A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic, V.E. Schwab – 2015

World-building is an art that belongs almost exclusively to SF/F writing. Though establishing a location is important for any novel, it is only in writing SF/F that authors are called upon to bring to life an entirely new world in the minds of their readers. While originality is one of the major goals here, the world of the book needs to be communicated effectively and efficiently, without getting in the way of the narrative. The more original the idea, the more space is needed to develop it and allow the reader to understand it; China Mieville's New Crobuzon is probably the best example, in that it is a phenomenal creation, but much of Perdido Street Station's vast page count is spent establishing the city. Therefore, many SF/F writers, even greats such as Gene Wolfe or George R.R. Martin, tend to use recognisable, established elements and tropes from within the genre, rather than create entirely new worlds. In A Darker Shade of Magic, however, V.E. Schwab presents us with a setting that is at once original, simple and superb….

There are four parallel worlds, all linked by one thing, one place that lies in the same location in each world: London. Our London, which at the time of the novel's events is ruled by the mad King George III, is Grey London, where magic has all but vanished from the world. The capital of Arnes and it's vast empire, where magic flourishes, is Red London. The citadel city of the savage, warlike land where magic is treated as a beast to be caught, tamed and used is White London. And there is Black London, where magic utterly over-ran and destroyed the world. After the events in Black London, all of the doors between the worlds were sealed, so that only Antari, wielders of blood magic, could pass between them. Kell is such an Antari, one of the last two alive, and serves as an emissary of the Red Throne, as well as an adoptive prince of the realm. He also smuggles small items between the worlds, in direct defiance of the laws of Red London that 'transference is treason'1. When he is asked to carry a trinket out of White London he does so, only to find it is a relic of Black London, capable of infecting all the worlds with chaotic magic. Injured, on the run and trying desperately to put things right, Kell is pickpocketted in Grey London by Lila Bard, sneak-thief and pirate-wannabe, meaning she quickly learns of the existence of magic. And then things start to get really bad…

There are two stand-out elements to A Darker Shade of Magic; Schwab's characterisation and her world-building. As a protagonist Kell is an interesting mix of petulant youth, responsible ambassador and trickster badass-in-a-long-coat. (The coat in question is a beautiful touch by Schwab; a coat with at least six coats within it, that transforms when turned inside out and even Kell is unsure whether he has found all its forms) We understand the lingering resentment he holds for the Red Throne; that despite being treated well by the king and queen, and as a brother by Prince Rhys, he is still technically the property of the crown, and how this leads him to defy their laws on transference. Schwab balances this side of his character by showing his gentleness and altruism, from his brotherly relationship with Prince Rhys, to his discomfort with the awe and fear that he as an Antari inspires in the populace, capped off by his determination to put things, even if it costs him his life. 

By contrast, Schwab then presents us with Lila, a gloriously unsentimental version of the 'urchin girl dresses as a boy' trope. There is nothing romanticised about Lila's poverty, her desperation or the danger that she lives in, yet the bitter, brutal heroine with the sole ambition to be a dashing pirate captain is also huge amounts of fun. As a character Lila is difficult to like but easy to love and makes an excellent counterpoint to Kell. Though their relationship has a definite frisson, particularly in Schwab's sparkling repartee, it is also to the novel's credit that their rewards are unique, separate and not one another; while all that Kell desires is to be able to put right what he did, Lila's swashbuckling dreams are finally realised in an ending far more satisfying than any hint of true-love's kiss. Elsewhere in the cast, Holland, the only other Antari and emissary of White London, makes a chilling presence, particularly when we learn his motivation, while Prince Rhys is written excellently by Schwab as an entirely likeable rogue, who is, among other things, an equal opportunity seducer.

Of course, the defining element of A Darker Shade of Magic is the world-building, and the word that I am continually drawn back to is 'evocative'. It is a brilliant device of Schwab's to assign each London a colour. From these four words, she then begins to sketch in details about each city, carefully using our associations and assumptions of each colour, so that grey becomes dull and dreary, red rich and resplendent, white stark and cold, and black mysterious. Each London is so vividly realised that each one would make a wonderful setting for a fantasy series; in presenting us with all of them linked together, Schwab offers us one of the richest worlds in SF/S, one that deserves to sit within the pantheon of Middle Earth, Hogwarts, Narnia etc. I say, 'each London', although the last, Black London remains tantalisingly, terrifyingly unknown, behind a door that Schwab allows us to peek through, but never opens wide.

There are some other excellent touches to the novel. Kell's coat I have already mentioned, as well as Lila's gaining her piratical desires; the scene where she is dressed in full swashbuckling gear is lovingly realised by Schwab, and conveys exactly the feel of the moment in a superhero movie when we see the protagonist don their costume for the first time. A much darker element comes when the two are having to carry the stone from Black London between them, even as they can feel it corrupting them. There are definitely overtones of Frodo and the Ring here, but Schwab takes the stone's effect on Kell even further, particularly as he is forced to use it again and again. In fact, the only tiny criticism I can make is that the UK cover, (pictured above) though gorgeous, does not have quite the same breathtaking originality of the American one (pictured below for comparison). 

Having heard from many places that A Darker Shade of Magic was an exceptional work of fantasy, I had high expectations going in, and each was surpassed. Indeed, this is the first time that I've read the first book in a series and immediately resolved to get the follow up as soon as possible. (Not to mention that Schwab has, in my mind, finally redeemed the word 'shade' from a very different trilogy that will never again be alluded to on this blog!)



Well, there we are, the last post of 2016, and the first from my giant Christmas book-haul.


Happy New Year guys!


1Schwab, V.E A Darker Shade of Magic, Titan Books, 2015 pp. 49