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A review by jaironside
At the Table of Wolves by Kay Kenyon
5.0
I think I must have been exactly in the target audience for this one because it just hit all the right beats for me. Set in an alternate pre WWII Britain, At the Table of Wolves follows young journalist, Kim Tavistock as she negotiates the shadowy world of British Intelligence. Yorkshire born, Philadelphia raised Kim, is still recovering from a personal loss which happened while she was a child during WWI. This has sharpened her sense of moral obligation and loyalty to her country, as well as her hatred of the growing Nazi regime in parts of Europe. So what makes this alternate history? Well, in this world, certain people are born with 'talents' - mental abilities which give them an edge over ordinary people. Kim is possessed of a talent called 'the spill' - which in essence means that whatever someone most wishes to hide or keep secret, will be the very thing they confess to her. Other talents include the ability to move objects telekinetically, future view and trauma view, as well as various others. This slight deviation in normal human progression has very subtly altered a few tiny pieces of history. (So this could be classified as urban fantasy- alternate history)
Where some of the luke warm or negative reviews are coming from is, I think, because this is not your typical X-Men style of powered individuals. We're not talking superhumans here. The talents are subtle, and while they are essential to the plot, there's comparatively little in the way of massive, psychic powered explosion or action sequences. So if you're looking for that, or for the more typical strains of urban fantasy with supernatural humans, then this isn't going to deliver. Personally, I found the pre-war setting, the historical detail and the subtle supernatural angle to fit really well with what is essentially a spy thriller. Minor point here, I know we've all seen at least one James Bond film and as fun as they are, let's be honest, real spy work is 90% puzzle solving to 5% frustrated boredom to 5% actual action. This is far more of the George Smiley order of spies than anything created by Ian Fleming. Which really worked for me but if you're a fan of frenetic pace and not having to do too much thinking, this might not hit the spot for you!
I loved the characters. They were all well developed. No one was entirely a white hat or a black hat, and everyone had motivations for what they did. This was especially apparent with Herr von Ritter, who was a very enjoyable antagonist and more than a little chilling. I also loved the way Kenyon captured the feel of the time both in the upper and lower classes. No one really likes to admit it, but until Germany invaded Poland, Britain contained a lot of people sympathetic to the Nazi cause. (Thank the gods Edward was forced to abdicate!) This is a great book. Deftly woven, subtle and exciting. It makes you wait for the action but the tension is spot on and when it finally does give you an action scene, it really delivers. Intelligent work by an author who really knows whats she's doing and understand what she's writing about. Highly recommend.
Where some of the luke warm or negative reviews are coming from is, I think, because this is not your typical X-Men style of powered individuals. We're not talking superhumans here. The talents are subtle, and while they are essential to the plot, there's comparatively little in the way of massive, psychic powered explosion or action sequences. So if you're looking for that, or for the more typical strains of urban fantasy with supernatural humans, then this isn't going to deliver. Personally, I found the pre-war setting, the historical detail and the subtle supernatural angle to fit really well with what is essentially a spy thriller. Minor point here, I know we've all seen at least one James Bond film and as fun as they are, let's be honest, real spy work is 90% puzzle solving to 5% frustrated boredom to 5% actual action. This is far more of the George Smiley order of spies than anything created by Ian Fleming. Which really worked for me but if you're a fan of frenetic pace and not having to do too much thinking, this might not hit the spot for you!
I loved the characters. They were all well developed. No one was entirely a white hat or a black hat, and everyone had motivations for what they did. This was especially apparent with Herr von Ritter, who was a very enjoyable antagonist and more than a little chilling. I also loved the way Kenyon captured the feel of the time both in the upper and lower classes. No one really likes to admit it, but until Germany invaded Poland, Britain contained a lot of people sympathetic to the Nazi cause. (Thank the gods Edward was forced to abdicate!) This is a great book. Deftly woven, subtle and exciting. It makes you wait for the action but the tension is spot on and when it finally does give you an action scene, it really delivers. Intelligent work by an author who really knows whats she's doing and understand what she's writing about. Highly recommend.