Awful Beyond Belief, 05 Mar 2008
Mary Gentle seems to write two kinds of books: great and awful. I loved the Ash books, and was completely smitten with 1610: A Sundial in a Grave. (The fight scene at the beach near the opening of the latter book is alone worth the price of purchase.) In the "awful" category, there was Orcs...and now Ilario. Truly, Ilario transcends mere awfulness; it manages to be simultaneously repellent and completely boring: something that only a writer of considerable talent could pull off.

Once again, Mary Gentle plays with alternative history, as she did with Ash and 1610, and the setting is interesting--at times, even fascinating. The same can be said of the characters. However, the plot is another story (so to speak); it consists of the eponymous protagonist perambulating about Gentle's imaginary world--and by the time we have reached mid-book, it's difficult to see much point to these ramblings except to give us a look at yet another part of the world that's askew from our own experience and history.

I have yet to mention the one detail that dominates the entire book: the protagonist (Ilario) is a hermaphrodite. That is, he is biologically both fully functional as a man and a woman. Instead of adopting a gender role and sticking to it (as has usually been true of historical cases of hermaphroditism), Ilario changes gender roles at whim or need.

Mary Gentle has always shown concern about "gender issues" in her novels, and has never been reluctant to cross the boundaries of her readers' expectations. For example, Gentle makes Ash a believable medieval mercenary captain, despite her femaleness. In Ilario, Gentle strives mightily to explore the difficulties faced by a hermaphrodite in a world that expects people to be either men or women. The problem is that this aspect of the book so completely dominates everything else that it's difficult to see the novel as being about anything but Ilario's ambiguous sexuality. Regrettably, the miseries of hermaphroditism aren't enough to sustain a book...or at lest this reader's interest.

At first, I found Ilario's sexual ambiguity disconcerting; like many of the characters in the novel, I found it difficult to apply the correct pronoun to the person I was reading about. And yes, the weird sex disturbed me. Eventually, this discomfort faded into disinterest: ok, life as a hermaphrodite is tough. I got it. Now tell me something interesting.

Thus, when I reached the scene in which the pregnant Ilario's water breaks in the heat of a pitched battle, and the poor thing has to be carted off the field to give birth...well, my eyes glazed over, and I found myself so disinterested in this book that I could no longer work up enough energy to turn another page.

It's possible, of course, that Ilario is really supposed to be a comedic novel, and that I should have been roaring with laughter at that point. If so, my sense of humor is badly out of tune. Maybe that's why I didn't think Orcs was funny, either.

We're so often a delusion to the parents who abandon us, 19 Dec 2007
Set in ASH's alternate history with a medieval Visigoth Carthage and a Roman Empty Chair (among other things), this is the history of a true hermaphrodite and artist, Ilario, traveling a very different Middle Ages, and trying to find inspiration and love, hoping not to be killed by his many enemies, including his/her parents! Rich, dark, sexy and exotic, a pleasure to read.

More adventures in the un-world of ASH, 20 Feb 2007
Mary Gentle's ASH [6 stars] is one of my favourite alternative history books, and this new book "Ilario" is set in the same off-shoot of reality. A strange sunless sky, the "Penitence" - an unexplained darkness - hovers over Carthage, there is no Pope in Rome and Golems (clay robots) are plodding around.

The hero(ine) of the story is a hermaphrodite, and there are plenty of occasions when this "affliction" enlivens the tale, but essentially this is a glorious romp through an imaginary (but very real) middle ages - as Ilario follows his/her quest to become a famous painter (and along the way avoid being killed by virtually every other character.

Great fun, rude in parts (yes, those parts), and beautifully written - it is a great follow-up to ASH... I look forward to the next bizarre installment.

Awful Beyond Belief, 05 Mar 2008
Mary Gentle seems to write two kinds of books: great and awful. I loved the Ash books, and was completely smitten with 1610: A Sundial in a Grave. (The fight scene at the beach near the opening of the latter book is alone worth the price of purchase.) In the "awful" category, there was Orcs...and now Ilario. Truly, Ilario transcends mere awfulness; it manages to be simultaneously repellent and completely boring: something that only a writer of considerable talent could pull off.

