A prequel novella in which Geoffrey Carillon inherits the land obligations, and with Thomas Benton (his valet) must figure out what his life is doing now. It alternates between Carillon’s point of view and Benton’s, and takes place in the first half of 1922 (overlapping with Outcrossing and the events of The Fossil Door.)
This is a short story from a series that I understand is composed of many different subseries and many books intricately interconnected.
In fact, as I read, I felt that complexity running under the surface, of which, in this story (really an introduction to this world and some of its recurring characters), the reader gets only a small glimpse.
Basically, Albion is Great Britain in a parallel world where magic exists, but it’s not widespread.
There is an entire magical society living side by side with unmagical people, who don’t seem to be aware of this hidden world.
Not a new concept, maybe, but I loved the way Celia Lake handles the idea, using real-world legends and folklore and weaving them with real-world events of the interwar years.
It creates a very peculiar sense of history and magic at the same time.
Politics, although linked to this magical, parallel world, is very realistic, which adds to the sense of authenticity.
The two protagonists, Lord Carillon and his valet Benton, although – again – not new as characters, are nonetheless very interesting and endearing.
Like many of this kind of pair, they went through the Great War together, forming a very strong bond, and remained together when the war ended.
I loved the way they created their own mutual understanding, that sometimes crosses social boundaries, but not in a ‘flashy’ way because, in many respects, they are not peers. Yet, common experiences, hard times faced together, respect, and camaraderie have created a bond that seems even stronger than friendship.
I really liked this aspect of the story.
But then, all the characters are very interesting and you end up wanting to know more about them.
It’s a very good introduction, especially to how this world feels.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m an author of historical fantasy set in the 1920s and a reader of everything historical from the 1910s to the 1930s (but I read other fiction too!). On this blog, I love to share my historical research and book reviews. If you love stories set in the 1910s-1930s period, download the Historical Fiction Gift Guide, where you’ll find tens of titles and authors who write in this period.
Ancient Trust
Excerpt
The well was, however, a very well tended hole in the ground. The leaves had been raked smooth, and small stones were piled up around the rim. Benton cleared his throat when he was close enough. Not that his lordship would have missed his arrival.
Benton had not tried to be quiet. When his lordship gestured for him to come closer, he offered, “Sir, it’s getting on for sunset.”
“One last thing, Benton.” His lordship tossed a coin in his hand. It was worn, certainly no longer round. It was silver, it had been thoroughly cleaned at some point in the recent past, in a way that made it gleam in the light from the setting sun.
“The coin, Sir?” He couldn’t ask. But he could imply, and would, that he would like ot know the answer.
“A custom in some parts. I’m not actually sure if it’s a custom here? Certainly, Papa never brought me out to help him. Tend the holy wells on Saint Chad’s day. That’s today. I read something, one of those odd Victorian books of folklore you pick up in the bookstore in the back of beyond, about his being connected with Ceadda. At any rate, wells are a thing for him. You clean them, you tend them, you give them a coin. And we can use all the help we can get, no? And if the well needs tending, which this one did, why not do it today rather than some other day?”
Benton had to admit that the logic was sound enough, taken on that basis. His ordship took one more look at the coin, let out a breath that might have had a prayer under it, and tossed the coin into the pool. It flew in a swooping arc that suggested he had practised by tossing a few stones before Benton arrived.
“I found that coin.” His lordship was speaking as if to himself, but Benton knew he never did that by accident, even in his sleep. “When I was seven. It’s been up in the nursery all this time, behind a loose board in the linen cupboard. Diocletian.”
The Thursday Quotables was originally a weekly post created by Lisa Wolf for her book blog Bookshelf Fantasy . It isn’t a weekly post anymore, not even for Lisa, but just like her, I still love to share my favourite reads on Thursdays and I still use the original template which included an excerpt.
