I’m not very familiar with contemporary fantasy, having only read (and loved) The Lord of the Rings and some Stephen Lawhead works. However, I taught Ms. Schwab precalculus years ago, and she was a wonderful student. She even gave me a copy of William Blake’s collected poems when she graduated. I asked my daughter what would be a good V. E. Schwab book to read, and she recommended A Darker Shade of Magic which is the first of a trilogy of fantasy novels.
A Darker Shade of Magic is a very engaging book with a fascinating premise: there are four different “Londons” that exist in four different worlds, and only a few persons are able to travel between them. They are called Antari, and the main character, Kell, is one of them. In addition to his gift of interdimensional travel, he has one blue eye and one that is entirely jet black. The one black eye is the distinguishing physical characteristic of all Antari.
The four Londons are Red – Kell’s world, which is suffused with magical power; even the Thames river (called the Isle on this world) is crimson; White – ruled by the sadistic and powerful Athos and Astrid Dane who use magic in forbidden ways to control people; Grey – our mundane world with no magic (at least none that we know of); and Black – a ruined world that has been forever closed off due to its succumbing entirely to the dark aspects of magic. As Kell explains, “The people fed on the magic and the magic fed on them until it ate their bodies and their minds and then their souls.”
Kell uses his ability to pass through virtual doorways from one world to another to deliver messages to the respective rulers. The novel is set in the late eighteenth century – in an early chapter he visits the insane George III. He is the adopted son of the king and queen of the Red London, and their natural son, Rhy, is like a true brother to him.
The other primary character is Lila Bard, a nineteen-year-old pickpocket and vagabond who lives in Grey London. Hers and Kell’s paths cross, and they end up being reluctant allies in a desperate quest to return a relic from Black London that has the potential to destroy the delicate balance between the Londons and bring destruction to the universe. In that respect, the story owes a lot to The Lord of the Rings.
Each London has the same “bones”, but they are all very different in all other ways. One of the few constants – besides the river that runs through them – is a tavern that is located in the same spot in each of the three worlds. Kell keeps a hidden room in each one. On a side note, in his Grey London room Kell keeps a worn and treasured copy of Blake’s poetry!
Schwab does a wonderful job of making the characters of Kell and Lila real – there is a lot of mistrust between them initially, and even by the end of the novel they aren’t completely comfortable with each other. I love Schwab’s willingness to spend time fleshing out incidental characters. For example, Barron is a large man who runs Grey London’s aforementioned tavern, and he lends Lila room and board when she needs it most. She resents his charity, but he continues to keep an eye out for her and give her good advice. Calla is a woman who runs a clothing and jewelry booth in Red London, and even though she only appears briefly, I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of her. And there is Tieren, the mentor who taught and trained Kell. He is only around for a few pages, but it’s clear he perceives much about Lila that is hidden.
The villains are truly evil – White London’s brother and sister duo of Athos and Astrid make the reader’s skin crawl with their casual cruelty. They have enslaved another Antari named Holland who is Kell’s nemesis. He is an interesting character; we’re never sure how much his evil actions are compelled by the Danes or natural to him.
Schwab is an excellent storyteller – I zipped through the 300 pages of A Darker Shade of Magic in no time, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy: A Gathering of Shadows, and The Conjuring of Light. If you’re looking for something entertaining to escape into, A Darker Shade of Magic is a great choice.
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