Ink & Sigil

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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The biggest challenge to writing about this book is choosing what not to talk about, I really feel like I could go on and on and on about it. Then the pendulum swings to the point I don't say much at all...

WHAT'S INK & SIGIL ABOUT?
Aloysius MacBharrais is a Sigil Agent—one of five on the Earth. They're tasked with preserving the various treaties that supernatural creatures had set up throughout the world to keep the peace and govern the activities of the various pantheons on the mortal plane. They've been equipped with the barest magical tools necessary to get the job done—largely by Brighid of the Tuatha Dé Dannan to make up for the work that her Druid wasn't doing when he was show more hiding for centuries on end.* Thre's more to it, but that'll work for starters.

* See everything that Atticus O'Sullivan was doing before the first of the Iron Druid Chronicles.

Al has horrible luck when it comes to apprentices, they keep falling prey to accidental death. The most recent is Gordie, who died after choking on a raisin scone. Before I get into things, can I say how wonderful it is to have a magic-user—even an apprentice—die by such mundane means (and you have never, I mean ever, come across this many jokes about raisins or scones in your life)? As Al goes to Gordie's house to clean up all traces of his magic tools, he discovers that Gordie's been up to some pretty dark and criminal stuff right under his nose.

This book takes Al and his associates around Scotland and even to the U.S. finding out just what Gordie was into and trying to set it right.

A NEW KIND OF UF
There are outliers, but largely, Urban Fantasy series deal in variations on a theme—I'm not complaining, I'm into most of them. But basically, you've got a wizard (or something like that), a vampire, and/or a werewolf doing a P.I./Private Security/Hunter thing. There are different kinds of magic users, or vampire types, or were-species, but really, that's about it. Lately, some variations have come from using different kinds of protagonists, like whatever Nell Ingram is or...(I had another example when I started this paragraph), but you get the point.

Here our variation comes in the type of mage—he uses sigils, particular designs in particular (and strange) inks which give a temporary effect to the bearer or beholder. Also, Al's an elderly Scot who wears a derby and has an immaculately-styled mustache. He's about as far from the grizzled hero in a leather jacket/trenchcoat as you can get. Outside of supporting characters or Marley Jacobs from A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark, you don't see that (outside of characters who are supernaturally old, but appear young) .

Al's associates aren't standard either, but I'm going to resist using 3-4 paragraphs talking about them. I'm just going to say I enjoyed them all and can't wait to spend more time with them.

IRON DRUID TIE-IN
As indicated above, this takes place in the same universe as The Iron Druid Chronicles, sometime after Scourged and contains references to some of the series' events and characters. Al himself shows up in a short story in Besieged as a minor character.

There's a brief appearance by Atticus and Oberon, and a longer one with Brighid. Both were a lot of fun, and the Atticus one was pretty sweet. I enjoyed seeing Brighid from someone else's point of view. The door is open for more IDC characters to show up, but it's not necessary, which I appreciate.

You do not have to have read the IDC to get into this, and not catching all the allusions/references/cross-overs will not diminish anything for you. It's a spin-off, but isn't dependent on the original.

DID HEARNE REGRET THIS CHOICE?
Al's a Glaswegian and most of the book takes place in and around Glasgow. Hearne made the choice to write all the dialogue (and even Al's first-person narration) in the dialect. Most authors wouldn't have gone this far, and I have to wonder how often Hearne questioned this choice as he wrote—talk about making things hard on yourself. I enjoyed it—and it really helped me "hear" Al and everyone.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT INK & SIGIL?
While the IDC contained more than it's share of laughs (and even The Seven Kennings had amusing moments), this seemed like a better merging of jokes and story. It feels like a natural outgrowth of The Tales of Pell (but not as humor-focused as those). For sheer enjoyment value, this was fantastic.

The story was pretty strong, too. But a lot of space was devoted to introducing us to this particular corner of the world and the cast of characters. I'd like to see what Hearne does with a novel where he doesn't have to do that.

The world is familiar, yet Hearne's doing something new in it. The characters are just not what you're used to seeing in the genre. The plot was great—and speaks clearly to our current situation. And I laughed a lot. There's little to complain about here and a lot to commend. I had a blast and I think most readers will, too. I can't wait for the sequel.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this. show less

An absolute delight. I didn't even remember how I got this book in my kindle. But I had just put aside something else that was kind of dissatisfying, and saw this title and opened it up just to see what it was. It was so engaging from the start that I simply kept reading. It starts with a phonetic representation of Scottish language peculiarities, which is fun, and then jumps into the story.

