Books: The Chronicle of Secret Riven

On May 20, Baton Rouge author Ronlyn Domingue’s “Keeper of Tales Trilogy” continues with The Chronicle of Secret Riven. I interviewed Ronlyn last year about the trilogy’s first title, The Mapmaker’s War. At that time, she said Chronicle would feature “a young woman who must end an age-old pestilence with the use of a plague,” and that this young woman, Secret, is “the bearer of a legacy.”

Chronicle takes place generations after the events of The Mapmaker’s War, so it makes for an unorthodox sequel. We’re introduced to Secret at the moment of her birth and follow her intriguing childhood and education.

Secret’s mother, renowned for her unique talent with languages, is tasked with translating an ancient text in an unknown language. This is gradually revealed to be Aoife’s story, the content of The Mapmaker’s War. The ancient text mysteriously vanishes, and in the wake of her mother’s death, it becomes Secret’s burden to find and perhaps decipher. Mapmaker’s War includes a translator’s note signed by S. Riven, indicating that Secret will be the one to translate Aoife’s tale, but the story of how this happens is left for the next book in the trilogy.

Very early in Chronicle is an illustration that should feel familiar. In all, 13 illustrations from Mapmaker’s War reappear in Chronicle during critical moments of the story, as the connection between the protagonists of each book becomes, if not more clear, then more concrete. There is a connection, but what is it? The book provides a delicious puzzle for readers to contemplate as they read. As is perhaps appropriate for the middle book of a trilogy, the end of Chronicle doesn’t feel like one.

If the first book read like an ancient myth, the new book often feels reminiscent of fairy tales—symbolic and potent. Both insist upon active engagement with the story, and they are difficult to describe. I couldn’t tell you the trilogy’s genre definitively. There are aspects of alternate history, fantasy and mystery and some elements beyond the bounds of genre. The books are speculative fiction, certainly, and might bring works by Margaret Atwood to mind.

As I described Mapmaker’s War last year, Chronicle is “mythic and epic.” You, the reader, will probably care far less about the distinctions of genre that I, as a reviewer, feel compelled to define.

This is what you truly need to know: Your experience will be richer if you read both titles, and as you delve into Chronicle, do yourself a favor and keep Mapmaker’s War near at hand. You’ll enjoy the experience of encountering local artist Kathryn Hunter’s evocative letterpress illustrations in both texts, comparing the moments in which they appear in each story.

The last book in the trilogy will focus on the Plague of Silences, referred to throughout Chronicle. We’ll learn how Secret uses the plague to end a pestilence. I, for one, will be reading to discover more clues to this fascinating puzzle that Domingue has offered us. ronlyndomingue.com