I absolutely loved Polansky’s Low Town trilogy, which even now I remember vividly as a thumping good read – see my reviews of The Straight Razor Cure, Tomorrow the Killing and She Who Waits, as well as the start of his next series Those Above – which wasn’t bad, but somehow lacked the magic of the Low Town novels. So when I came across this offering, I liked the sound of it and thought I’d give it a go.
BLURB: The Harrows are a typical suburban family who, since time immemorial, have borne a sacred and terrible charge. In the daylight they are teachers, doctors, bartenders and vagrants, but at night they are the rulers and protectors of the March, a fantastical secondary world populated with animate antiquated toys and sentient lichen, a panorama of the impossible where cities are carried on the backs of giant snails, and thunderstorms can be subdued with song.
But beneath this dreamlike exterior lie dark secrets, and for generation after generation the Harrows have defended the March from the perils that wait outside its borders – when they are not consumed in their own bitter internecine quarrels.
In the modern day the Harrow clan are composed of Sophia, the High Queen of the March, a brilliant, calculating matriarch, and her three children – noble Constance, visionary, rebellious Mary Ann, and clever, amoral Will. Moving back and forth between their youth, adolescence, and adulthood, we watch as this family fractures, then reconciles in the face of a conflict endangering not only the existence of the March, but of the ‘real world’ itself.
REVIEW: So… think of the Narnia books, but with a squabbling family in charge of keeping Mr Tumnus et al safe from all threats. It’s an intriguing premise. Polansky opts for a fractured narrative timeline, which means that we are constantly flipping from the current crisis, where everything is starting to fall apart, back to various scenes from the past, presumably to give us insights into why the current generation is in such a mess.
This approach gives us a front row seat into some of the faultlines that fracture the family. The terrible childhood accident that defines John’s behaviour and an ill-advised teenage romance by Mary Ann with shocking consequences drive home that the March isn’t some whimsical playground where youngsters can parade their fantastical alter egos. It’s a dangerous place peopled by a variety of entirely different creatures, with differing cultures and customs. What unites the majority is their allegiance to the Harrow family as their lords and protectors. I felt there were some high points where the family scenes worked really well in pinpointing those fracture lines. However, there are also quite a few – especially featuring Constance, Mary Ann and John as youngsters – where I didn’t feel we get as much insight as we really need to fully bond with the main characters. It’s always a tricky balance to snag the reader’s sympathy when protagonists are shown to be constantly battling each other – and I didn’t care for any of them. Which proved to be an ongoing problem, especially at the end.
Frustratingly, I also felt there are vital scenes missing. I wanted to see that scene between Sophie and Will, instead of hearing Sophie merely allude to it. Because it clearly changed everything. While we learn a great deal about John’s feelings about his scarring, there is nothing about how he gained his formidable powers.
What is undeniable is the vividness and sheer variety of the creatures within the March. Polansky’s writing pings off the page when he’s describing those scenes and I found I wanted more. Instead of merely being the backdrop to the Harrow’s family conflicts, I wished we spent more time there with at least one viewpoint character.
I’m aware this book can also be read as an uncomfortable allegory about the way we’re all being led over a cliff regarding the environmental timebomb now ticking. If you replace the Harrows with the inept politicians around the world taken up with concerns that will shortly fade into the furniture once climate change really gets going – and the rest of us throughout the world in all its variety as the March, then it’s clear Polansky doesn’t hold out much hope for our current leadership ultimately saving humanity from the threat facing us.
This is an unusual read that required constant concentration due to the fractured narrative – and ultimately, I felt that it somehow missed being a fantastic book by a frustratingly narrow margin. Recommended for fans of portal fantasy adventures with a difference.
7/10
over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven’s Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained via the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven’s watch, the city flourishes. But the power of the Raven is weakening. A usurper has claimed the throne. The kingdom borders are tested by invaders who long for the prosperity that Vastai boasts. And they have made their own alliances with other gods. It is into this unrest that the warrior Eolo–aide to Mawat, the true Lease–arrives. And in seeking to help Mawat reclaim his city, Eolo discovers that the Raven’s Tower holds a secret.
