Lowly’s Book Blog

Hachette Livre provided books 2 and 3 of this fantasy series, but not book 1. So for a change, I actually parted with money for a book!!! That hasn’t happened in a while. However, I firmly believe that starting a trilogy with book two is unfair to the reader and the author.

So a couple weeks ago I began my journey. The world is quite recognizable, even European. There are three main ‘kingdoms’, the North inhabited by Northmen and Shanka, the Empire of the Gurkish in the south, inhabited by religious fanatics, and the Union, a monarchy of different duchies, among them Angland. The story opens with Logan Ninefingers, a northman, regaining consciousness to find himself alone. He is an independent man, and this is little problem, until he hears that the First of the Magi is looking for him. Enter Bayaz. The story then shifts to an arrogant young nobleman from the Union who is supposedly training for the annual fencing contest. But by far the most interesting of the main storytellers is Glokta, the inquisitor. He has spent years as a prisoner of the Gurkish, and returned home crippled and in constant pain from the torture. Now he has become expert at delivering torture to others. 

Book one is essentially a set and character development piece. It took 300 pages to get each of the main three characters even into the same city. By the next 100 pages the fencing tournament had begun so there was some action. Then the story hurtled on to the setup for book 2.

Yes this book was long. Not much happened. But that does not mean that I did not enjoy the series. And this book is a critical part of the whole story. I loved the characters, especially Glokta. His wonderfully cynic asides to the reader lift this book from the normal adventure/fantasy genre. And Ninefingers is certainly more than he seems. It took 300 pages to develop the characters simply because they are beautifully complex and interesting.

Michael Cox is a name better known to English academics as an editor for Oxford University Press. A few years ago he finally wrote the novel that had been on his mind for a long time, and now he has produced a sequel.

But I read this sequel without any knowledge of the prior book and I am glad. The necessary information from the earlier novel was revealed as necessary, gently, even adding to the suspense for this new book.

This book opens in 1876 as 19 year old orphan Esperanza Gorst arrives to begin her new job as lady’s maid to the wealthy Baroness. However, right from the start of the book it is clear that she is no servant. Although very competent, she quickly changes position to become the paid companion to the Baroness. In between she catches the eye of the two sons, and even manages a brief engagement.

But Esperenza has been sent to Evenwood on a Grand Task of revenge by her guardian. This task is only gradually revealed in the contents of three letters, timed to allow Esperenza to play her role most convincingly. But is the Baroness or her solicitor wise to the girl. Certainly there is suspicion and even attempted murder.

This is a beautifully crafted novel. Around every corner is a delightful picture of mid-Victorian England. I kept thinking of the old TV series ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ as I was reading. But there is also a touch of Dickens in the scenes set in unsavory neighborhoods of London. 

My only criticism is that I doubt very much that a single woman could have done what Esperenza did at this time in history. Cox has fallen into that very common trap for historical authors that places modern social customs and ideas into historical settings and expects them to work.