Once again, Mary Gentle plays with alternative history, as she did with Ash and 1610, and the setting is interesting--at times, even fascinating. The same can be said of the characters. However, the plot is another story (so to speak); it consists of the eponymous protagonist perambulating about Gentle's imaginary world--and by the time we have reached mid-book, it's difficult to see much point to these ramblings except to give us a look at yet another part of the world that's askew from our own experience and history.

I have yet to mention the one detail that dominates the entire book: the protagonist (Ilario) is a hermaphrodite. That is, he is biologically both fully functional as a man and a woman. Instead of adopting a gender role and sticking to it (as has usually been true of historical cases of hermaphroditism), Ilario changes gender roles at whim or need.

Mary Gentle has always shown concern about "gender issues" in her novels, and has never been reluctant to cross the boundaries of her readers' expectations. For example, Gentle makes Ash a believable medieval mercenary captain, despite her femaleness. In Ilario, Gentle strives mightily to explore the difficulties faced by a hermaphrodite in a world that expects people to be either men or women. The problem is that this aspect of the book so completely dominates everything else that it's difficult to see the novel as being about anything but Ilario's ambiguous sexuality. Regrettably, the miseries of hermaphroditism aren't enough to sustain a book...or at lest this reader's interest.

At first, I found Ilario's sexual ambiguity disconcerting; like many of the characters in the novel, I found it difficult to apply the correct pronoun to the person I was reading about. And yes, the weird sex disturbed me. Eventually, this discomfort faded into disinterest: ok, life as a hermaphrodite is tough. I got it. Now tell me something interesting.

Thus, when I reached the scene in which the pregnant Ilario's water breaks in the heat of a pitched battle, and the poor thing has to be carted off the field to give birth...well, my eyes glazed over, and I found myself so disinterested in this book that I could no longer work up enough energy to turn another page.

It's possible, of course, that Ilario is really supposed to be a comedic novel, and that I should have been roaring with laughter at that point. If so, my sense of humor is badly out of tune. Maybe that's why I didn't think Orcs was funny, either.

We're so often a delusion to the parents who abandon us, 19 Dec 2007
Set in ASH's alternate history with a medieval Visigoth Carthage and a Roman Empty Chair (among other things), this is the history of a true hermaphrodite and artist, Ilario, traveling a very different Middle Ages, and trying to find inspiration and love, hoping not to be killed by his many enemies, including his/her parents! Rich, dark, sexy and exotic, a pleasure to read.

More adventures in the un-world of ASH, 20 Feb 2007
Mary Gentle's ASH [6 stars] is one of my favourite alternative history books, and this new book "Ilario" is set in the same off-shoot of reality. A strange sunless sky, the "Penitence" - an unexplained darkness - hovers over Carthage, there is no Pope in Rome and Golems (clay robots) are plodding around.

The hero(ine) of the story is a hermaphrodite, and there are plenty of occasions when this "affliction" enlivens the tale, but essentially this is a glorious romp through an imaginary (but very real) middle ages - as Ilario follows his/her quest to become a famous painter (and along the way avoid being killed by virtually every other character.

Great fun, rude in parts (yes, those parts), and beautifully written - it is a great follow-up to ASH... I look forward to the next bizarre installment.


Mary does it again, 26 Apr 2004
Mary gave me a copy of this book last weekend and I thought 'Great,something decent to read at last'. I was wrong. It's a "bloody fantastic,can't put it down, hurry up and finish the next book Mary", type ofbook.
I know that I like Mary, love her style of writing and loved bothASH and GRUNTS, but I just CAN'T put his one down...
As usual she grips your imagination with her easy going style, even ifsome of the character's ahve names that require a bit of lubricationbefore attempting to say them, she easily fools the senses to send youplummeting into the world of Burgundian intrigue. She makes you feel forthe characters, as if they really DID exist, as if you're reading thejournals of REAL people, so vivid are the emotions that her prose evinces.You can almost feel the North African sun glinting back from the swordsand armour. You DO get aroused at lust inspired by the Fox-Spirit inRowena.
Basically, Mary does, again, what Mary does best. Draw thereader lightly and un-relentingly into Mary's world. Keep it up Mary. Longmay the words flow. (And at least some of us DO appreciate the pigs...)

