Nine Layers of Sky / Liz Williams

Nine Layers of Sky

category: fantasy, author:

Liz Williams

Published by Tor,
original copyright 2003, read in July 2010

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

I enjoyed this book. Nothing wrong with it... Just not great.

I do worry about people who discover a new idea, a new culture, a new whatever, and write a book with that new thing as a driving force in the book. In this case, Williams has -- apparently -- spent time in eastern ex-USSR, in the various -stan countries. Her experiences form the basis of this book. So what?

So, how true is the author's perception of the culture? And how relevant is the culture to the plot?

First, I have no idea of the truth or otherwise of Williams' view of the people and myths and culture. Nor do I have problems with it: it is interesting and different, for me. This is no fairytale of a culture that is so much better than our own... Nine Layers gives a good and bad picture of a different culture. So that's all good.

How relevant is this culture? Very relevant! The culture -- current situations, peoples, old myths -- are central to the plot. Could the plot fit into, say, an Australian situation? Possibly... but only by an enormous stretch of adaptation.

Which leads to a conclusion: Williams has taken her experience in a "foreign" culture and used it as a valid basis for an interesting story.

On the other hand the interesting story is not great. An enjoyable book. Read it. Don't expect it to be anything extraordinary.

Of course, you could read Nine Layers as an insight into the myths and culture of the part of the world where the story is set. From that point of view -- if that's what you want -- read and enjoy!

Which leads me to one point which struck me: a lesson, or insight, into life in the -stan countries.

It's just a casual part of the background to the story: Russians hate name-your-stan, -stan people hate Russians. Russians are the invaders, the invaders are now in their third generation but are still treated as invaders. Moslems distrust Christians and vice versa. Some of the distrust is pure religious difference, some is based on historical persecution going both ways.

Cross a border and tolerance gives way to distrust or hatred...

It's really an insight, for an Australian to read about these casual and eternal hatreds. We may think that our neighbour is a bit of an idiot. That's nothing, compared to the ingrained views which are casually demonstrated in this book.

..o0o..

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