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Tremontaine #3.5
Every Face a Forgery
Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new entry in Ellen Kushner's classic Riverside series.
This is the 5th episode in the third season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Paul Witcover.
As Kaab takes over her aunt’s role, Diane deals with the aftermath of the burglary at Tremontaine House. Despite Davenant’s moves against her and the school, she remains convinced she has the upper hand. Meanwhile, Esha begins to see the risks—body and soul—of being involved with Diane.
Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.
- GenresFantasyUrban Fantasy
44 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2017
About the author
Paul Witcover
96 books36 followersThe author of Waking Beauty, Paul Witcover has also written a biography of Zora Neale Hurston and numerous short stories. He is the co-creator, with Elizabeth Hand, of the cult comic book series Anima and has served as the curator of the New York Review of Science Fiction reading series. His work has also appeared on HBO. He lives and writes in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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November 7, 2017A solid entry in the series, with everybody in transition.
Interesting juxtaposition of Tess of the Hand in Riverside and Diane Duchess of Tremontaine as they consider their respective positions (neither with a thought to the other's existence, of course) after the recent events, and what to do next. This includes wrung hearts.
Only Rafe, in the company of Micah, whose unshadowed happiness I long to reach in and protect forever, and the despicable Florian, whose emotions are a lot more complex in this episode than in any previous, is gloriously happy.
But, oh, he is so in for a heavy fall, as Davenant begins to move against the duchess he is so confident he will soon control . . .
And poor Kaab is dealing with murder, inspection, and a strong whiff of politics from home
Each episode builds the story. This serial format I think gives the complicated cast and complex setting a real chance to breathe. Excellent planning and vivid, graceful writing help enormously.
Interesting juxtaposition of Tess of the Hand in Riverside and Diane Duchess of Tremontaine as they consider their respective positions (neither with a thought to the other's existence, of course) after the recent events, and what to do next. This includes wrung hearts.
Only Rafe, in the company of Micah, whose unshadowed happiness I long to reach in and protect forever, and the despicable Florian, whose emotions are a lot more complex in this episode than in any previous, is gloriously happy.
But, oh, he is so in for a heavy fall, as Davenant begins to move against the duchess he is so confident he will soon control . . .
And poor Kaab is dealing with murder, inspection, and a strong whiff of politics from home
Each episode builds the story. This serial format I think gives the complicated cast and complex setting a real chance to breathe. Excellent planning and vivid, graceful writing help enormously.
November 13, 2017
As a humorous opening to this review, I'd like to say that my notes for this review are so long, incredibly grammatically incorrect, and feature highlights such as “We all hate Davenant; Fuck Davenant (but uhhhh not like that Diane)” and “D E A R K A A B. but casually”. Also, this episode has my favorite cover so far!
This episode opens with Rafe showing Florian, Joshua, and Micah the building in which he wants to have his school. Florian picks an argument and Micah stands up for her friends, explaining that Diane Duchess Tremontaine told her that it's good to stand up for your friends- which was downright adorable.
Of course, Rafe and Joshua are perplexed by this, leading to Micah recounting the story of how someone broke into Tremontaine and Micah confronted them. But since they had swords and we're terrifying, she ran and hid in her room until Diane found her. According to Micah, she wanted to go home, but Diane convinced her to stay saying that she (Diane) would be afraid without her there.
If you've kept up to date on the latest happenings of Tremontaine Season 3, you'll know that Diane wanted Micah at Tremontaine as a barganing chip of sorts. As long as Rafe doesn't do something totally crazy, Micah will be fine. (If you haven't been keeping up and are just randomly reading this, oops. Spoilers sweetie.)
But Diane seems to have taken a liking to our favorite tunip-loving girl-genius extraordinaire. Micah is the only truly honest character who wears her aspirations on her sleeves. She doesn't have an agenda, and to Diane, who has to plot and scheme to get anywhere on the Hill, finds it a breathe of fresh air. Diane, we read, is genuinely concerned about Micah's safety, even has her inner sanctum is breached. And speaking of the break in...
It's obvious to Diane that Davenant is behind all this. In fact, Lionel shows up at her door to deliver a letter from him.
(And side note, IT'S LUCINDA! Lucinda makes an appearance, and this is your not-so-casual reminder that I have a weird love for Diane's maid. You go girl.)
