Alphabet Of Thorns

Although these works exist within the framework of two distinctive realities, the nature of the possible and the impossible in Alphabet of Thorn versus Year of Our War their treatment of the nature of impossibility is fundamentally defined by the notion of perception. In order for a distinction between impossible and possible to be effectively conveyed, the novel must first establish a reality. Both books work within the constraints of an unexplained but clearly defined internal logic. The reality of these works in some ways resembles our world, namely in the importance of complex socio-economic systems. It is the inherent instability of these systems that drives several of the secondary plots. These realities are not free of war, death, or
Also contrary to Alphabet of Thorns is Swainston’s proclivity for immersive narrative. As such, the internal logic of that world is less obvious and often difficult to explain. What is readily apparent are the presence of certain ‘impossibilities’’ as possible. Most importantly, the possibility of immortality is an important plot point. As many of the main characters including the protagonist are immortal, this leads to them having more static identities; this causes problems when members of the circle are often stubborn rather than sensible. The immortals also possess supernatural skills such as Jant’s ability to fly or Tornado’s incredible strength. Finally, there is the presence of fantastical creatures, most notably the horrific Insects who invaded the land after the departure of God. Turning to the impossible, while God and immortality are accepted, they are not considered magical. Magic does not exist at all in this reality, at least not insofar as the novel’s inhabitants understand it as such. It is also understood that the world of the Fourlands is the only world. Like Raine, it is locked both temporally and spatially; there can be not be “another place, another world” (Swainston,
The Shift is spatially another world, existing alongside the Fourlands in the same time but a slightly different place. The exact mechanics of the difference are unclear and is simultaneously described as “a long distance away...[and] as close as one dying breath” (Swainston, 286). The Recognition of this fact reveals the nature of the Insects as otherworldly beings and thus explains their Wrongness. Multiple worlds also help to potentially explain the presence of ‘anachronistic’ paraphernalia in the Fourlands, such as jeans and t-shirts. These items lack the appropriate historical context to be considered possible, yet expected objects and events are simultaneously viewed as being impossible within the circumstances of that reality. The notion of the impossible is forced to change under this new knowledge, the presence of the Shift can now be perceived and potentially understood on some level. While Jant had knowledge of the Shift’s existence, it is only when he coupled that knowledge with a truer perception of it that he was able to gain understanding and