Name: Ve 's review of A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H. G. Parry
Item: A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians
Rating: 4
Author: Ve

H. G. Parry

It is the Age of Enlightenment of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France to the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas. But amidst all of the upheaval of the enlightened world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilisation into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to chaos.

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians

jenny

A sweeping tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a genre-defying story of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom in the early modern world. It is the Age of Enlightenment -- of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France to the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas. But amidst all of the upheaval of the early modern world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilization into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to darkness and chaos. For more from H. G. Parry, check out The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep.

** spoiler alert **
           Huge thanks to Orbit Books UK for gifting me a copy of this book! This story was filled with beautiful world building and magic. We see a heavy inclusion of political parties, and the French Revolution. It is a little bit slow, but nothing that’s stopped me from wanting to learn more. The characters drive the story pretty well, the dynamic didn’t lack between them… it was very focused on the importance of friendship which I always love seeing. I’m looking forward to reading book 2!

Celeste Richardson

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher (Orbit/Redhook) and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a truly brilliant example of alternative history. Parry managed to stay completely faithful to the persons and events that make up the true history of this time period while deftly adding in the existence of magic and exemplifying how that existence might have impacted the French Revolution and the British fight to abolish the slave trade. Historical figures like William Pitt, William Wilberforce, Toussaint Bréda L’Ouverture, and Maximilien Robespierre are all exquisitely portrayed both as individuals that really existed and fictional characters whose minds were are invited to explore. Parry balanced this contrast beautifully. She could have rewritten history in a way that made it somehow less. She could have stayed so true to history that the narrative felt more like a nonfiction text than a novel. But she did neither of those things. She was able to bridge that divide in a way that both informs and inspires, that encourages both historical curiosity and fantastical imaginings. I’m truly in awe of what she was able to do with this novel.

“And beneath the surface, something was moving. Something that spoke of change, and of revolution, and of blood.”
One of the things I loved most about this book is how the importance in friendship is demonstrated in each of the three plot-lines. Pitt and Wilberforce, Robespierre and Camille, Toussaint and Fina (a character of Parry’s own imagination) are the central hubs around which this triune story orbits, and their relationships with one another play incredibly important roles in history. These relationships are what kept the story from seeming too dry. I especially loved the friendship between Pitt and Wilberforce, and was always excited when the narrative swung back in their direction. Parry has a gift with her craftsmanship of witty dialogue that feels appropriate to the time period without ever seeming stuffy. I found every debate and conversation a pleasure to read because of this.
“It isn’t about proving what we can be. It’s about becoming what we can be.”
Slavery is the most heinous act we as humans have ever wrought upon one another. I didn’t think it could be portrayed in a worse light than its reality, but Parry managed to make it even more horrifying with her addition of spellbinding slaves by forcing them to ingest magical elixirs that deprived them of all outward freewill. I can’t imagine not being able to control my body at all, with every single blink and twitch dictated by someone who has decided that I am property. And to make matters in the book even worse, the spellbound slaves are still completely aware inside their minds and are screaming for release and fighting a losing battle for control of their own bodies. The concept is terrifying.
“To some extent, we all have the capacity to become monsters.”
While I very much enjoyed the book, I must confess that I found myself getting bogged down in the legislation pretty frequently. This isn’t Parry’s fault, as the synopsis is very clear regarding the plot of the book, and it’s a plot that is necessarily very reliant on legality and politics. However, this obviously results in a slower pace and less action that some fantasy readers expect from the books they choose, so just be aware that this book is more of an alternate history that involves magic than it is a fantasy novel. While I haven’t yet read it myself, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell sprang immediately to mind within the first twenty pages, and I believe that fans of that novel will find Parry’s sophomore work very appealing.
“I sometimes think ‘just this once’ is the most dangerous phrase in the English language.”
My only other qualm with A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is Parry’s choice of ending. For such a large, often meandering novel, the ending felt very abrupt and left me unsatisfied. If there is a sequel planned, I will be much more content upon learning of its existence. But as I went into this book believing it to be a standalone, I was a bit frustrated when I read the final chapter and saw that I had reached the end before more of the plot-lines were tied up.
“Liberty, what crimes are committed in your name!”
Parry is a brilliant author. She has a wonderful flow to her prose that feels both effortless and highly intelligent. I know how much research goes into a book like this, but Parry tells the story in such a way that the reader is able to forget how much work went into it and simply lose themselves in the writing. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both novels I’ve read from her, and I can’t wait to see what she puts out next. But I’m clinging to hope that said next book will be a continuation of this particular story.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Elizabeth Neill

I had a hard time reading this book but I did love the concept of the book. The magic system was excellent and how it was tangled with history. One thing that was a big issue to me was it was too political and that just wasn't for me. I do have a few friends that will absolutely love this book and I will tell them they should go out to buy it.


Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Sophia 

Historical fantasy? Historical fantasy. Never did I think I would love the friendship of two old white men, but I did.

Jennifer

A carefully researched, politically & thematically complex, and cleverly crafted epic fantasy set in the alternative & magical 18th Century Europe & the Caribbean. The historical backdrop is rich & broad in scope and the actual historical figures featured in the book were faithfully represented. I'm pretty into this sort of alternative universe where the historical world is imbued with a magic.

N.B. The subsequent sections of this review will be tidied up in due course but for the time-being here's a quick list of what worked / what could had been better.

What I enjoyed:

- The magic system. There's rich class of magicians in the book - from mages to necromantists. It's very fascinating and it's what drew me into the book in the first place.

- The depth & breadth of historical research. As what I've said earlier, it's based on actual historical events but on top of its faithful production - it also raises important questions & implications upon the various social issues which still exist in the present days - through the parallel Revolutions which unfolded throughout the novel. 

- The unique perspective lead to explorations of big themes. While there's a lot going on & a lot of different perspectives to wrap my head around, I really also loved how everything eventually clicked together.

- Once I got into the novel, I also found myself engaging with the main characters' inner psychology. My favourite is Fina's character development.

What could had been better:

- From my personal experience as well as the few other reviews that I came across, it's that A Declaration is a very challenging read which a very steep comprehension curve. There's a lot of contextual elements that oyu have to crunch through in the first 100 or so pages - from all of the different POV's. It demands a lot of focus. 

So because of this, I had a slightly slow start with the novel & it took me a while before I managed to connect to the characters. So if you're expecting a fast plot, then this is probably not the best book for you. (the pacing starts out quite slowly but it did pick up at aroudn 1/3 through) Despite the slow start, I did eventually find A Declaration a rewarding read with clever storytelling.

- Similarly, the multiple POV's were quite challenging ot get into at first. It did eventually click.

- Part of me hoped that there were more chapters from Fina's POV. She's the most likeable character to read about. Hopefully there would be a sequel where she will be featured more often.

Cutting from a unique perspective, this is a very thought provoking historical/fantasy novel which left me a lot of food for thoughts with regards to the social issues that we still face in the present days.

Judy McClure

Didn't expect this to be an alternate history/fantasy during the French revolution. Complex story weaving history and fantasy with an expert touch. I was blown away!!! Loved it!

Ben Nathan

Smart idea, well written, deep characters. All that said, reading this was interesting but entirely joyless to me. It was so dour without what makes books like that good to me.

Kayla 

Nora 

Sam Schubert

Amanda Jones

Dan Towne

A sweeping tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a genre-defying story of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom in the early modern world. It is the Age of Enlightenment -- of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France, to the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas. But amidst all of the upheaval of the early modern world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilization into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to darkness and chaos. For more from H. G. Parry, check out The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep.

jenny &
A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H. G. Parry

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