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| Swords and Sorcery Magazine (Banner for May 2021) |
"A Song for Sir Ava" by Melion Traverse
630 words
As one of the oldest forms of human expression, storytelling has seen itself used for a variety of different purposes. To entertain; to provide a sense of history; to instill life lessons upon its listeners. For Velkin, the skald telling us his story in "A Song for Sir Ava" (Swords and Sorcery Magazine, May 2021), it is to maintain the memory of one who might otherwise have been forgotten.
Written by Melion Traverse, "A Song for Sir Ava" is a fantastic example of form being brought to the forefront in order to highlight and enhance the overall impact of a tale. Instead of having the story's point-of-view character simply be a "skald" (a reciter of heroic poems) and allowing the subsequent plot to play out in a strictly linear way, Traverse manages to weave Velkin’s profession into the very structure of the narrative, having him relate these events as if he were conducting himself as a teller of stories, with us, the reader, as his enraptured audience. We thereby gain access to all the artistic storytelling flare a poetically-inclined figure like Velkin the Skald would surely employ.
By tying character together with narration, we are provided with insightful recollections that show how much of an impact this event has had on our storyteller. Even after what seems like many years has passed, it is clear that the events, which unfold through the plot, have left their mark. As we "hear" the story being told, we are consistently wondering how the end will tie back around to the beginning, and in what way the hook which drew us into the story (i.e. noticing an out-of-place ring worn by Velkin) will eventually tie itself in.
The contents and conflict of this story are fairly conventional: there is a monster that needs slaying, and the titular Sir Ava, a knight who acts as a kind of templar or vassal to a religious order, is on a quest to slay that monster. As is so often the case in sword and sorcery, it is not the actual details of the story that matter, but the mode of presentation. Traverse strikes a good balance between being energetic and brisk in pacing, while also having quiet moments where more introspective passages of character development can flourish. Velkin the Skald is a likeable protagonist, being unsure and in many ways naive to the wider world, but nevertheless eager to learn all the same. His interactions with Ava, whose stoic exterior contrasts nicely with Velkin’s exuberance, are both believable and engaging.
The secondary setting in which this tale exists provides enough of a backdrop to seem decently fleshed-out rather than just generic set dressing. From a cursory search of the author’s other works, it appears to be the same setting used in some of her other works of fiction. The world does seem to have a more high-fantasy, medieval flavor than the sword and sorcery otherworldliness found in Howard, Smith, or Moorcock. The monster around which the story’s first climax centers, however, very much falls into the weird fiction vein of imagery. It could easily be a creature found in “The Scarlet Citadel’s” Hall of Horror.
"A Song for Sir Ava" offers a great amount of richness as a story, and therefore comes highly recommend. The emotional depth and complexity Traverse is able to deploy with her characters, the themes she ties to them, and the actions they thereby take all work well together. How she ties it all together in a poignant, extremely satisfying way at the end is very impressive, and it definitely has me interested in checking out the other stories she has written as well.
About the Reviewer: Chase A. Folmar is an aspiring writer of speculative fiction and weird fantasy, with an avid interest in the craft of storytelling. He lives in Virginia with his wife and their horde of rescued pets. His writing and other collected thoughts can be found on his website, chaseafolmar.com
About Spiral Tower Reviews: The authors who maintain the pulp genres of sword and sorcery and cosmic horror merit support. Financial support is key but there are other ways the cash-strapped can show support: engaged reading and thoughtful analysis. Literary movements emerge through the interactions of editors, authors, publishers, and amateur literary journalists. Learn more about contributing your review here.
