Twenty years ago I read Mary Gentle’s book GOLDEN WITCHBREED, which I enjoyed a lot. In the years since, I have been intrigued by reviews and descriptions of later Gentle novels such as RATS AND GARGOYLES, the massive ASH: A SECRET HISTORY, and the recent 1610. But her books have always been so inaccessible in this country that I never bought any of them.

Currently I am reading WORLDS THAT WEREN'T, a collection of four alternate history novellas by Harry Turtledove, Walter Jon Williams, S.M. Stirling, and Gentle. For me, alternate history is an ideal blending of fantasy and historical fiction, and the presence of three writers I like (I've never read Stirling) made buying this book a no-brainer.

I have slightly mixed feelings about Gentle’s novella “The Logistics of Carthage.” Basically I really like the story, particularly its historical setting which certainly feels authentic (although I am no expert in that era–or any historical era–to know for certain if it is). The basic storyline is fascinating: a group of mercenary Christian soldiers demand that a group of heretical Christian monks bury one of their fallen members, but the monks refuse because she is a woman disguised as a man, a major sin in their sect. Several side plots are equally engaging, involving a young swineherd protective of both his flock and the abbott. He is also has visions in his dreams, visions which he shares with the person they are actually intended for, in this case Yolande, one of two viewpoint characters in the novella who is herself a woman accompanying the soldiers, first as a whore and later as a member of the fighting troupe.

There are a few clever scenes involving the pigs, both one funny, if gross, scene involving “night soil”, if you know what that means, and also the story's climactic scene which is both hilarious and fitting.

So why are my feelings towards this novella mixed at all? Because of its attitude. All the main characters are mercenary soldiers in a violent era, and thus the story is bloody, cruel, even gross at times. The story’s “heroes” are arrogant, cold-blood killers who accept killing as normal. While that was probably an accurate view of that era, I don’t enjoy reading violent stories. I tend to avoid everything from murder mysteries to war fiction, preferring historical fiction revolving around anything but war and violence.

Fortunately, the violent attitude tends to wane as the story progresses, so by the ending it was mostly forgotten, and I was left with the good parts of the story. But still I cannot help wondering how violent ASH is, and if I would enjoy reading it enough to tackle its 1,000+ pages. Does anybody know how violent that novel is?