Andrew Caldecott (2)

A deeply English bit of fantasy that draws as much from The Wind In The Willows as from Gormenghast, with its band of decent sort heroes and the eccentric architecture of its secluded and insular namesake town, not as gothic as the architecture of its plot, which initially stretches back to Elizabethan times, and later proves to have roots in Roman times, and hints at deeper still. Twelve gifted children are born, though how it is they came to be identified as such remains obscure. Have show more being presuably spawned by God or the Devil, they are sent to a distant valley to be raised and educated, but the worm is already in the apple.

Modern Rotherweird is an independant city-state that supplies the outside world with technologies both delightful and horrifying, while obeying strict laws against any study of history. When the consummately corrupt mayor sells the centuries-deserted manor in the heart fo the town to a wealthy outsider, he isn't quite prepared for what follows, but a disparate group of men and women gradually gather to oppose him. Lots of mysteries and incidents that swing between the tragic and the comic. There's a murder, though every knows whodunnit, and a Narnian otherworld, albeit a Darwinian nightmare. Mad science and magic jostle with boat races and school pageants, and everyone knows the bad guy is really bad when he shuts down the local. A long, enjoyable, rolling read. show less

Andrew Caldecott writes complicated stories set in whimsical dystopias, but does so with an unapologetic intelligence and a straightforward approach to telling, not showing. So when a character decides something, changes their mind about something, or reaches certain conclusions, the story simply tells us about it as it is happening. It gives the characters an odd sense of agency, as if they are informing the reader and the writer that this is the way it is now, get used to it, work out the show more implications and see what happens. It's kind of refreshing.

In this second and final book in the duology, various forces and individuals align in conflict and alliance and temporary truce as the sins of the past bear all sorts of fruit, not excluding murder, revenge, redemption and the possible final extinction of humanity. The heroes and the villians are all interestingly complicated and flawed, the adventures are exciting and suspenseful and the post-apocalyptic world is unusally weird and wonderful as well as horrible. show less

During Mary Tudor's reign ten child prodigies come to the attention of the authorities and are removed to the Tower of London. Because the Queen believes these children to be the spawn of the Devil, the Constable of the Tower removes them to Rotherweird, to the manor house of one of his old friends, before they can be executed. But over the years terrible events occur in Rotherweird, and so Elizabeth I casts the town adrift from the realm and declares it a self-governing entity, forbidden to show more look into its own past.

In the present time two outsiders come to Rotherweird, for very different reasons, and though they have very few things in common, each will act as catalyst in a chain of events that will bring to light long-forgotten secrets.

From the ratings I gather that this can be considered a Marmite book, though I loved it and raced through it in a matter of days. This doesn't mean that it isn't without flaws, but the book seen as a whole more than makes up for it. Andrew Caldecott, as the omniscient narrator, describes the unfolding of events with a wry and gentle humour and often beautiful prose, despite the horrors one encounters; the characters (a large cast, thankfully with a list of principal characters included in the prelims) are carefully drawn and stand out as individuals, and one can read the author's good-natured mocking between the lines.

The town of Rotherweird comes across as a character in its own right, and the plot is an inspired puzzle: the past illuminates events in the present, while the present sheds light on events in the past – a circle, which is, probably not coincidentally, one of the key themes in the novel. Towards the end the reader discovers that Andrew Caldecott has added a whole additional layer to the plot, which only adds to the mystery.

Sasha Laika's illustrations are inspired and help to turn reading Rotherweird into an experience.

The book ends on a semi-cliffhanger and prepares the reader for the events in Wyntertide, the sequel; I for one can't wait to travel to Rotherweird again. show less

This is Rotherweird: an autonomous enclave of England where cutting-edge technology rubs shoulders with rural magic; a region inhabited by geniuses who somehow cling on to a neo-Elizabethan way of life. It does not take long to realise that Rotherweird is, well... rather weird...

Jonah Oblong, an "outsider from wider England" has just been employed as history teacher at Rotherweird School. He soon learns that the residents of Rotherweird town and the surrounding countryside are barred from show more enquiring into the region's past and, particularly, from researching the dark reasons for which Elizabeth I granted Rotherweird its special status. Oblong also discovers that his predecessor Robert Flask disappeared after showing an unhealthy interest in this forbidden subject. Desperate times, however, require desperate measures. "Outsider" Sir Veronal Slickstone has strangely been invited to purchase the town Manor, and his arrival brings with it the threat of ancient evil. Will an ill-assorted bunch of anti-heroes manage keep these dangers at bay?

I often read supernatural fiction although I generally avoid fantasy. This might soon change thanks to this highly entertaining novel, the first of a projected trilogy. The plot is dense but gripping, occasionally threatening to burst at the seams (like the Town's tangled buildings), but somehow managing to remain on track. What impressed me most (apart from the diverse case of eccentric characters) is the way in which various genres are seamlessly combined. Nominally a "fantasy novel", it also involves elements of crime/mystery, steampunk (courtesy of the curious inventions of Boris and Bert Polk), historical fiction/alternative history and various shades of horror (including body horror in the shape of a man-eating spider, eco-Gothic and folk-horror). There is also an underlying streak of good-natured English humour of the Wodehouse type, featuring witty wordplay and inept bachelors besotted with strong-willed women. On paper it shouldn't work. Somehow, it does.

The text is complemented by imaginative illustrations by Aleksandra Laika, which help to put the reader in the mood of this strange book.

Allow me three questions...
- It turns out that author Andrew Caldecott is a high-flying QC. When does he manage to write novels this complex? Any time-management tips welcome.
- when is the sequel out? I'm already looking forward to it.
- And the movie?

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest review show less