An odd confection. Two wizardly chums are subjected to magical attacks and journey off together to confront their mysterious enemy. Prospero (not that one) and Roger Bacon (yes, that one?) are wizards who hang around in the North and South Kingdoms, but also have access to the lands and history of Earth we are familiar with. Thus the book is peppered with indulgent anachronisms - Prospero tells his talking mirror to shut up and watch some late-night movies, for instance. This whimsical tone is light-hearted without ever quite making it to funny, and was a tad distracting to this reader. I also lost track of the plot a little - not that it's that complicated, but it is a little buried under the wonders, and I spent too long over this short book! My final complaint is that, not knowing the rules and constraints of magic in the depicted world, events appeared to me arbitrary and sometimes unsatisfying.
However, above all that is the nature of the enchantment preying on our heroes. Here the author's imagination shines, depicting endless subtle transformations and spooky distortions in the world, such as the face that seems to appear in thawing frost on villagers' window-panes, or the shifting cloak hung in Prospero's cellar. The sense of the entire land becoming ever more bewitched and uncertain is palpable and chilling, reminding me of Algernon Blackwood's stories. For this admirable tapestry of growing supernatural menace, the tale is well worth reading.
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