There she learns the truth of her origins. Ash herself is captured by the forces of the Faris and is sent to Carthage. The Faris also hears the Voice, and is using its advice to conquer Europe.Īs the conquest continues, darkness begins to settle over Europe. During the meeting, Ash is shocked to learn that the Faris is a duplicate of her. Ash's troops flee from the invaders and Ash meets with the general of the Carthaginian forces, the mysterious Faris.
Owing to a magical curse cast by a rabbi, the lands of Carthage are covered in perpetual darkness. This Carthage is not the civilization which clashed with Rome, but an empire established in North Africa by Visigoths. When they arrive in Italy they discover the country under invasion from the forces of Carthage. Her company is hired by John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, an exiled English nobleman, to undertake a mission to Italy for the Duke of Burgundy. As a woman in 1477, she now runs her own company, peopled by soldiers from various lands of Europe and North Africa, including her best friend the Burgundian physician Florian. As a child, she discovers the Voice, a mysterious voice which only she can hear and which gives tactical advice on how to solve combat situations. Throughout the novel, elements of fantasy and alternative history become more prominent such as golems, an alternative version of Carthage, and even an alternative Jesus Christ, referred to as "green Christ" and depicted attached to a tree rather than a cross.Īsh is an orphan foundling who grew up as a camp follower with a group of mercenaries. Initially the author believes that the narrative is simply an embellished and romanticized account of actual events, but as the book goes on he begins to find evidence that the more fantastical claims in the book are true and begins to doubt reality around him. The novel maintains a parallel narrative consisting of the emails between the historian writing the book and his publisher. The novel employs a framing device which claims that it is a work of scholarship, a translation of texts from the Late Middle Ages. In the United States, it was published in four paperback volumes: A Secret History (in 1999), Carthage Ascendant, Wild Machines, and Lost Burgundy (all in 2000). Set in the 15th century, the novel blends elements of fantasy, alternative history, and secret history. Ash: A Secret History is a fantasy novel by British author Mary Gentle, published in 2000.
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