Something a wee bit different from me today. Well, a big bit different, really! Regular visitors to my blog will know that fantasy is not a genre I usually read, with the exception of work by the late great Terry Pratchett, of course. However, is a new book from Andy Darby, the author of the bonkers Me and The Monkey: Chronicles of the Monkey God, Vol 1, which I read and reviewed back in 2021, and absolutely loved (I've since enjoyed more madness in Vol 2, but am still to write my review). I was delighted when he asked me to be a beta reader for this novel, a very different book from the Monkey God Chronicles, and am pleased to share my thoughts on it as part of the blog tour. Many thanks to Maia Gomez at Silver Dagger Book Tours for including me and to Andy for sending me a signed copy of the book. And look out at the end of the post for details of a giveaway!
The Blurb
An Empire born through Angelic magic, or a hell on Earth? One woman’s sword may decide it all.
The Angels want to usher in Revelation, and what better way than through the creation of the British Empire?
Infamous swordswoman Captain Lament Evyngar awaits execution in the Tower of London, charged with heresy and attempted regicide, but all is not as it seems. Unwittingly entangled in the schemes of the Angels, she recounts her tale to the Queen's sorcerer, Dr Dee, who is more than a little responsible for her predicament.
Dr Dee has designs for a British Empire that will dominate the world for ages to come, and with the aegis of the Angels, he has the power to make it a reality. But, two elements are missing, and through blackmail and occult ritual, Lament and her giant Dutch comrade are forced to journey to the war-ravaged Spanish Netherlands on a quest that will reveal the truth about strange entities that use humans to fight out their eternal conflicts and in doing so alter the course of history forever.
So, a bargain is made, a child is created, and death is no longer an option for Lament as she is swept back and forth through time and space, her identity suddenly made fluid until she can at last return to the London of Queen Elizabeth I and face the cosmic horror that is unveiled in the royal court.
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My Review
We first meet Captain Lament Evyngar as she awaits her death, and then hear her story as she gives her final confession to Dr Dee, the astronomer to Queen Elizabeth I, who played a large part in bringing her to this end. When she is wrongly accused of a crime, Dee essentially blackmails her into working for him by threatening not only her life and reputation, but also those of her family and her loyal companion and friend, giant Dutchman, Sergeant Pieter Hertgers. He also insists on performong a ritual on her, which he claims will aid her in her quest. So Lament and Pieter set off for the Netherlands to steal magical items for Dr Dee but it proves to be a much more epic and terrifying journey than either of them could have possibly imagined.
Lament and Pieter are engaging leads. Lament is charismatic and interesting, a skilled soldier and swordswoman, at a time when such a thing was almost unheard of. It was particularly interesting seeing her learn to control her more otherworldly abilities even if she perhaps doesn't understand them. And her interactions with Beatris were fascinating. Lament's relationship with Pieter is purely platonic, which I loved, but they are pretty devoted to each other, each always looking out for the other, fighting side by side. He is a much more straightforward character than Lament but no less interesting because of it.
The story is both a bloodthirsty swashbuckling tale of hand to hand combat, eating, drinking and whoring and a completely otherworldly fantasy of angels, demons and inhuman monsters. And the two combine seamlessly to form a novel that grabs you from the get go and keeps you hanging on, tension always high As I mentioned, I don't have much experience with fantasy, but this worked for me. It is written in the present tense which helps keep it t air and exciting but maybe not so much in that we know Lament is relaying these events after they happened. There are a some moments when Lament slips between time and place which I felt could have been better highlighted and a couple of points that could've done with tighter editing, but these things were just niggles for me and didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book at all.
The Blade in the Angel's Shadow is a hugely entertaining novel with two hugely engaging leads. Action packed, tense throughout, full of a variety of antagonists - human and (very vivid) ethereal ones. There is an exciting denouement and a thrilling, explosive conclusion, each of which includes a heart breaking moment. I very much enjoyed it - more than I thought I might to be honest, which I'm delighted about - and I sincerely hope this isn't the last we've seen of Captain Lament Evyngar!
The Author
Andy is a lifelong fan of fantasy, swords and sorcery, and weird tales. He also has a bit of an obsession with historical fiction/fantasy and alternate histories.
Andy lives on the north coast of Cornwall in the UK with his artist wife, teenage daughter, three cats, and two ponies. He is contantly running out of shelf space for the ever-increasing book collection.
Other books by Andy:
Me and the Monkey: Chronicles of the Monkey God Vol 1 & 2
The Paddington Incident
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