Awful Beyond Belief, 05 Mar 2008
Mary Gentle seems to write two kinds of books: great and awful. I loved the Ash books, and was completely smitten with 1610: A Sundial in a Grave. (The fight scene at the beach near the opening of the latter book is alone worth the price of purchase.) In the "awful" category, there was Orcs...and now Ilario. Truly, Ilario transcends mere awfulness; it manages to be simultaneously repellent and completely boring: something that only a writer of considerable talent could pull off.

Once again, Mary Gentle plays with alternative history, as she did with Ash and 1610, and the setting is interesting--at times, even fascinating. The same can be said of the characters. However, the plot is another story (so to speak); it consists of the eponymous protagonist perambulating about Gentle's imaginary world--and by the time we have reached mid-book, it's difficult to see much point to these ramblings except to give us a look at yet another part of the world that's askew from our own experience and history.

I have yet to mention the one detail that dominates the entire book: the protagonist (Ilario) is a hermaphrodite. That is, he is biologically both fully functional as a man and a woman. Instead of adopting a gender role and sticking to it (as has usually been true of historical cases of hermaphroditism), Ilario changes gender roles at whim or need.

Mary Gentle has always shown concern about "gender issues" in her novels, and has never been reluctant to cross the boundaries of her readers' expectations. For example, Gentle makes Ash a believable medieval mercenary captain, despite her femaleness. In Ilario, Gentle strives mightily to explore the difficulties faced by a hermaphrodite in a world that expects people to be either men or women. The problem is that this aspect of the book so completely dominates everything else that it's difficult to see the novel as being about anything but Ilario's ambiguous sexuality. Regrettably, the miseries of hermaphroditism aren't enough to sustain a book...or at lest this reader's interest.

At first, I found Ilario's sexual ambiguity disconcerting; like many of the characters in the novel, I found it difficult to apply the correct pronoun to the person I was reading about. And yes, the weird sex disturbed me. Eventually, this discomfort faded into disinterest: ok, life as a hermaphrodite is tough. I got it. Now tell me something interesting.

Thus, when I reached the scene in which the pregnant Ilario's water breaks in the heat of a pitched battle, and the poor thing has to be carted off the field to give birth...well, my eyes glazed over, and I found myself so disinterested in this book that I could no longer work up enough energy to turn another page.

It's possible, of course, that Ilario is really supposed to be a comedic novel, and that I should have been roaring with laughter at that point. If so, my sense of humor is badly out of tune. Maybe that's why I didn't think Orcs was funny, either.

We're so often a delusion to the parents who abandon us, 19 Dec 2007
Set in ASH's alternate history with a medieval Visigoth Carthage and a Roman Empty Chair (among other things), this is the history of a true hermaphrodite and artist, Ilario, traveling a very different Middle Ages, and trying to find inspiration and love, hoping not to be killed by his many enemies, including his/her parents! Rich, dark, sexy and exotic, a pleasure to read.

More adventures in the un-world of ASH, 20 Feb 2007
Mary Gentle's ASH [6 stars] is one of my favourite alternative history books, and this new book "Ilario" is set in the same off-shoot of reality. A strange sunless sky, the "Penitence" - an unexplained darkness - hovers over Carthage, there is no Pope in Rome and Golems (clay robots) are plodding around.

The hero(ine) of the story is a hermaphrodite, and there are plenty of occasions when this "affliction" enlivens the tale, but essentially this is a glorious romp through an imaginary (but very real) middle ages - as Ilario follows his/her quest to become a famous painter (and along the way avoid being killed by virtually every other character.

Great fun, rude in parts (yes, those parts), and beautifully written - it is a great follow-up to ASH... I look forward to the next bizarre installment.


