), and while I think Diana Peterfreund explored the gender roles of virginity from the female perspective very well in her unicorn novel this year, Rampant, I think Mr. Boyett does an interesting job of approaching this issue from the male perspective. The only character I had serious issue with was Shaughnessy, the woman who joins Ariel and Pete on the road to New York. Shaughnessy never felt real to me as a character – she was more of a caricature than a well-rounded person. She seemed more like a convenience of plot for Pete, a foil for Ariel, and it’s somewhat unsavory to me in the way things settle towards her character. As I was telling Ana in an email, the way Pete’s narrative progresses (and wraps up) is such a dude’s way of thinking (Ariel is noble/pure/perfection versus Shaughnessy’s flawed/impure/temptress). Then again, Ariel is told from Pete’s perspective, and he is a young man who really has no idea what he wants (nor does he take responsibility for any of his own actions, I might point out), so in that sense it’s actually completely genuine – unrealistic and unfair portrayal of Shaughnessy included.

One final note I should discuss is the ending itself…well, I’ve seen some negative reactions to the way it all went down. But I disagree with these reviews – I do think the ending is inevitable; it was a conclusion the story was built towards since the beginning. And I do think that the book could not have ended in any other result (even if the ending itself was rushed and lacking grace).

Overall, Ariel is a strong debut novel full to the brim with promise and imagination, and while not without its flaws, is an enjoyable book. Recommended, especially for those looking for a post-apocalyptic book with a different fantasy bend.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

What is your substance, whereof are you made
That millions of strange shadows on you tend?
—Shakespeare, “Sonnet LIII”

I was bathing in a lake when I saw the unicorn.

The water was cool and clear; the pollution had vanished years ago. I’m young, but I can remember the times before the Change when the filthy water would catch fire by itself. Now, though, I could leave my clothes next to my blowgun on the shore, grab a bar of Lifebuoy, and wade on in. It was clean enough to fill my drinking flask from.

I was scrubbing myself, enjoying the feel of slippery lather. It was a quiet day — as quiet as it ever gets, only the wind and the rustling of leaves, the accompanying insects. I usually sang when I bathed, to fill up the silence, but that day the silence was fitting and right, and I remained quiet.

I had just scrubbed my face, and I ducked under to wash off the soap. When I came back up, I brushed wet hair from my eyes and spat out a sparkling stream of water. I shook my head rapidly and rubbed my eyes.

There was a unicorn pawing at my clothes on the shore.

I had seen unicorns before, fleetingly. They were shy, cautious creatures that usually bolted when they sensed me, like quick flashes of sunlight on metal. In the five years since the Change I had become used to seeing fairy-tale things, living myths, but as I looked upon this creature I knew I had seen nothing to compare to it for sheer beauty. I felt as if some cold fish had slid across my belly as I marveled in the cool water.

It is an injustice to say merely that its coat was white. Oh, it was white, all right, but it was more than that. It was a white like I remember the best vanilla ice cream, but finer and smoother. Sometimes the sun hit it just right and bright rainbow crescents fanned out like light through a fine spray of water. The hooves were mirror-bright — platinum or silver, I couldn’t tell. A distant lighthouse beacon on a lonely night, the spiral horn rose from the noble head: milky white, warm and welcoming.

I can’t say how long I watched it. Seconds, minutes, hours. Its tail swished randomly. Its nose was pressed against my backpack, but suddenly the majestic head lifted and it regarded me with two paralyzingly black eyes. Eyes full of life and intelligence. Eyes I could fall into. Lover’s eyes. As it moved, the mane shimmered on its muscular neck like a road on a hot day.

We looked at each other. Why did I suddenly have the feeling that I was the one who had no place in the world, that it was more real than I was? I was afraid to move, thinking I might frighten it away. Instead, I did the only thing I could think of to do:

“Hello,” I said.

You can read the full chapter online, along with excerpts from chapters 2 and 7 online HERE.

