Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan

Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan is a standalone book set in the world of The Memoirs of Lady Trent (A Natural History of Dragons and sequels). Rather than taking a naturalist view of dragons, like the earlier books, this one focusses on a significant translation of the Draconian language. I said it stands alone, but it does rather contain a spoiler for Within the Sanctuary of Wings, the fifth and final of the Memoirs of Lady Trent. So beware if you haven't read that book and want to remain unspoiled. Similarly, do not continue reading this review if you don't want to be spoiled for the end of the Memoirs of Lady Trent.

As the renowned granddaughter of Isabella Camherst (Lady Trent, of the riveting and daring Draconic adventure memoirs) Audrey Camherst has always known she, too, would want to make her scholarly mark upon a chosen field of study.

When Lord Gleinheigh recruits Audrey to decipher a series of ancient tablets holding the secrets of the ancient Draconean civilization, she has no idea that her research will plunge her into an intricate conspiracy, one meant to incite rebellion and invoke war. Alongside dearest childhood friend and fellow archeologist Kudshayn, must find proof of the conspiracy before it’s too late.

TURNING DARKNESS INTO LIGHT is a delightful fantasy of manners, the heir to the award-winning Natural History of Dragons series, a perfect stepping stone into an alternate Victorian-esque fantasy landscape.

This novel is told through a collection of diary entries, letters, and the translation in progress. Most of the narrative comes from Audrey's diary entries, with various letters, musings from Kudshayn's diary-like entries (but with more formality in mind on his part), and discussions in the footnotes of the translation flesh out the rest of the story. This does come with limitations, such that if something dramatic didn't happen to Audrey we didn't necessarily hear about it. That said, most of the dramatic moments did happen to Audrey and she was in a position to write about them afterwards, but that made some of the other media a bit lacklustre. For example, the first few religion-oriented musings from Kudshayn's journal were kind of dull to me, but I found his insights more interesting as we got closer to the end of the book. This style I think makes this book just slightly less compelling than the original Memoirs of Lady Trent series, because, while those books were written pseudo-autobiographically, they were written by the protagonist long after the events recounted in them. That makes them inherently feel a bit more coherent, while Turning Darkness Into Light is written in a much more immediate style, without any snarky comments added by an older protagonist looking back on her younger self. Putting it that way, perhaps it is just a matter of taste. And I want to stress that I still definitely enjoyed Turning Darkness Into Light and found myself hooked on the story. Even though a story about translating ancient tablets might sound boring, there were a lot of intriguing hooks to keep me interesting.

One does not need to have read the Memoirs of Lady Trent to enjoy Turning Darkness Into Light, but I think the reading experience is enhanced by greater familiarity with the world. Audrey, the protagonist, is the granddaughter of Lady Trent, and various members of her illustrious family make minor appearances in this book. I expect some of those references would be quite meaningless to readers unfamiliar with the earlier books, although the overarching story would still work.

I enjoyed Turning Darkness Into Light and I'm hoping there will be more books about Audrey or at least more books set in this world. I think there's plenty left to explore, even if this particular story was well-contained in this book. I recommend this book to fans of the Memoirs of Lady Trent (of course) and anyone interested by the topic of translation of a dead language in a fantasy world containing dragons.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: August 2019, Tor Books
Series: Stands alone, but same world as The Memoirs of Lady Trent
Format read: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan

Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan is the fifth and final volume in the Memoirs of Lady Trent series. It is a marvellous conclusion to that series and I highly recommend readers that began the series persist until its conclusion. I picked this book up as soon as I finished the fourth instalment, In the Labyrinth of Drakes, and I devoured it in a day. This review contains minor spoilers for the earlier books in the series.

After nearly five decades (and, indeed, the same number of volumes), one might think they were well-acquainted with the Lady Isabella Trent--dragon naturalist, scandalous explorer, and perhaps as infamous for her company and feats of daring as she is famous for her discoveries and additions to the scientific field.

