Freedom and Necessity - Softcover

Brust, Steven; Bull, Emma

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0765316803 ISBN 13: 9780765316806

Publisher: Orb Books, 2007

Synopsis

It is 1849. Across Europe, the high tide of revolution has crested, leaving recrimination and betrayal in its wake. From the high councils of Prussia to the corridors of Parliament, the powers-that-be breathe sighs of relief. But the powers-that-be are hardly unified among themselves. Far from it . . .

On the south coast of England, London man-about-town James Cobham comes to himself in a country inn, with no idea how he got there. Corresponding with his brother, he discovers he has been presumed drowned in a boating accident. Together they decide that he should stay put for the moment, while they investigate what may have transpired. For James Cobham is a wanted man―wanted by conspiring factions of the government and the Chartists alike, and also targeted by a magical conspiracy inside his own family.

And so the adventure of Freedom and Necessity begins... leading the reader through every corner of mid-nineteenth-century Britain, from the parlors of the elite to the dens of the underclass. Steven Brust and Emma Bull have crafted a masterful mix of fantasy and historical fiction. Not since Wilkie Collins or Conan Doyle has there been such a profusion of guns, swordfights, family intrigues, women disguised as men, occult societies, philosophical discussions, and, of course, passionate romance.

About this title

Review:

The early 19th century was a heady time of repeated challenges to the assumption that the social order as it stood was supernaturally (divinely) ordained. A particularly sticky web of politics and romance traps Susan Voight and James Cobham in a dense, thrillingly suspenseful plot connecting a reforming democratic labor movement, Chartism, to a secret society, the Trotters Club, whose corrupt members intend to exploit a magical ritual for their personal, complicated purposes of vengeance and power. Layers of truths and falsehoods mislead and confound the protagonists in their dealings with each other and the conspiracies; they come to understand that only honesty can save them. Although the perversion of the natural power of sorcery fails because it is unnatural, the social order, unnatural or not, is more resistant to justice. The swift pace, surprising developments, and appealing characters make it nearly impossible to put this book down. Though the women's rights movement is glancingly acknowledged, the conventionally romantic fulfillment is a little disappointing. Is there no other end for intelligent, financially independent women than maternity and love-partnership (as binding, or more, as legal marriage) with a man?

About the Author:

The author of the bestselling "Vlad Taltos" novels (Dragon, Issola, Dzur, etc) and standalone fantasies such as To Reign in Hell, Steven Brust lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Emma Bull, author of War for the Oaks and Finder, lives in Tucson, Arizona.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orb Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0765316803
• ISBN 13: 9780765316806
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 448