Silk Road ~ Colin Falconer

I've known that there was such a thing as a silk road in the medieval period and that it had a great deal to do with trade. I even referred to it in a short essay on Petra written in my second year at Uni. What I didn't realise was how extensive it was, nor had I considered how difficult the terrain might be and that bandits would take advantage of the weary and unsuspecting; and probably the suspecting too. Though, I admit, that I should have considered banditry as any sort of road meant for trade or the delivery of goods is known to have them. What exactly I had imagined the Silk Road to be was something far less daunting and much shorter. This distance perception issue occurs during my own travels, so I should have known better.



In addition to my inattention to detail regarding the Silk Road, I am woefully ignorant of Asian Culture, particularly anything about the Mongols. I have heard of a little about the Genghis Khan's formidable an empire and virility, and that his grandson, Kubalai was a slightly less impressive leader. I knew nothing of the woman Khutelun who appears as the female protagonist in Falconer's novel. Charged with ensuring that the Dominican monk William and his reluctant travel partner, a Templar answering Josseran, get to the Mongol capital where a new Khan of Khans is to be selected, she learns of Western ways while teaching her companions about those of her people.

William is scandalised by just about everything while Josseran questions his faith on a journey lasting four times longer than anticipated. Each of these characters succumb to self-analysis while facing temptation and given opportunities for redemption. Each arrives at what is needed to fulfil or improve his or her life by way of questioning the known and unknown. This is where the author excels.

With a great economy of words, Falconer is able to transmit description and emotion with a pace that is sometimes quite quick and at other times with a sluggishness that emulates travel even today. A lot of hurry up and wait. As a result, he is able to fit a 1100 page novel into half that. I enjoy this style of writing. I am reminded of Martin Millar (who does not write historical fiction) believes that chapters should have more than 5 pages. While Falconer did not always keep to Martin's five page limit, he certainly kept to its spirit. The only criticism I have about this is that I often felt as though the story had an aloofness, like it was too timid to reveal itself all the time. I would like to read another of Falconer's books to see if this sense of distance was a product of this story and that he normally allows the reader 'in'.

Review originally appeared on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.