“Sidewinders” by Robert Redick Review: A Vivid and Cinematic Read

For our first review post on The Reading Lists, we’re hosting Louis Putzel’s recommendation of SIDEWINDERS by Robert V.S. Redick.

After getting drawn in by the amazing characters and fantastic world of Robert V.S. Redick’s Master Assassins, the first book in The Fire Sacraments trilogy, I couldn’t wait for the sequel Sidewinders. Now that I’ve read it, I’m going back to the beginning to read both again, so I’ll be extra ready for the final volume!

Sidewinders adds many threads to this epic story and twists them into a tightrope its protagonists must cross, from one gorgeous and perilous land to another, and another. Having impulsively killed (as he committed an unspeakable abuse) the corrupt son of their zealous leader, the Prophet of Orthodox Revelation, and made off with a priceless and cursed jewel-encrusted knife, brothers Kandri and Mektu continue their desperate flight with a caravan of camel drivers across a hostile desert towards the eastern realm of Kasraj. Along the way, they are relentlessly pursued by the Prophet’s elite forces and a White Child, a demonic projection of the Prophet herself, endowed with the power to summon and direct evil beings and kill an elephant with just the touch of her finger. But their mission is not simply to escape: Kandri bears a letter holding a cure for the plague that has kept the entire continent of Urrath in lockdown from the outside world for centuries. In the course of the tale — enlaced with love stories and punctuated by spirit possessions, attacks by fabulously alien creatures and the most venally banal of traitors, and rescues by unexpected and delightful shapeshifters — we become aware of a nefarious plot by some who would profit from perpetuating the plague…

If we look hard for them, we can find echoes of our real world. Though intriguing, these are mostly coincidental; the plague that was first described in Master Assassins, though possibly prophetic, predates our current pandemic, after all. Following a genocidal attack on refugees by enraged common Kasraji folk, others intervene, leading one to reflect “One’s [the Kasraj that welcomes and protects] the country we long to inhabit, and some days we get lucky enough to see. The other’s the country that will rise like bile if we ignore it, leave it to fester, pretend it does not exist.” OK, so this may sound familiar as we emerge from years of […], but Redick certainly does not hammer it in: no, his fantasy world is so far removed from our own that we can truly escape in it for a time, to enjoy an experience so far from our reality that we get a real vacation from it — and a long one at that! By the same token, this writer’s imagination is so original that we do not find ourselves comparing this and that to other fantasy worlds we’ve come across. It’s truly new and spectacularly different: like (but of course completely unlike) his first series The Chathrand Voyage Quartet, Redick regales us with views of thoroughly exotic social and ecological landscapes, the likes of which are as rare as new places or species to discover, arising from a unique artistic vision.

Another great facet of Sidewinders is discovering the world of Urrath alongside the main protagonists, who are also gradually becoming aware of their own evolving reality. We are often confused for a time, as they are, because things are never quite as they first seem in this intricate, both stark and lush, even byzantine tale. As they move through a world of complexities, their sensitivities grow and they become more tolerant and understanding, making room for ever more divergent human (and semi-human) natures. As they travel further from the homophobic world they come from, the Chiloto brothers, who are, after all, more lovers than fighters, evolve and learn to respect what was taboo in the world of Orthodox Revelation they have left behind.

Now, some reviews have noted that Redick’s writing is quite literary, so people who appreciate good writing will appreciate these books. While this may be true (and sure, I might be biased — I love Robert and have read all his books) I’d say his writing style is clear and simple. It’s the story that’s complex, but that should appeal to anyone who likes a really good yarn. The title Sidewinders, I found as I read, is descriptive, not only of the main characters, but of the entire story. As the caravan of misfits, heroes, and adventurers winds across the desert sands, our (and their) understanding of what’s happening continuously changes. Even the backstory shifts. People are not who we thought they were, not even who they thought they were.

Now, as I wait for the third and final book, I also wish some great producer would come along and bring this story to life as an epic movie (or even better, TV) series. It’s a great read, but I also want to see all the beauty and drama and horror of Redick’s world in “real” life. He describes it in such vivid detail as to make it already cinematic. There’s already enough there to keep fantasy audiences busy for several years, and to fill a glaring hole that’s been sitting there now for, oh, at least a few years. I want that White Child to stare at me from the silver screen and strike holy terror into my heart.

Louis (Lou) Putzel is a farmer, researcher, and author on topics related to the natural environment and sustainability. With a focus on people-centered restoration of productive landscapes, he has lived and worked in the Peruvian Amazon, Central Africa, China and Indonesia. Lou and his partner, Tony, met while studying in New York, and now spend much of their time growing coffee, tea and cacao at Kaʻawaloa Trail Farm on the slopes of Mauna Loa volcano in South Kona, Hawaii.