Freya Marske’s debut novel, and the first volume in her Last Binding trilogy, A Marvellous Light is a queer historical fantasy that’s warm, magical and an absolute delight from start to finish. Set in Edwardian London, it’s the tale of two very different men thrown together by circumstance and forced to put aside their differences. On his first day in an obscure civil service role, Robin Blyth gets quite the surprise when he learns about the existence of magic and meets Edwin Courcey, his counterpart in the country’s magical administration. Edwin has little patience for bringing Robin up to speed, but when the matter of Robin’s predecessor having inexplicably disappeared develops from an inconvenience into a dangerous problem, the two of them begin to develop a fragile friendship as they investigate a mystery that could affect every magician in the country.
At its heart this is a story built around the inevitable coming together of two engaging, well-drawn characters, and there’s more than enough to enjoy in just this aspect of the story to make the book worth reading. Robin and Edwin are, on the surface at least, very different characters, each one with distinct upbringings and backgrounds informing their worldviews, actions and instincts. Robin’s public school confidence and social graces contrast strongly with Edwin’s quiet, bookish nervousness, and their initial discomfort with each other – personally and professionally – is entirely believable. So too, however, is the tentative friendship that they begin to develop, informed in part by Robin’s delight at learning about the new world he’s being exposed to, and an uncomfortable relationship with family that both men share. Not to mention the obvious attraction between the two of them, of course.
While Robin and Edwin’s developing relationship is a joy to follow in its own right, it’s also set to the backdrop of a brilliantly-observed alternate Edwardian England populated by mostly-hidden magicians, and delivered by way of an entertaining plot full of magic that’s equal parts beautiful and dangerous, family drama, social etiquette and a sinister, faceless threat. Marske’s magic system is an understated but evocative mix of ordered logic and almost childlike wonder, its use tied in cleverly with the stratified society of upper class England, and it’s impossible not to want to know more about how it works and what can be done with it. With their collision of worlds, Robin and Edwin offer the perfect pair of viewpoints on this magical alternate England, and Marske peppers their thoughts and dialogue with all manner of lovely little details that help bring both the world and the characters to vivid, believable life.
This is, quite simply, one of those perfect books where (for the right reader, of course – your mileage may vary) every element combines beautifully into a single, unputdownable whole. Think of it as a novel of manners with added magical mystery and a queer romance, and you’re in the right ballpark. There are dinner parties and awkward social situations to navigate, difficult family members to placate and bureaucratic hurdles to overcome, not to mention a magical curse to overturn, all while the two main characters try to understand each other and how they feel – it’s warm, heartwarming, full of life and love and peril and wonder. It’s also surprisingly saucy, as Robin and Edwin’s romance gets quite graphic in places, albeit never gratuitously so. For fantasy fans looking for a queer alternate history, this is an absolute must-read, and if the whole Last Binding trilogy as good as this book, we’re all in for an absolute treat.
A Marvellous Light is out now! Many thanks to Tor Books, Black Crow PR and Freya Marske for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
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