GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD: A Tale of Adventure
Michael Chabon
Del Rey
Fiction
ISBN: 9780345501745

• Read an Excerpt

Michael Chabon has always had a populist streak. Despite the fact that he has won significant literary honors, including the Pulitzer Prize, Chabon still includes elements of popular genre fiction in almost all his work --- from THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY (about a pair of cartoonists and the superhero they create) to his most recent novel, THE YIDDISH POLICEMAN'S UNION, a send-up of classic noir thrillers. Now, in GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD, Chabon indulges his taste for old-fashioned, swashbuckling adventure stories in a novel that combines old-fashioned storytelling with big ideas.

As befits a story that feels, at times, as if it were written a hundred years ago, GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD was originally released in serial installments in The New York Times. Just like the best serialized fiction of the past (Dickens's novels come to mind), Chabon's book is filled with cliffhangers, plot twists and unanswered questions, all designed to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the next installment. Gary Gianni's detailed, expressive line drawings, reminiscent of the work of classic illustrators such as N. C. Wyeth, also enhance this vintage feel.

The story begins with a bang, as a massive Abyssinian named Amram (who carries a massive axe dubbed "Defiler of All Mothers") and a lanky Frank named Zelikman wind up in an apparently deadly duel outside a caravanserai. The year is 950, and Viking marauders, violent political struggles and warring tribes have made for a very unstable situation in the eastern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, where the story is set.

But all is not as it seems in this high-stakes duel, and before long, Amram and Zelikman, both alive and well, are eager to collect their pay and be on their way to their next money-making scheme. This time, though, the Jewish confidence men's fates become inextricably tied up with that of a foul-mouthed, red-haired young Khazar (from the warlike Jewish kingdom near the Caspian Sea).

It turns out that the Khazarian adolescent is none other than Filaq, the youngest son of the deposed and murdered Khazar warlord. Despite their aversion to the prickly, fiercely private Filaq, Amram and Zelikman get caught up in the young prince's quest to dethrone the fierce Buljan and restore Filaq's family to power. Surprises --- and dangers --- abound at every turn, however, and, just like Amram and Zelikman's fight that opens the novel, little is as it first seems.

GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD is chock-full of pithy one-liners, clever turns of phrase and creative curses that showcase Chabon's wit and wordplay to its fullest. With a cast of thousands, including prostitutes with names like "Flower of Life," bloodthirsty villains and some truly personable elephants, Chabon's novel bursts with life and, yes, with adventure. Although the author's afterword attempts to posit the book in a broader Jewish historical and literary tradition, ultimately this "Tale of Adventure" is just that --- a ripping good yarn, complete with swordfights, treachery and hidden identities. It's clear that Chabon had almost as fun writing GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD as his fans will have reading it.

   --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

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