Calligraphy Guild (Review)
Author: R.M. Archer
Genre: Christian Fantasy
Publication Year: 2022
Age Group: All ages
Content Warnings: N/A
Personal Age Rating: All ages
SUMMARY:
Dragon ink enables an elite guild of calligraphers to record the events of time. However, only truth can be recorded—anything less than truth constitutes a severe breach of trust and will entail a terrible fate for those who misuse the ink. Young Duyên loves her occupation as a Calligrapher, but when human nature prompts one of her fellow writers to betray the Guild, a quiet, or not so quiet terror befalls her, relationships fracture, and destruction bears upon the Guild… unless they can set aside pride and differences to identify the traitor before it’s too late.
This review is spoiler-free.
One of the joys of 2022 was settling into this gentle Christian fantasy novel by R.M. Archer. Having been familiar with Archer’s excellent social media posts and thoughtful commentary, I knew hers was a book I had to read.
Thus, I tucked cozily into Calligraphy Guild, a relaxed, lightly magical story blossoming with long-forgotten virtues, inspiring relationships, and an emphasis on community and family. I surprised myself by enjoying a book outside my usual fare—I have a penchant for darker, more chaotic stories similar to my own—but this novel had a much softer touch. Like eiderdown on a sighing summer breeze.
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Overview
Calligraphy Guild follows young Duyên, who is pleased to learn she has been admitted into the ranks of her village's Calligraphy Guild. These elite writers possess the powerful responsibility of recording history. However, history isn't recorded in the usual fashion in Duyên's world. In Hairen of Virilia, dragon ink solidifies the past, and with its use come solemn responsibilities.
Truth is the only acceptable record a Calligrapher can make with the dragon ink. Falsehoods are intolerable; intentionally falsifying a record is an offense worthy of exile and even death. When one traitorous Guild member disobeys the command of truth-telling and re-writes history, the dragons, givers of the gift of the magical ink, descend to pronounce judgment on Duyên's guild.
Quiet chaos ensues. Duyên's existence, even her sanity, is endangered, as every day without an identity for the traitor ticks the Guild closer to destruction. Add to this that dragon voices are suddenly spilling into her head; they grow louder all the time and threaten to overtake her mind. Meanwhile, with the realization that a traitor is among them, the Calligraphers begin to turn on each other, creating strife and tension within the Guild.
The result? A fragmented community and a growing fear that the traitor will never be revealed, meaning disaster for all the Calligraphers. Maybe even all of Hairen.
But do they even want to know who misused the ink, condemning them? What would motivate someone to make such a horrific decision? Worst of all…
Was it even worth it?
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Where It Excelled
Calligraphy Guild is an elegantly written, slower-paced novel chiefly concerned with its characters. Many personalities inhabit Archer's vivid world where elements of Asian culture weave colorful strands of realism into the setting, the village of Hairen.
Readers are immersed in Hairen's uplifting community in the novel's immediate chapters. Many names—admittedly too many to remember straightaway—appear as Archer fleshes out her carefully crafted low-fantasy realm. Everyone is connected. All seems to be at peace in Hairen, where family and togetherness reign. Hairen's world-building excels in its lushness, and the souls inhabiting it are threaded together by shared values, love, and appreciation for one another.
Among Hairen's citizens is young Duyên of the Lai family. As a protagonist, she is grounded and stable in a way one seldom finds in young adult fiction. Although Duyên's life is idyllic, YA characters often excel at complaining (guilty on all charges!), and Duyên only ever appreciated the positive parts of her circumstances and spoke the truth in love. Her respect for tradition and family, and her dedication to her job, made her a refreshing female protagonist in an age of endless snark and Mary Sue-ism. A girl who treasures her relationships and herself in YA fantasy is a keeper!
Other characters, like the emotional Tora, are also well-developed and provide necessary friction for the plot. The contrast between Tora, who struggles with emotional regulation, and Duyên, who admits to finding emoting challenging, is excellent.
I prefer slower, more philosophical novels despite my love of fantastical madness. I don't care much for action sequences (though I make exceptions for magical combat) and thus am less concerned with a novel's plot than its characters. If the characters are well-written, the book is at least partially well-written and holds my interest.
Calligraphy Guild is inviting because it reads more like a brook than a rushing river. It's in no hurry. It doesn't burden readers with excess happenings and too many plot points to juggle. Rather, it does a wonderful job of drawing readers into a time our modern world rejects: a time of peace and family. A time that emphasized relationships, lovingly crafted food, community intimacy, and quiet love.
I appreciate that this book beckoned me to slow down.
Think. Breathe. Consider. And just be.
Archer's setting and characters inspired me to be better, but not in a chastising way. It gently convicted me about my impatience and fast-paced mentality. It challenged me to let things like love and relationships blossom and deepen in due time, not my time. For that, I respect it, and I loved being inside its pages and, by extension, the author's soothing mind.
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Where It Did Not Excel
As with all books, Calligraphy Guild is not without its weak points. One of those is, unfortunately, its sweet slower pace.
The slow pace is too slow in this novel. It struck me as a reluctance to advance the plot and identify the traitorous Calligrapher, whose identity was immediately apparent because of a stylistic choice in the writing. Slow-paced novels still need to follow the story-telling format in that they require forward action and, eventually, a climax. This was not the case in Calligraphy Guild, which nearly lacked a climax altogether.
Dialogue, world-building, and repetitive phrases and scenes over-crowded the narrative where plot-enhancing action should have gone. Even with my love of character-centered stories, the plot in Calligraphy Guild was so muted—almost to the point of evasion—that it was sometimes challenging to read.
I was disappointed when the big reveal at the novel’s end only confirmed an instant suspicion I’d had from the beginning instead of surprising me. I also disliked how the plot’s pacing was hindered by characters who essentially refused to identify the traitor among them—and then the traitor ended up being identified by a single direct question that should have been asked in the beginning.
Though I enjoyed this book, I was let down by the characters’ inaction, poor decision-making, the pacing, and how these amounted to an unsatisfying conclusion.
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Conclusion
Overall, Calligraphy Guild is an enjoyable and worthwhile read. The author writes in an inviting and thought-provoking way, never condescending to readers or preaching. Its problem spots do not overshadow the light of the intelligent and careful prose, relatable characters, heart-warming community themes and setting, and an undeniable grace that whispers through its pages.
What surprised me was how human its characters could be in their private minds and some of their interactions. The author isn't afraid to dig into their brains; that excited me! I loved their observations, inner thoughts, and contemplations. Calligraphy Guild has a sprinkling of magic deeper than dragon ink: a spiritual touch.
Truth and beauty brighten one of its themes: managing interpersonal conflict. In a subtle yet profound way, the novel illustrates humanity's weaknesses of selfishness and rash decision-making. It also highlights how our often "good" intentions are self-serving deeds veiled in altruism.
How do we know when we've crossed the line? What defines a good deed from a bad one? Where does love separate from selfish obsession?
Archer writes confidently, and some of her characters' abounding maturity reflects her strength as a writer and an individual with reliable wisdom and insight. That same insight is what gives Calligraphy Guild its power and sets it above its flaws.
No novel is perfect, and despite this book's shortcomings, it is a stepping stone in the author's writing career that will provide a valuable learning point for someone innately talented and constantly refining their craft. It is beautiful in its right, and I thoroughly enjoyed existing inside Hairen for my reading vacation, becoming acquainted with its sweet characters, and tasting a new flavor of novel: the gentle Christian fantasy.
For its faithful handling in its areas of excellence, I award R.M. Archer's Calligraphy Guild three stars and recommend it to fans of relaxed reads and soft fantasy.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
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