John M. Ford – The Dragon Waiting (1983) Review

Ford’s historical fantasy masterpiece, set in an alternate version of the 15th century in Europe in which magic still exists. Ford used this setting for experimenting with form and investigating an immense range of ideas for alternate histories. I found it very impressive, but also challenging as Ford kept changing form and focus and deliberately obfuscates for mystery’s sake. Its artistry and ambition become obvious very quickly, but the book is known for giving readers problems with enjoyment because of its dense and slippery nature, including Your Humble Reviewer. 

Ford has that elegant, evocative style that Ursula Le Guin also has: commanding and focused, without bloat and effortlessly communicating. I was pulled in quickly by its power. The writing is dense in information. Settings, character development, plot intrigue and world building are all rich and blended into an immersive mix. Helped by the fact that this is alternate history, so the quick mention of a name from history here and there is often enough to suggest whole alternate timelines.

Ford’s alternate history has so much thought behind it that it is in itself a work of art. Throughout the novel, he expands on it and adds many references to historical figures and events. It would help if the reader has a working knowledge of Europe in the late Middle Ages and knows its major events, peoples and empires. The deeper your knowledge, the greater the enjoyment and appreciation for what Ford constructs. Like Guy Gavriel Kay’s Sarantine Mosaic, Ford references Byzantine history and creates his own version. Add Italian Renaissance and people such as Richard the Lionheart, Saladin and the main actors from the Wars of the Roses. In this past, the Byzantine Empire wasn’t destroyed but recaptured Rome and flowered into a second Empire. Instead of Christianity, the old pagan religions survived, especially the old Roman “mystery” religion Mithraism. 

Part of the joy is discovering more and more details about this alternate past. Helped by the fact that chapters range in setting all over the continent and follow characters from various backgrounds. The first three chapters introduce three main characters: a Welsh wizard, a Byzantine mercenary and a Florentine doctor, and each end up on the run. All come together in the fourth chapter, including a German vampire, and a mystery plot unfolds. Ford likes to obfuscate his narrative, not clearly explaining what is going on in the plot or in characters’ heads, and having characters appear under different names. The result of all these choices is a very compact, complex novel that achieves a lot in its 400 pages.

Ford shifts from one form of storytelling to the next in this novel and I am not sure yet whether this is a positive thing. The first three chapters are set up as your standard epic fantasy beginning, introducing three characters and their call to adventure. Then in the next chapters he sets them in an Agatha Christie murder mystery plot in a mountain inn. After that, a spy thriller with infiltrations and assassinations that involve Richard III. I wish I was familiar with Shakespeare’s play and knew more about the Wars of the Roses, because the plot by now is confusing enough. Ford hasn’t even explained yet why these characters have teamed up in the first place, beyond the obvious reason that they dislike the Byzantine Empire, but what that has to do with events in Britain remains unclear. The Dragon Waiting is quite the challenge, in terms of clarity and expectations.

It is easy to get lost in the details of all of historical and literary references, but, between the reworked histories and metafiction the book is also funny and truly involved with its characters and not eschewing psychological realism. Themes it deals with are keeping up the spirit of life in the face of grief or suffering, and exploring loyalty, trauma and duty. The main characters are all very intelligent and have depth, and at the same time seem to be representations in their own way, of figures like Odin, Merlin, Sherlock Holmes… it depends on the scene they’re in. Only afterwards can we make observations such as that the main characters are almost like a D&D quest group, but their story is so embedded in the details of plot and setting that it is hard to notice.

This will sound so snobbish, but this is an educated reader’s fantasy novel, written for those who appreciate slow, close reading, interrogating the text, picking up on historical references and appreciating mystery. I can’t see this working for the average audiobook speed-reader. It may be one of the most impressive historical fantasy novels ever written, but I didn’t enjoy it, which had to do with the puzzling nature of the story. For most of the chapters, I didn’t understand the significance of anything that happened. I was totally lost. I guess I am the dummy this time. Recommended for fans of Tim Powers and Gene Wolfe.