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A review by toggle_fow
A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry
5.0
This was... awesome.
It's an alternate history, a magical retelling of the late 1700s. But I've read quite a few alternate histories, and quite a few books that try to pull the "ohoho this historical famous person turns up in my story" gambit, and most of them fall flat. Most of them are hackneyed, and just seem gimmicky. This, like I said, was awesome.
The most important thing you need to know is that it's political as heck.
Do not expect a rip-roaring action adventure, although there certainly are some moments. But if you like political skulduggery, the French Revolution, vast contests between nations, exploration of the tension between a man's loyalty to higher ideals and his loyalty to loved ones... If you watch the movie Amazing Grace and almost lose it with glee over the parliamentary shenanigans and the relationship between Wilberforce and William Pitt... then this is DEFINITELY the book for you.
This book does get dark, at points, but it's almost all the historical aspects -- slavery, and the French Revolution. I love this book, I want to have it on my shelf, and I can't wait for the sequel where we get to see Napoleon and the great, magical showdown.
It's an alternate history, a magical retelling of the late 1700s. But I've read quite a few alternate histories, and quite a few books that try to pull the "ohoho this historical famous person turns up in my story" gambit, and most of them fall flat. Most of them are hackneyed, and just seem gimmicky. This, like I said, was awesome.
The most important thing you need to know is that it's political as heck.
Do not expect a rip-roaring action adventure, although there certainly are some moments. But if you like political skulduggery, the French Revolution, vast contests between nations, exploration of the tension between a man's loyalty to higher ideals and his loyalty to loved ones... If you watch the movie Amazing Grace and almost lose it with glee over the parliamentary shenanigans and the relationship between Wilberforce and William Pitt... then this is DEFINITELY the book for you.
This book does get dark, at points, but it's almost all the historical aspects -- slavery, and the French Revolution. I love this book, I want to have it on my shelf, and I can't wait for the sequel where we get to see Napoleon and the great, magical showdown.