Review: Ravenous Mother - Two Gatherers

Friendship in the darkest of places

Way back in 1958 legendary film director Akira Kurosawa released "Hidden Fortress". Set in fuedal Japan, this movie begins and ends with two hapless peasants, Tahei and Matashichi, trying to survive and make their fortune in a time of war and famine. They go through a series of perilous adventures, meet a host of fascinating characters, and somehow make it out alive. They squable at times, but also care about each other. It's an adventure story with some comedy, but per Kurosawa's directing style, fuedal Japan is a horrific place for the commoners, where death is common and brutal.

Yeah, if this sounds vaguely like "Star Wars" its because George Lucas was heavily inspired by "Hidden Fortress".

In any case, whether or the author of "Two Gatherers" meant it to be so, there's definately shared thematic elements between his book and "Hidden Fortress." And that's a compliment. The relationship of Bulelani and Qaqamba grows from outright resentment to matching that of Tahei and Matashichi (or C3PO and R2D2). It's very well done, happening over time, and a highlight of the book. To me, it showed the triumph of the human spirit over the dark condition of their existence.

Speaking of dark condition, the plight of these two men and their companions is even more horrific than previous stories in the Ravenous Mother universe. That's because they aren't just commoners, they are effectively in a punishment detail. So we get to see what the lowest of the low experience. There's no path of redemption. The escape is becoming outlaws or death, either path fraught with the danger of an agonizing end by being eaten alive.

The main characters are fascinating. I'll try to cover them without spoilers:

• Bulelani has a plan. He's got charisma and a tiny following. The problem is that his spite and general incompetance constantly ruin his plan. He's on a downward spiral that his arrogance won't let him exit.
• Qaqamba is the lovable fool, the heart of the book. He's the shining character, refusing to let the world take him down. If not for him the book would be a turgid, depressing read.

The finish of the book was magnificent. It really worked for me.

If there's a flaw I can point out, it's that on initial release on kindle there was no indentation at the start of paragraphs. This meant periodic bleeding together of paragraphs on my reading device. I've notified the author, so hopefully by the time you read this excellent grimdark book it will be rectified.