Spiral Tower Review: The Many Merits of Between Princesses and Other Jobs

 

The Many Merits of Between Princesses and Other Jobs
Between Princesses and Other Jobs (Baen 2023)
822 words

When thinking of D. J. Butler, a variety of great fiction may come to mind from his epic American fantasy Witchy Eye, to his space age-of-sail accountant hero in Abbot in Darkness, to his tale of the Great Depression and the supernatural exploits of a magician in rural Utah in The Cunning Man. Certainly not last in this list of great fantasy are the tales of Butler's comic duo, Indrajit and Fix, who first appeared in In the Palace of Shadow and Joy (2020) and return in the collection that this review will focus on: Between Princesses and Other Jobs (2023).

Between Princesses and Other Jobs is made up of short stories largely printed elsewhere originally, in Baen anthologies, Libri Valoris books, and elsewhere. Between Princess and Other Jobs is a fix-up novel. (A "fix-up" novel--a term popularized by science fiction author A.E. van Vogt--is created by combining short stories or novellas into a longer, cohesive narrative. These stories are often revised or expanded to make them fit together more seamlessly). The plot device that allows the individual episodes to cohere here is that Indrajit and Fix are part of a jobber group known ironically as The Protagonists. Their tales are a compendium of far future buddy-cop stories akin to Jack Vance’s picaresque Dying Earth tales or those of Fritz Leiber’s greatest swordsmen, the sometime buffoonish, Fafhrd and Gray Mouser. 

The easiest merit to pinpoint for the book is the accessibility. Fix-ups are so rare in the publishing industry these days. It’s a breath of fresh air to read one without yellowing pages and a well creased spine. It is even more noteworthy that this fix-up is published by a traditional publishing house, Baen Books. While chronologically set after the first novel, In the Palace of Shadow and Joy mentioned above, Between Princess and Other Jobs is a great place to start for a new reader. The stories are short with a novella thrown in at the end, the perfect sizes for sword and sorcery connoisseurs. 

Another is the heroic duo, another classic trope of the genre. Indrajit Twang is the Recital Thane of the Blaatshi people. He is mahogany-skinned, but with a boney crest on his head, far apart eyes, and a greenish tint, he resembles a fish. Fix, the other in the duo, constantly reminds him of this. Fix himself is short and stocky, a Kishi common to the Lankhmar-esque city of Kish. This is a city also like Gene Wolfe’s Nessus, since it is the culmination of many iterations of city that are now in ruins beneath the surface. Additionally, in this far future, humanity has been split into a thousand sub-races by some murky past genetic war.

Beyond making money as self-proclaimed heroes and good guys, Indrajit seeks an apprentice uncorrupted by literacy to learn the Blaatshi epic. Fix grew up in a monastery for a god of useless knowledge before leaving to chase a woman. In romantic fashion, she married another man and, despite this, Fix is hopeful to be with her someday.

The jobs they perform do give us an image that many might interpret as rare in sword and sorcery: the two are good guys. They are not grey and are generally not fit for rage except for in the face of injustice. When an alien child is thrown over a bridge, Indrajit and Fix save the child. They do not let it die and they certainly do not harm innocents. Their competency and foibles mixed with their intent shines light on what it means to be a hero. 

But despite this lightness, there are Lovecraftian elements, such as in “No Trade for Nice Guys”; poisonings and politics in “Backup”; epics recited and cats (with a question mark) in “The Path of the Hunter”; betrayal and dog-headed allies that may eat their own feces in “Power and Prestige”; and secrets and sorcery of wizards in “The Politics of Wizards”. These, and more, are all packaged together in Between Princesses and Other Jobs.

While Butler is passably comparable to Leiber, Vance, and more could be drawn, he brings his own talent for wit and entertainment, colorful and vibrant world building, and authentic anthropological ideas. Butler has the merits to stand with the best sword and sorcery writers, his variety and humor mix well with ideas that are thoughtful, such as human literacy and how the stars shape human identity. He also brings in transhumanist ideas without all the tech you normally see it paired with. Instead of cyber enhancements, maybe shoes will do the job?

Between Princesses and Other Job's perfect blending of entertainment (and the too oft-accursed escapism) when mixed with worthwhile thought-provoking ideas makes it perhaps lasting literature. Michael Moorcock, Gene Wolfe, and Clark Ashton Smith would sound nicely with Butler in the same sentence. It would be unsurprising if many a reader kept the book on a bedside table to enjoy.

About the Reviewer: Liam Hall is a student of the humanities, with particular interests lying in anthropology and philology. He lives in Idaho with his wife and two daughters, whom he regales with poetry and weird fiction written by himself and others. When not writing and working he makes videos about speculative fiction on YouTube.

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. We are happy to work with first time reviewers! No previous writing credits required!

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