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markyon's review against another edition
4.0
This is a Fantasy novel that pays close watching: though it looks and feels like a traditional Historical Fantasy, there’s more going on than first appears.
In Elizabethan England Maliverny (Mal) Catlyn is a petty thief and swordsman, always on the lookout for the way to pay his next bill or at least keep his debt collectors off his back.
So when he is offered (some would say forced to take) a job to become an ambassador’s bodyguard, he accepts it. It is clearly dangerous. Within the first day there is an assassination attempt on the ambassador, and clearly some want the ambassador dead. But why?
From the start this story feels great and has a tone and presence that feels both natural and of its time, Tudor England. It reminded me very much of Mark Chadbourn’s Will Swyfte novels, which I‘ve read and reviewed before (and perhaps partly explains why Mark has a glowing comment on the front of this book.) Like Mark’s books, the dialogue is appropriately nuanced, the places reeking with the grubby effluvium and gorgeous splendour of Elizabethan life as you would expect.
But Anne’s tale has a new take on the world of the Tudors. Here the Ambassador and his fellow group of voyagers, having travelled from the New World, appear un-human - alien-like in a number of ways. Known as skraylings, their ways are clearly not the ways of England, and as we read on it the reader may find it may be more than that. They are treated with suspicion and distrust by the English though they appear to be respectful, polite and observant of English ways of life, for reasons not clear at first.
The book is also slyly about gender and sexuality. Much is about hidden identities. In a subplot, Coby is a girl masquerading as a boy named Hendricks in a troupe preparing for the presentation of a major play held in a competition in honour of the ambassador’s visit. Coby has to not only keep her identity a secret, for to be discovered invites death. She meets Mal in order to train in fighting so that she can fend off the attentions of other males and females in the company, though she harbours a secret love for him. Mal himself has secrets: he once was a member of the Hunters, a secret clan who kill skraylings as part of an initiation ceremony. He has relationships with women but more secretly with his best friend, Ned. Ned himself is forced to betray Mal to people looking for him, which leads to others knowing about Mal’s twin brother, who is insane and secretly kept locked away in a hospital.
All of this is revealed as we count down to the play, which ends in tragedy and with major revelations all around.
To engage in the telling of such a complicated tale is not usually the actions of a debut author. The fact that Anne does so and makes it work shows the reader that this is an assured debut that repays careful following. Its style is confident and I found it to be surprisingly good for a debut author.
Though it may not be what the casual reader expects, it is a great read whose revelations along the way offer much. Recommended.
In Elizabethan England Maliverny (Mal) Catlyn is a petty thief and swordsman, always on the lookout for the way to pay his next bill or at least keep his debt collectors off his back.
So when he is offered (some would say forced to take) a job to become an ambassador’s bodyguard, he accepts it. It is clearly dangerous. Within the first day there is an assassination attempt on the ambassador, and clearly some want the ambassador dead. But why?
From the start this story feels great and has a tone and presence that feels both natural and of its time, Tudor England. It reminded me very much of Mark Chadbourn’s Will Swyfte novels, which I‘ve read and reviewed before (and perhaps partly explains why Mark has a glowing comment on the front of this book.) Like Mark’s books, the dialogue is appropriately nuanced, the places reeking with the grubby effluvium and gorgeous splendour of Elizabethan life as you would expect.
But Anne’s tale has a new take on the world of the Tudors. Here the Ambassador and his fellow group of voyagers, having travelled from the New World, appear un-human - alien-like in a number of ways. Known as skraylings, their ways are clearly not the ways of England, and as we read on it the reader may find it may be more than that. They are treated with suspicion and distrust by the English though they appear to be respectful, polite and observant of English ways of life, for reasons not clear at first.
The book is also slyly about gender and sexuality. Much is about hidden identities. In a subplot, Coby is a girl masquerading as a boy named Hendricks in a troupe preparing for the presentation of a major play held in a competition in honour of the ambassador’s visit. Coby has to not only keep her identity a secret, for to be discovered invites death. She meets Mal in order to train in fighting so that she can fend off the attentions of other males and females in the company, though she harbours a secret love for him. Mal himself has secrets: he once was a member of the Hunters, a secret clan who kill skraylings as part of an initiation ceremony. He has relationships with women but more secretly with his best friend, Ned. Ned himself is forced to betray Mal to people looking for him, which leads to others knowing about Mal’s twin brother, who is insane and secretly kept locked away in a hospital.