The characters are believable and lovable. The world building is simple: It's just different enough from our world to require a little initial set up. There's a lot of good and goofy humor, and some kindness from the main character that made me mist up. The story is chewy enough to keep you interested, and has a satisfying ending. (I don't think show more that's a spoiler!) I'm about to go read everything else Kevin Hearne has written, and the stock of my friend who recommended this just went up, like, a LOT. show less

Series Info/Source: I got this as an eGalley from NetGalley for review. This is the first book in the new Ink & Sigil series. This series is set in the same world as the Iron Druid Chronicles but some time after that series.

Story (5/5): I loved the idea of Sigil Agents and enjoyed being introduced to Al MacBharrais’s world. In addition to Al’s fascinating day to day life there is an excellent mystery here that encompasses the strange deaths of many of his apprentices and a curse placed on Al himself. There is also a more contained mystery involving fae trafficking, which Al’s most recently deceased apprentice Gordie was involved in. I love urban fantasies that have a contained mystery/story that is solved in one volume but also show more have an overarching story that carries across multiple volumes.

Characters (5/5): I was a bit skeptical that I would like and engage with an “old-man” character but found myself pleasantly surprised. I loved Al; he is capable and humorous and has a lot of depth as a character. I really enjoyed the hobgoblin he contracted and his bad-ass battle goddess office manager, Nadia. The characters in here are fun and interesting and just a hoot to read about. I loved them all and they were incredibly well done. We also have run-ins with characters from the Iron Druid Chronicles and it was intriguing to see them from a different point of view.

Setting (5/5): I loved the world of the Iron Druid Chronicles so it’s no surprise that I continue to love this world. Here we see this complex world of gods, goddesses, and different realities through a slightly different viewpoint...that of a Sigil Agent. This is an intricate and well thought world that I absolutely love!

Writing Style (5/5): This book is engaging, well-paced, and very easy to read. The writing flows seamlessly and I love how the mystery of Gordie’s fae trafficking is blended seamlessly with the mystery around Al’s curse and his constantly dying apprentices. I always enjoy Hearne’s writing style but feel like this book was even more polished and well written than previous books in his Iron Druid Chronicles.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I ended up absolutely adoring this book. I think I like it even better than the Iron Druid Chronicles so far. I approached this a bit tentatively but I shouldn’t have. I loved the characters, the mystery and the idea behind the sigil agents. This was so much fun and so well put together, I can’t wait to read more books in this series! show less

Aloysius MacBharrais has a problem. Every apprentice he’s taken on to learn his job as a sigil agent — essentially a human who “writes and enforces magical contracts using sigils, which are symbols infused with power that do some remarkable stuff” — has died in one type of accident or another. Seven of them, in fact, the most recent being Gordie, who choked to death on a raisin scone. What makes this latest setback a more serious problem is that it seems Gordie was trafficking Fae creatures like the hobgoblin he had caged in his apartment when he died.

(Let’s pause here to get this out of the way: Different from pure goblins and more mischievous than outright malevolent, hobgoblins were extraordinarily difficult to capture as show more a rule, since they could teleport short distances and were agile creatures as well, with impressive vertical leaps aided by their thick thighs. If you didn’t know, now you know.)

What was Gordie up to? Who was he selling the Fae creatures to, and for what nefarious purpose? It’s up to Al to find out, before the delicate détente between the Fae and humans is broken forever.

That’s the set-up for Kevin Hearne’s highly entertaining fantasy novel. It’s the first in a new series (the next book set to be published in August), but it’s set in the same universe as Hearne’s previous Iron Druid Chronicles series. Sadly, Atticus and his amazing Irish wolfhound Oberon have only a cameo appearance here, but I found the new cast of characters — Al, the Scot who runs a printing company in Glasgow between writing sigils for interactions between humans and Fae; his indispensable assistant Nadia, who has her own secret abilities; even that hobgoblin, a three-foot tall pink creature who goes by the name Buck Foi — a fun bunch to hang out with, and I was fully engaged in how Al would solve the mystery at the book’s heart and set things right.

The pen-and-stationery aficionado in me loves the idea of specially formulated inks imbuing drawn symbols with power. I could use a few Sigils of Agile Grace myself, to be honest. It’s especially pleasing that one doesn’t need to be a magical creature one’s own self to _do_ magic — it can be learned, like any other skill. I hope Al acquires a new, less evil, apprentice in a future book and we get more details of the way sigils work. show less

I owe Hachette Australia a huge thanks for sending me Ink & Sigil. I very rarely make a direct request of publishers but upon learning that Kevin Hearne was authoring a spin-off of one of my favourite urban fantasy series - The Iron Druid Chronicles, I asked on the off chance, and Hachette generously responded with a finished copy.

