From what I gather, 'The Bone Orchard' is Sara Mueller's debut novel, at least the first to be published, and it's being released by Tor, so she's made it already. She deserves it too, because this is a mature work, regardless of how many books its author has written or not written before it. It's a complex examination of identity, wrapped in a fantasy framework at a time of pivotal change. Its characters are deeply-drawn and not always entirely what they seem. In fact, many of the primary characters are not, because of a few conceits that make the story viable.

There's a broader story about identity too, namely what a country thinks it should be. That country is Boren, an empire led by an emperor who has access to rejuvenation technology so is effectively immortal. He changes his Empress every once in a while and his armies are still fighting a generation-long war in neighbouring countries, but Boren is stable enough. Until the immortal emperor is murdered and a successor has to be determined, by a parliament that sees that none of the available options are good ones.

We focus more on the personal level, though, primarily on a lady called Charm, who runs a gentleman's club by the name of Orchard House. Yes, "gentleman's club" is the euphemism you think it is, but that doesn't negate the fact that it's also an actual club for actual gentlemen. It's where the most important gossip is shared, over Charm's card tables, and the highest level political deals are made. Orchard House is closed on Tuesdays, when the Emperor himself visits Charm, his mistress, not that she has any say in the matter. And partly due to this, it becomes Charm who is summoned by Empress Ylsbeth and tasked with not only identifying his killer, but killing them and any accomplices there might be.

Charm is one of the most complex characters I've read in years and also one of the most fascinating. Sure, she's a madam, for want of a better term, but she doesn't have complete control over herself, because the Emperor has mindlocked her, as he mindlocks anyone else who exhibits psychic power. It's not commonplace in Boren but it does happen and it's dangerous. Anyone who gains empathy or telekinesis or what-have-you finds themselves going mad and mindlocks are the only way to stop that progression. We don't know what talent Charm had, but we learn a lot about her as the book progresses and I need to be very careful indeed to avoid spoilers.

What I believe I can say, because we assume it early on, is that she isn't just who she appears to be. Part of this is because she shares a body with the Lady, who runs the vats outside where she grows her boneghosts, the ladies who work Orchard House, whether it be from behind the desk in the entryway or in one of the upstairs rooms. It isn't initially clear how this process works, though we do learn about it as the book runs on, the ramifications of which still make me grin, a few weeks after reading the book. However, the ladies of Orchard House carry names like Pain, Desire, Justice, Pride and Shame and they all look considerably but not exactly like Charm. I'm sure you can draw your own conclusions from that.

All that means that this is a fantasy, albeit an unusual and highly original one. There are traditional elements to it that remind me a little of Django Wexler's 'Shadow Campaigns' series, but they're not in the foreground and they don't drive the book. It's also a murder mystery, one featuring an unusual victim and an even more unusual detective, who is forced to conduct her investigation in unusual ways, not least because she rarely gets to leave Orchard House. Fortunately, many of the suspects, from the Emperor's own sons to high profile members of his parliament, frequent the establishment.

And, more than anything, it's a brilliant examination of what it means to be someone. While there are certainly characters here who are exactly what they seem to be; not only to us, the readers, but to their fellow townsfolk in Borenguard, many are not. Charm is easily the most complex, but her boneghosts are fascinating too, Pain chief amongst them. She's a fantastic character in her own right, and there's more than one meaning to that. Most of the mindlocked characters become Firedrinkers, who serve as the police in Borenguard in an almost robotic way, as they're given strict instructions that they cannot break, even if they want to. They also appear identical, both men and women, and are psychically connected, so the concept of self has different meaning to them. And there is the lady in gray, a mysterious character who we immediately realise is important but who gains a magnificent story arc.

It's not the easiest book to follow, as you might imagine, but a seasoned reader shouldn't have problems with it. Just don't take anything for granted and keep asking questions. The further you go, the more Mueller will feed you information to flesh out your understanding of what's going on. She knows that you're going to have a slew of unanswered questions and she'll get to most of them in time, some of them through glorious revelations that can be jaw-dropping. The lady in gray gets one of them, but them so does the Lady. They're not the same person, but they're connected in a number of ways. I still had a few questions after turning the final page, but none are problematic in remaining unanswered.

I should also mention that, while I may seem to have said a lot here, I truly haven't said much at all. I'm merely scratching the surface of this magnificent debut novel that runs four hundred pages and change but achieves a lot more in that space than many books of double that length manage. It's not going to be for everyone, but it ought to be among the award winners at the end of the year. It's that original and that good. ~~ Hal C F Astell