The Law of Becoming

Jaran #4

by Kate Elliott

Appointing Charles Sorensen as the duke over several worlds, the alien overlords of the Chapalii Empire spark a dangerous resistance, which is further complicated by an unexpected addition to the Game of Princes. Original.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Romance, Novels, Space Opera

752 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1994

About the author

As a child in rural Oregon, Kate Elliott made up stories because she longed to escape to a world of lurid adventure fiction. She now writes fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction, often with a romantic edge. She currently lives in Hawaii, where she paddles outrigger canoes and spoils her schnauzer.

Reviews

[Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book of The Sword of Heaven trilogy and the 4th of the Jaran books. This is the book that most closely examines the nature between human/alien and Jaran/Khaja with the aliens coming out as the most sympathetic over all.
Every relationship built over the last three books is put to the test and destroyed or renewed in a complicated web that is hard to describe unless you also have a statue of Shiva dancing the universe hanging around your palace. I don't so here is the major list of what is destroyed is also re-born:
1. Tess finally tells Sonia about who she really is (from space pretty much that she controls)
2. Ilya's bastard son realizes he is a khaja at heart since he would have pardoned the guy that raped his cousin, killed his father (or thought he did), married the women he loved and then marries said princess after she betrays her husband because she's in love with his father while pregnant with the husband"s baby and cousin kills the husband/rapist (bastard son regrets his death) then goes to rule the lady's kingdom and raise her child as his own
3.oh yeah- Jaran prince becomes actual prince in the Alien universe upsetting everybody's plans while loses his Earth wife to a light designer...but at least he has a daughter
4. Young Jaran girl raised on Earth loses her parents but gets taken in by ancient/mystical alien woman(?) who will teach her about architecture and Shiva
5. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Why Kate Elliott why?

[Teleseparatist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm almost running out of Kate Elliott books to read! But reading in reverse chronological order has its disadvantages. Most prominent: so many of the character arcs here mirrored ones done (in my opinion) more elegantly / fully in later novels.

That said, there is a lot to enjoy about all four Jaran novels. The worldbuilding, the expansive and fascinating plot. I wish she hadn't abandoned the series, because I would have loved to see where she'd meant to take these characters next: it's so evident that many plotlines are far from completed. All the same, I liked her later series better, so I probably shouldn't complain.

One thing that I wasn't terribly happy about was how gritty and depressing this world was. Some of it was very good worldbuilding, I thought, but some of it felt inconsistent. I guess it's not like real world is consistent either, but it felt strange that it took us four books to have a character who points out that you can't claim to respect consent and yet push women into unwanted marriages and require them to have sex with their husbands. I guess a huge point of this book was that marriage is a cage: mostly for female characters, but for many of the men too. I also wish the books were more consistent about the characters: some characters appeared to be poised to take center stage at the end of book three and yet they disappeared completely from this volume. In other cases, the book claimed that a character who was practically gone in books 2 and 3 was one of Tess's closest and dearest friends among the jaran. Footage not found (except in book 1).

And now onto the more central (spoiler-y) complaints, re: LGB stuff. Oh, I know these books wanted to do well, but boy, was it painful to read.



Sometime after the introduction of Vasil Veselov my wife and I (we were reading more or less simultaneously) developed a running joke. "What have the gays ruined this time?" we'd ask each other whenever one of us was making disappointed noises while reading. And frequently it turned out that either Vasil or Hyacinth (I guess at least his name wasn't Narcissus) were in fact going out of their way to ruin stuff because of how self-involved they are. Somehow, the two gay(est) characters were also portrayed as the most myopic, the most incorrigibly selfish. Sure, others had their moments (Diana and Anatoly, for instance), but they didn't seem to destroy so much in the process. And sure, Ilya is bi too, but the way it's framed makes him pretty much "cured" of it before the end of the series.

And then in this volume Hyacinth seems to have got better (good for him?) but he hardly gets page time. Vasil, in turn, is an abusive father, clearly suffering from some serious personality disorder (narcissistic?) and capable of pimping out his children to further his goal of world domination (which goal is comically far out of his reach). Gay villainry, anyone?