Additional Thoughts:

It’s been a year for unicorns! Well, kind of. It’s not too often unicorns make it into fiction these days – certainly not ones that are beyond the Lisa Frank trapper keeper version. Having just finished Diana Peterfreund’s original take on unicorns as savage, blood-thirsty, rampaging beasts that need to be slain by a contingent of female teenage virgins in Rampant, I was even more excited to read Steven Boyett’s take on the mythical creature in Ariel. And though Ariel herself isn’t much like Bucephalus or Bonegrinder in Rampant, this version of the unicorn has some really powerful, neat tricks of her own, tied to unicorn lore. Her magical abilities, her ability to speak, her very powerful horn, her affinity towards virgins, for example. Pretty cool stuff. Some other (non-girly) unicorn books for your perusal:

• The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
• Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
• The Firebringer Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (well, both have a cool unicorn somewhere in the story)
• Lore of the Unicorn by Odell Shepard

Are there any other notable unicorn books anyone would care to suggest?

Also, author Stephen Boyett has a great website dedicated to Ariel, including sample chapters (audio too), interactive maps you can follow as you read about Pete and Ariel’s quest northwards, forums, and some background history about the book. Go forth and check it out!

Verdict: I highly enjoyed Ariel. Though it does have its flaws and drawbacks, Ariel’s strengths are more than ample to recommend it – especially for fans of post-apocalypse literature.

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Also, remember to stay tuned as later today we will have a giveaway of TWO autographed copies of Ariel, along with some cool book swag!

Reading Next: The Declaration by Gemma Malley

Earlier this year, after Thea read (and loved) Secret Society Girl, Diana Peterfreund’s debut novel, we Book Smugglers started to follow her blog and look for more titles and news from this talented author. When we first heard about her upcoming Young Adult book, we were instantly hooked: Rampant is a novel that takes the unicorn (one of the most beloved, magical creatures of myth) and turns it into a bloodthirsty killer. We had to read it. And wouldn’t you know it? We loved it. And we’re well on our way to developing huge girl-crushes on Diana.

So, when the opportunity arose to have the author over for our Young Adult Appreciation Month, we were absolutely thrilled! Ladies and Gents, without any further ado, please give it up for the lovely Diana Peterfreund!

I could probably talk for ages about my inspiration for the book (the non-western facets of the unicorn legend) and my love of stories about female warriors (my first hero was Princess Leia). But there’s also the way I combine these fantasy elements with the real world – in this case, Rome, Italy and how the truth of this amazing city is far more fantastical than anything I could make up.

One of my personal rules for setting up a fantasy world is to make everything else beyond the magic make perfect sense. I look for real-world analogs like a lawyer building a case looks for precedents. Rome, in this capacity, is a veritable gold mine.

Using examples as varied as the Vestal Virgins and the Knights Templar, I created an order of warrior nuns: women born with the power to be unicorn hunters who were tithed to the church as celibate servants of God. Their service just happened to be with a bow and arrow. It really wasn’t so outlandish an idea. Religious orders were a deeply entrenched, unbroken chain of history and learning, and a vow of celibacy was the most reasonable way to make sure that your unicorn hunters stayed eligible. It was common throughout much of European history for families to pack their daughters off to nunneries (Christian or otherwise, as the Vestal Virgins were just another type). The question was, once unicorns were hunted to supposed extinction (160 years before my story starts) and the order disbanded, what becomes of all that stored knowledge? And how does a new generation of unicorn hunters, not necessarily Catholic (and definitely not down with being tithed or cloistered anywhere!), react in a world that has changed completely, both in terms of female empowerment, and also in terms of what one does with deadly, but endangered, animals?

Once I chose Rome as the seat of the ancient Order of the Lioness (in the legends, the lion was one of the only creatures who could kill a unicorn, plus it was one of the signs of Alexander the Great, and therefore an obvious choice for my nuns’ official mascot), I decided a research trip was in order. I’d already had an idea of having my hunters’ nunnery – my invented Cloisters of Ctesias — feature walls studded with the trophies from unicorns that their ancient counterparts had killed. But the monks of Rome were way ahead of me.

Behold the Capuchin Bone Chapel beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione in Rome. For hundreds of years, members of this monastery donated their bodies to this massive work of funerary art, which first began when they moved their church, and dug up the pauper graveyard at their old location. After I saw this, I realized my problem with my “bones in the wall” idea was only that I hadn’t gone far enough!

I’d also come to Rome with a plan to check out some of the architecture of various monasteries and Cloisters, to help plan mine. Well, look what I found in a small cloisters at the Cathedral of Rome:

That’s right. Columns shaped like unicorn horns. Gates shaped like arrows and guarded by statues of stone lions. A mosaic of maidens and unicorns (along with other fantastic beasts). And all in the exact same neighborhood and built in the same time period as I planned to set my fictional nunnery. It was too good not to steal. So I did.