Davenant sends Lionel with a letter to Diane, apparently not knowing that Lionel and Diane were a thing- or are a thing, as Diane decides that now would be an amazing time for a quick and dirty roll in the sheets. Poor Lionel is being used by everyone but out of their interaction we get this amazing piece of insight into Diane's thought process, “No, she did not want to think about Esha, or about the danger that the theft of the ledger had exposed her friend to. The last thing she needed was anther attachment. Another weakness that someone like Gregory Davenant could exploit. Best to stick to the Lionels of the world, who were there to be used, and who so enjoyed making themselves useful.”
Diane, as I suspected, sees love as a weakness that can easily be exploited. She loved Will but look how that turned out. Now she's finding it hard to get attached to any one else without the fear of her love being used against her.
Meanwhile, in Riverside, Tess is becoming the Mom of Riverside, instructing a group of street kids in an interaction that seems inconsequential right now, but I feel that it may play a bigger role in the story later.
Kaab is dealing with that inspector who I believe was first mentioned season 2. Maybe season 1. I don't quite remember but I feel like they've been talking about this guy for a long time and he's finally here! And he's shady! Detective Kaab is on the case though!
My only complaint about the Kaab and Tess sections all this season is that they feel very separate from the rest of the characters. Yes, Kaab visited Diane in s3e1 but after that Kaab is in her own world and Tess is in hers. Meanwhile Micah who hangs out with Rafe also lives with Diane and it makes their three plot lines intertwine.
Back to our story though, Rafe gets into a fight with Florian because Rafe didn't notice that Florian was grieving Shade but in Rafe's defense, he didn't realize Micah was a girl until Diane told him.
Diane does finally go to visit Esha! She can't stay away, immediately confessing the theft of the ledger as saying that she thinks Esha must find her quite cowardly. But Esha doesn't find her cowardly at all and understand the walls Diane has to put up to get to the position is in. Aren't they adorable??
But all is not well with the house of Tremontaine, as we end of a semi cliffhanger ending. Lionel sends Diane a letter saying that Davenant has taken a seat on the university board- one that was recently held by Will. My theory is that he's going to try to stop Rafe's school from coming to fruition...
This episode opens with Rafe showing Florian, Joshua, and Micah the building in which he wants to have his school. Florian picks an argument and Micah stands up for her friends, explaining that Diane Duchess Tremontaine told her that it's good to stand up for your friends- which was downright adorable.
Of course, Rafe and Joshua are perplexed by this, leading to Micah recounting the story of how someone broke into Tremontaine and Micah confronted them. But since they had swords and we're terrifying, she ran and hid in her room until Diane found her. According to Micah, she wanted to go home, but Diane convinced her to stay saying that she (Diane) would be afraid without her there.
If you've kept up to date on the latest happenings of Tremontaine Season 3, you'll know that Diane wanted Micah at Tremontaine as a barganing chip of sorts. As long as Rafe doesn't do something totally crazy, Micah will be fine. (If you haven't been keeping up and are just randomly reading this, oops. Spoilers sweetie.)
But Diane seems to have taken a liking to our favorite tunip-loving girl-genius extraordinaire. Micah is the only truly honest character who wears her aspirations on her sleeves. She doesn't have an agenda, and to Diane, who has to plot and scheme to get anywhere on the Hill, finds it a breathe of fresh air. Diane, we read, is genuinely concerned about Micah's safety, even has her inner sanctum is breached. And speaking of the break in...
It's obvious to Diane that Davenant is behind all this. In fact, Lionel shows up at her door to deliver a letter from him.
(And side note, IT'S LUCINDA! Lucinda makes an appearance, and this is your not-so-casual reminder that I have a weird love for Diane's maid. You go girl.)
Davenant sends Lionel with a letter to Diane, apparently not knowing that Lionel and Diane were a thing- or are a thing, as Diane decides that now would be an amazing time for a quick and dirty roll in the sheets. Poor Lionel is being used by everyone but out of their interaction we get this amazing piece of insight into Diane's thought process, “No, she did not want to think about Esha, or about the danger that the theft of the ledger had exposed her friend to. The last thing she needed was anther attachment. Another weakness that someone like Gregory Davenant could exploit. Best to stick to the Lionels of the world, who were there to be used, and who so enjoyed making themselves useful.”