I remember getting through the first two novels here and saying something about the lack of lesbian or women loving women characters in sff. Now I regret ever saying anything, because when lesbians appeared... things only got worse. Sure, I guess, compared to Elliott's Crown of Stars, queer women still fare better (some survive!). But there are three women characters who may possibly be queer in the book (unless I blinked and missed more) and let's take a look at their portrayal. A shot if you spot a bad cliche!

One - Mariya - is a fridged footnote. The second one - Katerina, aka the little girl mercy-killing injured enemies in the previous novel, to Tess's shock - is raped (!), spends a lot of the time concerned with male characters (including the guy who raped her but she still sort of doesn't only hate him, even though she kills him) and then continues to sleep with a guy who was friends with her rapist and couldn't bring himself to condemn her rapist. All that even though she says explicitly that she doesn't really want to be with a guy. Plus, she gets to have a gal pal relationship with Joelle, who ultimately rejects her but doesn't hate her, how gracious. And the last one - Joelle - is possibly bisexual (she certainly does some queer gazing), a sex worker / rape victim as well (to add to misery of being a queer lady, she also killed her own baby after being raped as a child) and her happy ending is saying no to Katerina and yes to nice boy Stefan.

I get that Rhui is hardly a friendly world for queer people (the only one who has it worse than queer women is children of the evil gay guy!) but making them all go to Earth or choose heterosexuality (or die) is maybe a little excessive. (At least Katerina gets to leave and maybe have a better life. After all the awfulness she certainly deserves it.)

And then there's that scene where Katerina comes out to Tess. And Tess's reaction is just so unbelievably awful (admittedly, I think, it's ironically and purposefully so, but the extent of her indifference was simply unpleasant) that if I didn't already dislike her at that point, I would have started to. There's the fact that she still, even after all that happened to Ilya (not to mention those queer people in the tribes who presumably continue to be exiled = killed under Ilya's and Mother Sakhalin's leadership), seems to underestimate the difficulty coming out could cause to Katerina (see also: telling her to stay on Rhui and just come out to her mother, as though that would make her immune to marriage and not a reason to get her married off all the quicker). And there's the fact that Tess, in her POV, is bored and condescending by and about the suffering of Katerina, who is grieving her girlfriend. Well, not everyone gets to express their grief by burning down cities or commanding entire armies to cross half a continent to avenge their husband.

(I sort of wish Tess could have remembered her indifference to Katya's pain after she's told about Ilya's supposed death. Instead, she thinks it's punishment for her telling Sonia about the universe.)

(You know what Tess's lack of empathy for lesbian suffering reminds me of? Readers of m/m who don't care about f/f. She was supportive of gay guys and their feelings. She felt bad for them and cared. But when it's a woman who loves women... That's boring. Maybe that's why it made me so angry.)



All that said, I read about 450 pages of it over two days, reading obsessively. It was a page-turner, an amazingly crafter world and such a rich world. It's why I'd rather Elliott continued to write adult instead of young adult books - the page limitation of YA publishing seems to constrain her. Give her the space of 1000 pages a volume, five volumes a series, and her imagination truly, truly shines.

[gwayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This last volume elevates this series from good to exceptional. Kate Elliott created wonderful characters and a nuanced world (her gender dynamics alone are breathtaking) in the previous three installations, but she finally advances the plot in meaningful ways in this book. (At least in her earlier works, Elliott sometimes neglects plot, surrendering it to the whims of an impulsive character who bumbles about with little rhyme or reason.) Many of the major characters grow in profound ways as exposure to hitherto alien perspectives gives way to understanding them. Several of the Jaran leave Rhui and are finally introduced to the wider universe, where they become major players in the Human-Chapalli conflict. Back on Rhui, conquest has paved the way for politics, and soldiers must become statesmen. There are some great surprises and twists, and it's all totally fascinating. Elliott's writing skills are suddenly looking formidable, and you're really missing out if you stopped reading earlier in this series.