And yet--after her initial adventure in the mountains of Vystrana, and her exploits in the depths of war-torn Eriga, to the high seas aboard The Basilisk, and then to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia--the Lady Trent has captivated hearts along with fierce minds. This concluding volume will finally reveal the truths behind her most notorious adventure--scaling the tallest peak in the world, buried behind the territory of Scirland's enemies--and what she discovered there, within the Sanctuary of Wings.

What was really interesting, and clear from the beginning of this book, is that this series does not only tell the story of Isabella's life and dragon studies. It also tells the story of how the world changed over the course of her life and how she was a catalyst for a surprising amount of that change. From Isabella and friends' accidental discovery of dragon bone preservation in the first book, the world has come a long way to airships made of that substance. Not to mention the other events on the world stage that were set in motion from that discovery and the theft thereof. These events more than the elder memoirist's reminiscences of the state of the world at that time (in between the main events) highlights just how much the world — and Isabella herself, who is now 40 or so — has changed.

Within the Sanctuary of Wings starts similarly to the other books in the series, with Isabella presented with a draconic lure and planning a trip to the other side of the world. The story appears to progress along a similar template to her other adventures, this time as they travel to the not-Himalayas, but the usual progression of things is turned upside down earlier than expected. I have no intention of spoiling this book, but the discoveries made in this one are of world-shaking significance and, quite frankly, I am impressed that memoirist Isabella didn't even hint at them in the earlier books. Especially since she's writing from a future where the knowledge she has discovered has become commonplace. I applaud Brennan for resisting the urge to drop any hints earlier (or if she did, I didn't notice them until Isabella of the story did).

Overall, this was an excellent conclusion to a delightful series. I would not be surprised if I ended up rereading it in a few years and it will certainly go down as one of my favourite series. The combination of worldbuilding, the narrator's voice, and the very scientific way in which dragons were studied was the perfect combination for me. I feel like there should be a subgenre describing this kind of science-minded fantasy, but alas "science fantasy" conjures up magic in space rather than dragon scientists.

Within the Sanctuary of Wings was a brilliant read and I highly recommend it to anyone who has read the preceding books in the series. I said in my last review that these books are fairly self-contained. While that is more or less true, I definitely do not recommend reading Within the Sanctuary of Wings without having read the earlier four volumes. The marvel of it depends a lot upon knowledge of the previous books and would be significantly lessened without that buildup. Read it, but read the prequels first, starting with A Natural History of Dragons.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2017, Tor Books
Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent book 5 of 5
Format read: ePub
Source: Purchased from iBooks/Apple Books

In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan

In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan is the third book in the five-book Memoirs of Lady Trent series. I have previously reviewed all the earlier books in the series: A Natural History of Dragons, The Tropic of Serpents, and Voyage of the Basilisk. This is a series I've been enjoying a lot and this fourth instalment does not deviate from that trend.

The thrilling new book in the acclaimed fantasy series from Marie Brennan, as the glamorous Lady Trent takes her adventurous explorations to the deserts of Akhia.

Even those who take no interest in the field of dragon naturalism have heard of Lady Trent's expedition to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia. Her discoveries there are the stuff of romantic legend, catapulting her from scholarly obscurity to worldwide fame. The details of her personal life during that time are hardly less private, having provided fodder for gossips in several countries.

As is so often the case in the career of this illustrious woman, the public story is far from complete. In this, the fourth volume of her memoirs, Lady Trent relates how she acquired her position with the Royal Scirling Army; how foreign saboteurs imperilled both her work and her well-being; and how her determined pursuit of knowledge took her into the deepest reaches of the Labyrinth of Drakes, where the chance action of a dragon set the stage for her greatest achievement yet.

I imagine it will come as no surprise to readers of this blog when I say that I found this book quite delightful, as I have the earlier instalments. This book sees Isabella and Tom sent off to Akhia to help the Scirling Army develop a dragon breeding programme. Isabella's brother, who joined the army at some point, features quite a lot in this one, and it was nice to get to know him better after having only met him in their youth in the first book (also, his presence turned out to be very convenient for several plot reasons). Since the book is set mostly Akhia, the homeland of a certain character we met in the previous book, I was suspicious of every Akhian we met, waiting for him to inevitably show up. Your mileage may vary.

