Review of Unsounded (2010)
Ashley Cope (writer-artist).
I’ve let a child keep me like a dog, for at least a dog has purpose.
Intrigue and family in a high-fantasy world of different political systems and religions, where magic alters the philosophical aspects of materials and the minds of the dying shatter into the khert, “a force to arbitrate the systems of a finite reality”. The title refers to a deeper realm beyond the khert where human sorcerers cannot go and the gods are thought to live.
The artwork is gorgeous. The dialogue is intelligent, but the whole thing is shot through with minor weaknesses. Political contrasts mainly feed conflict. No time is spent explaining how, for instance, the “command economy” of Cresce is supposed to work. The worldbuilding comes out thin, as when we learn that one faction rides familiar-looking pet dogs scaled up to the size of horses; I don’t like that at all. There’s metafiction too—mainly in L12’s dialogue—but thankfully little overt presentism, despite the modern swear words. The pacing and characters feel inconsistent, except in the set pieces, but the emotional core—a set of (found) family relationships—is strong.