The Spice Gate by Prashanth Srivatsa

Book Review

Rima Devereaux

The Spice Gate is set in a secondary world consisting of six of what are essentially islands, which are separated, however, not by sea but by the impenetrable Outerlands. Each island is associated with a spice: Raluha with saffron, Halmora with turmeric, Jhanak with cinnamon, Vanasi with nutmeg, Kalanadi with black pepper, Talashshukh with ginger, Mesht with cumin, and Amarohi with clove. To travel between the islands, you have to use the Spice Gates, and you need the spice associated with the island you want to travel to. This is a portal fantasy with a twist, as the portal leads not to a different world but to other places within a single secondary world.

The novel’s hero, Amir, is a Spice Carrier, born with a mark on his neck that identifies him as someone able to pass the Gates. But this is no privilege: Spice Carriers are the lowest in society, known as the Gatecaste, and are badly mistreated, made to carry heavy loads through the painful passage of the Gates. All Amir wants is to take his pregnant mother and younger brother to join the renegades who are headed by the ex-Carrier and pirate Ilangovan, but this desire comes at a huge price as he is sucked into a plot that threatens the security of the whole world.

The book’s worldbuilding is outstanding, a lush and intricate homage to Indian culture. The evocative settings remain in the mind, from the hanging market of Vanasi and the docks of Jhanak to the mysterious and dangerous Outerlands. I felt empathy for the central character Amir and his plight, and he and other characters are well drawn. While I enjoyed the many twists and turns of the plot, I did feel it was over-complex at points, though many readers will feel this is part of the book’s strength. I also thought that Amir’s relationship with Princess Harini could have been better established and described at the outset, as when we meet her she appears quite a distant figure.

In summary, this is an addictive and accomplished fantasy, which fans of Shannon Chakraborty’s Daevabad series will especially appreciate.