Let’s just keep this short and sweet. Read this book.
…
I suspect, however, as you’re here for a review that statement isn’t enough.
Trying to put Under The Pendulum Sun’s fantastic gothic enchantment into a box suitable for a spoiler free review is as difficult as trying to herd cats. As I don’t like cats, I’ll have more success persuading you that Under the Pendulum Sun is what you must read next.
Published by Angry Robot Books, (which in itself is enough for me to buy it) the cover (artist John Coulthart) had intrigued me long before I knew anything other than the story contained fairies with ambition.
It breathes the same air as Frankenstein, explores the moving staircases of Harry Potter, and nurtures all the curious elements that made Alice in Wonderland what it is. Think Narnia, but with Tim Burton in charge. It maliciously flirts with the historical missionary tales , and stomps gleefully all over whatever you thought you knew about fae.
I haven’t read anything singularly like it.
The Blurb.
Victorian missionaries travel into the heart of the newly discovered lands of the Fae, in a stunningly different fantasy that mixes Crimson Peak with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Catherine Helstone’s brother, Laon, has disappeared in Arcadia, legendary land of the magical fae. Desperate for news of him, she makes the perilous journey, but once there, she finds herself alone and isolated in the sinister house of Gethsemane. At last there comes news: her beloved brother is riding to be reunited with her soon – but the Queen of the Fae and her insane court are hot on his heels.
Welcome to Arcadia, a part of the world discovered in those British Empire days. A Fae filled part of our world which like all things newly discovered is ripe for exploration and exploitation. But we don’t stay in that mindset very long.
Like the fog which the main character, Catherine Helstone travels through on her arrival to Arcadia,the book’s atmosphere seeps its way into your soul, and lingers. Ng works magic by teasing information to the reader, enough to leave you questioning motives but never the faith in the author. Ever curious and curiouser, missing missionary is only the start of Catherine’s quest, it is made all the more by sinister by the duplicitous inhabitants of Arcadia.
The faint of heart and squeamish should beware, If you like to feel comfortably safe the label here should read “open with care”. The book is not gentle in this regard, more Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm than Walt Disney; this is a grown-ups book. It gets inside your head and messes with it. Ng owns the gothic atmosphere without veering into gore. Arcadia fae are not to be confused with the ones discovered in a Yorkshire garden. Cottingley Fairies these are not. The traditional twee of such period notions is soon smothered. The author captures Arcadia’s grace and magic and uses it to offset the dark aspects as nigh on obsidian. To find Changelings and Queen Mab portrayed this way is a treat best read at twilight.
There are some excellent references to folklore fae, without hefty exposition to explain their backstories. If you know your fairy myths you’ll enjoy the depth of writing as much as the world building Ng employees to entrap her readers. Added veritas can be found in the ‘real’ historical quotes and ‘fantastical’ journal entries, a delicious finishing touch to a perfectly twisted novel.
Under the Pendulum Sun is a must read for those who tire of the usual Victorian tropes, complains about there being “nothing fresh” to read, or anyone who wants to wander through historical Bronte worlds without leaving behind their love of fantasy genre. But please, please, don’t forget your salt pot.
I suspect we will be seeing a lot more from Jeannette Ng, not only in publication, but while collecting the awards Under the Pendulum Sun should earn her.
© Shellie Horst – SFFWorld.com Jan 2018
Publisher: https://www.angryrobotbooks.com/
Published: July 2017
Availability as Ebook and Paperback.
Author Site: https://medium.com/@nettlefish/
