Last Music Bearer
- Neil Mach
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The Last Music Bearer is a medieval fantasy written by Neil Mach, first published in 2015. ISBN: 9798223109860
‘The Last Music Bearer,’ was aimed at fantasy enthusiasts tired of the usual dragons, elves, and magic. However, Neil Mach dedicated significant effort to crafting a believable fictional medieval world that readers will find immersive and coherent.
The novel is set in a dystopian, medieval-style Europe where music is considered a form of blasphemy and has been strictly outlawed by a powerful, oppressive Church. In this society, there are no songs, no church bells, and even the rhythmic hammering of a blacksmith must be carefully broken up so it isn't mistaken for a beat.
Music is a blasphemy...
The story follows a young protagonist named Elis, who was abandoned as a child and rescued by a secret order of wandering friars known as the Music Bearers. These monks risk their lives to keep the "light of harmony" alive, traveling in secret to bring forbidden melodies and songs to those in need of comfort.
Elis is raised and trained to become one of the last carriers of the musical tradition. However, he is constantly hunted by The Black Hounds.
The Black Hounds are a fearsome brotherhood dedicated to eradicating music entirely to "protect" the souls of the people from "corruption".
Key Themes
The Power of Art: The novel explores how music and creativity are essential to the human spirit and how their suppression is a tool of control, used by authority.
Love vs. Authority: A central arc involves Elis’s struggle with a past romance and the celibacy required by his mission, illustrating the conflict between personal happiness and the duty to a cause.
Resistance: It depicts a "desperate ministry" of individuals fighting to preserve culture against a state that views beauty as a crime.
The book is relatively short (around 250 pages) and is often categorized as "High Fantasy" due to its unique world-building and the mythic quality of the "Music Bearers" themselves.
"In a medieval world — singing and music is illegal."
Elis’s ‘divine’ mission requires him to part from his first true love, to live celibately, and to follow the strict code of the Music Bearers, who are a secret group of wandering minstrel monks who bring harmony to the people.
Young Elis harbours doubts about his ministerial success and remains preoccupied with his past romance. He is bewildered by his emotions and ponders the need for abstinence.
Should his mission fail, the Black Hounds will likely apprehend him, leading to torture and probable execution. If his mission is successful, he will lose the woman he loves and will remain celibate for the rest of his life.
Complicating matters further, a driven young Black Hound (Telson) is intent on being the first of the Hounds to capture the last Music Bearer . This young Black Hound is in a hurry to beat a more experienced, and far more dangerous, rival to capture the Last Music Bearer alive.
The Last Music Bearer comparative titles:
The Cloister by James Carroll
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
The Last Music Bearer by Neil Mach is available from:
Comments