One of the things I've liked most about this series is the very scientific approach to the study of dragons. I think I commented in one of my earlier reviews that they're showing a very 19th century approach to science too. The studies in this one follow the scientific method rather more rigorously than the previous books. Isabella and Tom aren't wandering around in the wilderness hoping to encounter dragons, but rather have a supply (more or less) of dragons that they are trying to study. I found it made quite compelling reading — and don't worry, there are still ill-advised jaunts out into the desert to observe dragons in their natural habitat.

I highly recommend this book to readers who have enjoyed the previous books. If the idea of scientific studies of dragons interests you, definitely give these books a go. While I wouldn't go so far as to say these books stand alone, their are more self-contained than other series often are and probably could be read out of order. That's not to say that I recommend doing so, since the story progresses quite nicely in chronological order, building on earlier events and discoveries. I intend to read the next book immediately, and only paused between books to write this review.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2016, Tor Books
Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent book 4 of 5
Format read: ePub
Source: Purchased on iBooks

#ReadShortStories and poems that are more varied (121-125)

This batch represents the end of Uncanny Issue Twenty-One, a short detour and the start of a new anthology: Mother of Invention edited by Rivqa Rafael and Tansy Rayner Roberts. I was a Kickstarter backer of Mother of Invention and I see it's full of authors that I like (starting with Seanan McGuire as you'll see below) so that should be a good read. Stay tuned for more.

Old Habits by Nalo Hopkinson — Ghosts living in a mall and replaying their deaths daily. Not a cheerful read, but I enjoyed it overall. Source: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/old-habits/

Swallow by Hal Y. Zhang — Kind of a weird poem. Clearly I struggle with reviewing the more abstract ones. About fish and reincarnation maybe? Source: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/swallow/

A View from Inside the Refrigerator by Andrea Tang — I had to read this one twice to take it in properly, the second time after having reminded myself of the title, which explains it well. The poem of a fridged woman, the hero’s motive. A concept I can always get behind the dissection of. Source: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/view-inside-refrigerator/

From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review (A Lady Trent Story) by Marie Brennan — An epistolary story told through letters to the editor. More specifically, we see a dispute play out between Isabella, the protagonist of the Memoirs of Lady Trent series, and another naturalist. I found it very amusing, but I’m not sure that it stands well outside of the context of the series, but it slots in quite nicely after the third book, Voyage if the Basilisk (with only the most minor spoilers for that book). Source: https://www.tor.com/2016/04/05/from-the-editorial-page-of-the-falchester-weekly-review-a-lady-trent-story/

Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me? by Seanan McGuire — A story about an AI child learning through games and growing up. I enjoyed it, although it wasn’t what I expected (from the title and author I expected something creepier). I liked how many different ideas it explored, and also the ending. Source: Mother of Invention edited by Rivqa Rafael and Tansy Rayner Roberts

Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan

Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan is the third book in the Memoirs of Lady Trent series. I have previously read, reviewed and enjoyed the first two books: A Natural History of Dragons and The Tropic of Serpents. I have been enjoying the series so much that I have, so far, read the books in quick succession and, if anything, I enjoyed this third volume even more.

Devoted readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoirs, A Natural History of Dragons and The Tropic of Serpents, may believe themselves already acquainted with the particulars of her historic voyage aboard the Royal Survey Ship Basilisk, but the true story of that illuminating, harrowing, and scandalous journey has never been revealed—until now. Six years after her perilous exploits in Eriga, Isabella embarks on her most ambitious expedition yet: a two-year trip around the world to study all manner of dragons in every place they might be found. From feathered serpents sunning themselves in the ruins of a fallen civilization to the mighty sea serpents of the tropics, these creatures are a source of both endless fascination and frequent peril. Accompanying her is not only her young son, Jake, but a chivalrous foreign archaeologist whose interests converge with Isabella’s in ways both professional and personal.

