In the seventh part of Mastiff, I don’t understand how this can get better. I DON’T. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Mastiff.
Trigger Warning: For discussion of child abuse.
WELL. This book is quickly becoming my favorite of the trilogy. Maybe it’s the way in which I’m writing these reviews that makes this feel so fast-paced! If you didn’t know, I am writing from the DISTANT PAST. It’s June 30! This is weird, let’s not discuss this any further, aside from nothing that I have written the reviews for parts four through seven (and many more after this!) one after the other. So, let me admit that, but I think there’s just a lot of fascinating narrative choices that Tamora Pierce makes here that give the book such an urgency. We open with a funeral, years after the end of the second book in the series, and we find out how much has changed in Beka’s life and in Corus. With very little time for Beka to mourn the loss of her fiancé, she’s thrust into the most brutal and heinous crime she’s ever seen, one that requires her and Tunstall to shroud themselves in secrecy, and then days later, she’s in Port Caynn. She’s done so much traveling and walking with Achoo, and I can’t even believe that I’m barely a quarter of the way through Mastiff. THERE IS SO MUCH LEFT TO HAPPEN AND SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED ALREADY.
Let us discuss the many, many wonderful things that transpire in this section and the one thing that’s so awful I literally didn’t even understand it when I first read it.
Tunstall’s Fan
Seriously. Seriously.
Serenity dropped her pen. “You’re that Tunstall! But nobody ever said you were a man! Or a Dog! You’re not pulling my skirts, are you? The same Tunstall that grows the Goddess Glory, the rose that’s no bigger than my thumbnail?”
Oh, Matthias Tunstall. You have a fandom. Be prepared for the real-person fanfiction, the gifsets of your own face, the sweet letters you’ll receive from strangers that light up your day, the condescending messages of entitlement that urge you to stop planting your Goddess Glories because “you aren’t meant for it,” and so much fanfiction.
I jest. This was so adorable. I cannot wait for the inevitable scene where Beka walks in on Serenity and Tunstall planning a garden. I CANNOT WAIT.
The Pigeons
Wow, is this the longest Beka’s gone without talking to the pigeons or one of her spinners? I actually forgot she could do this! And lord, what a return, y’all. I thought that Beka would come away from the experience disappointed, since all of the dead she needed to speak to perished so far from Port Caynn. So I was definitely surprised by the cove referencing his lord stocking up on weapons. Was it a clue to some sort of conflict in the future? Unfortunately, the soul wanders off to the Black God’s realm after Beka sadly informs him that he’s died. However, a new pigeon (who I expected would get named) brings a soul to Beka that is… LORD. It’s the Lord High Chancellor of Mages, Lazamon of Buckglen. Unsurprisingly, though, he’s one of the rudest people Beka’s ever spoken to, dead or alive. It’s clear that he believes so highly of himself that he’s disgusted by the mere idea of speaking to someone of a lower station than him. But fine, an abusive, classist ghost. Not so bad, right? Yeah, NOPE. Because it becomes quickly apparent that while Lazamon is furious that he was killed, it’s actually worth it for him to die. He is not interested in getting vengeance on his killers because with his death goes a powerful secret:
“I hate your swiving, childish king more,” Lazamon retorted. “He’ll pay now, and his brood mare. For every lash and blow the child receives, his parents will weaken. Every meal the child does without, the parents will go hungry. It is my finest work, and it cannot be undone, because the maker of it is dead.”
Well, let the video demonstrate the fact that I definitely misinterpreted this in my initial reading. I thought he was speaking metaphorically. NO. NOPE. HE WASN’T. IT’S A LITERAL MAGICAL CONNECTION THAT CAUSES THE PARENTS TO FEEL EVERYTHING THEIR SON FEELS. Oh my god, there is no endgame aside from death. THAT’S IT. They just want King Roger and Queen Jessamine to suffer, and then they die, and then they’re gone, and the mages and nobles get what they want and this is definitely the worst thing in an ever-growing list of Worst Things. Many of which are IN THIS NOVEL. How is this book real? The world may never know.
The Next Step
It’s haunting to think about Tullus’s emotional reaction to the news of what Lazamon did to Gareth and his parents. After all that man has seen, he’s still horrified by the very idea of what’s transpiring in his realm. Sir Tullus presided over a court where he heard all of the cases in his region, and that means he heard A LOT OF SHIT over the years. But this disturbs him. And it should! It’s unreal to think about because it’s so extreme, but it’s happening and they can’t deny it at all. Again, I think that speaks to the idea of where Pierce wants our gaze to be. This whole nightmare has issues of entitlement, child slavery, and class intwined together, and they’re not necessarily all that subtle. It’s the main story, there are virtually no subplots, and Beka’s voice acts to position the narrative to comment negatively on the horrifying aspects of this crime. We can’t look away.
Anyway, I expect I’ll have a lot more to talk about as I learn about the people behind this. For now, Tunstall is separated from the group to head back to Corus to gather supplies, both for himself and Beka, and to get LADY SABINE to accompany them, WHICH IS SO TERRIBLY EXCITING, Y’ALL. And Farmer is going to bring in Master Catfoot, too, who is revealed to be a black robe mage. !!!!!! I love ensemble casts I LOVE ENSEMBLE CASTS IN FICTION.
Surprise Dinner Party and Bonding
I love that just after hoping that I could see Nestor and Okha again, I GET TO SEE NESTOR AND OKHA. But before I get to the lovely dinner they share with Farmer and Beka, I wanted to talk about the surprising character development we get here. Beka and Farmer make their way to the dinner house to meet Nestor and Okha, and along their journey, they talk. Openly. About a number of things. It’s a a beautiful way for them to get to know one another, and goddamn, I love how surprising Farmer is ALL THE TIME. He reveals that he picks up SCRAPS OF THE GIFT. Like??? I am so into Farmer’s characterization and the hodgepodge way in which he learns and utilizes his own magic. He plays to his strengths, he knows what he can’t do, and he is eager to learn and teach more. His own personal history is so rich and emotional, too! He was the middle child in a family of women, and his family always struggled with money. It was Farmer’s creativity and curiosity that got the attention of a mage who essentially made him an apprentice, which then led him to cross paths with Mistress Cassine Catfoot.
However, I most loved the fact that Farmer was quick to admit that while his family had difficulties, they weren’t nearly as bad off as others. And y’all, that’s a hard thing to admit to someone, you know? To understand relative struggles like he did is something I respect. But damn, there’s just a lot to respect about the man. He’s so much fun. He’s open, he’s eager to enjoy others and share with them, and even when he’s sadly admitting to his faults, it’s endearing. GOD I HOPE HE’S NOT SECRETLY A SPY OR SOMETHING, because I would be CRUSHED.
Anyway, let’s bask in my excitement over getting more Okha and Nestor. I WAS SO HAPPY.
The original text contains use of the words “mad” and “stupid.”
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
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