Fiction Reviews
The Legacy of Arniston House
(2024) T. L. Huchu, Tor, £18.99, hrdbk, vii +381pp, ISBN 978-1-529-09777-1
Ghost talker Ropa Moyo learns a shocking truth about her family. But after she confronts her grandmother with the revelation, Gran is murdered – and, on top of dealing with her loss, Ropa is now the prime suspect. Ropa races to uncover the real murderer, and soon finds a connection to an old magical cult. They are trying to take control of Scotland by resurrecting an army of the dead, led by a dark lord. She’ll have to use all her magic and hard-won skills in her biggest challenge yet.
This is book four in T. L. Huchu’s 'Edinburgh Nights 'series, following The Library of the Dead, Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments, and The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle. Just in case you haven’t read any of the previous books – and you’ll really be floundering if you haven’t – before the action starts with we get some information on the Principal Magical Institutions, which includes Principal Places, Principal Characters, The Somerville Equation, and The Four Magic Schools. After this, the novel starts, told in the first-person over 26 chapters.
As stated, you can’t really jump into a new series at book four, and some of the disturbing subplots that have been gathering through the previous books come into their own here, so do not pass go, turn back and borrow a book from The Library of the Dead, called, er, The Library of the Dead.
As for book four we are, again, in the company of Ropa Moyo, sometimes ghost talker, sometimes trainee magician, whose life had taken a turn for the worse as she was no longer welcome in the world of Scottish magic, but no worries, because the Sorcerer Royal of England takes a shine to her because of her ghost talking abilities and a new life beckons for her and her family doon south, among the auld enemy. That is as soon as Lord Samarasinghe deals with some business he has to complete north of the border, which leaves Ropa kicking her heels until the move happens.
Things look sweet for Ropa until her beloved grandmother is killed, and if that wasn’t bad enough, Ropa has been framed for her murder. So much for the good life in England as Ropa is dropped like a hot potato, and the only way to sort things out is to prove her innocence if she can evade the police and other magicians long enough.
To do that she is going to need some help and quickly enlists her friend Priya and her old street gang, and it is not long before things start to become clear as they become involved with a bunch of Scottish nationalist magical extremists who want to break away from oppressive English rule. How do you do that? Easy, you bring the former head of Scottish magic back to life again.
Like previous book in the series, Huchu delivers a great character in Ropa who develops in the face of tragedy. As someone who was born, lived and worked in Edinburgh, I like Huchu’s take on this alternative, slightly retro Edinburgh set after the 'catastrophe' where Scotland declined and England rose to prominence. With its geography and sub-culture, its mixture of slums and camps, to the homes of the rich and powerful, Huchu’s Edinburgh is almost a character in its own right.
Apart from great characters and a great setting, Huchu builds on the magic system he has created which sadly, in a way, mirrors our world, except in these novels we see the struggles of the magic what-nots, and the decadence and power of those who possess the greatest magic abilities and use them to become even more powerful. The story twists and turns like a writhing snake, with a few revelations thrown into the mix. There’s even a few laughs along the way, but oh, that ending! No spoilers here. But, oh, that ending. Talk about the mother of all cliff-hangers. Read it and see for yourself. Recommended.
Ian Hunter
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