THE STANDING DEAD

This sequel to The Chosen (2000) returns to the Three Lands, where a haughty elite rules over a helpless subject population. Carnelian, one of the Chosen, was raised in the provinces until the Masters summoned his father to assist at the accession of a new God Emperor. There, Carnelian found a lover—a young Chosen named Osidian, whom he later learned was the Emperor-designate. Here, at the beginning, the two are betrayed by Osidian’s enemies and sent into exile as slaves. When they’re saved by a group of tribesmen, the Ochre, Carnelian recognizes the rescuers as having supplied slaves to his father, and he tries to make common cause. Osidian, sunk in despair, makes little attempt to relate to the “barbarians,” refusing to eat or to speak to anyone but Carnelian. But when the Ochre become lost in wild country full of dinosaur-like creatures, Osidian agrees to help them find their home. Once there, the Ochre remain suspicious of the two Chosen, aware that if their fellow Masters learn of their presence, the tribe will face extermination for the crime of having looked on their faces. At first Osidian remains aloof, while Carnelian immerses himself in the Ochre way of life, absorbing the tribesmen’s customs and admiring their intimate relation with their natural environment. When at last Osidian takes an active role, it quickly becomes clear that he means to use the Ochre as the first step in a plan to return to power. Gaining a following among the tribal youth, he embarks on a policy of conquest, hoping to build his forces for a war against his betrayers. Carnelian, now feeling himself one of the tribe, resists.

Once more, Pinto draws a world of stark contrasts and dramatic violence, with powerful characters caught in sweeping events. Richly imagined but brutal fantasy—not for the squeamish, as they say.