Here at the fantasy-hive the SPFBO team have been reading through the nine other finalists that have been put forward by the other blogs alongside our own selection of THE HALLOWS and we are now posting our reviews, on an intended fortnightly schedule up to the end of December and the conclusion of SPFBO 11.

We do have to give scores at this stage and we’re also aware that the scores can tend to average out and congregate around the middle so we’ve tried to make a conscious effort to distinguish between each book in the scores we give and the implicit order that we are placing on them – which may mean some scores veer towards the upper and lower ends of the range.

However, we have been impressed by the professionalism and quality of this year’s finalists field and also how so many of them have done something different with their story ideas and maybe trodden into spaces where traditional publishers might fear to go.

Hopefully there will be enough in our reviews to give you a flavour of each book and a sense of whether it would appeal to you or not which – after all – is what reviews should be about. 

So on to our third finalist review of THE HONOURABLE CON by Michele C. Shaw where the judges will comment (as always) under the headings of worldbuilding, Prose, Character and Plot, before giving their pithy one line conclusions and scratching their heads to come up with a numerical score for this fortnight’s finalist.

Worldbuilding

Theo: Shaw delivers a gritty steampunk feel to her world of slums and palaces, skyships and trains, magic and intrigue. Magic is the exclusive preserve of the Lamorians – an arrogant kind of elf-like people, even down to the pointy ears – whose nation lies above and poses a military threat to the three human nations. Although some Lamorian immigrants also serve the human nations providing the magic to operate key bits of infrastructure. The different kinds of Lamorian magic and the potential for them to be enhanced by a personal pairing or bonding with a strange creature called an obscura, adds a nice quirk to the magic system. I liked how Shaw explored the notion of a refugee crisis created by the threat of war in ways which could speak to our own times. I also liked the little touches of incidental worldbuilding like this way of saying ‘dead of night’

She ran into the streets, but it was the owl’s hour and no one was around. 

Cat: I found the worldbuilding here somewhat difficult to keep track of, as very little is explained in-text and we’re left to discover what different races, countries, cultures etc are from how they’re viewed by our characters. The politics is somewhat dense, but I enjoyed the twisting nature of what we do see on the micro level. I did like the unusual nature of the world too, with its mix of magic and technology, and was left wanting to know more about how this all came to be the way it is. 

Vinay: The worldbuilding has a “discover-as-you-read” feel to it wherein it unfolds through the course of the book rather than being an exposition dump. That said there is some basic introduction to the world, some of the complication and magic that is delivered upfront which is enough to keep you satiated as you then read through. Some of the location building is quite spectacular and the 2nd half of the book has some interesting descriptions to it that enrich the world this book is set in. The habit of withholding information and allowing it to unfold isn’t entirely successful though – sometimes I felt very unclear and had to go double back to ensure it was making sense

Prose

Theo: Shaw’s prose flows smoothly, with many great lines. We see the story in third person perspective as we switch between the characters of Captain Kresta – aka the Bloodhound – and Ailyanna – the thief and con artist. However, there are points where we dip nicely into close third-person with Ailyanna’s own voice (and prejudice) breaking through the text.

There were three human lands, Tustara, Edaven and Ikredel. Above them was Lamore, the land of magic and wonder and self important pricks.

The grim slums of the capital of Edaven are beautifully evoked.

Around them the Rot became visible. Tightly packed buildings suffocated the sky. Wooden rooms grew like moss on the original brick wherever people could add them. Thin laneways spread out like veins, pulsating with shadows and secrets.

Then, when the unlikely ‘team’ set off on their secret mission they pass through Shaw’s imaginatively rendered landmark of finger-like mountain pillars. 

The limestone peaks rose overhead. Their thin jagged faces were clotted with ferns and trees till the air around them shifted with an emerald green haze. 

Cat: I found the text to become a little dense at times, especially as we jump between perspectives – I found it wasn’t the easiest to put down and pick up again. But there is some beautiful work here, with a wonderful dry wit on display: ‘

“If you must lie then please practice, such an amateur effort hurts my ears.”’

‘“I live on a fixed income, Captain. I only have the one surprise.”’

