eBook Peregrine: primus ePub

Before this book, I read the `Adventures of Dr Esterhazy' by the same author,
and was impressed. But Peregrine: Primus is disappointing; I did not finish it,
and regret that I bought already the second volume (Peregrine: secundus)
together with it. The story lacks the logic of the Esterhazy stories and the density
of the world in which they were placed. The Peregrine novel is a sequence of strange
events and funny scenes placed in a world only lightly sketched by religiious
obsessions and armies declaring new emperors. It feels thin, without vision,
narrative drive or logical coherence.

Avram Davidson was one of the SF field's true greats, a strikingly original writer of heady and eccentric prose. His virtues were most apparent at shorter lengths: his novels sometimes fall apart structurally, and sometimes show signs of having been written rapidly to rather pulpish models, though even in the weakest novels enough of his odd vision is present to make them worth reading.
One of his most accessible novels is Peregrine Primus, originally published in 1971. It's the first part of a projected trilogy, and the second book, Peregrine Secundus, appeared in 1981, but the third book was never written. Lack of closure is not a problem: the joys of these books are not to be found in the working out of the plot, but in the individual, very funny incidents, and in luxurious sentence after intoxicating sentence. Davidson's voice is addictive, and in these books it is developed to the utmost.
The story is set in an alternate history. Peregrine is the younger son of "the last pagan King in lower Europe". When he reaches his majority, his father reluctantly exiles him, in order to prevent trouble with the Crown Prince. So begin Peregrine's, er, peregrinations. Accompanied by a faithful page and an aging sorcerer, he roams about "lower Europe", encountering the remnants of an eccentric Roman Empire, a wide variety of mutually heretical Christians, and many other wonders. A glorious book - and most any other Davidson you can find will reward the purchase as well.

This is a book for people who love words. Avram Davidson is extremely playful with the english language, and you'll find beautiful onomatopoeia and neologisms on every other page. The setting is ancient Rome and the surrounding country, but the author takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to everything from the political (every village has its very own Caesar) to the religious (the main character is a true pagan surrounded by Christians - all of whom are starting holy wars and excommunicating people for minuscule and practically inexplicable variances in doctrine).

Though the book is full of magic and travel, kings and high priests, battle and feasting, it's much more a quiet laugh at the typical fantasy tropes than it is a typical fantasy novel itself. There is no grand quest to rescue a princess from a dragon; rather, the main character is a bastard exiled from his country with no idea what to do with himself. There is no heroic steed carrying his master off to battle; the closest we get is an ass (with the brains and temperament to match) conjured up by the court wizard from bones and skin. The loyal sidekick is constantly wishing to turn their quest toward the brothel; the mistress of the brothel is just trying to "bring these pagans back into the good graces of the Lord."

This book is a rare find, a novel that creates its own language - and then use that language to laugh at itself. I can't recommend it enough.

If you liked, or think you would like Eco's Baudolino, I recommend this little book as well. Very funny but insiteful portrait of the dying roman empire. Just delightful.