3 out of 4 stars
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The Ivory Staff by M. Lachi is a fantasy story which touches on romance and war. It is a fictional place within the world we live in with a very 'old world' feeling in the style of writing and themes. It follows the story of a ruling class family and the oppressed tribes and all those who set in motion a tale of usurpation, greed and freedom.
The story begins with a very young boy snooping into a box he has been told countless times to leave alone. Maliko knows it has something to do with his parents and those who raised him are keeping it a secret until he is able to understand the depth of what lies in his future. His uncle, the current ruler and a Bashir (a guard and servant of the royal family) both tell him a story of the not too distant past, weaving a tale that will explain who he is. His uncle recalls the previous ruling family and the drunkard father with twins he must choose between to take the throne. When one is chosen, the other is sent into a fury for Prince Ali believes his twin is too soft and generous to rule. Prince Chad, Ali's brother, longs to bring the poor tribes into their civilization, to stop burning their villages and pillaging their women. Prince Ali wants to destroy them, believing them to be so far beneath him they don't even deserve to live. When Prince Chad is chosen to take the throne he sends out an invitation to a random woman in each tribe, including the poorest among them, the Madani. He invites them to a ball in which he will choose a bride amongst them to set in motion his plans to bring the people together. And so we meet Siya, an educated, beautiful woman who immediately falls in love with the Prince. But this is only the beginning of a set of tragedies that bring about war and hunger and terrible plots.
While The Ivory Staff has a promising plotline, there was much that didn't work for me. It was enjoyable to read about the poor tribe and their struggles and how painful it was to see how the rich people live compared to them. Colour of skin was a big factor within the story though I was left a little puzzled every so often by exactly which colour was the issue. During the panic of a war brewing, one of the ruling members mention 'White man's land' and yet most of the time I was led to believe the tribespeople were hated for their darker skin tones and mix breeds were barely tolerated. So I was unsure of the colouring of the ruling family on this fictional island. Being aware of the timeline was another issue. For example, one of the characters breastfeeds her baby, one we are told she hasn't seen for 'several weeks' due to it being taken from her. My understanding is that breastmilk, with no baby to keep the flow, would most likely have dried after a week or two and this would not have been possible. There were, however, moments that kept me gripped to the story, when the characters were facing harrowing times that led to depression and near starvation.
I found it hard to connect with most of the characters because there were not many with good qualities that stood out. Pan, once a Bashir, is referred to as a good man yet, in the beginning, he contemplated forcing Siya to his bed because women from the poor tribe were no better than 'goats' and didn't get a choice in their treatment. Siya falls in love with every man she meets for more than a moment, though she does grow in strength. The most character development falls with Saab, he was the reason I kept reading. At first, he was so weak but grows in strength the more he cares for Siya and her health.
Overall the story was good and moved at a good pace. For those who enjoy their authors with a dark writing style and like reading about oppression and revolts, tragedies and underlining plots, then this is for you. I am rating The Ivory Staff 3 out of 4 stars as I believe the story it was trying to tell is very good, it was just lost at times. It needs some editing as it is very hard to know who is speaking as the dialogue between two or more people often shares the same paragraph. However, I did enjoy how the story is presented to the reader, being taken on a journey by the storytellers as if we are Maliko.
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The Ivory Staff
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