PROFANE RITES

A novel combines familiar fantasy tropes and fresh invention to tell a coming-of-age story.

The narrative begins with Sister Honorata delivering last rites—in Latin—to a man who has just been gored by an elephant. Blue light envelops both her and the man she is attempting to heal even as she worries that her devotion and skill will not be enough to save him. The man’s hopeful wife thanks Honorata, adding, “May Devi bless you,” using the Sanskrit word for goddess. In this brief scene, Wilson reveals much about this book’s universe. Honorata has left Rampura Abbey to complete her Trial—the final test before becoming a priestess. Her task is to find Severa, a priestess who disappeared after leaving Rampura. And, in a land riven by civil war, Honorata has made it her mission to demonstrate through her own example that fighting is not the way. She wants the people of Pala to understand that “through humility and devotion and prayer they too can hear the Song of Devi.” The Song is what flows through Honorata when she heals the sick and wounded. But in her travels beyond the abbey, she discovers that there may be more to the Song than she has been taught. A heretic named Shankar Panni rips the Song from her by force as she offers him a blessing and twists its power to his own ends. Mother Severa gives her a glimpse of what the Song can do if Honorata forgoes the obedience expected and the teachings of the Bhagava. And, as Honorata tries to help villagers being plagued by a monster, she encounters an abomination she never imagined possible. Wilson’s inventive worldbuilding has strengths and weaknesses. The author avoids using massive blocks of exposition to situate readers and presents a strong protagonist. But—despite a few elegantly informative scenes, such as the opening one—there’s a great deal that remains unclear about the religion and geopolitics of Pala. The dialogue has the formal, faux medieval feel that is endemic to high fantasy. And some readers may be frustrated by an abrupt ending that seems designed to set up a sequel. Still, emotional truth shines brightly as Honorata struggles to reckon with her new knowledge.

An original fantasy with an engaging protagonist.