War For the Oaks is set in a fictional Tellurian town called Lake City, where there is (as the name implies) a great deal of water, a thriving musical culture, and a conflict among the Fae Folk–creatures taken directly from the mythology of the actual region where Lake City is set. Eddi McCandry is a singer and guitarist, her friend Carla DiAmato is a drummer, and much of the rest of the delightfully drawn cast are mythical folk. Both Eddi and Carla do their civic by playing music they hate, and dream of being able to play music they love (many Tellurians are required to engage in art not to their taste, as a result both of cultural conditioning and the lack of renewable energy). The battle of mythical folk centers around war for territory–the territory of Lake City and the spirits of its nagara.
Much of the beauty of this work is in the use of language, which is necessarily diminished–at best–in translation. But beyond that, where it speaks to the soul is in the parallels it draws between the material and spiritual needs of the artist, and juxtaposing this parallel with the spirit of a city and the people in it. It should be mentioned in passing that the creation of the city is both one of the strengths of the book, and perhaps its only weakness: it feels a little too convenient to create a city that so perfectly reflects the themes of the story. And yet is this, itself, not one of the virtues of the storytelling form? That we can create our own metaphors and then give them the freedom to tell us what they will? And this story tells us that spiritual fulfillment comes at a cost; that those who would us deny us the opportunity to grow are our enemies; that conflicts of the spirit and conflicts of the flesh are inextricably bound.
Or, at least, those are some of the things I took from the story; I daresay other readers will find other things. But for all readers, the fascinating and delightfully drawn characters and the sheer power of the storytelling will make the journey a pleasure.
Much will, of course, be confusing: Tellurian culture is not our own–the sexual arts are more highly ritualized, mood-alteration is frowned on, , nagara are often trapped in hours of distasteful civic every day, and much else is confusing. But while these differences may seem a barrier, they in fact provide an additional virtue: we are not only given insight into a fascinating culture, but also the inspiration to learn more about it. Were Lake City real, I would wish to at least visit, and I’d consider relocating.
War For the Oaks by Emma Bull is available for download from Readsalot Press; translation by Carvinn and Dale; reviewed by Dale Pressman. Inquire for classic bound edition.