Science is, of course, the primary objective of the voyage, but Isabella’s life is rarely so simple. She must cope with storms, shipwrecks, intrigue, and warfare, even as she makes a discovery that offers a revolutionary new insight into the ancient history of dragons

This time we follow Isabella and friends as she makes a trip around the world to study dragons in diverse locales. The premise of this one grabbed me right from when Isabella suggested the journey at the end of the second book and the journey itself didn't disappoint. The expedition team visits a few new countries, studies many dragons and makes some exciting discoveries. (If you're wondering how a journey around the world fit into a single volume of this not overly doorstopper series, the answer is by skipping many of the parts in which nothing except science happened.)

I particularly liked the world building in this book. Brennan's world building isn't exactly new, since we've already seen other part of the world in the first two books, but she continues to handle the development of the secondary world well. There are still clear parallels with our world, but the map isn't just a renamed version of Earth and hence some different geopolitical situations play out across it.

As well as enjoying the characters, many of whom are new and most of whom I hope we'll meet again, I want to note something character related that Brennan has done a good job with. A lot of people try to excuse not dealing with QUILTBAG issues in historical fiction because these are perceived to be modern concerns. Brennan does a good job of bringing some of them into the narrative in quite natural ways without at all altering the Regency/Victorian feel of her books. That said, they are very minor aspects of the narrative as a whole, but I still like how these things were handled in this book and the previous volume (and I'm not being more specific because spoilers).

I enjoyed a lot about this book and I am very keen to read the next one in the series. As has been happening with all the book in the Memoirs of Lady Trent, new information about dragons has been revealed and the promise of further adventures awaits. And I really want to see what happens with one of the newly introduced characters, who must at least be mentioned in future books from the hints we got.

As you have probably gathered, I am very keen to read the next book in the series, In the Labyrinth of Drakes. I will be doing so as soon as I can. In the meantime, I highly recommend Voyage of the Basilisk to fans of the series who have enjoyed the previous books. I think this instalment is even more enjoyable than the first two, so let that guide you if you are wavering.

5 / 5 stars

First published: 2015, Tor Books
Series: Memoirs of Lady Trent book 3 of 5
Format read: ePub
Source: Purchased on iBooks

The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan

The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan is the second book in the Memoirs of Lady Trent series, sequel to A Natural History of Dragons, which I read very recently. In fact, I enjoyed A Natural History of Dragons so much I started reading The Tropic of Serpents as as soon as I finished the first book. In case you're wondering, I also enjoyed The Tropic of Serpents enough to grab the third book, Voyage of the Basilisk, as soon as I had finished.

Attentive readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoir, A Natural History of Dragons, are already familiar with how a bookish and determined young woman named Isabella first set out on the historic course that would one day lead her to becoming the world’s premier dragon naturalist. Now, in this remarkably candid second volume, Lady Trent looks back at the next stage of her illustrious (and occasionally scandalous) career.

Three years after her fateful journeys through the forbidding mountains of Vystrana, Mrs. Camherst defies family and convention to embark on an expedition to the war-torn continent of Eriga, home of such exotic draconian species as the grass-dwelling snakes of the savannah, arboreal tree snakes, and, most elusive of all, the legendary swamp-wyrms of the tropics.

The expedition is not an easy one. Accompanied by both an old associate and a runaway heiress, Isabella must brave oppressive heat, merciless fevers, palace intrigues, gossip, and other hazards in order to satisfy her boundless fascination with all things draconian, even if it means venturing deep into the forbidden jungle known as the Green Hell . . . where her courage, resourcefulness, and scientific curiosity will be tested as never before.

I was slightly surprised that The Tropic of Serpents started a couple of years after A Natural History of Dragons left off, but it makes sense given the structure of the narrative. It's more that A Natural History of Dragons ended on a life-changing note that I expected to be picked up straight-away in The Tropic of Serpents. But of course, these books are about Isabella's travels and studies of dragons, so it makes sense that it picks up the story just before her next trip. We get the important points from the intervening time filled in and get maximal dragon-centric story.