All of this is revealed as we count down to the play, which ends in tragedy and with major revelations all around.
To engage in the telling of such a complicated tale is not usually the actions of a debut author. The fact that Anne does so and makes it work shows the reader that this is an assured debut that repays careful following. Its style is confident and I found it to be surprisingly good for a debut author.
Though it may not be what the casual reader expects, it is a great read whose revelations along the way offer much. Recommended.
cyber_spines's review against another edition
5.0
The Alchemist Of Souls, written by Anne Lyle, is a book I spotted on several occasions during my search on Amazon for new and exciting fantasy books. It is also a book I am ashamed to admit I discounted several times. The reason was simple: The Alchemist of Souls is historical fantasy and I had never, until I read it, given the genre a go. Instead, I had this weird concept that I wouldn’t like it.
Now I sit here wondering what the hell I was thinking.
There are few books that I have loved as much as this one, and there are fewer still that I have found hard to review simply because of how awesome they are. This book is one of those, and I feel that I almost lack the words to express how much everything in this book seemed so utterly perfect.
Maliverny Caitlyn is a down-on-his-luck swordsman, low-born noble, who has been without an assignment for longer than he likes. And so, when he is summoned to the Tower of London and told that he is to become the bodyguard to the first skrayling ambassador to set foot in England, Mal is both delighted and absolutely crushed: he possesses a secret that could jeopardise his position if it were to be found out, not to mention his own distaste for the creatures.
The skraylings are creatures, humanoid in shape, that come from the New World and have arrived in England as traders of never-before-seen goods. They are more often feared than respected as they refuse to receive the word of Christ, and are therefore seen as creatures of the devil.
Anne Lyle manages to paint the Tudor-era London effortlessly. London comes to life as a busy city, full of life, sounds and smells, and serves as the backdrop to one of the most intriguing stories I have read in a while.
Mal is joined by a vast and colourful cast of characters each just as real as the next, each unique and wonderful in their own way. Two other characters have a POV in this book: Jacob ‘Coby’ Hendricks—the tireman for Suffolk’s Men, a theatre company—and Edmund ‘Ned’ Faulkner, Mal’s gay best friend.
All of the POVs are rich in wonderfully real inner-monologues and conflict, as well as being characters easy to get attached to and with whom I found it extremely easy to empathise. They were probably the most real characters I have encountered in a long, long time. The interactions in between them are effortless and make them all seem ready to get up and walk off the page.
Ned Faulkner is the second POV character of a book that I had read who is also gay. For me, this was an amazing discovery as I am always on the lookout for gay characters in fantasy. Ned was so overtly gay that it was wonderful, and his relationship with Gabriel, another gay actor, was, to me, a highlight of the book. Lyle not only had gay characters in her book but she acted upon it, building upon their gayness as an inherent part of their characters, instead of something hardly ever mentioned because it was taboo. She has created in Ned and Gabriel one of the most lovable pairs I have read in a while, and all I wanted was to see them happily together.
Lyle’s prose is one of the most beautiful I have read in a while, and it is, at times, akin to poetry. She manages to describe everything and everyone with effortless and elegant efficiency, immersing the reader in her re-imagined London with every word that she writes.
I won’t say much about the plot, as I want to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but it was tightly plotted and intriguing from start to finish. Each question answered throughout the book only asks half a dozen more and the pace never lets up, making The Alchemist of Souls a gripping page-turner that had me laughing, smiling, worrying, and could have brought me to the brink of tears a couple of times.
This book managed to mesh all the elements of the books of my childhood (mainly thinking of The Three Musketeers here) with all the magic that I love in fantasy. It simply was a magnificent reads that sits very high in my list of best books I have read this year.
More reviews at: http://alekcristea.wordpress.com/
Now I sit here wondering what the hell I was thinking.
There are few books that I have loved as much as this one, and there are fewer still that I have found hard to review simply because of how awesome they are. This book is one of those, and I feel that I almost lack the words to express how much everything in this book seemed so utterly perfect.
