Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
Jul. 7th, 2009 12:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
England flourishes under the hand of its Virgin Queen: Elizabeth, Gloriana, last and most powerful of the Tudor monarchs.
But a great light casts a great shadow.
In hidden catacombs beneath London, a second Queen holds court: Invidiana, ruler of faerie England, and a dark mirror to the glory above. In the thirty years since Elizabeth ascended her throne, fae and mortal politics have become inextricably entwined, in secret alliances and ruthless betrayals whose existence is suspected only by a few. And two courtiers, struggling for very different royal favours, are about to uncover the secrets that lie behind these thrones.
When the faerie Lady Lune is sent to monitor and manipulate Elizabeth's spymaster, Walsingham, her path crosses that of Michael Deven, a mortal gentleman and agent of Walsingham's. His discovery of the 'hidden player' in English politics will test Lune's loyalty and Deven's courage alike. Will she betray her Queen for the sake of a world that is not hers? And can he survive in the alien and Macciavellian world of the fae? For only together will they be able to find the source of Invidiana's power - find it, and break it ...
Under Walsingham’s sponsorship, Michael Deven is admitted to the Gentlemen Pensioners (men who guard the Queen at court). Ambitious to rise in his station, Michael is taken into Walsingham’s confidence regarding a 'hidden player' guiding the hand of Elizabeth and seeks to discover who this hidden player could be. In doing so he meets Anne Montrose, lady in waiting to Countess Warwick who shares his concerns and offers assistance and with whom he falls in love.
Lady Lune, a courtier to the faerie queen Invidiana (whose court exists in parallel to Elizabeth's) is in disgrace for making a bad bargain with the sea faeries in return for their defeating the Spanish Armada. Desperate to redeem herself, she is tasked to spy on Walsingham and attempt to gain leverage over him but is distracted by Tiresias, a mortal in service to Invidiana who suffers visions of the future. Tiresias tells Lune to find Francis Merriman as he is the only one who knows how Invidiana came to ascend the throne of her Onyx Court and wreck an awful tyranny over the English faeries.
Lune and Michael's investigations coincide with each other. They come to realise that they need the help of the other if they are to bring down Invidiana's rule while preserving Elizabeth's.
A deftly researched book, with some wonderful period detail with regard to the politics and intrigue of Elizabeth's court and faerie folklore, the research never overpowers the story and Brennan’s world building makes for a fascinating read. Because Brennan's interest is in the unravelling of a political mystery, the events in the book unfold quite slowly, which may put off those who prefer their historical fantasy to contain more action, although there some set-piece fight scenes that are exciting to read.
Michael's desire for advancement is more convincing that Lune’s desire for redemption. She seems too easily swayed from her task and for a supposedly savvy player within Invidiana’s court, she falls into the traps of other courtiers too easily. The ‘real’ historical characters are convincing, particularly Walsingham, who is intelligent but in poor health and Elizabeth herself – shrewd, powerful and slightly bored with her court.
I would have liked to see a couple of scenes showing how Anne and Michael’s romance developed and the ending feels slightly rushed. However this is an absorbing read that’s well written and I want to read more from this author.
The Verdict:
This won't appeal to people who like a lot of action in their historical fantasy, given that it's more an unravelling of political intrigue. However, I found it an absorbing read and the amount of historical research that's gone into the story is impressive and vivid. Definitely worth a look if you're looking for something different in the genre.
But a great light casts a great shadow.
In hidden catacombs beneath London, a second Queen holds court: Invidiana, ruler of faerie England, and a dark mirror to the glory above. In the thirty years since Elizabeth ascended her throne, fae and mortal politics have become inextricably entwined, in secret alliances and ruthless betrayals whose existence is suspected only by a few. And two courtiers, struggling for very different royal favours, are about to uncover the secrets that lie behind these thrones.
When the faerie Lady Lune is sent to monitor and manipulate Elizabeth's spymaster, Walsingham, her path crosses that of Michael Deven, a mortal gentleman and agent of Walsingham's. His discovery of the 'hidden player' in English politics will test Lune's loyalty and Deven's courage alike. Will she betray her Queen for the sake of a world that is not hers? And can he survive in the alien and Macciavellian world of the fae? For only together will they be able to find the source of Invidiana's power - find it, and break it ...
Under Walsingham’s sponsorship, Michael Deven is admitted to the Gentlemen Pensioners (men who guard the Queen at court). Ambitious to rise in his station, Michael is taken into Walsingham’s confidence regarding a 'hidden player' guiding the hand of Elizabeth and seeks to discover who this hidden player could be. In doing so he meets Anne Montrose, lady in waiting to Countess Warwick who shares his concerns and offers assistance and with whom he falls in love.
Lady Lune, a courtier to the faerie queen Invidiana (whose court exists in parallel to Elizabeth's) is in disgrace for making a bad bargain with the sea faeries in return for their defeating the Spanish Armada. Desperate to redeem herself, she is tasked to spy on Walsingham and attempt to gain leverage over him but is distracted by Tiresias, a mortal in service to Invidiana who suffers visions of the future. Tiresias tells Lune to find Francis Merriman as he is the only one who knows how Invidiana came to ascend the throne of her Onyx Court and wreck an awful tyranny over the English faeries.
Lune and Michael's investigations coincide with each other. They come to realise that they need the help of the other if they are to bring down Invidiana's rule while preserving Elizabeth's.
A deftly researched book, with some wonderful period detail with regard to the politics and intrigue of Elizabeth's court and faerie folklore, the research never overpowers the story and Brennan’s world building makes for a fascinating read. Because Brennan's interest is in the unravelling of a political mystery, the events in the book unfold quite slowly, which may put off those who prefer their historical fantasy to contain more action, although there some set-piece fight scenes that are exciting to read.
Michael's desire for advancement is more convincing that Lune’s desire for redemption. She seems too easily swayed from her task and for a supposedly savvy player within Invidiana’s court, she falls into the traps of other courtiers too easily. The ‘real’ historical characters are convincing, particularly Walsingham, who is intelligent but in poor health and Elizabeth herself – shrewd, powerful and slightly bored with her court.
I would have liked to see a couple of scenes showing how Anne and Michael’s romance developed and the ending feels slightly rushed. However this is an absorbing read that’s well written and I want to read more from this author.
The Verdict:
This won't appeal to people who like a lot of action in their historical fantasy, given that it's more an unravelling of political intrigue. However, I found it an absorbing read and the amount of historical research that's gone into the story is impressive and vivid. Definitely worth a look if you're looking for something different in the genre.
