SAFL #12: Redemption in Indigo

Original and enticing

A friend - upon noticing a clear preference for science fiction in her recent reads - once commented that she had found herself reading less fantasy, as it all seemed grounded in the same European-Medieval tradition. While my friend presented it somewhat bluntly and black-white, the truth is that fantasy is often deeply grounded in Western European models. This is not to dismiss that setting (I happen to have a particularly cherished spot on my literary shelf for the Medieval times), but cliches of any kind can grow quite tiresome. Even though my fantasy re-education is still at its start, I make a point to steer clear of a European domination and have sought out fantasies that belong to other schools of thought.

So far, the absolute best of these is Redemption in Indigo. Relatively short, Redemption in Indigo is a book that applies an old-school storytelling style narration that sneakily presents a whole world without really presenting, well, anything. Descriptions are fairly limited in scope and content for the most part, but despite this minimalist storytelling style, Karen Lord succeeds magnificently in exactly that field: storytelling. Concise and clean, Redemption in Indigo has a strange, fable-esque story, and is populated characters drawn in a fairy-tale like manner. The result is all around impressive, allowing the book to stand out as an excellent example of non-standard storytelling.

Redemption in Indigo is, ultimately, fantasy for those who have grown tired of fantasy cliches. The village setting, the character models and the overall story come through in a wonderfully original fashion alongside the mythological and fairy-tale styling. A fine example of quality fantasy literature, especially for those seeking something with a slightly different taste.