Maliverny Caitlyn is a down-on-his-luck swordsman, low-born noble, who has been without an assignment for longer than he likes. And so, when he is summoned to the Tower of London and told that he is to become the bodyguard to the first skrayling ambassador to set foot in England, Mal is both delighted and absolutely crushed: he possesses a secret that could jeopardise his position if it were to be found out, not to mention his own distaste for the creatures.
The skraylings are creatures, humanoid in shape, that come from the New World and have arrived in England as traders of never-before-seen goods. They are more often feared than respected as they refuse to receive the word of Christ, and are therefore seen as creatures of the devil.
Anne Lyle manages to paint the Tudor-era London effortlessly. London comes to life as a busy city, full of life, sounds and smells, and serves as the backdrop to one of the most intriguing stories I have read in a while.
Mal is joined by a vast and colourful cast of characters each just as real as the next, each unique and wonderful in their own way. Two other characters have a POV in this book: Jacob ‘Coby’ Hendricks—the tireman for Suffolk’s Men, a theatre company—and Edmund ‘Ned’ Faulkner, Mal’s gay best friend.
All of the POVs are rich in wonderfully real inner-monologues and conflict, as well as being characters easy to get attached to and with whom I found it extremely easy to empathise. They were probably the most real characters I have encountered in a long, long time. The interactions in between them are effortless and make them all seem ready to get up and walk off the page.
Ned Faulkner is the second POV character of a book that I had read who is also gay. For me, this was an amazing discovery as I am always on the lookout for gay characters in fantasy. Ned was so overtly gay that it was wonderful, and his relationship with Gabriel, another gay actor, was, to me, a highlight of the book. Lyle not only had gay characters in her book but she acted upon it, building upon their gayness as an inherent part of their characters, instead of something hardly ever mentioned because it was taboo. She has created in Ned and Gabriel one of the most lovable pairs I have read in a while, and all I wanted was to see them happily together.
Lyle’s prose is one of the most beautiful I have read in a while, and it is, at times, akin to poetry. She manages to describe everything and everyone with effortless and elegant efficiency, immersing the reader in her re-imagined London with every word that she writes.
I won’t say much about the plot, as I want to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but it was tightly plotted and intriguing from start to finish. Each question answered throughout the book only asks half a dozen more and the pace never lets up, making The Alchemist of Souls a gripping page-turner that had me laughing, smiling, worrying, and could have brought me to the brink of tears a couple of times.
This book managed to mesh all the elements of the books of my childhood (mainly thinking of The Three Musketeers here) with all the magic that I love in fantasy. It simply was a magnificent reads that sits very high in my list of best books I have read this year.
More reviews at: http://alekcristea.wordpress.com/
pollyno9's review against another edition
3.0
I really dithered over this one. It took me a long time to read (relatively), and I was probably a little distracted when I *was* reading it, which makes me think I missed some things.
It's an alternate history, a genre I haven't really read before, and I don't think I knew that going into it, which didn't help its case.
That being said, I liked it. The writing was very engaging, without too much period dialect, which is nice. That can bog things down sometimes. It took me a long time to figure out the relationship between Mal and Ned, and frankly, I'm still not sure I understand. Which kind of bugged me.
This book also spent a lot of time backstage in the London theater, which was a new setting for me, and one I enjoyed.
Basically, I feel a little lost after reading this, but I'm not sure if that is my fault, or the fault of the author.
It's an alternate history, a genre I haven't really read before, and I don't think I knew that going into it, which didn't help its case.
That being said, I liked it. The writing was very engaging, without too much period dialect, which is nice. That can bog things down sometimes. It took me a long time to figure out the relationship between Mal and Ned, and frankly, I'm still not sure I understand. Which kind of bugged me.
This book also spent a lot of time backstage in the London theater, which was a new setting for me, and one I enjoyed.
Basically, I feel a little lost after reading this, but I'm not sure if that is my fault, or the fault of the author.
marcusnyahoe's review against another edition
3.0
I feel a bit bad about not finishing this as it has all the hallmarks of something I'd enjoy. The setting is well realised and there is some interesting political interplay going on, but I just lost interest.
