Review: Silence is Silver by Andrew Watson
Blurb:
The Urdahl believe pain is inevitable. But if one can lean into that suffering they can achieve anything.
Beneath the desert sands, Bas has spent his entire life training to become a fully-fledged Urdahl. And now his time has come to prove his worth. First, he must drink from the Seeing Bowl to clear his clouded mind and witness visions bestowed to him by ancient deities. Next, he must prove strength of body with the Passage of the High Pass. But destiny is shrouded in red and strength of arm will not be enough to survive its true tests.
Will he ascend to a full Urdahl or will his visions of blood come to pass?
The turning season has begun.
Taking place before the events of the Shadowbinders trilogy, "Silence is Silver" is a novella for both old and new readers.
Review:
I read this for SFINCS as a judge for Team Secret Scribes. These are my personal opinions and not a team review or rating. Our finalists will be revealed later on.
In Silence is Silver, we follow Bas, a young man who has trained his entire life to become a full Urdahl, meaning he has the strength, stamina, and self-control to complete a set of joining tests. Bas is fully dedicated to the task ahead of him, though his friend Eri, a younger boy who seems more interested in books than the Urdahl way of life, provides a great foil for him. The first bit focuses on Bas, Eri, and the Urdahl way of life before Bas is thrown into the horrific tests he must endure to become a full Urdahl. Watson’s writing is excellent, brisk, and evocative, and he effortlessly depicts the horrors of the Urdahl society. The tests are full of backstabbing, mental fatigue, and pain, and yet, if Bas and his fellow trainees have prepared correctly, they should be able to pass, right?
While I did think the novella had a slightly slow start, once the action picked up, I was absolutely enthralled. Watson’s world is lovingly crafted, brutal, and somewhere I’d never want to live–though I’m looking forward to reading more books set there! Let me be clear: this is a grim novella, full of pain and death, but with an emotional connection that makes you feel for the characters and their trials. Sometimes with grim stories, I feel like the reader can begin to feel desensitized toward the violence, but that’s not the case here. Watson packs a punch with each description and each character interaction, and you can’t help but continue reading.
Though Silence is Silver is technically a prequel novella about a character in the Shadowbinders series, this story stands alone and provides a really good introduction into the world. Sometimes with prequel novellas, I find that the authors lean too heavily on worldbuilding, and it becomes more of an exercise in showing the vastness of the world than in actually telling a compelling, complete story. And worldbuilding is cool, but I will always be a character-focused reader. This is absolutely a stand alone story that is complete, character-focused, and incredibly well done.
In terms of issues I had with the story, I did find the beginning a bit slow. After 20 pages, I thought it was fine, but then the story really picked up and became an astounding read. Some readers might struggle with that pacing, but it’s absolutely worth it to get through the first bit and into the action. The length of the story could be an issue for some, as it’s on the shorter side for a novella. However, I felt like this was a complete story with a satisfying ending, and had no real issues with the length.
All in all, this is a story I would recommend to all fantasy readers. Come for the twists, turns, and betrayals, stay for the unexpected emotional gut punches. I’m excited to get into Watson’s full length novels.I have a feeling they’re going to be excellent. In conclusion, the Urdahl way of life is brutal, and this story is brutally good.
