Starring: Trevor Littledale, Ian Brooker, Kerry Skinner and Stewart Alexander, with Louise Faulkner, Amy Newton, Marcus Churchill, John Green, Steven Elder and Toby Longworth

Written by: David Bryher (from a story by Michael Kortes), Directed by John Ainsworth

 

In which the quest to deposing Queen Ileosa takes the champions from Korvosa to the forbidding Cinderlands far beyond the city walls. Now home to the Shoanti – barbarian tribes and original inhabitants of the land that Korvosa occupies – it’s a treacherous wasteland full of dangers. Can the heroes gain the Shoantis’ trust and learn their long-hidden secrets, or will they fall victim to the assassins contracted to kill them?

A History of Ashes reunites the heroes with Trinia Sabor (Faulkner), the artist framed for the king’s murder and the target of their attention three chapters ago. Having been smuggled out of Korvosa after her innocence was determined, she’s now learning how to be an adventurer and guide through the Cinderlands. This leads to a nice scene between Harsk and Trinia which shows a rare glimpse of the dwarf’s softer side as he offers her some sage advice about the life she’s now leading.

The Shoanti are an obvious parallel to Native Americans, being “primitive” people forced out of their homeland by more advanced colonists, now understandably suspicious of “tshamek” (outsiders) and slow to trust them. One could argue that their realisation unwittingly recalls stereotypical depictions of Native Americans from the “cowboys and Indians” days; fiercely proud warriors, the Shoanti tersely speak in flat, uninflected tones, and their elders possess ancient wisdom that will only be willingly shared if they deem the seeker(s) worthy. I’m not saying that any of this was deliberate on anyone’s part, but these sorts of “shorthands” do call to mind the Noble Savage trope.

Or perhaps I should compare the Shoanti to the Fremen of Arrakis, as they revere a legendary colossal sandworm that burrows beneath the Cinderlands. In order to prove themselves worthy to the Shoanti, the champions decide to re-enact a tribal legend and so two of their number need to be swallowed whole by the beast and hack their way out of it! Thankfully the lead actors’ commitment to the proceedings turns this potentially ludicrous feat into a believably epic one.

As for the Red Mantis assassins, only their leader Cinnabar (Newton) comes across as a believable threat; the first time that Harsk and Merisiel succeed in laying a trap for the assassins trailing them, it’s a solid victory thanks to the organization’s reputation as cunning and ruthless killers. But after the second triumph against other members of the group, the Red Mantis’s credibility rating starts to plummet until Cinnabar personally takes steps to correct this.

Verdict: Questionable cultural appropriations aside, A History of Ashes rattles along at a speedy pace; contains good character interactions; and benefits from the actors’ verve and conviction papering over some otherwise credulity-stretching moments. 7/10

John S. Hall