The Banished Craft

I was so impressed with The Banished Craft that it was one of just two novels I put on my Hugo ballot.

I found The Banished Craft to be full of interesting and unique ideas, starting with its premise. At Take Your Kid To Work Day in the 4-D universe, Mother shows her kids a 3-D universe she’s researching, but one kid pokes at it, accidentally splitting the 3-D universe into two universes. In the damaged 3-D universe, Earth splits into two worlds, one with humans but no dragons, and another with dragons but no humans. Both Earths, which share the same geography, are increasingly unstable, with frequent strong earthquakes. Mother is trying to find enlightened creatures, or at least intelligent ones, to warn them that their universe will collapse soon unless they themselves can pull the two universes back together.

The disaster of The Great Nova (4-D kid-poking) destroyed civilization on human Earth, which is still at Dark Ages technology 700 years later. Women are oppressed, only allowed to live with a husband or father and not permitted to read or study. This is the legacy of a religion arising soon after The Great Nova, which blamed everything on witches, complete with witchhunts. What’s left of human Earth is split into four states, with presidential elections every six years.

On Dragon Earth technology is more advanced, with radio and force fields. It is ruled by a vain and ruthless Empress and her blood-thirsty general. I was initially put off by the dragons, because we meet these two first. Then we meet Atesh, a kind and gentle dragon scientist, and his tough but loving soldier wife Jwala, and my interest soared.

Our two protagonists are Cor, a woman scholar writing under a man’s name and living in the shadow of the one surviving University on human Earth, and Atesh, the dragon biologist. They are both experimenting with “ha” (marijuana): ha helps humans and dragons hear the warning voice of Mother. Ha also enables visions and, in Cor, sorcery.

The story of how dragons and humans need to learn to communicate with each other and with 4-D Mother to save their universe is set against a rich background of political maneuverings on each world. Rebels in one state are considering succession from the human central government, while others plot against the dragon Empress. The world-building is complex, with stories told from the POV of human healers, students, sailors, farmers, and politicians, and the POV of dragon scientists, spies, soldiers, and artists. Characters on all political sides have personal concerns that are easy to sympathize with, except for a handful of evil villains.

The stories of Atesh and Cor become increasingly suspenseful and engaging, leading to a cliff-hanging but hopeful ending. I look forward to its sequel.