Mary does it again, 26 Apr 2004
Mary gave me a copy of this book last weekend and I thought 'Great,something decent to read at last'. I was wrong. It's a "bloody fantastic,can't put it down, hurry up and finish the next book Mary", type ofbook.
I know that I like Mary, love her style of writing and loved bothASH and GRUNTS, but I just CAN'T put his one down...
As usual she grips your imagination with her easy going style, even ifsome of the character's ahve names that require a bit of lubricationbefore attempting to say them, she easily fools the senses to send youplummeting into the world of Burgundian intrigue. She makes you feel forthe characters, as if they really DID exist, as if you're reading thejournals of REAL people, so vivid are the emotions that her prose evinces.You can almost feel the North African sun glinting back from the swordsand armour. You DO get aroused at lust inspired by the Fox-Spirit inRowena.
Basically, Mary does, again, what Mary does best. Draw thereader lightly and un-relentingly into Mary's world. Keep it up Mary. Longmay the words flow. (And at least some of us DO appreciate the pigs...)

Awful Beyond Belief, 05 Mar 2008
Mary Gentle seems to write two kinds of books: great and awful. I loved the Ash books, and was completely smitten with 1610: A Sundial in a Grave. (The fight scene at the beach near the opening of the latter book is alone worth the price of purchase.) In the "awful" category, there was Orcs...and now Ilario. Truly, Ilario transcends mere awfulness; it manages to be simultaneously repellent and completely boring: something that only a writer of considerable talent could pull off.

Once again, Mary Gentle plays with alternative history, as she did with Ash and 1610, and the setting is interesting--at times, even fascinating. The same can be said of the characters. However, the plot is another story (so to speak); it consists of the eponymous protagonist perambulating about Gentle's imaginary world--and by the time we have reached mid-book, it's difficult to see much point to these ramblings except to give us a look at yet another part of the world that's askew from our own experience and history.

I have yet to mention the one detail that dominates the entire book: the protagonist (Ilario) is a hermaphrodite. That is, he is biologically both fully functional as a man and a woman. Instead of adopting a gender role and sticking to it (as has usually been true of historical cases of hermaphroditism), Ilario changes gender roles at whim or need.

Mary Gentle has always shown concern about "gender issues" in her novels, and has never been reluctant to cross the boundaries of her readers' expectations. For example, Gentle makes Ash a believable medieval mercenary captain, despite her femaleness. In Ilario, Gentle strives mightily to explore the difficulties faced by a hermaphrodite in a world that expects people to be either men or women. The problem is that this aspect of the book so completely dominates everything else that it's difficult to see the novel as being about anything but Ilario's ambiguous sexuality. Regrettably, the miseries of hermaphroditism aren't enough to sustain a book...or at lest this reader's interest.

At first, I found Ilario's sexual ambiguity disconcerting; like many of the characters in the novel, I found it difficult to apply the correct pronoun to the person I was reading about. And yes, the weird sex disturbed me. Eventually, this discomfort faded into disinterest: ok, life as a hermaphrodite is tough. I got it. Now tell me something interesting.

Thus, when I reached the scene in which the pregnant Ilario's water breaks in the heat of a pitched battle, and the poor thing has to be carted off the field to give birth...well, my eyes glazed over, and I found myself so disinterested in this book that I could no longer work up enough energy to turn another page.

It's possible, of course, that Ilario is really supposed to be a comedic novel, and that I should have been roaring with laughter at that point. If so, my sense of humor is badly out of tune. Maybe that's why I didn't think Orcs was funny, either.

We're so often a delusion to the parents who abandon us, 19 Dec 2007
Set in ASH's alternate history with a medieval Visigoth Carthage and a Roman Empty Chair (among other things), this is the history of a true hermaphrodite and artist, Ilario, traveling a very different Middle Ages, and trying to find inspiration and love, hoping not to be killed by his many enemies, including his/her parents! Rich, dark, sexy and exotic, a pleasure to read.

More adventures in the un-world of ASH, 20 Feb 2007
Mary Gentle's ASH [6 stars] is one of my favourite alternative history books, and this new book "Ilario" is set in the same off-shoot of reality. A strange sunless sky, the "Penitence" - an unexplained darkness - hovers over Carthage, there is no Pope in Rome and Golems (clay robots) are plodding around.