The location of my hunters’ nunnery is another robbery. I put it in the same spot as the Basilica of San Clemente, a small church near the Colosseum that’s a major archaeological site. San Clemente is a Renaissance church built on the bones of a medieval church (seriously, you can go underneath it and see where they stole some of the columns) built on top of an ancient Roman temple, built on top of an even more ancient Roman mansion. Every time you take a set of stairs down, you uncover a whole new facet of history. This seemed to fit well with my idea of a modern corps of hunters reconstructing the knowledge of an ancient order whose incarnation changed depending on the prevailing culture, religion, and model of institutional virginity. Here’s a picture of the exterior (public) courtyard, which is the only visual I stole for my Cloisters (except I put a dome in).

Then there’s the Galleria Borgese, where a pivotal scene in my novel is set. My heroine’s love interest is an art student and has been studying all the amazing art Rome has to offer. He takes my heroine to this famous museum and shows her the following:

This is Raphael’s “Lady with a Unicorn,” and I found it a most inspiring work of art. This painting was likely a bridal portrait, sent to the groom’s family so they’d know what they were getting: in this case a young woman, a virgin (symbolized by the unicorn in her lap), who brings to her marriage a large dowry (symbolized by the giant jewels she wears). But my favorite part of this portrait is that the unicorn, far from being horse-like, is perhaps a baby lamb or kid, and therefore much more similar to the goatlike zhi that the hunters in my book domesticate and keep as pets.

Remembering my theory of worldbuilding precedent, I love it any time real artwork coincides with my imaginary world – such as showing a dangerous unicorn, or a unicorn that does not look like a big white horse. In the novel, my heroine Astrid sees this painting and instantly recognizes it as a portrait of a hunter with a zhi in her lap.

Finally, I traveled north of Rome to research the final battle scene (no spoilers) for my book. One of the most common questions I get is how there can be unicorns hiding in Rome. Rome (pop. 2.7 million) is not as dense a city as, say, Manhattan (pop. 18.8 million), and it also features one of the largest areas of parks and greenspaces of all European capitals. It’s also surrounded by vast tracts of countryside and farmland, and the city proper is riddled with archaeological sites that are closed off from the public and foot traffic, not to mention miles upon miles of underground catacombs and ancient remains of Roman apartment buildings (not unlike the kind found at the very lowest level of San Clemente). The few larger unicorns I have hiding out in Rome in my book can certainly discover ways not to be seen.

However, when it came to hiding a large pack of them, I needed a more rural area, and so I found Cerverteri. Smack dab in the middle of the beautiful Roman countryside lie the ruins of an Etruscan City of the Dead, a twisting warren of pyramid-like tombs hollowed out from tuffa – a soft volcanic stone common in the area. Nowadays, the tombs look like giant green hills. There are some that are excavated and open to the public (and whatever wildlife happens to wander by) but miles and miles more buried under vineyards and olive groves. Here’s a picture of me standing beside one:

And here’s a view from the top of another hill/tomb.

Plenty big enough for a pack of killer unicorns to hide out in. And a truly spooky setting for the climax of my book.

Thank you, Diana!

Diana Peterfreund has been a costume designer, a cover model, and a food critic. Her travels have taken her from the cloud forests of Costa Rica to the underground caverns of New Zealand (and as far as she’s concerned, she’s just getting started). Diana graduated from Yale University in 2001 with dual degrees in Literature and Geology, which her family claimed would only come in handy if she wrote books about rocks. Now, this Florida girl lives with her husband and their puppy in Washington D.C., and writes books that rock.

You can read more about Diana on her website HERE, or follow her blog HERE.

And Now, For the Giveaway!

We are giving away ONE copy of Rampant! The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada only, and will run until Saturday August 15 at 11:59 PM (PST). To enter, simply leave a comment here and let us know what your hunter name would be if you were an evil unicorn slayer. (For example, Thea would be Stormhilda Baroness of Hurricanes, and Ana is Pearlfang the Wise Warrior)

Good Luck!

Title: Rampant

Author: Diana Peterfreund

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: August 2009
Hardcover: 416 pages

Stand alone or series: Book 1 of a planned series, though can be read on its own.

Why did we read this book: Two simple words: KILLER UNICORNS. How often is it that you come across a fantasy novel that portrays unicorns not as gentle, noble creatures, but as raging, poisonous beasts? Never. So, when we heard of Diana Peterfreund’s debut YA novel about virgin heroines hunting down rampaging killer unicorns, we were positively giddy.

