By Julie Sara Porter
Bookworm Reviews
Spoilers: The second Science Fiction Dystopian novel, The Gilded Shroud by Sterling Beaudin, actually overlaps with Beneath The Umbrella by S.L. Hayes in various ways so much so that one would think they are almost set in the same universe. This is not an accusation of plagiarism so much as it is symptomatic about how current events and tough times can inspire different authors at the same time to capture similar works. But there are key differences in terms of character and setting.
Where the dystopia in Beneath The Umbrella is caused by the leaders using various means to control and dominate people to be their ignorant docile slaves, The Gilded Shroud shows that the landscape itself can be used as a means of control by its very presence.
In frozen dark Aethelgard, The Shroud is a barrier that is enshrouded in light and warmth. Lysethia is a Captain of the Wall, one of the strongest guards and protectors. Unrest is spreading and The Shroud is faltering. Lysethia is brought to the heart of Aethelgard and discovers the truth about this society and how it is powered.
The strongest aspects of this book are the lead character and the setting. It helps to compare Lysethia to Airus, the protagonist of Beneath The Umbrella. Unlike Airus who is a newcomer and outsider looking in, Lysethia was born and raised in The Shroud. She is conditioned to not only be a part of the dystopia but to excel in it. She never questions a system that benefits her and her family.
Lysethia is like many people who are proud to represent a totalitarian system until it affects them personally. Lysethia’s sister Elodie is selected for a specific position and is separated from her. Lysethia sees the dark side of this society that she was once proud to represent when she anxiously questions Elodie’s whereabouts and status.
This backlash is very prevalent and can easily be seen in modern day. People who were either supportive or ignored a dictatorship until it affected them. “We didn't know” and “I was only following orders” become destructive lies that they cling to until the leopards start eating their faces.
To her credit, Lysethia shows a lot of strength in character and empathy once she sees the reality around her. Her relationship with Elodie is the real heart of the story. Elodie is an innocent hurt by other's machinations and is a bright spot in Lysethia’s hard militaristic lifestyle. As The Shroud is the light for Aethelgard, Elodie is the light for Lysethia and when they are separated, she realizes that she has been living in darkness.
Lysethia takes leadership when she becomes involved in resistance activities against her former employers. Through her strategic mind, her ability to hide her true intentions from those in charge, and her badass fighting skills, she reveals that she earned the Captaincy and that she is using those abilities for better reasons than she had before.
Those skills are particularly relevant when traveling through the inner workings of The Shroud. Beaudin’s best asset is the book's setting. It proves that the powers that be might not only control the population but the landscape itself could as well.
There are several chapters which consist of Lysethia and her colleagues traveling through the unwieldy and intricate inner workings of The Shroud to get to the central power source. Normally this situation would drag the whole book down but in this case, it kind of works.
The impression is that the architects designed The Shroud on purpose to bewilder and gaslight the people. They can't learn the secrets if they can't find them. It gives the impression that this place is too vast and incomprehensible to explore and infiltrate. It is easy to assume that The Shroud is the entire known world especially for those like Lysethia who don't know any other world or any other life.
Plotwise, they learn several things as many twists are revealed during this journey. It's ironic that as Lysethia and the others struggle through this tangled mess of lower levels, hidden corridors, and labyrinthine passages, their perspectives become clearer, older loyalties and allegiances are challenged, and they are faced with reality. The confusion and darkness of ignorance leads to clarity and light of knowledge for the first time in their lives.
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