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Sto caricando le informazioni... Sorcerer to the Crown (A Sorcerer to the Crown Novel) (originale 2015; edizione 2016)di Zen Cho (Autore)
Informazioni sull'operaSorcerer to the Crown di Zen Cho (2015)
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![]() Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro. This is a fantasy novel set in an alternative Regency England where there are magician's and sorcerer's using their magic and guided by their organisation The Unnatural Philosopher's. The Sorcerer Royal, Zacharias Wythe is their leader, but as a black man and former slave he faces great opposition to his appointment. There is a lack of magic and he is determined to find out why, while fighting his enemies inside The Unnatural Philosopher's. He meets a young woman and witch, Prudence Gentleman, at a school talk and she persuades him to help her, though he may get more than he bargained for. https://readableword.wordpress.com/2021/11/28/sorcerer-to-the-crown-by-zen-cho/ This is one of the most feminist fantasy books I have ever read. It has a slow pace and magical element reminiscent of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but is not nearly so long, thank goodness. The male protagonist is a gentleman: kind, polite, and thoughtful - a stark contrast to the Mr. Darcy's of the world of romance books. 3.5. There's a lot to like here - a pitch-perfect Austenian voice, rewarding characters, very twisty plotting, pleasingly fiendish fairies, and an extremely strong conclusion (quite rare in a first novel). And of course, this book is getting deserved attention as a historical English fantasy in which slavery and colonialism are central to the story. However, I felt like I never really settled into this novel. The quasi-omniscient narration dragged after a while, getting in the way of the storytelling. I wonder if the voice needed to be even MORE mannerly - more like Gaiman's Stardust or, indeed, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which it's compared to on the book jacket. Instead it's a restrained narrative voice, and that artistic compromise didn't work for me. I also wished the story had been given more space to breathe. Every scene delivered a new plot twist, sometimes at the expense of plausibility. I wanted to slow down, explore the world, and linger with the characters. I also felt like the complex plot would have benefited from some more window-dressing to distract us from some of the coincidences and contrivances that drive the story. I wonder if this book wasn't over-edited, but maybe Cho was just following her instincts and delivering a lean, publishable first novel. That said, I'm glad I stuck with this book - the ending was very rewarding, and Cho's Fairyland was refreshing after so many Charles Vess knockoffs. If you enjoy historical fantasies, it's worth a read. nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
Appartiene alle SerieSorcerer Royal (1) Ha come commento al testoPremi e riconoscimentiMenzioniElenchi di rilievo
The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, one of the most respected organizations throughout all of England, has long been tasked with maintaining magic within His Majesty's lands. But lately, the once proper institute has fallen into disgrace, naming an altogether unsuitable gentleman--a freed slave who doesn't even have a familiar--as their Sorcerer Royal, and allowing England's once profuse stores of magic to slowly bleed dry. At least they haven't stooped so low as to allow women to practice what is obviously a man's profession... At his wit's end, Zacharias Wythe, Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers and eminently proficient magician, ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England's magical stocks are drying up. But when his adventure brings him in contact with a most unusual comrade, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, he sets on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain--and the world at large. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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![]() GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)823.92Literature English English fiction Modern Period 2000-Classificazione LCVotoMedia:![]()
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'Sorcerer to the Crown' is very reminiscent of [b:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|Susanna Clarke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357027589s/14201.jpg|3921305], as if Zen Cho read that and said "Oh yeah, then how about THIS." It has a lot of the same elements, in time and place and officious British stuffiness. But perhaps Cho thought that the character of Stephen Black in that volume deserved a bit more study and introspection.
Zacharias' race is very much as the forefront of this novel, and when I described the premise to a friend he remarked "that sounds so much like Obama." And yes, there are a lot of similarities, in the amount of crap Zacharias must put up with from the other thaumaturges on account of his skin color, such as their "not a real British man" attacks and their constant attempts to undermine his actions and policies.
Prunella is one of those characters who could have been annoying but I did not find her so; her concerns about not having prospects because of her gender and station are entirely warranted and so her obsession with finding a husband is entirely reasonable. Of course the book is very predictable with how that particular plot line turned out, but it didn't feel forced and I suppose I'd like to see where it goes in the next book. (