Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
Michael Deven is a typically ambitious young nobleman of Queen Elizabeth I’s court, a member of her pensioners and a protégé of her spymaster, Walsingham, Deven is also carrying on a secret affair with Anne Montrose, a lady in waiting to a countess in Elizabeth’s inner circle. Things are not, however, as they seem, because four years before taking the throne, Elizabeth made a pact with the fae Invidiana, queen of the Onyx Court, which exists underneath London. Not only has this pact influenced many of the decisions of Elizabeth’s reign, but Anne is also Lune, and lady of the Onyx Court, and Invidiana’s spy in Elizabeth’s court.
You know, I love politics in sff and historical fiction. However, politics in fiction need to be accompanied by Things Happening. In the first 150 or so pages, nothing but political maneuvering and the establishment of the two courts is going on. Though a bit of a chore to get through, things definitely picked up around the page 150 mark, and when they did, it got good. Betrayals! Secrets! Plots within plots! Ancient curses! Lovers torn apart! Journey’s to the otherworld! Epic actions for love! Many varieties of otherworldly-ness! Queens! All the stuff I signed up for!
A lot of people seem to be tired of fae plots. I don’t know. It seems I haven’t encountered many that were actually based on myth and legend, or that aren’t playing second fiddle to the vampires and werewolves. Regardless, this is a plot that definitely can’t be pulled off without the fae, in a setting where the fae make more sense than any other supernatural element. But then, I may be biased, as I’m much more interested in fantasy based on myth and legend than most seem to be, unless it involves vampires. Moving backwards a couple points, the first 150 pages focused mostly on Deven, but at that point, the focus starts shifting towards Lune, and her experiences in the much darker and more treacherous Onyx Court, and it becomes increasingly more and more her story. While Deven never becomes remotely inconsequential (and deals much, much better with the whole “my girlfriend is a spy from the enemy court” thing than expected) the action increasingly switches over to Lune, until the action, control, and decision making (not to mention the rescuing) are primarily in her hands at the end. I’m not sure if this was deliberate, though, or if Brennan just couldn’t help herself, as it felt like it was more meant to be Deven’s story early on.
Anyway, rough going at first unless you’re good with politics being the primary driving force, but once you get past that one long stretch, is pretty much all uphill.
You know, I love politics in sff and historical fiction. However, politics in fiction need to be accompanied by Things Happening. In the first 150 or so pages, nothing but political maneuvering and the establishment of the two courts is going on. Though a bit of a chore to get through, things definitely picked up around the page 150 mark, and when they did, it got good. Betrayals! Secrets! Plots within plots! Ancient curses! Lovers torn apart! Journey’s to the otherworld! Epic actions for love! Many varieties of otherworldly-ness! Queens! All the stuff I signed up for!
A lot of people seem to be tired of fae plots. I don’t know. It seems I haven’t encountered many that were actually based on myth and legend, or that aren’t playing second fiddle to the vampires and werewolves. Regardless, this is a plot that definitely can’t be pulled off without the fae, in a setting where the fae make more sense than any other supernatural element. But then, I may be biased, as I’m much more interested in fantasy based on myth and legend than most seem to be, unless it involves vampires. Moving backwards a couple points, the first 150 pages focused mostly on Deven, but at that point, the focus starts shifting towards Lune, and her experiences in the much darker and more treacherous Onyx Court, and it becomes increasingly more and more her story. While Deven never becomes remotely inconsequential (and deals much, much better with the whole “my girlfriend is a spy from the enemy court” thing than expected) the action increasingly switches over to Lune, until the action, control, and decision making (not to mention the rescuing) are primarily in her hands at the end. I’m not sure if this was deliberate, though, or if Brennan just couldn’t help herself, as it felt like it was more meant to be Deven’s story early on.
Anyway, rough going at first unless you’re good with politics being the primary driving force, but once you get past that one long stretch, is pretty much all uphill.