Sorcerer to the Crown
The Sorcerer to the Crown series, Book 1
Zen Cho
Ace
Fiction, Fantasy/Humor
Themes: Alternate Earths, Diversity, Dragons, Faeries, Familiars, Ghosts, Girl Power, Magic Workers, Retro Tales, Urban Tales, Vampires
***+
Description
For centuries, the thaumaturges of England's prestigious Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers have defended the land against rival sorcerers and
unnatural attacks. In recent times, though, the flow of magic from the Fairy realm has slowed to a trickle; no familiar has even passed the border for
decades. With the country once more on the brink of war, it will take a truly great Sorcerer to the Crown to keep the Society's weaknesses hidden and
answer the government's needs. But, much to the shock and scandal of most of the Society, the staff chose a most unsuitable candidate: dark-skinned
young Zacharias Wythe, ward and apprentice of the late Royal Sorcerer Sir Stephen - whom the boy probably killed himself to get the position.
Zacharias never wanted to be the most powerful sorcerer in England. He was much happier taking notes and pursuing magical theory in a quiet study. But
when Sir Stephen died, he was obligated to take up the staff - and the staff, once it has chosen a master, does not choose another save on death. The
mages of the Society never agreed with Stephen's eccentric ways in teaching magic to a mere African boy, inherent talent meaning nothing beside the
color of his skin. It's only a matter of time before the others organize a coup to oust him - but, in the meantime, he has a duty to England and to
magic itself, to figure out why the Fairy Queen stopped magic from flowing to England. His efforts to uncover the truth are complicated by a foreign
witch, a persistent assassin, and a singularly stubborn, and singularly talented, half-caste young woman, Prunella Gentleman.
Review
This book left me with mixed feelings, as reflected by the rating. On the one hand, I can see why people praise this book. Cho does an excellent job
emulating the style of elder-day English novels, the dialog and class divisions and text that both understates and over-embellishes the narrative,
particularly when characters dance around that ultimate Taboo of upper-class English culture: personal feelings. There are some very nice ideas and
images, and the whole makes for a style both unique and familiar. On the other hand, some of what aggravates me in those elder-day novels was also
faithfully replicated, and even magnified for comic effect. The upper class in particular was exceptionally sexist, racist, and xenophobic in those
days, wallowing in their own manufactured superiority and refusing to see a reality in which they might be wrong about anything. After a while, it went
beyond atmosphere to tooth-grindingly overbearing, especially given characters that tend to be thin caricatures at best; even the leads sometimes feel
hollowed out to become mouthpieces for the attitudes of their day... again and again and - yes, in case the reader didn't get it the last ten or
fifteen times - yet again. Zacharias and Prunella also lost IQ points at some critical junctures to accommodate the need to reiterate the prejudices of
the day and how they were not immune to them, despite being so directly targeted by nature of their very existence. This is why it ultimately took so
long to read the book: I kept putting it down and finding myself reluctant to pick it back up.
There are some fun moments and some nice moments and some moments very much worth reading. The world and story could easily support a series, which
seems to be what Cho has in mind (though it was a standalone when I bought it.) The whole, unfortunately, just wasn't my cup of cocoa. And perhaps that,
right there, is part of why this book didn't click for me: I'm ultimately too American to even like tea.