Reviews

The Lights Go Out in Lychford by Paul Cornell

nichola's review against another edition

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5.0

I think this is my favourite of them so far.

I might finish this series sooner than I thought. But man am I gonna miss Judith.

frogggirl2's review against another edition

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5.0

Quite a witty, charming, ironic commentary on modern rural British life.


"It seemed that everyone who wanted someone to do something was doing it and it was horrible."

trish204's review against another edition

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4.0

Well, OF COURSE all the stories warning us about what to wish for (and how) weren't written without there being a reason!

Judith is getting worse. The dementia has reached a point where she had to hand over the mantle to Autumn already. So she is the hedge witch / wise woman of Lychford now.
As usual, something weird is happening in the little town. It must have something to do with a festival that is to take place soon so Autumn and Lizzy go investigate. Finding the being responsible isn't the problem ... finding a solution is. Especially without Judith's knowledge and experience.
Add to that the fact that despite what we had been told at the end of the previous volume, the faeries aren't actually the problem. Something/someone is smart enough to simply pit their species against the humans so they can then move in when we have taken each other out. And the end of human reality might be closer than anyone had expected.

Oh, and one of the Kardashians might have been killed in here to fulfill a wish. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I knew there'd only be 5 books but how and how quickly the shit hit the fan was still a bit of a surprise. It was also astonishingly easy. Of course, that is not entirely true - it took several steps, most of which have to do with the events from the previous books (interwoven in a pretty nice way to come together in a knot now).

Reading about Judith still was the hardest. Not only but also because I've seen relatives go down the dementia path and it isn't pretty. The author had a very nice and realistic way of describing it with magical terms sometimes.
But I liked Autumn coming into her own and learning as she went, learning the hard way (she deserved that sometimes), but also some of her "new" approaches to problems.

Only one more story to go - the big conflic/resolution - and I'll continue right away.

jaymelynnway's review against another edition

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4.0

This felt more like the first two in the series. Like dark whimsy.

ceilidhwilliams's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5*
probably the best of the series, though Autumn and the Vicars conversions, in the beginning, do sound kinda juvenile

shadyeglenn's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

didichanoch's review against another edition

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5.0

The fourth Lychford novella is, to my mind, the best one so far. Which is high praise, as the previous three have been very good to excellent. The third one, A Long Day In Lychford was a difficult read, as it was all about the fracturing of UK society in the past few years, as well as creating the conditions leading to this one. Our three heroines start this one at their lowest point in the series. Full of self doubt, besieged by health issues, fearing and creating isolation. This book is about dealing with those fractures, and healing not just their relationships but the town itself.

If it weren't for the very end, I could have accepted this one as an excellent conclusion to the series. But that's where Cornell dangles an undeniable hook, one that should be addressed in the next novella, which as I understand it WILL be the final one in the series. Looking forward to it!

triscuit807's review against another edition

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4.0

4 stars. The writing continues to be strong and I really like the story arc. Lychford has a problem due to Autumn's drunken outburst in the previous book; something has slipped in. It's a trickster, maybe, and of no great importance, maybe. But Judith is mostly out of commission due to increasing dementia (not a comfortable subject for me), so it's up to Lizzie and Autumn to find out what's happening and to fix things. I did enjoy the ending. I read this for my 2020 Reading Challenge (Popsugar "published in 20th c").

zelda_pinwheel's review

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

spestock's review

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5.0

The best one so far!