Vinay: There is a bit of an uneven quality to the writing especially in some of the jumps it takes. I do suspect it is a factor of the information withheld. The story flows smoothly with fantastic characterization and then suddenly, you feel like the story kind of jumps a few paces ahead. Thankfully this was an issue at the beginning and the second half is notably smoother and well-written. There are some lines that work brilliantly suggesting immense promise of the author and a few lines that also indicate a very sly sense of humor prevailing

“Honest people don’t have enough for someone like me to bother scamming them. Only the church can scam enough good people to make the pennies worth it. Or a king”

“Has it been hard? For me to live in your mind for so long when you never even entered mine?”

Characters

Theo: The Les Miserables feel to the piece is accentuated by the Valjean vs Javerre pairing of Ailyanna the thief and Captain Kresta the indomitable officer of the law. I liked the way each chapter opened with an italicised glimpse into each character’s backstory, a means for Shaw to tease out by installments what had made these two foes-turned-allies into the people they are, and to answer some of the questions posed by events in the main narrative.

Obliged to co-operate by loyalty to the king (Kresta) and a carrot/stick kind of escape/imprisonment (Ailyanna) it is fun to see how this disparate Ocean’s six group set about uncovering treason and saving the kingdom, with their very different skill sets.

I particularly liked Benjie’s enthusiasm such as when he starts suggesting embellishments to his own cover story and gets rebuked by Ailyanna.

“Lies are like snakes,” Ailyanna said, forcing Benjie’s attention on her. “Release too many and see how long you can hold onto them all.”

So true, as certain politicians could bear witness!

Cat: I was also reminded of the ‘Oceans’ movies with the differing characters coming together to achieve their goals. Ailyanna and Kresta were well-realised and relatable, having both overcome their own battles with more still to go; it was easy to sympathise with them, despite their twisting journeys. Again, though, I found myself a little lost sometimes; for example, when a person was given two different names as they portray an alternate identity; it took a minute to reorient myself and realize these were both the same individual! Perhaps this just means I shouldn’t have put the book down so much!

Vinay: I liked the way the lead characters of Ailyanna and Kresta were written. The small intro detailing a part of their life in every chapter seemed random at first but towards the end it added up quite well, especially for Kresta. The supporting characters, part of the crew, definitely get their moments when they assemble together but they are kind of pushed into the background. Benjie gets nice moments with Ailyanna and I liked how that relationship evolved. Duke Quessip as the main antagonist was where I felt that hype was more than the real stuff and I did struggle to connect with the character and his motivations and to an extent, his competency. Ailyanna’s swaps were played really well in terms of the storytelling and that, in a way, introduces some moments of focus to the book where you really had to go understand what was happening. That was quite fun

Plot

Theo: The plot rattles along at a good pace with a mix of mission crises, sudden reveals and dramatic twists. It has a somewhat organic feel, which raised an eyebrow and threatened my ‘suspension of disbelief’ – a break-in that seemed not only unwise, but also slightly implausible in how two unconscious guards were managed. The plot revolves around a disguised Ailyanna passing herself off as the mission target’s long lost love. As desperate measures meant the magical disguises started to get swopped around a lot, I was rather reminded of the John Travolta/Nicholas Cage movie Face Off. However, even with elements of implausibility or contrivance, the plot does its work of throwing the characters together in moments of high drama and tense conflict, where you do care about the people and want to know what happens next. In particular the tense denouement along the carriage tops of a moving train gives the narrative the feel of an action movie.

Cat: I really liked the idea of a heist plot in a fantasy setting – because why not, everyone’s after something in such a highly political world! Even if this did seem almost impossible given the amount stacked against our heroines, and it was a little difficult to see how they could possibly get away with the challenges that face them at every turn. This is an action movie in book form, and the reader has to keep up or risk losing their way.

This is an action movie in book form, and the reader has to keep up or risk losing their way.

Vinay: I think I wanted to like this book more than what I ultimately did. I had visions of Locke Lamora at the beginning and it definitely went along like that for a while. I struggled however to be convinced by the twists and while I did have a good time from the start to the end, I found elements to be guessable. The book however moves entirely quickly and keeps you hooked for sure. This definitely is a fine book but being part of this cohort of SPFBO finalists does place a lot of expectations and I think it met expectations for sure without really blowing them off

Conclusion

Theo: An unlikely pairing, each haunted by their own pasts, must see past their differences to save a country – but which country!

Cat: Two very different women work together to achieve the (almost) impossible.

Vinay: A fun, train-based heist with twisty characters that rattles around steamily