Winter on the Plain of Ghosts

Joanne Wotypka is a sessional lecturer in the Religious Studies program
of the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Alberta.

Set in ancient Mesopotamia, this novel chronicles the rise of Rujik from
sacrificial child to apprentice magician to alchemist to successful
trader.

Rujik tells his own story from the vantage point of a long and
successful career as a merchant and powerbroker. His early childhood is
thus rather sketchy, but his escape (with friend Bima) from his village
is vivid, as is his induction into forest magic. Once in the city, Rujik
(much like Oliver Twist) is forcibly apprenticed into a gang of
child-thieves, though he escapes into the world of magic. Learning both
magic and business from his mentor, he soon strikes out on his own,
eventually leading a revolt against the corrupted priesthood.

The story is quite engaging, and the prose flows well. There are,
however, several areas of the plot that needed to be dealt with more
fully than they were. Rujik’s start in life as a “Chosen One” (a
child destined for sacrifice) is largely left out of his adult life, and
the issue of his relationship with childhood friend Bima likewise seems
underdeveloped. The two do eventually develop a romantic relationship,
but this is subsumed in the larger plot regarding the priesthood.
Despite these shortcomings, Winter on the Plain of Ghosts is an
absorbing and well-researched look at a sadly neglected (in terms of
fiction) area of human history.