Scan barcode
picklestar's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
I initially picked this up purely because of the title, having recently read the La Carre original. Witches, spys, cold war, could be a bit of silly fun, hey?
After flying through the first few parts however, I was well and truly on board with this rocking little urban fantasy x cold war spy romp.
1970s Geopolitics, warring ideologies, and ancient magical cults prepared to fight to the death, maybe a hint of sexual tension? Yes please. Plus gay characters, POC, badass women to boot...
THE WITCH.... has all the trappings of a classic spy thriller, with plenty of espionage and covert alliances, and that feeling of never quite knowing who is working for whom, but this is intertwined with a whole other underground magical word, where everyone's roles and alliances are completely shifted.
I had a tonne of fun with this book, and would 100% recommend to any urban fantasy fans with a soft spot for spy thrillers.
I initially picked this up purely because of the title, having recently read the La Carre original. Witches, spys, cold war, could be a bit of silly fun, hey?
After flying through the first few parts however, I was well and truly on board with this rocking little urban fantasy x cold war spy romp.
1970s Geopolitics, warring ideologies, and ancient magical cults prepared to fight to the death, maybe a hint of sexual tension? Yes please. Plus gay characters, POC, badass women to boot...
THE WITCH.... has all the trappings of a classic spy thriller, with plenty of espionage and covert alliances, and that feeling of never quite knowing who is working for whom, but this is intertwined with a whole other underground magical word, where everyone's roles and alliances are completely shifted.
I had a tonne of fun with this book, and would 100% recommend to any urban fantasy fans with a soft spot for spy thrillers.
ltg61's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, for the first 50-100 pages or so of this book, I was pretty close to abandoning it.
The initial expectation was high - mixing Le Carre-esque cold war espionage with elemental magic seemed like simultaneously a novel yet obvious mix. Getting into it, however, was tough. The first stretch of the book is more heavily focused on the magic elements of the story rather than the spy aspect. Getting further in, it becomes clear its merely a case of introducing the reader to unfamiliar elements, before bringing in the familiar. After that, it becomes a well-balanced interplay between the two. The fact that the magic shown in this story isn't all-powerful, nor are the characters always willing to abandon their patriotic ties in favour of magical allegiances, gives this story a wonderful symmetry with compelling conflict around every turn.
The other part that made this a hard one to start was some of the writing - a lot of it has the clunky awkwardness you normally associate with middle-of-the-road YA novels. If you can get your brain to shift gears, as mine did, you'll find a beautifully intricate plot populated with vivid characters. Besides, I'd rather read a good story written in an amateurish style than a boring story written with slick, proper, clinical precision.
The initial expectation was high - mixing Le Carre-esque cold war espionage with elemental magic seemed like simultaneously a novel yet obvious mix. Getting into it, however, was tough. The first stretch of the book is more heavily focused on the magic elements of the story rather than the spy aspect. Getting further in, it becomes clear its merely a case of introducing the reader to unfamiliar elements, before bringing in the familiar. After that, it becomes a well-balanced interplay between the two. The fact that the magic shown in this story isn't all-powerful, nor are the characters always willing to abandon their patriotic ties in favour of magical allegiances, gives this story a wonderful symmetry with compelling conflict around every turn.
The other part that made this a hard one to start was some of the writing - a lot of it has the clunky awkwardness you normally associate with middle-of-the-road YA novels. If you can get your brain to shift gears, as mine did, you'll find a beautifully intricate plot populated with vivid characters. Besides, I'd rather read a good story written in an amateurish style than a boring story written with slick, proper, clinical precision.
micksland's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 stars
What would the world look like if there were two warring factions of sorcerers, the Flame and the Ice, each seeking to control it? Similar premises have been done to death in fiction, but this novel provides a unique twist. If there really were two such groups, it makes sense that they would both infiltrate various world intelligence agencies, without regard to patriotism or partisanship. This leads to a story in which CIA and KGB agents, deep in the midst of the Cold War, might also be secret sorcerers using their intelligence agency intel to track down magical beings in Prague. Two people might be secular allies and sorcerous enemies, or vice versa. The complex relationships and loyalties make for a highly engaging magical spy thriller.
I loved the atmospheric setting and writing style. The magic system was arcane and not overwhelmingly powerful, preventing any sort of deus ex machina shenanigans from our protagonists. In fact, the powers of sorcery and spycraft felt very evenly matched. Despite the fact that various authors were involved in the project, the tone and characterization remained stable throughout each chapter. I did find the pacing to be somewhat slow and I felt that the cast of characters seemed too small for the epic feel of the premise. However, the action sequences and witty banter made for an engaging read (or listen, in my case).
Serial Box is a great experiment, and I will definitely be checking out some of their other work during my commute this year!
What would the world look like if there were two warring factions of sorcerers, the Flame and the Ice, each seeking to control it? Similar premises have been done to death in fiction, but this novel provides a unique twist. If there really were two such groups, it makes sense that they would both infiltrate various world intelligence agencies, without regard to patriotism or partisanship. This leads to a story in which CIA and KGB agents, deep in the midst of the Cold War, might also be secret sorcerers using their intelligence agency intel to track down magical beings in Prague. Two people might be secular allies and sorcerous enemies, or vice versa. The complex relationships and loyalties make for a highly engaging magical spy thriller.
I loved the atmospheric setting and writing style. The magic system was arcane and not overwhelmingly powerful, preventing any sort of deus ex machina shenanigans from our protagonists. In fact, the powers of sorcery and spycraft felt very evenly matched. Despite the fact that various authors were involved in the project, the tone and characterization remained stable throughout each chapter. I did find the pacing to be somewhat slow and I felt that the cast of characters seemed too small for the epic feel of the premise. However, the action sequences and witty banter made for an engaging read (or listen, in my case).
Serial Box is a great experiment, and I will definitely be checking out some of their other work during my commute this year!
jordandotcom's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this. I loved this so much. Buying season two of this was the most worthwhile thing I could have done. Ever. Fantasy and historical fiction (especially with a focus on Eastern Europe) are my two favorite genres and this blends them perfectly into a mix I really can't get enough of. Very excited to get my hands on a physical copy in June.
cupiscent's review against another edition
4.0
There are so many parts of this that I love egregiously. The Cold War and colder magical war overlaid and interwoven is a fantastic concept, and it's delivered with spy-shenanigans much more of the Smiley than Bond school, which is always a lot more fun to read. I enjoyed the characters, with all their personal levers and problems. And in general, the writing was great.
My only real niggle was pacing again. The episodic nature of the original work is still not quite sitting right with me, and that's far more a problem with me than a problem with the material, which was designed to be read in a different way than this. I'm a little annoying with myself for not getting with it: after all, I don't expect the same pacing out of a binge-watched TV show as I do from a movie. But I'm just stuck on novel-pacing when it comes to the written word.
Anyway, broadly, I loved this.
My only real niggle was pacing again. The episodic nature of the original work is still not quite sitting right with me, and that's far more a problem with me than a problem with the material, which was designed to be read in a different way than this. I'm a little annoying with myself for not getting with it: after all, I don't expect the same pacing out of a binge-watched TV show as I do from a movie. But I'm just stuck on novel-pacing when it comes to the written word.
Anyway, broadly, I loved this.
svrakiss's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this. I loved this so much. Buying season two of this was the most worthwhile thing I could have done. Ever. Fantasy and historical fiction (especially with a focus on Eastern Europe) are my two favorite genres and this blends them perfectly into a mix I really can't get enough of. Very excited to get my hands on a physical copy in June.
More...