Black Doe by Cleland Smith
I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – gauge
Published – Out Now
Price – £16.99 paperback £4.99 ebook
A killer who dreams another’s dreams. A mother whose secret will sire a nightmare.
A bloody tale of motherhood, identity and fate, steeped in folklore and tragedy, and set against the backdrop of the 2nd century Scottish Highlands.
The Black Doe assassins are legends, shadows who never leave a target alive, but when Bridei is sent to end the threat of a rising warlord, she is stabbed with her own knife, crucified, and left to die. If she is to fulfil her mission, retrieve her stolen memories, and earn her fee, she must live, and she must kill.
Tisiphone's sons are raised on tales of the Black Does and tales of Rome. They carry great potential: the blood of Cruithne, which grants them the chance to become chieftain, married with that of the mighty Roman general, Agricola. Yet as the invaders encroach ever further north, Tisi finds herself keeping a deadly secret, and what was once a blessing may soon become a curse.
Each woman will do anything to protect what’s hers. Come Bealltainn, there’ll be blood on the bracken.
It is always interesting to consider how in certain periods we consider magic and gods just something that is. Ways of life change with each period there are aspects that could still be familiar to families today while others seem incredibly remote. In Cleland Smith’s dramatic historical fantasy Black Doe we travel to the second century to the land that would eventually become Scotland, a place the Romans have already placed their wall in and we follow one woman watching her family struggle and another who is an assassin on a mission to kill a dangerous warrior chief. Their stories will soon intertwine in unexpected ways.
Its 147 CE and Bridei is one of the legendary Black Doe an assassin who may or may not have magical skills. She is tasked with killing Drust an increasingly powerful chieftain whose army is feared by everyone. The mission soon fails and she is left crucified on a hill. Back in 126 CE Tisiphone is the proud wife and mother in the Fidach clan. With her husband Lutrin they work hard to establish themselves in the clan but Lutrin’s desire to provide means he is increasingly away from his family. This puts pressure on the family and eventually events will lead to immense pain for all.
Smith does an excellent job of placing the reader into this period and exploring the complexities of life. In Tisiphone’s story we see that life in this period is complicated. We have people who are of Roman descent, fight with romans and yet also at times trade with Romans added to which there are regular inter-clan battles raging every few years. Life is hard in a place with no medicine, food can be scarce and mistakes can see you cut off from the wider community.
Tisiphone is a layered character initially we tend to think of her as a wife and mother to her family but we also see soon that she is a skilled rider and fighter who as Lutrin leaves for new opportunities. It challenges the idea of the past where women were purely seen as serving the men and is a compelling tale. In particular a key thread is her troubled relationship with her son Timaeus (Tim) who finds a desire for recognition hurt by his father’s absence and his own explosive temper. Just o tits own it’s a powerful tale of family pain, loss and combined with the culture and history quite fascinating in how it eventually plays out.
I can safely say Bridei does not immediately die from when we first meet her and here its in some ways a quest story. She then must find her way back into Drust’s camp and try again and she is a very powerful and resourceful character. Smith makes us feel every fight, every trek and then begins a dangerous game of cat and mouse as Bridei tries to join the troops I order to get closer to Drust. These sections feel very high stakes and one mistake will indeed be fatal.
Something I really enjoy is how Smith just brings the weird and magical side of life here to life without warning or question. Here there are dangerous river spirits who can cause mayhem. Curses can hurt and there are magical beings you can trade things with for a high price. The story works well with these elements and helps give that sense of something mythic happening that will be told long after the events of the book are finally settled. My one reservation is a key reveal is for me left a little late for finally showing us how the stories intertwine but that’s a relatively small issue. By then we are still invested in seeing where the story finally goes
Fans of historical fantasy will find this a gritty and yet elegant story of families, quests and high stakes with two quite remarkable women in an age that Smith brings to life very well. I highly recommend it!
