Literary Scene: Three fantasy novels to bring some magic to 2021

By Ryan G. Van Cleave
February 2021

The Dark Archive: An Invisible Library novel
by Genevieve Cogman

I’m a bit late to the game library since The Dark Archive is the seventh book in The Invisible Library series, but never once did I feel like I was missing out by jumping in at this point. There’s enough here that one can sense a far larger world without feeling like they came into a movie after the halfway point.

This story follows Irene Winters, a no-nonsense spy who works for the mysterious Library (which feels a bit like the Library in Lev Grossman’s The Magicians). With her team—Vale (a world-class detective), Kai (a human-looking dragon), Catherine (her new assistant, a young fae) and others—she’s tasked with retrieving rare books across multiple realities. The problem is that Irene seems REALLY good at running into trouble along the way.

The setting is clearly based on historical London/Western Europe—this might not be an issue for some, but it could be a bit familiar (witness a fantasy London as the setting in another review below). But the action is fairly nonstop, and the magic is pretty cool. There’s also a dose of steampunk here that I enjoy (though the romantic subplot might use a bit more oomph to make to make it truly memorable). 

Ultimately, this is a smooth read that feels more like the start to a series than the seventh book in it. And the epilogue reveals that far more is to come for Irene and the Invisible Library. In the meantime, feel free to read the previous half-dozen novels to discover for yourself why this series is a fan favorite.

Ryan’s Rating: 4 out of 5
www.grcogman.com

The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry
by C.M. Waggoner

The pitch for this book is a grabber—a historical sapphic bodyguard romance that showcases thieves, witches, and fire magic. Wow! What it turned out to be is a murder mystery of sorts set in a kind of Victorian London. The star of the show is Dellaria Wells, a down-on-her luck thief (with fire magic!) who gets a job from a want ad and ends up with a team of women hired to protect a wealthy young lady from assassins.

Sidenote 1—If it sounds as if there are a lot of ladies here, you’re right. In fact, nearly every character here is female. Even more in line with the current mood in society, the book has queer and nonbinary characters, and in fact seems to embrace any type of relationship whatsoever. Don’t worry, though—there is pure female friendship here—it’s not all coy looks and heart-thumping delights.

Sidenote 2—This novel is set in the same world as Waggoner’s previous book, Unnatural Magic, and others in the series, though The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry works completely as a standalone. Readers who know the other books will be rewarded in small Easter-egg fashion throughout, though, or so I’ve been told from series fans that I’ve asked.

The language has the weighty ornateness one expects from a Victorian story, complete with invented language and extra-fancy sentence structure. For some, that’s surely a plus. And Delly is a true walking disaster with a strong, root-for-her motive—wanting to earn enough money to keep her mom out of trouble. The slow-burn love story between her and bodyguard Winn is a welcome bit of fun, interspersed among all the trouble and mayhem and disasters.

For a book about deadly magic and a dangerous drug ring, though, the plot moves a little slower than expected at times. Still, the unique magic system and enjoyable cast of characters are quite interesting.

Ryan’s Rating: 3.75 out of 5
www.cmwaggoner.com

The Awakening (The Immortal Wizards, book 1)
by Andreas Suchanek

I felt like I knew what to expect with Suchanek’s The Awakening. Is there a Wall like we see with George R.R. Martin? Check. It’s kept magic hidden away from normal society for centuries. Is there magic cast by Latin-sounding words à la Harry Potter? Check. Are there portals to jump around the world à la Cassandra Clare? Check, check, check. 

While the story clearly utilizes a lot of existing fantasy tropes, I rather like the heroine, Jennifer Danvers—she’s got just enough sass, competence, and stubbornness to be interesting. Plus, she’s got a pivotal role here, because when her friend dies, a new “heir to magic” (Chosen One!) comes under her tutelage. Will they be ready when an ancient evil prepares to shatter the Wall and bring disaster upon the world?

I’m not sure I understand the logic of who the immortals are—Einstein, Joan of Arc, da Vinci, etc. But I like the idea of having famous historical figures play a bigger role than they do in our memory. 

At times, I was quite taken by the story. Yet I was constantly aware that this was self-published. It really needed an editor to help comb out little slipups and (at least with the Kindle edition) use indentations while getting rid of those superfluous spaces between every paragraph. 

The story’s probably a solid 3.75 out of 5, but the above points bring the overall rating down one click for this reader, I’m afraid. For other readers, your mileage may vary. If you want a book that leans into most fantasy world tropes, this book might prove delightful—especially because there’s no irritating romantic subplot.

I’ll likely check out the second book in the series to see where Suchanek wants to take us, and to watch how his storytelling ability grows.

Ryan’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5
www.andreassuchanek.de