#MisLT Book Review: Miserere: An Autumn Tale by Teresa Frohock

Miserere: An Autumn Tale by Teresa Frohock

Genre: Dark fantasy

Publisher: Night Shade Books

Publication Date: June 2011

Wendy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever read a book and wished you could chat with the author to find out what they meant at a certain part? To learn what went into the crafting of a character or plot line? Well I’ve been chatting with Teresa Frohock a bit on Twitter for a while now, with the intent to read her book. Then I was struck with the idea of actually livetweeting my read the way I livetweet TV shows. Ms. Frohock loved the idea and as a result, I got to have the most wonderful reading experience with a great book and a fantastic author.

[View the story “MisLT: The Miserere Livetweet” on Storify]

Misere is a tale of hope and redemption, of love and of faith. But it is not a tale involving pretty flowers (in fact, there is one not-so-pretty flower that would make an interesting Valentine’s Day gift) nor is it a sweet love story. Frohock delves into the darkest emotions and desires with Miserere and, perhaps the only flaw I have with this book is that she could have gone even deeper.

From the first chapter, I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the subtext that teased out the relationship between Lucian, his twin sister Catarina and Rachael, the lover he betrayed. They are all older characters who have faced severe and even physically debilitating hardships. What they face in the story is just as likely to lead to their deaths as to their redemption, and the reader is often uncertain of which the character truly wants. This sets Miserere apart from many of the other books in the fantasy genre that feature naive young protagonists setting out on glorious adventure with the promise of a happy and heroic ending.

Actually, there is a young protagonist here – a girl named Lindsay who is pulled through the Veil from Earth into Woerld. She is drawn to Lucian and the exiled knight must choose whether or not to keep his promise, or open the Gates of Hell to save her. Lucian’s dealings with her are touching and a little heartbreaking as, through Lindsay, you learn bits and pieces about his relationship with Catarina and the guilt he feels over her current sinister condition.

There is a lot of religious reference that could easily turn some readers off. I love religion, but due to my upbringing with an overbearing Christian mother, I have no interest in being preached at. Miserere does not shy away from the religious references, but it never proselytizes and there’s no whining over why God might be punishing a particular character. It’s quite clear that each character is responsible for their own predicament or that of others around them. They remain true to their faith and I really like that faith is the source of actual magic. I am curious as to how the same would work within the other religions – which is the other thing I like about this book. While you don’t get to spend much time with the other sects, they are there and they all *gasp* get along.

Something else that pleases me about Miserere is Frohock’s treatment of female characters. As in, there is no difference between the women and the men. They are each considered capable in their various roles, and Frohock did not feel the need to justify or even point this fact out. Men and women are simply equals.

Imagine that. A fantasy book that actually frees itself from the prejudices of our reality.

As I mentioned, I really like the book’s darkness. This is one of the few truly dark fantasy books I’ve read and it’s definitely something I want more of. I enjoy the rainbows and dragons and happy endings as much as the next reader, but sometimes, I want to read books that aren’t afraid to be just for adults.