This book has been pretty highly anticipated on /r/Fantasy, both because the Books of Babel are well regarded and because Josiah is our Local Boy Made Good. Happy to report that this book was delightful.
This book stars a husband-and-wife team of investigators, Warren and Isolde Wilby. Isolde is a Hexologist, able to cast minor magics, but their success has more to do with their skill as researchers & investigators than anything else.
Tonally, there’s a lot in this that reminded me of the Books of Babel. No matter how dark they got, there was always a lot of whimsy in Babel, and that comes through even more strongly here. But there are two things that make this book very different. The first, and in my opinion more important one, is the protagonists are very different from Thomas Senlin. They’re not on any kind of journey of self-discovery; they’re both mature professionals, confident in their abilities. And they are very, very much in love. War and Iz are a perfect team, and play off each other perfectly.
The other difference: this is essentially standalone. It’s kicking off a new series, but if there’s never a sequel, we won’t be left with half a story.
As one would expect for a book where the lead characters are a husband-and-wife team of investigators, this is a mystery story. The ailing king (the world has a distinct Victorian England feel to it) has received a letter purporting to be from an illegitimate and previously unknown offspring; the Wilby’s have been tasked by the Crown to investigate this claim, with the utmost discretion. Naturally things get more complicated, and quickly.
Probably my favorite part of this, besides the relationship between Warren and Isolde, is the fact that they are lightweights. Iz’s Hexology is the least regarded of the magical disciplines, and the least powerful. Against a wizard or a necromancer or an alchemist, she is nigh helpless. Or would be, if not for cleverness and stubbornness.
One last point that tells you a great deal about this book: Iz’s full name is Isolde Ann Always Wilby. (Say it out loud using the “Iz” nickname if you don’t get it.) And another thing she received from her father: a tattered old carpet bag that leads to a vast storeroom of all the assorted magical artifacts he collected over the course of his career. This item is known as the Portalmanteau. And it is worth knowing that Iz is one of those people who claims to hate puns (no one actually does).
Anyway, this book is delightful, and I’m looking forward to the next volume of their adventures.