[HC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really hope that this series is finished at some point! The author says she has an idea of what she wants to write it’s just the financial logistics that are holding her back, so it seems like it’s not impossible for the series to be finished.

[Dearbhla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The closer I got to the end of this book the slower I found myself reading. I just didn’t want it to end. First of all it is the final published book in the Jaran series, and I didn’t want to leave that ‘verse. But also, the series itself isn’t finished, as Elliott explains on her blog, it may never be finished. I hope it will. I love and adore this series. And I can understand that knowing it is unfinished probably puts people off starting it, but the more people that read it the more likely it is that Elliott will return to this world and finish it. So I should be asking everyone to start reading the first book.

Even if the series was complete I would still urge you to read this series, it is just wonderful. And the further I read in the series the more wonderful it became.

The first book is very much a first contact novel, with a bit of wider politics thrown in, but it was all about Tess’ personal journey more than anything. But as the series progresses the story ‘verse has grown and grown. It is still Tess & Ilya’s journey, but it is also Charles’ story, and the story of all the jaran and the other people on the planet of Rhui, as well as the people throughout the human part of the galaxy. And we even get to learn a little more about the Chapalii empire, and the Chapalii themselves.

It is also a more critical look at the Jaran and their society. After all every society has it’s issues and problems. The Jaran are a warring people. They are conquerors who think nothing of burning a city to the ground. Why should any of them care about the dead khaja, after all, they are not jaran.

Ilya may be the hero, in a certain way, but he also the commanding general of an army and a people that have set out to rule the known world, stamping out any opposition in their way. People die because of his actions.

The Jaran also don’t really deal well with those outside the family unit. Orphans, for example, are very much outsiders in this world. Without your family you have very little support. And then there is the fact that a woman is expected to marry and produce daughters to further the clan. They may have power and authority, but they are also expected to conform to that strict role, there is very little leeway given to women in this regard.

So it is fascinating to meet characters who don’t want to follow that path. Who are jaran through and through but have a different focus to their lives, not that they always get to live their own lives of course, because the tribe, the clan is of utmost importance.

Elliott also addresses the problems about the Jaran marriage customs in this novel. If a woman has no right in who she marries, and she owes her husband certain rights1 then is that not rape? despite the Jaran’s supposed abhorrence of that act?

Almost as interesting as that is the question over whether sometimes culture and society create crimes because of how they structure the world. Especially in regards to the treatment of women. If someone grows up in a culture where a woman can be “spoils of war” then can he really be blamed for raping her? Can a man be a good man and also a rapist? Lots of thorny questions in this book.

There is so much great stuff in this whole series that I really cannot recommend them enough. Go pick them up. The story will sweep you away and the world building will have you utterly immersed in the ‘verse. You’ll love it. And if you don’t? well, I guess I’ll just have to be disappointed in you.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me, this is where the story really got good again. Some Jaran have left Rhui and we spend time with them on Earth. The fascinating part is how their matriarchal society and intense "barbarian" pride gives the Jaran an entree into the phenomenally complex hierarchical society of the Chapaali. The "evolved" humans of Earth have committed political suicide and they don't even know it... fascinating! This book leaves one hanging, but Elliott has not even committed to a timeline for revisiting this series, sadly enough. It is my favorite of hers.

[Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much not what I was expecting as the final book of the Jaran series - still absorbing, but very different to the previous three. Also concluded with several threads left hanging, and as a result, I'm not entirely convinced by the overall direction of the plot.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where was Aleski?

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was literally like, "WHERE THE LESBIANS AT" and then they happened.

[TM · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series. It's anthropology, history, romance and sci-fi rolled into one. Mostly we follow the goings on of the Jaran horse warrior tribes on an earth-like planet named Rhui that is still in a pre-industrial age. It's fascinating to see the matriarchal society of the Jaran up close through the lens of an earth native. Likewise, to see a modest, but overarching sci-fi plotline spin out even as most of the action remains rooted in something more akin to historical fiction.