There's something not quite right with the pacing for me. I was reading along quite merrily, but then it struck me that at some point I stopped picking it up because I was enjoying it, and more and more just to get through it. This could possibly be more down to me than the book, and I shall certainly return to it at some point in the future, but for now it has to go down as a book with unfulfilled potential.
There's something not quite right with the pacing for me. I was reading along quite merrily, but then it struck me that at some point I stopped picking it up because I was enjoying it, and more and more just to get through it. This could possibly be more down to me than the book, and I shall certainly return to it at some point in the future, but for now it has to go down as a book with unfulfilled potential.
codalion's review against another edition
1.0
First, a pox on Shakespeare in Love, I blame that film for the endless and tiresome Elizabethan-novel tropes that keep popping up in historical fiction set in the period. :P I could've forgiven the plot issues -- first novel, after all -- if not for my total lack of sympathy (and minor resentment, due to the book's accidental heteronormativity masquerading as queer representation) for Mal Catlyn and Coby Hendricks. Would have been a better book had it been about Ned Faulkner and Gabriel Parrish.
soulfulsin's review against another edition
3.0
I think part of the reason I liked this book is because it reminds me of the Dagger and Coin series. I miss that series. I don't know if I can wait until August...*whines*
Onto the actual review.
The beginning was very misleading. The reader is led to believe that Ned and Mal are close acquaintances, although later events within the book make it seem as though they aren't close at all. The same goes for Gabriel and Ned--we are led to believe that they have broken up when they're still together.
The book was fairly entertaining, although for a while, it didn't seem as though the fantasy element was necessary. It could almost have been historical fiction rewritten without the skraylings until the last hundred pages or so (I estimate because my copy had inaccurate page numbers). Then, it seems like everything rushed headlong into it.
I liked it, don't get me wrong...but I'm not sure I'd like to read the sequel right away, either.
Onto the actual review.
The beginning was very misleading. The reader is led to believe that Ned and Mal are close acquaintances, although later events within the book make it seem as though they aren't close at all. The same goes for Gabriel and Ned--we are led to believe that they have broken up when they're still together.
The book was fairly entertaining, although for a while, it didn't seem as though the fantasy element was necessary. It could almost have been historical fiction rewritten without the skraylings until the last hundred pages or so (I estimate because my copy had inaccurate page numbers). Then, it seems like everything rushed headlong into it.
I liked it, don't get me wrong...but I'm not sure I'd like to read the sequel right away, either.
voidcrawler's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mackle13's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I like the characters and the story, especially the main ones of Mal, Coby and Kiiren, even if they never quite get out of their character-types.
About Coby, though, I found her story a bit cliche, and, while I admit the possibility, found her situation not entirely believable. In other words,
I also liked the relationship between Ned and Phillip and how different sexual ideas of the time period were explored through the different characters, ranging from casual sex to puritanism.
I do agree with another reviewer, though, in how a lot of the scenes with some of the characters, especially Coby and Ned, were all about their types. Like, every scene with Coby is about her fear of being caught out, and every scene with Ned is about him being gay.
I liked the alt-history aspect of being set in an Elizabethan England where Elizabeth married Dudley and had some sons - but I think that more could've been done with the setting, as it seemed mostly used for window dressing and easy world-building.
I did like the acting troupe's involvement - being into acting and all myself - and liked how it was actually part of the story and not just there, but I did feel like there was kind of too much going on at times, and far too many people to keep track of.
But, anyway -
Despite mostly liking the story, despite the above, there was just something off about the writing in general. In was both over and under descriptive. For instance, there were times it would go into details about the color of the vases in a room we see only once - but, on the other hand, I never had a clear idea of what the skralings looked like. I guess this adds to their mystery somewhat, but I found myself frustrated and distracted by constantly trying to edit my mental picture.
Also, it was nice that some of the dialogue seemed period authentic, but this seemed a bit sporadic, and the narration itself was more modern, so it could be a bit jarring.
Speaking of jarring, the timeline of the story, while changing perspectives, was pretty fluid until about 3/4 of the way through when time started getting skipped, interesting bits seemed to happen off-stage, and we'd get some backtracked explanation of what we missed.
