The Scar-Crow Men: Swords of Albion, Book 2 | |||||||||
Mark Chadbourn | |||||||||
Bantam Press, 490 pages | |||||||||
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A review by Nathan Brazil
Launceston pulled the knife from his arm and threw it. The blade spun, glinting in the
candlelight, until it rammed into the paneling, singing for a moment before falling still.
'I have no soul,' the Earl said.'
More assured, and in some ways less hectic than the first book, The Scar-Crow Men expands the alternate history
that the author has imagineered. As always with Mark Chadbourn, there is no shortage of shit-streaked realism
and precision penmanship. This time around, Will Swyfte is also more likeable, in the main due to subtle
adjustments which allow his humanity to shine through. It is a welcome enhancement, and one that gives readers
reason to care more for the character. Also making a return are Swyfte's support network, the spies Launceston
and Carpenter, his assistant Nat, and token love interest, Grace. Featured in noteworthy supporting roles are
the Queen's Magician Doctor Dee, and an Irishwoman sometimes know as Red Meg, who proves to be an equal to Will
Swyfte in all ways. Including as a potential romantic match, albeit in a relationship that will never run
smoothly. Red Meg, and her agenda, provides a means to really open up the story into new, wild territories.
Happily, Meg's presence also helps to phase out Grace, who although less annoying than in the first book, still
feels more of an obstacle than an attribute. One other newcomer which I must mention, is a murderous inmate
of Bedlam asylum named Griffin Devereux. A complex, multi-layered character, Devereux is someone I hope will
feature again as the long game unfolds. This time around the Fey characters are a little more deeply drawn,
and as a result convey a better sense of creeping menace.
In particular Fabian of the High Family, who is conducting gruesome experiments to break and remake humans
into a form that is of more use to the Unseelie Court. The author also introduces another new element in the
form of am organisation named the School of Night. This is a group composed of powerful and influential people
who work clandestinely against England's true enemy, beyond and outside of the splintered authority of the
English government. Whether the School of Night are destined to become more of a threat to freedom than the
inhuman creatures that they oppose, remains to be seen.
With thrills and spills aplenty, The Scar-Crow Men is a solid continuation of Chadbourn's current
sequence. The inter-meshing of the wider themes with the central character's very personal quest to bring
the killers of his friend to justice never grates, and its resolution while a tad predictable still
satisfies. Just about the only thing I could find to detract from an otherwise exemplary effort, was the
speed with which a magical kill switch was obtained, understood, and used in the latter part of the
book. This minor gripe aside, I found myself entranced, and my enthusiasm to find out what comes next
remains undiminished.
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