Review: The War Master’s Daughter by Elly Zupko

To suggest that Elly Zupko’s The War Master’s Daughter is merely a historical fiction novel would be to ignore a great number of its evident strengths.  Simultaneously, pigeonholing the novel into any specific genre would be to discredit its willingness to step outside its comfort zones.  The greater part of The War Master’s Daughter is confused about what genre it may actually be, but that doesn’t draw away from the novel’s overall quality.  Zupko’s book is a fantastic independent offering the intense strengths of which outweigh the few moments where its footing occasionally wavers.

After the death of a loved one, Lady Aurora of Cavalcata – the daughter of a popular military strategist – commits herself to an unlikely adventure that incubates doubts about her faith, her love of country, and her very purpose in the world.  The novel is less about the history, however, than it is the philosophy and the romance.  The philosophies of Descarte, Locke, and Socrates all make small cameos as Aurora discovers that the world around her is stranger, more violent, and more unforgiving than she could have ever imagined.

Zupko’s book is a philosophical fairy-tale – a political Rapunzel story – in which the fantastic is replaced by questions of the self and the world.

One of the most breathtaking aspects of Zupko’s book at first glance is its precision editing.  We would think that this shouldn’t even be mentioned – a book should naturally be free of spelling mistakes, grammatical issues, formatting problems, and so-forth – and the author reminds us that these are qualities we should expect even from independent releases.  The novel is masterfully formatted in its physical form and is almost entirely devoid of errors.  This allowed the most important contents of the book – the plot and the characters – to come alive without interruption.  Independent publishers and self-publishers would be foolish not to use Zupko’s book as an example of how a novel should be presented.

While Lady Aurora is an interesting and exciting character to follow, she is regrettably eclipsed by the complex characters stacked up around her.  The people with whom she comes in contact are varied, charismatic, and layered.  Storey – a young man from the opposing country Mitoch – is an ever-changing character who is equally sentimental, unpredictable, wise, and constantly growing.  Cashel, the villain, is frightening and manic, driven by a maddeningly simple principle:  the more killing that can be done, the more power to which one has access.  One of the novel’s most unsettling scenes comprises a torture overseen by Cashel himself, gritty in its details and disturbing for how blissful Cashel acts while it transpires.

Zupko’s writing knows its troughs and peaks.  Her use of detail and character insight is masterful, though it sometimes bogs down scenes that would otherwise be quickly paced (save for the end of the novel—the climax is speedy and exciting in both story and form, the way a good conclusion should be).  Her dialogue constantly moves the tale along, helping characters develop strong and unlikely relationships.  Zupko also uses time as a flexible tool, straying away from the clichéd flashback in favor of a non-consecutive storytelling form that leaps back and forth between many years without dissolving the novel’s tension.  Answers to readers’ questions appear at appropriate times.  The only drawback?  There are one or two revelations, particularly near the end of the novel, that feel less like pre-plotted twists and more like contrivances — a revelation is first revealed, and then a past scene is shown to support it.  The leapfrogging storytelling becomes more utilitarian toward the end of the novel, a means by which the whole story can wrap itself up into a neat, tight package…even if the reader knows that Zupko is intentionally doing just that.

Unlike many novels nowadays, The War Master’s Daughter is a one-and-done job – the conclusion and resolution give very little room for a sequel of any real importance.  Aurora’s story is told.  When the final page is done, readers are forced to leave the 16^th-century European fictional countries of Fairgos and Mitoch, which may leave some wanting to know more of the detailed world, its politics, its varying forms of faith, and its national relationships.  Zupko’s successful development of such a complex world merits one question:  If not through Aurora, will readers ever get the opportunity to return?  Zupko’s world seems rife with future storytelling possibilities.

The War Master’s Daughter is an extremely impressive debut novel.  It overflows with talent and storytelling ability.  It captures plenty of realism while incorporating just enough fiction.  While historical fiction fans may find less history than they expect and romance readers less bodice-ripping than they normally desire, Zupko’s book is certainly not bereft of value – it overflows with a story that stands strong on the heels of politics and philosophy.  It is a solid, satisfying piece of fiction that keeps a consistent tone and never wanders outside its realm of believability.

Elly Zupko’s The War Master’s Daughter can be purchased in both physical and e-published formats on the book’s official website, http://www.warmastersdaughter.com.

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