The hero(ine) of the story is a hermaphrodite, and there are plenty of occasions when this "affliction" enlivens the tale, but essentially this is a glorious romp through an imaginary (but very real) middle ages - as Ilario follows his/her quest to become a famous painter (and along the way avoid being killed by virtually every other character.

Great fun, rude in parts (yes, those parts), and beautifully written - it is a great follow-up to ASH... I look forward to the next bizarre installment.

Awful Beyond Belief, 05 Mar 2008
Mary Gentle seems to write two kinds of books: great and awful. I loved the Ash books, and was completely smitten with 1610: A Sundial in a Grave. (The fight scene at the beach near the opening of the latter book is alone worth the price of purchase.) In the "awful" category, there was Orcs...and now Ilario. Truly, Ilario transcends mere awfulness; it manages to be simultaneously repellent and completely boring: something that only a writer of considerable talent could pull off.

Once again, Mary Gentle plays with alternative history, as she did with Ash and 1610, and the setting is interesting--at times, even fascinating. The same can be said of the characters. However, the plot is another story (so to speak); it consists of the eponymous protagonist perambulating about Gentle's imaginary world--and by the time we have reached mid-book, it's difficult to see much point to these ramblings except to give us a look at yet another part of the world that's askew from our own experience and history.

I have yet to mention the one detail that dominates the entire book: the protagonist (Ilario) is a hermaphrodite. That is, he is biologically both fully functional as a man and a woman. Instead of adopting a gender role and sticking to it (as has usually been true of historical cases of hermaphroditism), Ilario changes gender roles at whim or need.

Mary Gentle has always shown concern about "gender issues" in her novels, and has never been reluctant to cross the boundaries of her readers' expectations. For example, Gentle makes Ash a believable medieval mercenary captain, despite her femaleness. In Ilario, Gentle strives mightily to explore the difficulties faced by a hermaphrodite in a world that expects people to be either men or women. The problem is that this aspect of the book so completely dominates everything else that it's difficult to see the novel as being about anything but Ilario's ambiguous sexuality. Regrettably, the miseries of hermaphroditism aren't enough to sustain a book...or at lest this reader's interest.

At first, I found Ilario's sexual ambiguity disconcerting; like many of the characters in the novel, I found it difficult to apply the correct pronoun to the person I was reading about. And yes, the weird sex disturbed me. Eventually, this discomfort faded into disinterest: ok, life as a hermaphrodite is tough. I got it. Now tell me something interesting.

Thus, when I reached the scene in which the pregnant Ilario's water breaks in the heat of a pitched battle, and the poor thing has to be carted off the field to give birth...well, my eyes glazed over, and I found myself so disinterested in this book that I could no longer work up enough energy to turn another page.

It's possible, of course, that Ilario is really supposed to be a comedic novel, and that I should have been roaring with laughter at that point. If so, my sense of humor is badly out of tune. Maybe that's why I didn't think Orcs was funny, either.

We're so often a delusion to the parents who abandon us, 19 Dec 2007
Set in ASH's alternate history with a medieval Visigoth Carthage and a Roman Empty Chair (among other things), this is the history of a true hermaphrodite and artist, Ilario, traveling a very different Middle Ages, and trying to find inspiration and love, hoping not to be killed by his many enemies, including his/her parents! Rich, dark, sexy and exotic, a pleasure to read.

More adventures in the un-world of ASH, 20 Feb 2007
Mary Gentle's ASH [6 stars] is one of my favourite alternative history books, and this new book "Ilario" is set in the same off-shoot of reality. A strange sunless sky, the "Penitence" - an unexplained darkness - hovers over Carthage, there is no Pope in Rome and Golems (clay robots) are plodding around.

The hero(ine) of the story is a hermaphrodite, and there are plenty of occasions when this "affliction" enlivens the tale, but essentially this is a glorious romp through an imaginary (but very real) middle ages - as Ilario follows his/her quest to become a famous painter (and along the way avoid being killed by virtually every other character.

Great fun, rude in parts (yes, those parts), and beautifully written - it is a great follow-up to ASH... I look forward to the next bizarre installment.


