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.
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"My thanks to Hachette Audio for a review copy of the audiobook edition, via NetGalley, of ‘A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians’ by H. G. Parry in exchange for an honest review. It is read by Andrew Kingston and has a running time of 20 hours, 54 minutes at 1x speed.
I had first read this novel in June and rated it 5 stars. I would have gladly given more if I could. I noted at the time that I would love to revisit via an audiobook edition. In respect of the novel in general, I quote from my original review posted to NetGalley and elsewhere.
“This is the first in Parry’s Shadow Histories duology. In her Acknowledgements she writes: “This book is a mythologization of the real history of Britain, France, and Haiti in the eighteenth century, which is more interesting and dramatic and downright weird than anything I could make up.”
Clearly the title references the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789. It is an epic reimagining of this turbulent period of European history as in addition to the social issues of the time those born with magical powers are strictly controlled by the State through various means.
France is on the verge of Revolution fired up by Maximilien Robespierre and Camille Desmoulins. In Great Britain the new Prime Minister William Pitt is worried about events across the channel while joining with his friend William Wilberforce to seek the abolition of the slave trade.
In the French controlled colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leads the slaves in their fight for freedom and establishes the Republic of Magicians. He is aided by Fina, a young African girl who had escaped from slavery in Jamaica and fled to Saint-Domingue. Fina has unique magical gifts.
This is the kind of work of historical fiction that I adore. Parry has clearly deeply researched the history of the period and then added magic, vampires, and the like. Simply brilliant!
In some instances it was only tweaking history as the role played by practitioners of Vodou in the Saint-Domingue slave revolution of 1793 has been well documented and esoteric philosophy had played a significant role in establishing the Age of Enlightenment; though in the novel this has been translated to more overt magical practices.
It is a long novel with a great deal of serious political discourse alongside its magical and supernatural themes. Given its focus upon those who had passionately campaigned for the abolition of slavery, it is also a timely one.
I certainly appreciated Parry’s skill in blending these themes and bringing historical figures and the period vividly to life. I found it a well written, intelligent novel.
I would have welcomed more chapters focusing on the events on Saint-Domingue. However, as the novel closes in July of 1794 with the conclusion of the Reign of Terror in France there is plenty of unrest in the Caribbean into the early nineteenth century to inform the final volume.
While the time period and blend of history and magic was bound to draw comparisons with Susanna Clarke’s wonderful magical alternative history, ‘Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell’, which based on her guinea pigs’ names is likely a favourite of the author, I feel that ‘A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians’ stands on its own merits and is an impressive work of historical fantasy incorporating much actual, rather than alternative, history.
Very highly recommended.”
In terms of the audiobook edition, it’s admittedly long, with a large cast of characters including many historical figures and a great deal of dialogue. While I was not familiar with Andrew Kingston’s previous work I felt that the richness and clarity of his voice was excellent and provided me with a deeper appreciation of the novel.
I am a big fan of combining reading with listening via audiobook and I feel that a complex, multi-strand novel such as this is well served by approaching in this way as an immersive experience.
The second book in the Shadow Histories, ‘A Radical Act of Magic’, is listed for publication in July 2021 and I can hardly wait.
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Vivienne O’Regan (5 out of 5 stars)