Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seamless Historical Fantasy, 30 May 2008
One of my favourite periods of English history is that of the Elizabethan era (1558 - 1603). It was a time when boundaries were being pushed in theatre and poetry and literature, a time when England seemed to prosper with the Virgin Queen on the throne. Edmund Spenser named his eponymous faerie queen for her, as a tribute to her and England's glory: Gloriana...
But what if there were a real faerie queen, one that held court beneath London, a great shadow to the great light ...
Of course, in faerie fiction, having an icy queen ruling the faerie throne, while a human queen lives above, is not that unusual. A great light does cast a great shadow. Nor is having a faery story with intrigue and spying (Mark Chadbourn's Who Slays the Gyant, Wounds the Beast, for example) set in Elizabethan England really new. What sets Marie Brennan apart, then, is the quality of her writing, the complexities of her plot, the characterisations, the world-building... everything.
Midnight Never Come is woven absolutely seamlessly into the fabric of the time, not just by having characters such as John Dee, Walsingham, Lady Lune, Michael Deven and Elizabeth herself, but in the very small details that on their own are unimportant, but, through flash-backs and memories, together form an intricate and fascinating back-history. In my interview with Marie Brennan we spoke of this: "I wanted a particular flashback scene to take place in the early part of the sixteenth century, but the closest annular or total solar eclipse over London was in 1547, so into 1547 the scene goes. Leeway? Not hardly.
Is it ridiculous? Of course. On the other hand, it's part of the pleasure. Being able to weave my story into the known facts without jostling any of them out of place is bizarrely fun, despite the work."
There's a rich diversity among the fae, with brownies, giants, kelpies, the Wild Hunt, Hobs, et cetera, and Marie also includes a substantial amount of mythology and folk legend (all of which is relevant to the location), including the depiction of Gog and Magog as the (really not that great!) guardian giants of London. It's so well done that I'm half convinced a lot of these events did, in fact, happen!
At it's heart, Midnight Never Come is a love story, and my instinct reaction when I heard that fact was, "Oh no. Faery sex magic." But it's not at all like that at all! (Of course.) It's a story of a time when a mortal loved a fae and the ultimate price that was paid when that love was disdained, and the effects that it had on so many people.
If I had a criticism, it would be that it's quite a slow build-up, with a scenes being set and characters fleshed out for perhaps a bit too long before the main plot takes over, but other than that, I was really impressed by Midnight Never Come. Politics, romance, fantasy, and history. With faeries. An excellent combination, and Marie Brennan is an excellent writer.
And Ashes Lie is the next book in the Onyx Court series, "it's a sequel of sorts, with continuity among the faerie characters, but definitely something that a person could pick up without having read Midnight Never Come. It'll cover the period from 1640 to 1666 -- in other words, the English Civil War, the Interregnum (when they chopped the head off Charles I and drove Charles II into exile), the Restoration of the monarchy, and then the Great Plague and the Great Fire. It's an action-packed span of time; if Midnight Never Come is my Elizabethan faerie spy novel, And Ashes Lie is my Stuart faerie disaster novel."
This review was originally posted at thebookswede.blogspot.com. A fantasy and science-fiction site featuring reviews, interviews, essays and many contests.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely fast and exciting!, 27 Jul 2008
This is definitely one of the greatest and most exciting books I have ever read! Marie Brennan does a superb job at keeping the reader 'hooked' until the very end!
Some great dialogue in this that just makes the reader sit up and take notice! One soon finds that one is extremely interested in what the characters have to say. This novel has vast elements of both atmosphere and fantasy that one does not always understand or follow at times, but is so beautifully written and so interesting, one is enthralled by the imaginative fluency of the narrative.
At only one point in the book it got a little too political for me, but this soon gave way to the former style of writing - and to that style in which it continues thereafter. At about the 200 page mark, the story simply races along at an alarming pace that gives the reader a sudden adrenaline rush! It really kicks off when Michael Deven visits the 'Necromancer' and the dialogue becomes simply riveting!
This is truly a magical novel with some incredible atmosphere that is created in the underground palace of the Onyx Hall that lies beneath old Elizabethan London. One can feel the presence of the 'fae' and the damp air as the characters weave their way through the numerous halls and passageways amid the flickering glow of the burning torches - a great style of writing!
I found one of the most moving parts to be when Lune asks forgiveness and mercy from God's Angel and undergoes a dramatic personality change as a consequence.
This is a wonderful and exciting read that races along with no time to get bored!
Great stuff - and just the way I like it!!
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good twist on Elizabethan Court intrigue..., 29 Aug 2008
The young Michael Deven is our guide to the Court of Elizabeth I, after the defeat of the Spanish Armada Deven seeks a place among Elizabeth's supporters, particularly seeking out her spymaster Walsingham. Walsingham provides Deven with a mission - discover the secret player who manipulates the Queen. Not an easy task, as nothing is as it seems.
Parallel to the Elizabethan Court is the Onyx Court, the Court of faerie Queen Invidiana. A ruthless and evil Queen who is the missing link that Deven seeks. While Deven attempts to find the answers for his mission Lady Lune (a disgraced member of the Onyx Court) is trying to salvage her position while avoiding the wrath of her vicious Queen. As their paths cross they both find themselves tangled in the futures of Elizabeth and Invidiana.
Brennan writes a skillful depiction of Elizabethan London, with enough historical details to give the novel the right atmosphere. Intrigue, deception, politics and bargains are all at play within both Royal Courts. If you like the Elizabethan period or are interested in faerie and folklore then this book should be a happy balance for you as it provides both. The only reason I don't rate it higher is because it feels unfinished - the characters have more to do and hopefully a sequel would leave this feeling more complete.
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