War torn Paris is the scene, the players are fallen angels, and somebody (or something) is killing them in their opulent, decadent houses. In other words, alternate history meets fantasy meets murder mystery in Alliette de Bodard’s House of Shattered Wings. This is de Bodard’s newest novel after a successful trilogy focusing on Aztec mythology and several shorter (and award-winning) works.
Much of the novel focuses on House Silverspires, the head of which was Lucifer Morningstar. Stress on the “was” since he disappeared years prior to the events of the novel. The head of the house is his one-time protégé Seline, who is struggling under the weight of his shadow, the post-war state of Paris, and people in her House dying. This struggle becomes even more challenging when two new people are brought into her House – a newly Fallen (Isabelle) and a mysterious man named Philippe who knows many things about the politics of this supernatural world. Though not a Fallen, he is immortal and soon comes to realize he is as haunted as is House Silverspires.
The Fallen are not all powerful, even if they are not mortal. For starters, when they ‘land’ on Earth, their memory is sketchy at best. Their bodies and essence are preyed upon by the inhabitants of the broken city/landscape. The angel dust is like a drug to humans and is highly addictive. Conversely, the Fallen can become equally addicted to human essence. Members of House Silverspires have learned this the hard way.
de Bodard paints a very decadent picture of Silverspires, a great house still clinging to vestiges of grandiosity despite its failings, losses, and overall state of the world. In some ways, I was very much reminded of Michael Moorcock’s Dancers at the End of Time sequence for both stories have a shattered world and an almost pointless sense of clinging to old societal standards and mores. Despite this feigned opulence, there’s a brutality in the text of the story. Fallen are mutilated and consumed by humans, members of House Silverspires die violently. This is how we are introduced to Philippe, as he feels forced to assist a roving gang in ravaging a Fallen, Isabelle. Because he has consumed part of Isabelle, Philippe is linked to her in a powerful fashion that isn’t revealed in full at the outset. Both Isabelle and Philippe are taken in by House Silverspires, for one is a Fallen and the other a mystery that could be a key to much of the turmoil in Silverspires.
The dynamic of the savage and brutal against the angelic beauty of the characters is a haunting element that leaves a flavorful pall over the entire narrative. Nothing seems safe and this lack of safety becomes more heightened as the novel progresses. This unsafe environment in Silverspires becomes more precarious when a curse upon the house is triggered.
The strength of the novel is the atmosphere and world building. I thought de Bodard did a wonderful job of contrasting the beauty with the horror, giving much of the novel a dark sinister feel. The magical elements were also quite potent and well-drawn. The apocalyptic supernatural and religious elements are dressing on what is essentially a murder-mystery, which adds weight to the familiar story/plot. de Bodard’s prose is ethereal, magical and brings a great deal of weight to a story that is weighty by its nature. Despite that excellent prose, I found myself detached from the pacing and story itself. This is a case where I’ll definitely notch it up to “it is me and not you,” as life was in a bit of a transition stage for me while I read the novel. I’ve also seen a great deal of positive response to the novel and I recognize what Aliette is doing with this novel and admire it a great deal.
Would I recommend the novel? Absolutely. There’s enough here to satisfy most readers looking for a tale rife with supernatural intrigue. de Bodard has created a world that could be fertile ground for additional tales (well, she has released a prequel story alreadyn) that could go in many directions.
Roc, August 2015
Hardcover, 416 Pages / ISBN: 978-0-451-477-385
http://aliettedebodard.com/
Excerpt: http://aliettedebodard.com/bibliography/novels/dominion-of-the-fallen/house-shattered-wings/the-house-of-shattered-wings-chapter-one/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Roc