Mary does it again, 26 Apr 2004
Mary gave me a copy of this book last weekend and I thought 'Great,something decent to read at last'. I was wrong. It's a "bloody fantastic,can't put it down, hurry up and finish the next book Mary", type ofbook.
I know that I like Mary, love her style of writing and loved bothASH and GRUNTS, but I just CAN'T put his one down...
As usual she grips your imagination with her easy going style, even ifsome of the character's ahve names that require a bit of lubricationbefore attempting to say them, she easily fools the senses to send youplummeting into the world of Burgundian intrigue. She makes you feel forthe characters, as if they really DID exist, as if you're reading thejournals of REAL people, so vivid are the emotions that her prose evinces.You can almost feel the North African sun glinting back from the swordsand armour. You DO get aroused at lust inspired by the Fox-Spirit inRowena.
Basically, Mary does, again, what Mary does best. Draw thereader lightly and un-relentingly into Mary's world. Keep it up Mary. Longmay the words flow. (And at least some of us DO appreciate the pigs...)

Awful Beyond Belief, 05 Mar 2008
Mary Gentle seems to write two kinds of books: great and awful. I loved the Ash books, and was completely smitten with 1610: A Sundial in a Grave. (The fight scene at the beach near the opening of the latter book is alone worth the price of purchase.) In the "awful" category, there was Orcs...and now Ilario. Truly, Ilario transcends mere awfulness; it manages to be simultaneously repellent and completely boring: something that only a writer of considerable talent could pull off.

Once again, Mary Gentle plays with alternative history, as she did with Ash and 1610, and the setting is interesting--at times, even fascinating. The same can be said of the characters. However, the plot is another story (so to speak); it consists of the eponymous protagonist perambulating about Gentle's imaginary world--and by the time we have reached mid-book, it's difficult to see much point to these ramblings except to give us a look at yet another part of the world that's askew from our own experience and history.

I have yet to mention the one detail that dominates the entire book: the protagonist (Ilario) is a hermaphrodite. That is, he is biologically both fully functional as a man and a woman. Instead of adopting a gender role and sticking to it (as has usually been true of historical cases of hermaphroditism), Ilario changes gender roles at whim or need.

Mary Gentle has always shown concern about "gender issues" in her novels, and has never been reluctant to cross the boundaries of her readers' expectations. For example, Gentle makes Ash a believable medieval mercenary captain, despite her femaleness. In Ilario, Gentle strives mightily to explore the difficulties faced by a hermaphrodite in a world that expects people to be either men or women. The problem is that this aspect of the book so completely dominates everything else that it's difficult to see the novel as being about anything but Ilario's ambiguous sexuality. Regrettably, the miseries of hermaphroditism aren't enough to sustain a book...or at lest this reader's interest.

At first, I found Ilario's sexual ambiguity disconcerting; like many of the characters in the novel, I found it difficult to apply the correct pronoun to the person I was reading about. And yes, the weird sex disturbed me. Eventually, this discomfort faded into disinterest: ok, life as a hermaphrodite is tough. I got it. Now tell me something interesting.

Thus, when I reached the scene in which the pregnant Ilario's water breaks in the heat of a pitched battle, and the poor thing has to be carted off the field to give birth...well, my eyes glazed over, and I found myself so disinterested in this book that I could no longer work up enough energy to turn another page.

It's possible, of course, that Ilario is really supposed to be a comedic novel, and that I should have been roaring with laughter at that point. If so, my sense of humor is badly out of tune. Maybe that's why I didn't think Orcs was funny, either.

We're so often a delusion to the parents who abandon us, 19 Dec 2007
Set in ASH's alternate history with a medieval Visigoth Carthage and a Roman Empty Chair (among other things), this is the history of a true hermaphrodite and artist, Ilario, traveling a very different Middle Ages, and trying to find inspiration and love, hoping not to be killed by his many enemies, including his/her parents! Rich, dark, sexy and exotic, a pleasure to read.

More adventures in the un-world of ASH, 20 Feb 2007
Mary Gentle's ASH [6 stars] is one of my favourite alternative history books, and this new book "Ilario" is set in the same off-shoot of reality. A strange sunless sky, the "Penitence" - an unexplained darkness - hovers over Carthage, there is no Pope in Rome and Golems (clay robots) are plodding around.