Summary: (from DianaPeterfreund.com)
Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns…

The sparkly, innocent creatures of lore are a myth. Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. And they can only be killed by virgin descendants of Alexander the Great.

Fortunately, unicorns have been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.

Or not.

Astrid Llewelyn has always scoffed ather eccentric mother’s stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend in the woods – thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to prom – Astrid learns that unicorns are real and dangerous, and she has a family legacy to uphold. Her mother packs her off to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.

However, at the cloisters, all is not what is seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to – perhaps most dangerously of all – her growing attraction to a handsome art student… and a relationship that could jeopardize everything.

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Thea: WOW. I had a vague idea of what to expect from Ms. Peterfreund having read her excellent Secret Society Girl – but Rampant completely blew me out of the water. Or knocked me off my horse. Or unicorn. Whatever analogy, the important thing is that Rampant surpassed all of my expectations. This is a remarkably imaginative, painstakingly researched, and impeccably written novel. Not only is the core concept fantastic with its delineations of unicorn species and their unique history and place in our own cultural mythology, but the explication of characters – especially the gender roles of women, of virginity and power – is breathtaking.

Yeah, you could say I loved Rampant from its hilarious start to its blood-drenched finale.

Ana:This is my first foray into Diana Peterfreund’s books and I simply loved it. I have to echo Thea’s feelings about the imaginative story, the research and the writing but really, Rampant is, quite absolutely, undeniably, a FUN book to read. I mean, Killer Unicorns and the Virgin Warriors that are the only ones that can kill them? Set in Rome – my favourite city in the whole world? How could I not love this book?

On the Plot:

When Astrid Llewelyn reads a magical unicorn story while babysitting two little girls, she couldn’t be more repulsed. For Astrid, the descendent of Clothilde, the descendent of Alexander of Macedonia, knows a different side of the sparkly magical creatures – and it ain’t pretty. While the rest of the world thinks of unicorns as enchanting, gentle, noble creatures, Astrid knows that they are bloodthirsty, vicious predators with poisoned alicorns (horns) and are nigh invincible. Only virgin women descended from Alexander the Great, like Astrid, can kill a unicorn – and even then, it’s no cakewalk. Impervious to bullets, incredibly self-healing and ranging in size from goat-small to mammoth-large, generations of women like Astrid have honed their skills as hunters to fight off the supernatural menace, armed with spears, bows and arrows, and knives. Though Astrid has grown up hearing these stories from her mother, Lilith, she finds it a bit hard to take seriously – her tales of killer unicorns have cost her jobs, her Ph.D., and labeled her as the family nutjob. In any case, Astrid takes solace in the fact that even if Lilith is right about unicorns, they are certainly extinct. That is, until Astrid is tested by one in the woods surrounding the house where she is babysitting – a zhi, the smallest species of unicorn, appears to Astrid and runs through her sort-of boyfriend with its alicorn.

Suddenly, Astrid’s life is thrown upside-down as she finds herself headed to Rome, to live and train in the Cloisters of Ctesias, legendary home of unicorn huntresses throughout the ages. Here, Astrid will make new allies and enemies, and she will learn exactly what it means to accept her birthright as a daughter of Alexander.

Thea: It is in the plotting of this novel, the scope of new species’ of unicorns, and the extent of world building that Rampant really, totally rocks. In this alternate version of the world, instead of having a secret population of fae, vampires or shapeshifters, there are four dangerous species of unicorn:the smaller zhi, the ferocious kirin, the bull-like re’em, and the enormous karkaadan. It’s clear from reading Rampant that Ms. Peterfreund put some serious effort into historical research, taking and reinterpreting history across different cultures from Alexander the Great, to western european paintings & tapestries, to east asian folklore. It’s some truly fascinating stuff, and the prevalence of these myths across varied cultures is enough to make readers suspend disbelief and take something that could have been very silly, seriously. Perhaps unicorns have never really existed – but the way they are presented in Rampant is pretty convincing.

