that in the fourth century AD there is an Armorican city called Ys;
that Gaius Valerius Gratillonius, having never previously visited the city, suddenly and unexpectedly became its King by defeating the incumbent;
that he has several daughters by the nine Queens who, in accordance with the Pact between Ys and its Gods, cannot bear sons;
that he has reigned successfully for well over a decade and now regards Ys as his home.
Having established all that, the authors can now show us Ysan society from an outsider's point of view. As traders from Bordeaux approach, we read one of several descriptions of Ys as seen from the sea:
a dark red sea wall between promontories;
"...a frieze of fabulous creatures..." high on the wall (p. 345);
battlements and turrets on top of the wall;
behind and higher than the wall, skyscrapers ("...spires pierced heaven...") with gleaming glass and fantastically shaped roofs (p. 345).
We might think of New York except that it lacks a wall.
Having checked into a hostel, the captain and his son, the latter the viewpoint character, are, as foreign visitors, summoned to meet the King.
"A big auburn-haired man with rugged features lifted his arm as the new guests entered." (p. 349)
- and introduced himself as centurion, prefect and King.
Having before mostly known Gratillonius' thoughts and feelings, we now learn how he and his environment appear to others, thus giving us a more rounded view of Ysan society.
No comments:
Post a Comment