The Jaran's matriarchal premise has gotten leakier as the novels continued. The Law of Becoming acknowledges this in some ways, but it certainly feels most starkly incorrect this time. This conclusion to the series does end on a strong note in resolving the main sci-fi elements of this series, but the resolutions for characters and events on Rhui don't quite hit their mark.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first read this I disliked it for being different that the first three Jaran books. I've re-read the others but not this one until now. Perspectives change. What I had remembered was one story out of the many threads Valentin's nesh addiction after leaving Rhui and Karolla's refusal to adapt to Earth society. As I read it this time, some of it came back to me Vasha is going to marry Rusudani; Ilyana meets a female Chapalli; Anatoly Sakhalin is ennobled by the Chapalli because he says he is a prince. I still like the first one the best, but this improved on re-reading.

[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm rounding up from 4.5 stars. I really don't know what to say about the conclusion to this series. The characters are still engaging to read about and the world is more interesting than ever. And it's certainly epic in scope. At times it did feel a little too scattered, with different parts of the story happening in near isolation from each other. It all links together, but only somewhat, and it ultimately leaves so much open, though not hanging. The whole series is so very character-driven and I will say that the character arcs completed satisfactorily, but it left me wanting a whole new tetralogy to explore the world where things left off.

[Lia Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first three novels of this series some years ago, but this book was out of print, so I never got round to it until now. It's an interesting mix between fantasy and sci-fi, featuring a fascinating steppe society organised along matriarchal lines. The aliens are unusual too and I would have loved to see how that part of story plays out (this book ties off some of the narrative threads, but opens up a big new one. However, the series seems to have been abandoned).

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5* I didn't want this series to end. It was a wonderful experience reading through it. The world building was excellent and one of the most ambitious I have ever read, with multiple cultures layered and interacting with others. I want to know more about what happened on all of these worlds and to all of the characters. The final book wrapped up many of the plotlines, but left so much more to tell.

[AM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike some other reviewers here, I liked this book least of the Jaran series. It's well-written and all the character developments are believable, but the focus shifts to characters who were minor players in earlier books, and all the plot points we've been caring about so much for 3 books are essentially made moot. I found that... irritating and disappointing.

[Penny Geard · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the audiobook said "Epilogue", I said "What the fuck?" because I couldn't believe it was the end. This series is so sprawling and most of the story threads are left hanging. There are lots of interesting ideas introduced that I wish had been explored further. I'm still glad I read this but I don't know if I'd recommend it 😅

[James]

Appointing Charles Sorensen as the duke over several worlds, the alien overlords of the Chapalii Empire spark a dangerous resistance, which is further complicated by an unexpected addition to the Game of Princes. Original.

[Swuun · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final part of the Jaran quartet expands the epic scope of the series, and ties together a lot (but not all) of the sprawling plot threads in what felt like a very satisfying ending.

[Tessa in Mid-Michigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well enough, but it feels unfinished. Also felt as if the various plot lines were just exploding and multiplying. I'm glad I finished reading the series, and it was pretty interesting, but...

[liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series was interminable. Nothing happened in books 2 or 3, and everything happened in the last 100 or so pages of book 4. I cared about very little of it.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I managed to finish this book as a teenager. 20 years later, I found that the various plots barely held my attention, and I skimmed the last 40%.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got thoroughly sucked into the world of the Jaran and now I'm very sad that there are no more books. What excellent world building.

[Melliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo! Read my review here on my blog:

https://bookadept.com/2019/06/10/cros...

[Quailtale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved finally getting to see some more of the alien culture! Although, now I feel as if surely there is another series to follow... Time to check

[Davette Hogan]

I think this is the 1st book that I did not like.

[Kay]

finished the series. fascinating scifi read! I did enjoy it! great world building!

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tense & exciting, a fitting end to the series

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad to finish the last of these four books. This is one of those rich universes Elliot creates, that leaves you wanting more so you can stay with the characters for longer.

[Libbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the series

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disappointed

Have really enjoyed this series, didn't realise it wasn't going to be complete so much I still need to know!