Beyond the unicorns themselves, Ms. Peterfreund has created an alternate history of hunters with whom their fates are intertwined. And here’s where things get really interesting, because for some reason that science can’t really explain, each hunter must be descended from the line of Alexander the Great and must be a virgin in order to face and kill unicorns. The interesting part here is the focus on a complicated topic that isn’t as cool or much explored in a lot of current literature – namely, virginity. That these girls derive and maintain their huntress powers through virginity raises some tough questions and topics, which Ms. Peterfreund explores thoroughly. In the 21st century, teen girls who don’t give it up are likely to be seen as prudes or frigid, or that something is “wrong” with them – branded psychologically with a ‘V’ instead of a scarlet ‘A’. For the young women in Rampant, like the Vestal Virgins of ancient Rome their virginity is literally their lifeblood – and their continued battle against unicorns is mostly through their own choice. (Of course, this raises other questions – what if this choice is taken away from them? – which I was also very happy to see Ms. Peterfreund address in the novel) This exploration of not only gender roles and the assignation of power is some serious food for thought, and impressive in its scope.

As far as the actual writing and plotting is concerned, Rampant does a solid job. Though a tad on the long side at over 400 pages, the plot moves smoothly with only a few dragging points, culminating in a glorious, blood-soaked ending. The revelations are unpredictable and though it takes a shade too long to get to these fabulous twists, they are delightfully shocking and well-executed. Writing-wise, Ms. Peterfreund is in top form with her crisp, light prose, and Rampant is completely engaging and compulsively readable. I have no complaints.

Ana: Ditto.

Although I do have to say that I had a little bit of difficulty getting into the book to start with. It was hard for me to accept how Astrid’s mother, after realising that Unicorns were back simply ships her away to Rome without as much as a second thought about what Astrid wanted or who exactly would be taking care of her. There is nothing intrinsically wrong, obviously, with the way things get into motion as it is part of the characters’ arc but my gut reaction was such that I started to sound like my own protective mother (that scared me like you wouldn’t know) and it detracted from my reading experience at least for the first few pages.

But once Astrid arrives in Rome and the story effectively kicks-off, the plot moved along smoothly for me. And what a story – from the mythology surrounding the Unicorns dating back to Alexander the Great and Roman Gods to the current emergence of the beastly creatures, this book is a fiesta for the Fantasy-inclined reader. Thea is spot on when she says that the entire plot could have gone terribly wrong by the way of silliness but it doesn’t and it is all down to the way the story is interwoven with snippets of real-life events and with the portrayal of the Hunters. These girls are born to a line and to a destiny that at first seems overwhelmingly difficult to accept. And yet, choice presents itself to all of them – to avoid such a destiny is incredibly “easy” actually. All you have to do is to give away your virginity – but by doing so you give away your powers and your place in the sisterhood. Each of the girls has then a choice to make and it all depends on how they see themselves and their future. Because to accept their Warrior side is also to choose a lifetime of commitment to blood, to war and to being single. The “being single” part is particularly stressing for two of the girls: Astrid and Phil who, when sneaking out to enjoy Rome, end up meeting too guys. The romance plot is a very important one here as well adding another layer of angst to the story.

Also, speaking of Rome – what a fabulous setting for the book and Diana Peterfreund seems to know the place really well and inserts enough sightseeing and elements of Roman culture to make it part of the book. Astrid and her love interest Giovanni’s visit to the Borghese Gallery was one of the highlights of the book for me.

Even though the story is convincing as a Fantasy book and for all that there is seriousness in the way of power struggles, the life and death situations and themes such as Virginity or Independence, the book also allows for moments of fun which comes from the humorous narrative and from moments of sheer campiness: like for example how the girls keep an Unicorn pet of the zhi variety (the only domesticated one, sort of ) called, BONEGRINDER. Oh, the ludicrousness – I love it.

And then there are the plot twists – there is one in particular towards the end of the novel that irrevocably moved Rampant from a “very good” to an “awesome” read.

On the Characters:

Thea: While the mythos of the unicorn & hunter was so impressive, it’s almost expected that the characters weren’t quite as strong or fulfilling. That’s not to say that the characters were poorly done – quite the opposite. Astrid, the protagonist and first-person narrator of Rampant certainly feels like a genuine teenage girl thrust into a much larger situation, with impossible expectations. Though it would have been easy to write Astrid as a firebrand, or a stubborn, sword-wielding badass from the getgo, Ms. Peterfreund takes it a different direction; Astrid instead is a quieter teen, who really doesn’t want any part of her immense destiny, nor does she choose it initially. She goes along to Rome (even though she really doesn’t want to) at the behest of her pushy mother, she becomes a hunter even though she really doesn’t buy into it, and when the only thing she really is interested in – getting down to the scientific breakdown of the Remedy and the biochemical secret hunters’ resistance – is denied her, she basically lets it go. Astrid is passive – that is, until she finds her own purpose and strength. This heroine might not be the warrior woman readers expect, but she is one that I at least found myself rooting for wholeheartedly by the end of the book because of her solid character arc.

