Narrated by Cornell Collins
Last year, when K.J. Charles announced that many of her backlist titles were going to appear in audio format, I may just have jumped for joy. I’ve listened to and reviewed almost all of those titles now and had been anxiously awaiting the release of her A Charm of Magpies series which, luckily for listeners, was released in one fell swoop at the end of January. There are three books in the main series – The Magpie Lord, A Case of Possession and Flight of Magpies as well as two books that are set in the same universe, Rag and Bone and Jackdaw, AND the audios also include the short stories that come between the Magpies books, which was a lovely surprise. (Now all we need are the audios of The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh and the short stories from the Society of Gentlemen series, and I’ll be an extremely happy bunny!)
Lucien Vaudrey, Lord Crane, has recently returned to England from China, where he’s lived for the past twenty years. Exiled by his cruel, dissolute father, with nothing more than the clothes on his back and a manservant – Merrick, to whom the old Lord Crane made it clear he’d be happy if his son were to disappear overboard on the way – Lucien survived the voyage, and endured horror and privation as he struggled to survive. Twenty years on, Lucien has made his fortune as a trader, and even though he is now Earl Crane – following the deaths of his father and brother, both of whom were hated and reviled in the village near the Crane country estate of Piper – he doesn’t intend to stay in England, having come home only to assume the title and sign paperwork before heading back to Shanghai.
In one of the most unusual opening scenes I’ve come across, we first meet Lucien in the midst of a suicide attempt at his London home:
The shame and self-loathing too deep for repentance, too deep for words. Too deep for anything by the knife and the red flow and the longed for emptiness of the end…
After being saved by the faithful Merrick, it quickly emerges that this isn’t the first time Lucien has attempted to kill himself in recent weeks, and that he has no idea as to why he would do such a thing. But Merrick has had enough and points out that if they were back in Shanghai, Lucien would have sought help straight away from the local shaman. This being London, however, means finding someone who can do what’s needed will be more difficult – although not impossible.
Stephen Day is a Practitioner, someone who can wield powerful magic and whose job is to make sure that other Practitioners do no harm to the general, non-magical populous, and to track down and bring to justice those who do. He is sent to Crane by a mutual acquaintance and is prepared (albeit grudgingly) to help, even after Stephen discovers that this Vaudrey is indeed the son of the man responsible for his own father’s ruin and subsequent death.
It doesn’t take Stephen long to work out that Lucien is under the influence of a Judas Jack, an item imbued with powerful magic that is specifically made to murder the chosen victim(s), or that the same item was what drove his father and brother to their deaths. Once it’s destroyed, both Lucien and Stephen have to ask themselves who made it and why? Lucien’s father and brother were widely feared and disliked – but who would have the power to make something like the Judas Jack – and why target them specifically? The villagers are tight-lipped and suspicious of the new Vaudrey in their midst; and when there are further attempts on Lucien’s life it becomes apparent that a far more sinister plot is afoot, one set in motion by a dangerous group of warlocks who are prepared to stop at nothing to get what they want.
K.J. Charles has crafted an original mix of historical fantasy blended with romance, humour and a touch of English folklore about the significance of the Magpie – a bird often seen as the harbinger of bad luck but which is, in some parts of China, considered sacred. She crams a lot of plot, character development, backstory and mythological elements into a fairly short page count, but it’s done so skilfully that it’s easy to just go along for the ride; the whole thing is fantastic entertainment from start to finish, and what’s more, it’s often extremely funny:
“Are you going to tell me there’s a beautiful princess sleeping in the tower room?”
“That wouldn’t be my first guess.” Stephen pushed his hands through his too-short hair. “Have you seen the mummies at the British Museum?”
“The Egyptian ones? No, not yet. But they have a similar thing in China.”
“Did you ever imagine if they started moving? Withered hands reaching towards you and sunken eyes staring?”
“I didn’t, but now I know what I’ll be dreaming about tonight.”
The characterisation of the two principals is simply perfect (and Merrick is awesome) and the author does a brilliant job of achieving balance in what at first seems a very unequal relationship between the tall, suave and impeccably turned-out aristocrat and the shabbily dressed, diminutive practitioner:
“I’m twice your size.”
“Yes, and I’m a Practitioner, and you have no concept of what I can do.”
But it’s not just a case of Stephen’s being able to use magic to defend himself, he has an inner dignity and self-confidence that leaps off the page, and his ability to stand his ground and to keep Lucien grounded that make them a perfect match.
I had thought I’d be listening to a new-to-me-narrator in Cornell Collins, but once again – and to my delight – I quickly discovered that Cornell Collins is a pseudonym and I was actually listening to a very experienced narrator whom I’ve enjoyed listening to on numerous occasions. This is a polished, technically accomplished and highly enjoyable performance in every respect; Mr. Collins’ pacing is spot on, his diction is clear, his differentiation is excellent, and his interpretation of the principals is simply perfect. Lucien is every bit the sophisticated aristocrat, with his cut-glass accent and the slightest hint of a drawl that conceals a sharp mind and a wicked sense of humour, while Stephen gives every bit as good as he gets in the deadpan stakes, his less posh, slightly higher-pitched tones expertly capturing the somewhat world-weary but nonetheless dangerous man to whom Lucien is inexorably drawn. All the secondary characters are distinctly and appropriately portrayed; the warlocks have an audible sneer in their voices, Lady Thwaite is clearly channelling Edith Evans (!) and Merrick – gruff, no-nonsense Merrick – very nearly steals every scene in which he appears.
With all that said, it’ll come as no surprise when I say I’m recommending The Magpie Lord very strongly. It’s sharp, witty, spooky and sexy, the narration is wonderful, and I can’t wait to get stuck into book two.
Caz
Buy The Magpie Lord by K. J. Charles on Amazon
