The Light Ages by Ian R. MacLeod
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
THE LIGHT AGES is at once a brilliant, hectic, confusing book. It hews to the “insert strange thing here, the reader will figure it out eventually” method of writing fantasy. Here you’ll find a Britain where magic powers the industrial revolution, and just how far people will go to keep that magic flowing. We find things like “shiftdays” (instead of weekdays) and aether engines dropped into a world that is alternately familiar and fantastic, just a little different than the world we read of in history class. THE LIGHT AGES is filled with detail, sometimes so much that the story drags. Aether permeates this entire world, creating class divisions reminiscent of the French Revolution, but instead of merely causing strife among those who have access to aether and those who do not, it actually changes those who encounter it, sometimes fatally. As the actual Victorian age probably was, the world of THE LIGHT AGES is very bleak, even for the supposedly well-off, all of whom seem to have their own deep, dark secrets.
Our protagonist, Robert, grows up in a town dominated by the booming aether engines, and has that niggling feeling that there is something more waiting for him. He sees his mother transformed by the aether, but grows up following in his father’s footsteps and becoming (sort of) a member of the same oppressive Guild. Robert eventually runs away, determined not to be ruled by the aether, but not before meeting a girl who will twine into his life like an elusive dance partner. There is something special about Annalise, who wants the rich life but disdains it at the same time. Their paths cross none too often, but Robert thinks of her all the time.
Over time, Robert becomes a revolutionary of sorts, fighting against the world Annalise so desperately wants to be a part of. Together they discover a conspiracy that threatens their entire way of life. Do they have to reveal it? Will society collapse if they do? Read and find out. The tale is awfully wordy, but the descriptions of aether and the things it can do (and what happens when it’s not available) are evocative and thought-provoking. If you want a reflection on magically-altered history, give this a try. It has a sequel, THE HOUSE OF STORMS, which I would be interested in reading someday.
Received as a digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher.
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