(Amy) Congratulations, Tor: Herewith I present a book I purchased after reading its prececessor in the free Tor e-book promotion (and I bought Farthing, too). I cannot swear I would not have purchased them eventually anyway - many people I know rave about her books - but I know I had not previously ever really thought about them one way or another, so I think it's pretty fair to credit the purchase to the free e-book.

In any case, Ha'penny picks up one of the threads from the end of Farthing, that of Inspector Carmichael, as he investigates another high-profile crime with possible ramifications to the government. As in the previous book, the other plot thread is a first-person narrative from a person intimately involved in the situation being investigated. These threads are interwoven in an alternating-chapters format, and the bits of plot revealed in each s

The background of the story is a horrifying image of a way the world could have gone in the 40s, had the war - and a few other things - turned out a bit differently. Walton does such a wonderful job of painting England's descent into fascism as well as the unthinking anti-Semitism of, apparently, the entire world, that I felt just a little bit soiled after reading it, and perhaps as if I ought to feel bad for enjoying the book so much despite the very unpleasant world it is set in. Regardless, I look very much forward to Half a Crown, and I also rather hope at some point we might get a closer look at what is going on in this world's very-much-closed-off America.

I also hope that the tendencies of some groups of people in the modern era to hand off freedoms in the name of "security" never slide far enough down the slope to deposit us in a world that looks even a little bit like this one.
( http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/ze... ) ( )

a decent but not great followup to Farthing. ( )

A great follow-up to the magnificent and chilling Farthing, set in an England that might have been if the British government had bargained with Hitler instead of fighting him in 1940. Inspector Carmichael returns, and the narrative once again alternates between his point of view and that of a disaffected daughter of the aristocracy. It's 1949 (just a few weeks after the events of the first book), and the English powers-that-be are cracking down on the populace and getting increasingly chummy with Hitler, the "Fuhrer of Europe." Plans are being made for the Fuhrer's upcoming visit to London ... both by the new Prime Minister who welcomes him, and by certain others who are planning an assassination. I have read some reviews stating that this book is a standalone, and that you need not read Farthing first, but I think you would be missing out on a lot if you did. ( )

the book is the sequel to Farthing, and continues in the alternate-reality world where England made peace with Hitler, and pretty much said 'you get the Continent, we get England'. Fascism is worming their way into England, making it very difficult to be Jewish, gay, in possession of leftish government leanings, or pretty much a decent person who isn't wearing blinders. The story follows an actress named Viola, the scion of a wealthy and well-connected family with a surfeit of sisters, who is drawn into an anti-government plot, as well as Inspector Carmichael, the same police inspector who uncovered everything in Farthing, and is once again on the trail of supposed communists and anarchists.

First off, I kind of adore Inspector Carmichael. I think I would read ten books about him, or as many as the author wishes to produce. He's in this hole where he hates what the world is becoming, but feels trapped, and loves his job, but hates what his job has him wind up doing. I find him an extremely sympathetic and engaging character. I also really enjoyed the play within the book. Viola is in rehearsal for a semi cross-cast production of Hamlet in which she is to play Hamlet. I thought that the author did a great job of echoing important themes of the book with the play. Actually, I found myself really wanting to see Viola's Hamlet.

The only thing I wasn't too fond of was the romance. Viola is in this strange (and rather dreadful, in my opinion) romantic/sexual relationship with an IRA man, and it never rings true to me. However, I'm generally ill-disposed to romances that begin with the man threatening to kill the woman. Stlil, it's not as if the book paints it as a great, epic romance, and it certainly wasn't enough to keep me from enjoying the book. Overall, it was chilling, fantastic, and I'm eagerly waiting for the next installment. ( )