Diane, as I suspected, sees love as a weakness that can easily be exploited. She loved Will but look how that turned out. Now she's finding it hard to get attached to any one else without the fear of her love being used against her.
Meanwhile, in Riverside, Tess is becoming the Mom of Riverside, instructing a group of street kids in an interaction that seems inconsequential right now, but I feel that it may play a bigger role in the story later.
Kaab is dealing with that inspector who I believe was first mentioned season 2. Maybe season 1. I don't quite remember but I feel like they've been talking about this guy for a long time and he's finally here! And he's shady! Detective Kaab is on the case though!
My only complaint about the Kaab and Tess sections all this season is that they feel very separate from the rest of the characters. Yes, Kaab visited Diane in s3e1 but after that Kaab is in her own world and Tess is in hers. Meanwhile Micah who hangs out with Rafe also lives with Diane and it makes their three plot lines intertwine.
Back to our story though, Rafe gets into a fight with Florian because Rafe didn't notice that Florian was grieving Shade but in Rafe's defense, he didn't realize Micah was a girl until Diane told him.
Diane does finally go to visit Esha! She can't stay away, immediately confessing the theft of the ledger as saying that she thinks Esha must find her quite cowardly. But Esha doesn't find her cowardly at all and understand the walls Diane has to put up to get to the position is in. Aren't they adorable??
But all is not well with the house of Tremontaine, as we end of a semi cliffhanger ending. Lionel sends Diane a letter saying that Davenant has taken a seat on the university board- one that was recently held by Will. My theory is that he's going to try to stop Rafe's school from coming to fruition...
November 14, 2017
Lots happens in today’s episode!
Rafe has some successes with his school; he’s found a possible building. He’s also realizing that Florian has got some issues. However, I don’t think Rafe yet has any clue of the depth and breadth of Florian’s “issues.” Like seriously, that dude has a murder fetish. I’m all for Rafe dumping him, if a bit worried about how Florian may react (I could see him being violent as a result). I’m also not really down for a Florian redemption arc, and I’m hoping the season doesn’t end up going there.
Kaab continues to struggle with her role as the leader of the Balem. To be honest, I’m not finding this subplot super interesting. I’ve always liked Kaab best when she’s been interacting with other central characters like Diane, Micah, Rafe or Vincent. This season has basically seen Kaab operating on her own or with her family members, not having much to do with the rest of the main cast. Also, there’s been no development on the “Kaab’s aunt was murdered” front, and I want to know what’s going on there!
Honestly, what’s got me most interested this episode is the rivalry of Diane and Davenant. After the break in of last episode, he’s got the ledger back. Diane has super underestimated him. Sure, she doesn’t need the ledger at the moment, since she’s already used it to become Duchess. But now she doesn’t have it in reserve, and Davenant’s planning his next move. Looks like he’s going to go through Rafe’s school to get at Diane. I don’t see how this could possibly make Diane feel beaten or willing to marry him, but I’m excited about this plot line. A tug of war between Diane and Davenant with Rafe in the middle? Sure to be fun.
On other topics, I continue to love Diane and Micah’s friendship. I think Diane shows a side of herself to Micah that she doesn’t let anyone else see. Although she’s warming up to Esha considerably… then again, stronger language than “warm” may be called for when it comes to Diane’s feelings towards Esha.
Let’s see, what else… Tess is in need of a new protector. I have no idea who this could possibly be. At this point, I’m thinking it’ll be someone we haven’t met yet, since Tess has run through our sword fighters fairly quickly. I don’t see Kaab or Vincent coming back into the picture (yet, anyway), and Reza’s turned down the job. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any candidates we already know.
That’s all I’ve got to say on “Every Face a Forgery”! I’ll be back next week with my review of episode six.
Review originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Rafe has some successes with his school; he’s found a possible building. He’s also realizing that Florian has got some issues. However, I don’t think Rafe yet has any clue of the depth and breadth of Florian’s “issues.” Like seriously, that dude has a murder fetish. I’m all for Rafe dumping him, if a bit worried about how Florian may react (I could see him being violent as a result). I’m also not really down for a Florian redemption arc, and I’m hoping the season doesn’t end up going there.
Kaab continues to struggle with her role as the leader of the Balem. To be honest, I’m not finding this subplot super interesting. I’ve always liked Kaab best when she’s been interacting with other central characters like Diane, Micah, Rafe or Vincent. This season has basically seen Kaab operating on her own or with her family members, not having much to do with the rest of the main cast. Also, there’s been no development on the “Kaab’s aunt was murdered” front, and I want to know what’s going on there!
Honestly, what’s got me most interested this episode is the rivalry of Diane and Davenant. After the break in of last episode, he’s got the ledger back. Diane has super underestimated him. Sure, she doesn’t need the ledger at the moment, since she’s already used it to become Duchess. But now she doesn’t have it in reserve, and Davenant’s planning his next move. Looks like he’s going to go through Rafe’s school to get at Diane. I don’t see how this could possibly make Diane feel beaten or willing to marry him, but I’m excited about this plot line. A tug of war between Diane and Davenant with Rafe in the middle? Sure to be fun.
On other topics, I continue to love Diane and Micah’s friendship. I think Diane shows a side of herself to Micah that she doesn’t let anyone else see. Although she’s warming up to Esha considerably… then again, stronger language than “warm” may be called for when it comes to Diane’s feelings towards Esha.
Let’s see, what else… Tess is in need of a new protector. I have no idea who this could possibly be. At this point, I’m thinking it’ll be someone we haven’t met yet, since Tess has run through our sword fighters fairly quickly. I don’t see Kaab or Vincent coming back into the picture (yet, anyway), and Reza’s turned down the job. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any candidates we already know.
That’s all I’ve got to say on “Every Face a Forgery”! I’ll be back next week with my review of episode six.
Review originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
November 11, 2017
Every episode is a gem. This one had so much character development.
November 16, 2017
I am really enjoying this season so far, and I'm looking forward to where they take it in the future.
January 23, 2024
Another good installment to the Tremontaine Season 3. Entertaining even when you mix in Rafe's school is a former brothel, both Joshua and Micah are in this installment more and the one thing I change. Have Florian killed off by Reza, as a favor for IxKaab.
IxKaab is my favorite character in Tremontaine, next to Micah, but I how her character has evolved with the death of her Aunt and she takes over leading the the House of Balam of the Kinwiinik Traders. Another highlight for me was that the burglary at Tremontaine house, seems like the Duchess's under estimated what Davenport would do.
Thanks to Serial Box for the advance read copy.
IxKaab is my favorite character in Tremontaine, next to Micah, but I how her character has evolved with the death of her Aunt and she takes over leading the the House of Balam of the Kinwiinik Traders. Another highlight for me was that the burglary at Tremontaine house, seems like the Duchess's under estimated what Davenport would do.
Thanks to Serial Box for the advance read copy.
November 13, 2017
Full review (with spoilers) is here! http://overtheeffingrainbow.co.uk/201...
March 29, 2018
I jumped into this in the middle of several stories, which is probably not the recommended way to read a serial like this. Luckily, I am a little familiar with the Tremontaine setting, and the writing style also echoed those that I have read. Although I had to do a lot of guessing and catching up, it was actually still a really enjoyable read. The several interwoven stories were complex and interesting and I got a good sense for the characters from the little snapshot I got. It would take me a while to catch up on the story from the beginning, but if I have the time I think it would be worth it, because this little bit already got me hooked!
November 22, 2017
Every Face a Forgery (Tremontaine Season 3 Episode 5)
by Paul Witcover
The amazing aspect of this Mosaic novel is that you can miss episodes and still follow the story line. The aspect of looking at the characters attempting to cope with the cliff hangers from the last season. You find the beauty of characters and this world in every story. The personal struggles of the characters is addictive.
This chapter is the set up for the events that will focus the rest of the story, the repercussions of winning does not always mean you are safe after you win.
by Paul Witcover
The amazing aspect of this Mosaic novel is that you can miss episodes and still follow the story line. The aspect of looking at the characters attempting to cope with the cliff hangers from the last season. You find the beauty of characters and this world in every story. The personal struggles of the characters is addictive.
This chapter is the set up for the events that will focus the rest of the story, the repercussions of winning does not always mean you are safe after you win.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews