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Fiorenzo
BY Sebastian Nothwell
Published by the author, 2023
Five stars

I loved this epic-scale book, and I loved the finely-honed sense of detail that the author brings to it. Sebastian Nothwell has created a fantasy world which, as he notes in his introductory comments, is loosely based on a highly-imagined version of eighteenth-century Venice. The Principality of Halcyon, however, exists in a world in which the religion is some mixture of ancient Rome and Celtic paganism. So, no Saint Mark’s, no churches at all; just the canals, the bridges, and the waterside palazzi that imbue Venice with so much of its magic.

It is also a world in which women are equal to men. Women can be dukes, or princes; and while gender is recognized, gender roles are not remotely tied to gender. The only completely recognizable cultural system in place is that of class hierarchy. Halcyon is a place where social strata are clear and strong and totally control people’s lives.

This is the love story of two young men, one a skilled and successful courtesan, with the lovely name of Fiore—a good Italian name that means “flower”—and a mysterious masked figure entirely covered in pitch-black clothing of the highest quality. They meet during Saturnalia (a winter holiday dating back to ancient Rome) and begin a steady commercial relationship – made different than Fiore’s usual liaisons by the gentle, tentative actions of the tall, powerful man in black.

The central pleasure of the story is learning about both of these men (for quite a while we know only Fiore’s name) and about their secrets as their emotional connection lets them open up to each other and confess dark truths they previously have told no-one. We, as the omniscient reader, come to know both of these men better than they know each other, and we can see the hurdles they have to leap before they do. We see the trouble before it happens.

Fiore is beautiful and small—like one of Caravaggio’s most alluring boys. He is arrogant, proud, selfish, but also wounded, yearning, and desperate to be truly loved. The tall dark stranger (his name matters, but it’s up to you to discover it) is athletic and aristocratic—but he is also arrogant, proud, selfish, wounded and yearning. (I confess, I kept thinking of Zorro.) Fiore must always be paid; while the masked man must always be respected. Fiore’s family figures largely in his past, while his masked lover’s family (as we all learn) looms constantly in his present.

There are moments of high comedy in this story, but also grisly scenes of blood and violence. The author makes all of this feel imperative – just as the love-making that evolves between the two men becomes essential in telling their story. Nothwell captures the romantic, beautiful and dangerous essence of Venice in his fantastical Halcyon. It is an exciting adventure that leaves you feeling as if you’d learned something important.