Ink and Sigil is set in the same universe as The Iron Druid Chronicles, though some time after the events of the final series book, Scourged. Here Hearne introduces us to Aloysius “Al” MacBharrais (pronounced Mac-Vare-Ish), who appeared in a short story in Besieged. A Sigil Agent based in Glasgow, Scotland, he is one of just five worldwide helping to manage and enforce the conduct of all manner of show more otherworldly creatures, spirits and deities who want to visit Earth, with the creation of magical binding contracts. In his early sixties, Al, who is human, maintains a print shop as cover, employing Nadia, a goth battle seer as his manager/accountant/bodyguard/muscle, and a receptionist known to all, except his customers, as Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite. Al’s a fabulous character with a Scottish brogue, a love of fine whiskey, and not one but two curses on his head, one of which requires him to use a text to speech app to communicate, as extended conversation with anyone causes them to form an irrational hatred of him.

The mystery begins when Al’s apprentice, is found dead, having choked on a raisin scone (which Al later finds is not because raisins don’t belong in scones, but because of his second curse). Inside Gordie’s flat, Al discovers a caged hobgoblin and learns that his apprentice has been trafficking fae, a serious breach of the treaty between fae and humans, and making use of Sigils and inks he should not yet know. Determined to put a stop to the trafficking and learn who had been sharing secrets with Gordie, Al takes custody of the hobgoblin, who introduces himself at Buck Foi, and begins an investigation that leads to an ugly conspiracy. I liked the premise of the mystery, but unfortunately I did feel the execution was a bit weak, with not a lot of suspense or intrigue.

Nevertheless, I delighted in almost every other aspect of the novel. Hearne merges the mundane with the magical well so that the story feels grounded in the here and now, helped by a few pop culture references, yet the magic system overlays convincingly. The humour, though occasionally puerile, regularly made me snicker, and the insults are creative. I enjoyed the sprinkling of Scottish brogue and appreciated Hearne’s guide to pronunciation.

Without a doubt I’m looking forward to further adventures with Al, Buck, and Nadia, and answers to the few threads left unfinished in this novel. Funny, fabulous and fantastical, Ink & Sigil is the start of something promising. show less

This story introduces Al MacBharrais who is a sigil agent. Sigil agents use special, magical ink to create sigils which have magical effects. Sigil agents are also the ones who write the contracts that keep beings from the nine magical realms from having free reign on Earth.

Al is an older man who is a grieving widower and who is under a curse. Anyone who hears his voice also begins to hate him. So he uses his phone and computer's speech apps to do his talking for him.

Al also has a problem with his apprentices. When the story begins, he is informed of the death of his seventh apprentice who fell victim to eating a raisin scone. Al has lost all of his apprentices to a series of freak accidents.

As he looks into his apprentices death and show more also goes to the scene to gather up all of his special inks and pens before someone might accidentally use them, he learns that his apprentice wasn't quite what he had thought. In fact it looks like Gordie was trafficking in fae for some unknown purpose. When Al arrives at his apartment, he discovers that Gordie had captured a hob and was planning to sell him. Hiding the hob from the police is not a trivial task even with his magical sigils. D I Munro should have had her memory wiped but she still remembers bits and pieces and finds Al very suspicious.

Al isn't alone in his investigation. His office manager Nadia is also a battle seer and he is friends with a hacker who goes by the name of Saxon Codpiece. The hob who names himself Buck Foi also becomes one of his partners in this enterprise. Together they find themselves looking into suspicious government agencies and evil scientists as they try to stop the trafficking in fae.

The story is filled with humor but also includes a number of more serious issues like human trafficking. I enjoyed Al's character with his cursed loneliness and grief, well-tended mustache, love of designer gin, and determination to do the right thing even though he isn't totally against stealing already stolen money. show less

*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for a honest and unbiased review*


First of all, let me just say that you don't have to be well versed in the Iron Druid Chronicles series to be able to enjoy Ink & Sigil. Does it help? Yes, nit while it takes place in the same world it can be read as a standalone. It's been a long time since I have read a book where the protagonist is a senior citizen, which is also true about fantasy reads.

Al, was an absolute sweetheart. He's been through so much, that it's a little heartbreaking, but also makes him think through his choices rather than let his emotions guide him. I also particularly enjoyed those around him and with names like Saxon Codpiece, Buck Foi, and Gladys who show more has seen some shite, who wouldn't? Nadia was my favorite by far and while she doesn't have too much of an interesting name, she still kicks major ass and takes names.

I've always enjoyed Hearne's writing in the Iron Druid books and I did like it but in Ink & Sigil I found the pacing a little slow. Also, everything with D.I. Munro seemed a little unnecessary, like it was only there to show off what Al can do. If this is a standalone it was great, but if it eventually becomes a series I wouldn't mind as I would love to see more of Al and his merry band of misfits.

Overall, If you enjoy fae Urban Fantasy this is for you. show less