The secondary characters in Rampant are varied and add a wonderfully human element to the story. Of these, my favorites had to be Cory, the obsessed know-it-all (with good reason for her hate for unicorns) and Phil, the slightly older and much more outgoing cousin of Astrid. Phil’s sparkle, her wit, and her own journey in Rampant is a powerful one – I loved her character very, very much. There are less lovable characters too – such as Lilith, Astrid’s glory-hungry mother. For all that I found myself despising her pushiness and singleminded attitude towards Astrid and the hunters, Lilith is another character that felt very real and believable – after years of being marginalized and belittled for her radical views on a then-believed mythological character, when she has an opportunity to be proven right and for her daughter to fulfill her birthright, she of course seizes it with both hands. The only character that I wasn’t really crazy about had to be Giovanni, Astrid’s love interest. A bit too good to be true, perhaps. The lackluster hunky Italian dude aside, though, I like that Astrid is forced to confront the choices that she has to make, and Giovanni is a part of that.

Ana: Astrid’s quietness and initial, completely passive acceptance of her mother’s attitude drove me insane. At points I wished she would rebel, scream, do something to avoid going on a journey she so clearly did not want. But eventually I was glad she didn’t and her character proved to be so much more interesting like that – for her quiet strength that grows into so much more. Her arc was such that by the end of the book, I was completely in love with her and understood her decisions – as they were clearly delimited by everything she went through in these pages: from understand her destiny, her heritage, to using her strong desire to be a scientist into researching aspects of the mythology no one has ever thought of. This is one of the things that I have to give mad props to Diana Peterfreund: for not allowing the Astrid that begins the book turning into a completely different, alien Astrid by the end of it. It is the same character – only one that becomes her own person, who can make her own choices, finally.

As a coming of age story, Rampant is a great book indeed. And one where the teenage girl does not depend on the teenage boy for a lifetime of happiness – there is a romantic element to the book and Astrid does draw strength from being with him but not in an obsessive manner. These kids talk, assess and think about their situation in a very balanced way and still they have their hormones driving them crazy. It is a great balance, if you ask me. Plus she can totally kick his ass (and at one point I really wish she would, as I was not so keen on Giovanni. Go figure).

As for the other characters: there is Cory and I loved her from the start (as she threw Bonegrinder through the window, I thought: You had me at hello, girl); and Astrid’s cousin Phil who shone through the novel with an almost blinding light and nearly overshadowed Astrid and her more meek attitude. I really do hope we can see more of Phil in the next book. But the other girls were not as clearly drawn , unfortunately, which is a shame since they came from all sorts of cultures and backgrounds but I understand the necessity of drawing a line somewhere – to give the other girls more pages and line would detract from the main characters and the main story.

Final Thoughts, Observations, and Rating:

Thea: I loved Rampant from beginning to end. The staggering amount of meticulous research and fantastic twist on the unicorn myth and the exploration of gender and virginity alone are enough to make this book one of the most memorable I’ve read this year. Add to that the solid, different characters, and Rampant is one irresistible book. Absolutely recommended, and easily one of my notable reads of 2009. I cannot wait for more from Astrid and the unicorns.

Ana: Rampant is a great book, with a gripping, interesting plot that never lets go. With a bunch of strong Girl Hunters and such sympathetic characters such as Astrid and Phil, this one is a winner. And can I just reiterate the fact that there is a pet unicorn called Bonegrinder? Bring on the next book.

Notable Quotes/Parts: Harper Teen, with its great Browse Inside feature has the first 80 pages of Rampant up! You can check it out online HERE, or use the widget below:

Additional Thoughts: Killer unicorns. Diana Peterfreund boldly goes where no one has gone before in current literature with her take on these mythological creatures. For more insight on Diana’s research for Rampant make sure to stick around as she’ll have an Inspirations and Influences guest post later today! Plus, we’ll also be giving away a copy of Rampant to a lucky winner…

In the meantime, we leave you with the Evil Unicorn:

Rating:

Thea: 8 – Excellent

Ana: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson