A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians: The Shadow Histories, Book One

by H. G. Parry

Paperback, 2020

Status

Available

Call number

823.92

Publication

Orbit (2020), 560 pages

Description

A sweeping tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a genre-defying story of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom in the early modern world. It is the Age of Enlightenment -- of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France, to the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas. But amidst all of the upheaval of the early modern world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilization into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to darkness and chaos. For more from H. G. Parry, check out The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep.… (more)

Media reviews

Kirkus Reivews

An impressive beginning to what looks to be an ambitious series.

User reviews

LibraryThing member BethYacoub

Well, this one was a tough one to rate. I had trouble getting into this book so I read it in spurts. Chunk reading is great if you find the material interesting but when you're struggling to stay awake, it's hard to retain the details.

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians felt like it could be

a few books that were squished together to approximate the shape of a cohesive story. One "book" was about the aspects of Revolution and the subsequent difficulties regarding drafting and implementing a Constitution (including Magical rights and Slavery Trade rights) in differing countries. The second "book" was about the abolition of Slavery and all the barbaric, abhorant (physical and magical) practices that go hand in hand with that Trade. The third "book" was about the actual Magic. Who should have the rights to use it especially with social class distinctions? What was said magic allowed to be used for? AND, this third aspect of the book followed the Dark magic (shadow Magic and Necromancy). Who was orchestrating the creation of the malevolent shadows and to what end? All three "books" felt like they were barely tethered together and the result was a book that didn't quite know what it wants to be when it grows up. The technical aspects were all there. The writing was done well. The World Developement was rich and the Characters were likeable. I would have liked it more if the characters were more dimensional and if the different storylines gelled better.

Overall:

This Alt-Historical Fantasy felt period appropriate. The wording and ambience did manage to give off Revolutionary hues. You could feel the desperation, the repression, the injustice, the grit and the will to fight for better/ freer lives.

The premise was extremely promising but the product fell short for me. BUT if bland (too harsh?!?) Revolutionary, Alt- History, Magical Realism is your thing then you might want to give this one a go. I thought it would be a nice change from the pure Fantasy I have been submerged in lately but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

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LibraryThing member beserene

Fans of slow historical narratives, like PBS Masterpiece series or HBO's The Gilded Age, will revel in the measured pace and intensive detail of this interesting fantasy, which takes the events of the French Revolution and situates them in the context of a Europe in which magic not only exists, but

is wielded unequally. Familiar characters of history, including Robespierre and his compatriots on the French side and Williams Pitt and Wilberforce (who are the main characters, with the other perspectives coming slightly less frequently) on the British side advocate for magical freedoms alongside other civil rights and the walls of Parliament and the streets of Paris sing, literally and figuratively and magically, with the words of their inspirational declarations.

Those who are not fans of Parliamentary process or inspirational speeches, however, may grow impatient here. I found the level of detail delicious, but could see where others might find it tedious. The prose occasionally wobbles, though it does strengthen in other places. My biggest issue, and the loss of a star as a result, is that, as the novel weaves in a third perspective -- that of an enslaved woman in the Caribbean, fighting for her own freedom and that of others -- it sometimes reads as less meticulous and a bit more stereotypical than the white characters. I understand the context of this difference -- clearly, the author has access to considerably more resources on the Euro-centric parts of this historical moment -- but I hope that the characterization of the Black and POC figures in this story becomes more well-rounded as the duology continues.

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LibraryThing member Unreachableshelf

I've read a lot of books about the French Revolution and am generally more sympathetic to the revolution than not, but this was the first book that ever made me feel sorry for Robespierre.

LibraryThing member JBD1

Hits and misses in this one. Some really fascinating alternative history world-building, but also spots that slog rather a lot, and a few characters that felt quite one-note. I will read the second one, though, since I want to see where the author's going.

LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan

This was a DNF. I started this as an audiobook three different times, and each listen only lasted an hour and a half to two hours into a 20 hour story. The main reason that I DNFed this book is that every time I started this book I couldn’t remember anything I had already listened to. This is

because so much of this book is telling not showing. At least in the beginning there is so much set up for who the characters are what they’re doing, etc. It’s almost never ending. Even now, though I have listened to those first two hours multiple times I still cannot tell you anything that happened. I’m not saying this book was bad I’m just saying it wasn’t for me as an audiobook.

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