I say maximal dragons but I did find this one a little slow at times, especially near the start. It got very interesting in the middle and the end — and a lot of the political discussion near the start was essential for the end to make sense — but I found myself quite able to put the book down during the opening sections. On the other hand, I should stress I was never bored with it and generally didn't put it down for long (it was more that I had other books and stories to read too).

My favourite this about this instalment is the detail with which Brennan shows us a new civilisation as Isabella herself learns about it. The tropical swamp setting was not what I would have guessed going into the book (although maybe it would have been if I'd looked at the map more closely). Of course this is also an opportunity to tell us even more about dragons and the different varieties Isabella encounters in yet another part of the world.

It was also nice to see Natalie and the more minor female characters that appeared in this book. I was a little disappointed that Isabella didn't have very many women to talk to in A Natural History of Dragons (other than her difficult-to-understand maid) and I was glad that The Tropic of Serpents introduced another lady scientist and better yet (minor spoiler coming), one who appeared to be on the asexual spectrum, which was sort of relevant to the plot but not such that a big fuss was made over it. (And of course in pseudo-Victorian pseudo-England such words did not exist in the contexts they do now.)

Overall I enjoyed The Tropic of Serpents quite a lot. Perhaps a little less than A Natural History of Dragons, but I'm certainly enjoying the continuing story and I found the excitement of the end made up for the slowness of the start. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first and this series to fans of dragons, lady scientists and secondary world fantasy.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2014, Tor Books
Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent book 2 of 5
Format read: ePub
Source: Purchased from iBooks

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan is the first book in The Memoirs of Lady Trent, which has become a surprisingly long (five book) series while I wasn't looking. I remember seeing A Natural History of Dragons around the time of it's initial release, but the blurb and cover didn't grab me so I passed it up at the time. Now that it's been shortlisted for the Hugo Award for Best Series, I thought I should at least give it a go. I started reading the sample and had to click "buy" because I couldn't put it down.

Marie Brennan begins a thrilling new fantasy series in A Natural History of Dragons, combining adventure with the inquisitive spirit of the Victorian Age.

You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon's presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one's life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.

Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.

A Natural History of Dragons is set in a dragon-containing secondary world (with no other magic, as far as I can tell) with the country our protagonist is from based on Victorian England. I have to admit, part of the reason I delayed reading this book for so long was because historic fantasy plus dragons conjured up Temeraire by Naomi Novik in my mind (the Napoleonic era is not so distant in time from the Victorian) and I did not feel the need for another dry fantasy book with dragons. Happily, it is not a dry fantasy book, despite the diagram on the cover.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the protagonist's voice. It's written in first person in the style of a memoir from the point of view of a much older Isabella recounting events from her youth. This means that we get more snarky reflections than we would have if the book was told by the younger Isabella, as well as commentary along the lines of "I was young and stupid". It's also clear from the start that this is the first book in the series and that Isabella intends to recount additional adventures in future books, while dropping tantalising hints about them along the way. I may end up reading the next book immediately, even though that wasn't my original plan.

The approach to dragons in this book is pretty much as advertised. Isabella is very interested in the study of nature and pursues her studies of dragons very scientifically, albeit in a very nineteenth century way. We also see the ways in which being female hinders her ability to study, as well as the way in which her upper class does not. I also sort of expected it to be partly the story of her being stuck with a horrible husband after being expected to marry young, but that was not the direction the story took, avoiding that very common trope.

To my eye, Brennan presented a modified historical society well and the way in which dragons were studied and presented to the reader was quite believable and consistent — especially if you overlook the magical aspect of dragons' existence. It covers dissection, the difficulties of preservation and a journey to study dragons in their natural habitats. This was a very enjoyable read and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, sooner or later. I recommend it to all fantasy fans, especially those who like dragons (but also don't find the prospect of reading about their dissection distressing.)

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2013, Tor Books
Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent book 1 of 5
Format read: ePub
Source: Purchased from iBooks