Introducing an engaging new amateur sleuth, declutterer Ellen Curtis, in the first of a brilliant new mystery series.
record of The Railway Children and listening to her mother’s grand piano, but her pretty life is about to change. Her survivalist father, who has been stockpiling provisions for the end which is surely coming soon, takes her from London to a cabin in a remote European forest. There he tells Peggy the rest of the world has disappeared.
Enter the world of Charlie’s four unlikely friends, discover their story and their most important life lessons. The conversations of the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse have been shared thousands of times online, recreated in school art classes, hung on hospital walls and turned into tattoos. In Charlie’s first book, you will find his most-loved illustrations and some new ones too.
When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. Until now…
witchery for loving the wrong man. Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.
This edition was produced by Orbit in August 2017. I love this cover and it’s my favourite. The intense colours are beautiful and the artwork otherworldly and haunting. Small wonder this cover is the default with only a few exceptions. I even like the rather ordinary font, which this time around works well. Of course, it could just be that I was so blown away by the intense reading experience I encountered when diving into this book that I’m somewhat biased.
Published in September 2018 by J’ai Lu, I really like this French edition. The intense blue of the sky, the great orb hanging in the sky below and those stones breaking the soil at odd angles give this cover eye appeal and correlate with the book’s story. What absolutely doesn’t work are those ugly white textboxes bisecting the artwork. The effect looks like two strips of paper with the typewritten information have been stuck across the covers – what a shame!
This Hungarian edition, published by Agave Könyvek in August 2018 has gone back to the colours of the default cover, but taken a less abstract approach. The result is a really cool, very attractive cover. If this had been the cover of my reading copy, I think I would have been more torn, because I think it is very effective. As it is, it comes a close second.
Produced by Subterranean Press in September 2018, this is also a very attractive, powerful offering. I like the way it features the two main protagonists – the mother and her lost daughter and having that beautiful triangular text box slicing them apart works really well. The other thing I love about this cover – Jemisin has clearly written these characters as black and I’m delighted the publishers have featured them as such.
This Chinese edition, published by 天地出版社 in March 2018 is another strong offering. I love the image of the skyscape where it looks as though you could actually step on those clouds in shades of an attractive tangerine. The downside for me is that black textbox slammed across the bottom of the cover, cutting off the rest of the artwork. There also seems to be a great deal of chatter across the cover – but as my understanding of Chinese isn’t worth a nocked nail, it may well be the explanation might be necessary to an audience unused to the genre, so I’ll give them a pass on that.
This edition was produced by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in September 2011. The monochrome face with that fantastic blue feathered mask is very eye-catching and I also really love the title font, which is both striking and effective. This one is so very nearly my favourite…
Published in August 2015 by Fischer Taschenbubh, this German cover is another strong contender. I love the shades of blue patterns backlighting the Prague cityscape. The girl looks otherworldly with the treatment to her eyes and the title font is also stylish and eye-catching. Yet another well designed and beautiful cover, wholly appropriate in tone and mood for this enjoyable fantasy adventure.
This edition, published by Hodder & Stoughton in September 2011, is my favourite. I love, love, LOVE those fabulous feathers with the iridescent sheen in all the shades of a sunlit starling. My choice might be influenced by the fact that this is the cover of the book that I read – I also think the title font is very well done.
Produced by De Boekerij in April 2013, this Dutch edition is yet another superb effort, being a variation on the design of the first cover. The mask is beautifully designed and the colours shading the title font replicate those colours, intensifying the lovely effect with the clever repetition. Another accomplished and appropriate cover for this book.
This Indonesian edition, published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama in September 2012, is yet another well-designed cover. If this had been a different book, I would be raving more about the restraint… the clever, subtle blue shading around the edge of the single feather… the way that colour is picked up and reflected in the stylish title font. But there are so many wonderful, classy covers for this particular book, it is just added to the list – lucky, lucky Laini Taylor! Which one is your favourite?
Brainfluff 