I hate when the good bits happen off-stage, and it was just jarring, in general, to move from a pretty smooth timeline to a more herky-jerky one. But, then, I found the climax a bit rushed in general. After a kind of slow, character based build up, a lot sort of just happened all of a sudden. The ending kind of fizzled for me a bit, to be honest.
Lastly, there are things brought up that never really get explored. Like, when Mal first got assigned the ambassador role, he tried very hard to get out of it... but then he's all resigned to doing it, and quickly finds himself invested in the role. There's an underlying reason for this - but for someone so hell bent on not taking the position, it seemed his desire to get out was very quickly dropped by the wayside.
Anyway - some of this might be a bit nitpicky and, like I said, I did actually like the story and have even gotten the next book from the library already - it's just I think the story could've been better if the writing was more focused. I think, maybe, Lyle had too many ideas and tried to do too much, so it lost some cohesion at times.
But, like I said, I liked it enough that I look forward to reading the next in the trilogy.
About Coby, though, I found her story a bit cliche, and, while I admit the possibility, found her situation not entirely believable. In other words,
Spoiler
while I know some people develop late, and we develop a bit earlier these days than back then, I found it a bit of a stretch that she was seventeen and doesn't have her monthly. More to the point, I found the whole deal with her wearing the corset to cover her womanhood forced and belabored - especially since we're also told she doesn't have any boobs to speak of, and pretty much looks like a boy anyway.I also liked the relationship between Ned and Phillip and how different sexual ideas of the time period were explored through the different characters, ranging from casual sex to puritanism.
I do agree with another reviewer, though, in how a lot of the scenes with some of the characters, especially Coby and Ned, were all about their types. Like, every scene with Coby is about her fear of being caught out, and every scene with Ned is about him being gay.
I liked the alt-history aspect of being set in an Elizabethan England where Elizabeth married Dudley and had some sons - but I think that more could've been done with the setting, as it seemed mostly used for window dressing and easy world-building.
I did like the acting troupe's involvement - being into acting and all myself - and liked how it was actually part of the story and not just there, but I did feel like there was kind of too much going on at times, and far too many people to keep track of.
But, anyway -
Despite mostly liking the story, despite the above, there was just something off about the writing in general. In was both over and under descriptive. For instance, there were times it would go into details about the color of the vases in a room we see only once - but, on the other hand, I never had a clear idea of what the skralings looked like. I guess this adds to their mystery somewhat, but I found myself frustrated and distracted by constantly trying to edit my mental picture.
Also, it was nice that some of the dialogue seemed period authentic, but this seemed a bit sporadic, and the narration itself was more modern, so it could be a bit jarring.
Speaking of jarring, the timeline of the story, while changing perspectives, was pretty fluid until about 3/4 of the way through when time started getting skipped, interesting bits seemed to happen off-stage, and we'd get some backtracked explanation of what we missed.
I hate when the good bits happen off-stage, and it was just jarring, in general, to move from a pretty smooth timeline to a more herky-jerky one. But, then, I found the climax a bit rushed in general. After a kind of slow, character based build up, a lot sort of just happened all of a sudden. The ending kind of fizzled for me a bit, to be honest.
Lastly, there are things brought up that never really get explored. Like, when Mal first got assigned the ambassador role, he tried very hard to get out of it... but then he's all resigned to doing it, and quickly finds himself invested in the role. There's an underlying reason for this - but for someone so hell bent on not taking the position, it seemed his desire to get out was very quickly dropped by the wayside.
Anyway - some of this might be a bit nitpicky and, like I said, I did actually like the story and have even gotten the next book from the library already - it's just I think the story could've been better if the writing was more focused. I think, maybe, Lyle had too many ideas and tried to do too much, so it lost some cohesion at times.
But, like I said, I liked it enough that I look forward to reading the next in the trilogy.
koshkajay's review against another edition
4.0
Lyle's alternative Elizabethan world is beautifully constructed. 'The Alchemist of Souls' is a tale of intrigue centred around a Court and theatres drawn skillfully enough to feel authentically period yet lightly enough to enable the skraylings, Lyle's fascinating other-worldly creatures, to blend seamlessly in this meld of fantasy and history. The characters are well drawn, the pace is smooth and swift and the plot intriguing and revealed by perfectly placed degrees. Absorbing stuff!