A Gathering of Shadows

[sawyl]

Having very much enjoyed V.E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic when I read it around this time last year, I've been eagerly anticipating its sequel, A Gathering of Shadows, ever since. And I'm pleased to be able to report that it didn't disappoint. Although obviously a middle book — there is a great deal of background manoeuvring in the Grey and White versions of London, preparing the ground for the next novel — the primary story is pacy and exciting with the secondary plot ratcheting up the tension, paralleling the action in Red London.

The book opens with a moment of high drama: Lila Bard, Grey London thief turned Red London privateer, finds herself abandoned in the middle of the sea in a small, sinking rowing boat. But being Lila, she neatly turns her situation from disaster to success, returning in triumph to the Night Spire and the admiration of her captain, Alucard Emery. As Lila notes almost immediately, there is more to Emery than meets the eye: he always gives the impression that he is acting a part, his magical powers are much stronger than most, while his facility with English, the aristocratic tongue of Red London, says something about his background.

Meanwhile, back in the capital, Kell and his foster brother Prince Rhy both are chaffing against the restrictions imposed on them following the events of the first book. Rhy has a distraction to take his mind off his situation — he is in charge of arrangements for the Essen Tasch, a triennial international magical contest — whereas Kell finds his travel between the parallel Londons greatly limited — and when he does travel to Grey London, is shocked to find George III dead and George IV craftily obsessed with hints of the return of magic. All too aware of his brother's problems, Rhy task advantage of his position to enter Kell in the Essen Tasch, relying on the fact that the competitors will be masked to conceal his identity.

The paths of the two principal characters begin to converge when Alucard Emery announces that the Night Spire is returning home to allow him to participate in Element Games. Lila, eager to test the limits her burgeoning magical abilities, comes up with a sneak her way into the competition, blithely unaware who she'll be competing against. Kell, meanwhile, learns from Lila's tailor that she has returned after her four month absence, and starts seeing her everywhere — except, ironically, in the arena, where she is essentially hiding in plain sight.

Obviously much of the book's pace and drive comes from the Essen Tasch. Firstly there is the competition itself and the question of who is actually going to win. Secondly there is Kell's careful need to limit the display of his own abilities: enough to put on a good show and to allow him to enjoy the competition, but not enough to win and certainly not enough to reveal his identity. Thirdly there is Lila's knife-edge dance; her need to conceal her identity from everyone, including her crew-mates — Emery, however, is in on the secret almost from the first — along with the uncertainty of whether someone who has only known about the existence of magic for a few months can overcome the very best.

But beyond the games, there are several other subplots that do much to push events along. In Red London, Kell finds himself increasing bound and limited by the strictures of his foster father King Maxim. And although Maxim clearly has good, rational reasons for behaving as he does, he fails to see — even why Rhy, who sees to the root of the problem, tells him otherwise — that everything he does simply makes the situation worse rather than better.

Meanwhile, in White London, something strange seems to be going on following the fall of the rule of the Danes: the winter that bound the city is beginning to fade and the place is starting to return to life following the enthronement of its new king. Likewise in Grey London, the elevation of George from Prince Regent to King seem to have brought forth hints of a similar rejuvenation which, coupled with George IV's unhealthy interest in all things magical, doesn't seem to bode well for the future.

Of the new characters introduced in A Gathering of Shadows, Alucard Emery is one of the most interesting. Although he's kind to Lila, teaching her both Arnesian, the common language of Red London, and introducing her to the basics of magic, he also attempts to seduce her to get her to reveal the secrets of her origins — which, given the previous hints and later details of Emery's sexuality, makes the whole thing seem mercenary. But despite in other areas of his life, Emery seems sincere: he cares for his absent family and, despite Kell's towering hatred of him, he seems to regret the cause — as well as the consequences — of Kell's anger.

The minor members of the cast serve to illuminate the political position of the Arnes Empire and its neighbours. Maxim is obviously concerned both about the strength of Arnes and the security of his dynasty — something that forces most his worst decisions. He points out to Rhy that the Essen Tasch aren't simply magical games but a form of international poker, with each country's competitors selected to indicate their military strength such that appearance of a competitor who is much stronger than any of the others would indicate an act of war — something that bodes ill for both Lila and Kell. The others, including the Faroan Lord Sol-in-Ar and the Veskan prince and princess, represent the forces ranged against Arnes, but Schwab fills them out a somewhat by giving them their own motivations and goals; something that strengthens their international positions whilst also showing why their political positions at home might be motivating them to behave as they do.

I very much liked A Gathering of Shadows, which I suspect may be even better than its predecessor — which helped get me through a very tedious flight to Chicago! The writing feels tighter and if the setting is smaller scale — most of the action is limited to Red London, although Lila's travels aboard the Night Spire do give us a chance to see other parts of the world — it allows Schwab to bring her characters into much tighter focus.