The hero(ine) of the story is a hermaphrodite, and there are plenty of occasions when this "affliction" enlivens the tale, but essentially this is a glorious romp through an imaginary (but very real) middle ages - as Ilario follows his/her quest to become a famous painter (and along the way avoid being killed by virtually every other character.

Great fun, rude in parts (yes, those parts), and beautifully written - it is a great follow-up to ASH... I look forward to the next bizarre installment.


Awful Beyond Belief, 05 Mar 2008
Mary Gentle seems to write two kinds of books: great and awful. I loved the Ash books, and was completely smitten with 1610: A Sundial in a Grave. (The fight scene at the beach near the opening of the latter book is alone worth the price of purchase.) In the "awful" category, there was Orcs...and now Ilario. Truly, Ilario transcends mere awfulness; it manages to be simultaneously repellent and completely boring: something that only a writer of considerable talent could pull off.

Once again, Mary Gentle plays with alternative history, as she did with Ash and 1610, and the setting is interesting--at times, even fascinating. The same can be said of the characters. However, the plot is another story (so to speak); it consists of the eponymous protagonist perambulating about Gentle's imaginary world--and by the time we have reached mid-book, it's difficult to see much point to these ramblings except to give us a look at yet another part of the world that's askew from our own experience and history.

I have yet to mention the one detail that dominates the entire book: the protagonist (Ilario) is a hermaphrodite. That is, he is biologically both fully functional as a man and a woman. Instead of adopting a gender role and sticking to it (as has usually been true of historical cases of hermaphroditism), Ilario changes gender roles at whim or need.

Mary Gentle has always shown concern about "gender issues" in her novels, and has never been reluctant to cross the boundaries of her readers' expectations. For example, Gentle makes Ash a believable medieval mercenary captain, despite her femaleness. In Ilario, Gentle strives mightily to explore the difficulties faced by a hermaphrodite in a world that expects people to be either men or women. The problem is that this aspect of the book so completely dominates everything else that it's difficult to see the novel as being about anything but Ilario's ambiguous sexuality. Regrettably, the miseries of hermaphroditism aren't enough to sustain a book...or at lest this reader's interest.

At first, I found Ilario's sexual ambiguity disconcerting; like many of the characters in the novel, I found it difficult to apply the correct pronoun to the person I was reading about. And yes, the weird sex disturbed me. Eventually, this discomfort faded into disinterest: ok, life as a hermaphrodite is tough. I got it. Now tell me something interesting.

Thus, when I reached the scene in which the pregnant Ilario's water breaks in the heat of a pitched battle, and the poor thing has to be carted off the field to give birth...well, my eyes glazed over, and I found myself so disinterested in this book that I could no longer work up enough energy to turn another page.

It's possible, of course, that Ilario is really supposed to be a comedic novel, and that I should have been roaring with laughter at that point. If so, my sense of humor is badly out of tune. Maybe that's why I didn't think Orcs was funny, either.

We're so often a delusion to the parents who abandon us, 19 Dec 2007
Set in ASH's alternate history with a medieval Visigoth Carthage and a Roman Empty Chair (among other things), this is the history of a true hermaphrodite and artist, Ilario, traveling a very different Middle Ages, and trying to find inspiration and love, hoping not to be killed by his many enemies, including his/her parents! Rich, dark, sexy and exotic, a pleasure to read.

More adventures in the un-world of ASH, 20 Feb 2007
Mary Gentle's ASH [6 stars] is one of my favourite alternative history books, and this new book "Ilario" is set in the same off-shoot of reality. A strange sunless sky, the "Penitence" - an unexplained darkness - hovers over Carthage, there is no Pope in Rome and Golems (clay robots) are plodding around.

The hero(ine) of the story is a hermaphrodite, and there are plenty of occasions when this "affliction" enlivens the tale, but essentially this is a glorious romp through an imaginary (but very real) middle ages - as Ilario follows his/her quest to become a famous painter (and along the way avoid being killed by virtually every other character.

Great fun, rude in parts (yes, those parts), and beautifully written - it is a great follow-up to ASH... I look forward to the next bizarre installment.