Clariel

The city of Belisaire is the cultural heart of the Old Kingdom, a place where the fuss and ceremony of Charter Magic is being replaced by the rationalism and craft of the Guilds; and if such a transition requires the assistance of a little Free Magic, then so be it. Caught in the middle of a power grab, Clariel wants nothing more than to be left alone to pursue her own path in the world, but even a loner is not an island, and so long as there is anything she cares for there is danger.

The fourth novel in the Old Kingdom series is a prequel, exploring the early life of a minor member of the Abhorsen line who will one day become the powerful necromancer Chlorr of the Mask. Clariel is a complicated character, who longs for freedom yet feels a pull of duty nonetheless. She defies the path that her parents have chosen for her, yet her earnest wish is to do good, and the apathy of her kin spurs her to a reckless and life-altering decision.

Clariel is a dark novel, even by the standards of a series in which the protagonists fight zombies and regularly - if only temporarily - die a little bit in order to do so. It's a pretty decent adventure, although for my money not as good as the main trilogy, perhaps because some of the tension is lost by knowing that the monarchy doesn't fall and Clariel won't die but will end up a necromancer at some stage.

Bedtime Stories: Blueberry Girl, by Neil Gaiman

Since we'e now reading most, if not every night with Arya, I thought it high time I started looking at the books we read with her.

Blueberry Girl is a poem written by Neil Gaiman for Tori Amos, illustrated by Charles Vess. It was given to Arya by some of Hanna's oldest friends for her first birthday. The book takes the form not of a narrative but of a prayer of sorts, asking an assortment of non-specific maternal deities to bestow their common sense blessings upon a child, 'a blueberry girl,' to guide her through life.

It is a lovely poem, invoking images from fairy tales and real life, and speaking volumes to any concerned parent.

It is the pictures, however, that have won Arya over. In particular, she loves spotting the owls on every page, and asking about the other animals she can see.

"Is a ow!"

Foxglove Summer

A missing children case sends DC Peter Grant out of his comfort zone (London) and into the wilds of Hereford (it's practically Wales for God's sake!) for the sake of due diligence. He only sticks around to help out, but before long, it's looking more and more like a Folly case, with invisible unicorns and who knows what sticking their oars in.

The latest from Ben Aaronovich was a book I approached with trepidation, since missing children plots give me the heebie-jeebies. It was bad enough when I was teaching, but as a father I can barely make it through an episode of Criminal Minds. Thankfully it was not the cripplingly terror-inducing experience that it could have been.

There is some time given to the evolving arc plot of the Faceless Man and Lesley - last seen escaping from Peter after the latter's blindsiding heel turn in Broken Homes - but for the most part this is about the case of the missing kids. I was glad not to see an actual appearance by the Faceless Man (it would be a bit much for him to be behind everything,) although at one point I thought that he and/or Lesley would put in an appearance and try to steal the staves Peter is given, following his sabotage of the Faceless Man's big power harvest.

I think I'm looking forward to the return to London. Aaronovich's grasp of London's landscape is stronger and thus its occult nature within the series is much better developed. Aspects of Hereford's supernatural side seemed a bit stock in places, whereas London's demimonde has always felt fresh. That being said, this is another good read and ducks the bleakness that dogs so many detective series.

Runemarks

The village of Malbry is a dull village, occupied by dull folk who never dream, or if they do aren't gauche enough to talk about it. And then there's the exception; Maddy Smith, who talks to the Outlander One-Eye and has a blatant runemark on her palm. Many people predict that she will come to a bad end, but only one knows that the world could stand or fall - again - on her actions.

When I first read Runemarks a few years ago, it was honestly not what I'd expected from the author of Chocolat. It's a post-apocalyptic adventurer, in which the apocalypse was the Norse Ragnarok and the new world is built on the ruins of the Middle world of Midgard and the fallen Sky Citadel of Asgard.

It's a good story too, full of twists and turns and betrayals, and with a wonderfully grim and impersonal adversary in the Order, a sort of church-cum-civil service. Maddy is a likable protagonist, and the characterisations of the Norse Gods are fun and irreverent, neither throwing aside traditional descriptions nor feeling that the Aesir and Vanir need to be portrayed necessarily as perfect beings, or even good people.

Runemarks is well worth a read, and I'll be taking a look at the sequel after I finish Foxglove Summer.