Book Review: Mazes of Power
“Sociological science fiction” is a three-word phrase that goes straight to my core, as a former anthropology and sociology major. It probably would have been enough to get me to purchase this on its own, even if the description hadn’t sounded intriguing. But after finishing it, well. I have some very mixed feelings.
Mazes of Power takes place in the cavern city of Pelismara, on a world not our own, where a rigid caste system underlies society. When a recurring plague kills the current emperor, Tagaret, a member of the ruling caste, finds his life and plans upended. He must enter the competition to become the new heir to the throne, while navigating the complicated relationships amongst his immediate family and attempting to court the young woman he loves.
Because this is marketed as a sociological science fiction story, I came here expecting to find a focus on society and I definitely got at least some of what I came for. A lot of time has been lavished on the caste system, which includes castes for nobles, police/soldiers, artists, merchants, elite servants/bodyguards, workers, and general unmentionables. The religion also seems fairly fleshed out, even if it’s a bog-standard set of sky deities (which is just a strange choice for a cavern city where nobody goes outside but there’s probably history there that didn’t make it into the book).
But HOO BOY, is there a lot missing.
My main issue is simply this: what the hell do the Grobal caste (the nobility) actually do? This whole book’s plot is predicated around a big competition for young men to become the new heir but we have no idea what these nobles actually do or control. There’s no indication that they control commerce (they have the merchant caste for that) or distribution of resources. Maybe laws, but laws and judicial systems are more or less never mentioned. To be honest, I almost wouldn’t be surprised if there was a gotcha moment later where we learn the nobles do precisely nothing and all the other castes know about it.
So for all the the book is so concerned with political squabbling, the stakes of it all are never really clear. And that makes it hard to care.
On top of that, the caste system feels thin because 2/3s of the POVs are in the Grobal (noble) caste, and the remaining POV is in the Imbati caste, the elite bodyguards who serve the nobles. Everything is so, so focused on the higher end of society, but the book desperately needs lower caste POVs to sell the necessity of the social change which is obviously going to become Tagaret’s arc.
It’s a big problem, because Wade barely includes anything that hints at the things wrong with Pelismara society. Obviously, when we hear “science fiction” and “caste system,” most of us will put two and two together and get dystopia, but we need to see the problems with our own eyes. But the only problem the book really mentions is that the nobility is SUPER inbred…but nobody cares? Except insofar as it means the fever can wipe them out, but then they do nothing? The undercaste, the Akrabitti, get mentioned once or twice as generally “bad,” but we never see them until the end, where Tagaret has a sudden moment of pearl-clutching and decides that things are WRONG and must CHANGE. Even though he has barely seen any evidence, and has no idea how the other castes feel.
On top of that, the characters are also a wildly mixed bag. Tagaret is ostensibly the main character, but his plotline feels aimless for most of the novel. He’s unwilling to engage with politics (again, ostensibly the main plot). And SPOILER ALERT he catches the fever early on and has to drop out, which just contributes to the aimlessness. His love-at-first-sight romance arc with Della feels forced, and the scummy way he treats his friend/lover Reyn does not endear him to me.
The other Grobal POV is Tagaret’s brother Nekantor and YEESH. Making your villain a neurodivergent, OCD (truly OCD, not just the pop culture version of “really organized”) sociopath is not a great look. He’s well written, insofar as his neuroses sound authentic and convincing in the text, and as the reader you are definitely rooting against him, but…all I can say is YEESH.
To be honest, I’m mostly here for Aloran, the non-Grobal POV. Unlike Tagaret or Nekanor, Aloran has a pretty defined personal arc and plot arc. As an Imbati, he’s hired to guard Tamelera, Tagaret’s mother, against her wishes, and the Imbati higher-ups ask him to look into allegations of impropriety against Tagaret’s father and his father’s Imbati, Sorn. His personal arc revolves around coming to terms with serving Tamelera (and discovering that he has feelings for her beyond what Imbati normally feel for their charges). And despite his initial nervousness, Aloran does realize that Sorn is a threat. I caught myself getting vastly more interested in the book anytime an Aloran chapter appeared; he actually gave me someone to root for. And there is good news at the end for Aloran, at least until the next book begins.
Also, don’t get me wrong — it’s an exciting book, even if the excitement is only surface-deep. The pacing is handled extremely well, and you’re never going to be bored. The writing style is fairly engaging (even if Nekantor’s chapters get a little redundant), and it supports the quick, breezy hum of the plot moving forward.
Overall, then, this one is a mixed bag. Good enough to keep me reading, and good enough to get me to read a sequel since I’m so invested in Aloran, but I really hope this series gets some depth in its second book. This wasn’t quite what it said on the tin, and it left me feeling a bit disappointed.
Grade: 3/5 stars
Memorable Quote:
“The vow began with ‘Mistress.’ Mistress, don’t hurt me. Mistress, forgive me for not being what you wanted. His tears rose again, but he swallowed them. This was the beginning of his duty.
”Mistress,” he said. “The Mark upon my face I have taken in your noble name. Thus I kneel before you to offer my duty, my honor, my love, and my life to your service. Upon your loyal servant, pray you bestow a touch, the seal of your hand upon this, the vow of my heart.””
