Review of "Hammer of Witches"

“It is just a story.”

     For the young protagonist of Hammer of Witches, Shana Mlawski’s exciting historical fantasy tale, stories are nothing more than works of fiction. He didn’t always believe that, of course, but Baltasar Infante is fourteen now and knows better. That is, until he’s kidnapped by the Malleus Maleficarum, a team of witch hunters who seem to think that Bal is harboring the Moorish spellcaster Amir al-Katib. When a burst of magic summons a golem straight from Uncle Diego’s bedtime stories, Bal is thrust into a world he could never have imagined. On the run from the Spanish Inquisition with nothing except a scroll, his uncle’s stories, and al-Katib’s personal half-genie, Bal must make his way westward in order to survive. Along the way, he also has to keep his magic a secret and save the world from a terrible evil. As a Storyteller, he has the power to bring any story ever told to life—but there are so many stories about al-Katib that he doesn’t know what to believe. Is he a hero? A villain? Bal’s father? There’s only one way to find out, assuming he doesn’t kill Bal first.

     Baltasar is a prime example of a protagonist who’s quite unwillingly catapulted into the adventure of a lifetime. As far as he knows, he’s the son of two Jewish immigrants who converted to Catholicism to escape the Inquisition. He has no powers, no importance whatsoever. Then he accidentally summons a creature of legend, and everything changes. Through his journey across the Atlantic and his unexpected friendship with the half-genie Jinniyah, Bal gradually learns to control his newfound abilities. More importantly, he begins to discover who he is when all else is stripped away. Along the way, readers get a glimpse of Spain in the 1490s, learn about countless fairy tales and stories, and even learn a bit about Christopher Columbus’s famous voyage to the Americas. Couple this with Jinniyah’s own personal development and that of another Storyteller Bal meets on his journey, and the cast of this piece quickly becomes complex and quite diverse.

     The historical aspect of this journey is at once deeply layered and beautifully simple. At no point does the strength of the context waver: the setting is very clearly Spain, from the gorgeously described streets to the back alleys and the tavern full of sailors. The bedtime stories Uncle Diego has imparted upon Baltasar are from all over the world, ranging from the testing of Job to the creation of the Arabian hameh. Before he knows it, Baltasar sets forth across the sea on one of Christopher Columbus’s ships, and bears witness to the many dangers which befell Colón and his men, many of whom are based on the real-life sailors of that voyage. Then there are the Indies, populated by equally lifelike characters who show off many different facets of the indigenous Bahamian cultures. Each culture and subculture Bal is exposed to is lovingly detailed and extremely immersive, and helps shape him into an entirely new person.

     If not for a few variables intended for older audiences, this might easily be considered a children’s book. Language-wise, there is nothing more foul than a curse here and there; and as for romance, there is only a single misguided kiss. Yet it should be noted that a great deal of this novel takes place upon a ship on a long voyage, where our hero is surrounded by fully grown men. Thus there is some relatively coarse jesting, and a bit of innuendo regarding a woman named Mary. Shortly after Baltasar’s kidnapping, the Malleus Maleficarum swoop upon people he cares about, ending their lives just graphically enough that young readers might find it too unsavory, though older ones probably won’t flinch. Despite the Maleficarum’s belief, Baltasar’s magic is not witchraft. It does, however, require him to reinterpret the story he’s summoning, which leads to a somewhat blasphemous decision about the Jewish and Christian God.

     I would recommend this book to readers from their late tweens onward who are looking for a fun, fantastical adventure full of magic and self-discovery. Despite the setting, Hammer of Witches does not read like historical fiction. Baltasar and Jinniyah are lovely heroes on the journey of a lifetime, facing down foul weather, enemy warriors, and legendary monsters with equal determination. Amir al-Katib is a mysterious figure standing at the end of their path, and Bal doesn’t know whether he’s friend or foe, much less family. All these threads make for a complex plot which requires a bit of brainpower to read, but Shana Mlawski’s writing ties it all together to make a great story worthy of four stars.