Customer Reviews

Dark in the City of Light: A Novel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

---Description---
Baron Harsanyi is a military attache at the Austrian embassy in 1870s Paris. As war between France and Prussia becomes increasingly likely, the need is high for mercury fulminate, an explosive. The Prussians already have a source. The English have the ability to manufacture it for both sides but need more cinnabar ore. France has no source.

Baron Harsanyi's wife owns a large cinnabar mine in Idria, but she refuses French and English offers to buy her ore. After the Baron's wife suddenly dies, he plays a dangerous game with the English, French, and Prussians to see who wants his cinnabar the most. Several would be happy to see the Baron dead in the hopes his son, Rudolph, would be more willing to sell to them.

Baron Harsanyi doesn't let his son in on his schemes, so Rudolph is left with increasing doubts and anger toward his father. When his father orders him to train to become a military officer but then refuses to let him fight with the French in the war, he gives in to his doubts and runs away.

The Baron's daughter, Therese, is so wrapped up in her romance with a dashing French cavalry officer that she doesn't notice the political intrigue surrounding her family until the war separates her from her beloved. With her mother dead, her brother gone, and her father increasingly absent, she worries about the changes pulling her family and world apart. But she's told there's nothing a young woman like her can do about it.

Are they right? Will the greed and need for cinnabar destroy the Harsanyi family?

---Review---
"Dark in the City of Light" is a historical suspense novel set mainly in France in the 1870s. There was also a "who-done-it" mystery in this story, though that's not obvious at first. The "who-done-it" was also not obvious, though there were enough clues that the reader could guess the answer before the main characters did (since the characters were limited by their not knowing they needed to share the clues).

The world-building was excellent, vividly describing the locations, events, and politics of the time period. Because politics were a driving force behind much of the suspense, it's woven into the story and didn't slow the pacing. The suspense was from the physical danger to the various characters and the strain on the family relationships. The characters were interesting, complex, varied, and acted realistically. They dealt with realistic problems, and I cared about what happened to them.

The characters didn't believe in God (at least, not one active in human affairs). However, they had a habit of saying, "Only God could do that" with the implied assumption that He wouldn't. At the end, one character said that if a certain impossible thing did happen, it'd be proof God existed. You can guess what happens, but that's about the extent of the religious content.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this intriguing novel to those who enjoy clean, well-written historical suspense.


I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.

Reviewed by Debbie from Genre Reviews

Dark in the City of Light (great title) is an excellently researched, illuminating (though fictional) look at the Paris Commune of 1871 and the situation in Western Europe at the time. The use of the cinnebar mines as the motivating force is brilliant, as is the use of mercury throughout the book to advance action, etc. I won't go into detail, but the author re-invents a very popular form of political murder in the Renaissance, adding his own twist. The plotting is adequate, but the characters are sadly, badly drawn. The Baron should have been an intriguing character (good for several books, I should think), but the author seems to refuse, possibly for religious reasons, to flesh him out as a man, so he does not seem real. His son, Rudolph, fares a little better, if only because we see his opinions, actions, motivations a little more easily. The character of Theresa, the daughter, is just an insult. She is an empty-headed, rather stupid girl with social aspirations who wishes to dress well. Although the author has her painted, with the artist exclaiming about her intelligence, she is a bone-headed nitwit who risks her brother's life to get her fiance to desert (not going to happen, folks, outside of a romance novel), and when the streets of Paris break out in chaos and fighting, she is in a dress shop trying on clothes. Puhlese. The marital relationship of the Baron and his wife (what was she doing while he was constantly away?) was bloodless as well. I am glad I read this book for the historical research and the view of Paris in the 1870's -- it's a great tool for presenting this information. But Robertson needs to put something more real, emotionally, in his novels, or just write nonfiction.

With war on the horizon, cinnabar was in high demand by both the French and the Prussians. Baron Ferdinand Haranyi's wife owned large cinnabar mines and was in complete control of them. When she became mysteriously ill and died, those mines became Ferdinand's for him to manage until their son Rudolph turned twenty-three. As an Austrian attaché to France, Ferdinand's control of the mines and his decision of which country to sell to could drastically effect the outcome of the impending war. However, questions surrounded Ferdinand's loyalty and motives and some of the most serious concerns were from his son. Was Ferdinand a subtlety manipulating villain or an honorable man trying to remain neutral in a war that he wanted no part of? In a beautifully constructed novel, encompassing the events before and through the 1870 Franco-Prussian war, Dark in the City of Light immerses the reader into the plight of the Harsanyi family as they try to cope with grief, love, life, and death, searching for the truth in a confusing maze of deceit.

I know virtually nothing about 1870 European geography, France, politics, or the war that took place during that time. After several chapters of racking my brain trying to remember which country is currently Prussia, I looked it up. However, I could have saved myself some time and confusion had I more carefully examined the two beautiful maps provided at the beginning of the book. These are incredibly helpful for those who may have forgotten a few history and geography lessons. The opening chapters and their political issues make much more sense knowing where the countries involved are located.

Historical novels are some of my favorites. It's nice to visit a time and place that's so different but in some ways very similar to the present. Dark in the City of Light excelled in bringing 1870 Europe to the reader. The descriptions painted a wonderful picture of Paris before, during, and after the war. The reader gets an inside glimpse at not only the beauty and history of the time, but also the unrest and seedier side of government and politics.

Robertson created some very memorable characters. They had a charm and humility that immediately brought the reader into their lives. Additionally, the mysterious side of each character was presented with just the right balance of flaws and perfection so that I cared about each of them. While some of the characters are obvious villains, I loved the off-balance presentation so that in many cases I wasn't sure who could be trusted.

The book does struggle in the second half. The story's presentation works well until Ferdinand, his daughter, and his son go three different directions during the war. Once they separate, I had some difficulty following the time line. Each chapter chronicles the life of one family member, but it is not a linear progression. The chapters backtrack to cover the same period of time, leading to a repeat of information and an unnatural progression that makes it difficult to determine where individual character's activities fit into the overall story. It is during this portion that the book begins to feel long. Though it captures the mood of waiting for a war and siege to end, the tedium does not translate well onto the page.

Overall I enjoyed Dark in the City of Light. Robertson does a great job of capturing the time and the mood of Paris. The plot is well constructed and develops with some nicely concealed twists, the detailed research rewarded with a dark and brooding novel. The tale ends beautifully with the highlighting of a passage of scripture that offers hope and encouragement to the reader.

It's the middle of the nineteenth century and Europe is essentially divided into three powers - Austria, France and Prussia. The clash of empires makes war inevitable and the race is on to see who can amass the largest army and develop the most powerful weapons. Dark in the City of Light is a classic historical novel about the events of this period, but the setting and characters personalize it and keep it from becoming a historical treatise.

The story is centered on an Austrian family living in Paris. They are critical to the balance of power in Europe because they own one of the only sources of the explosive used in large guns. Their mines produce cinnabar ore which is distilled into mercury fulminate. The attempts by agents of the super powers to obtain the ore are full of intrigue, lies and maybe even murder.

Although the events of the story are global, Robertson personalizes it by focusing on Baron Harsanyi and his two children. The baron appears to be self-serving, playing one country against another. He is also an autocratic but not very attentive father. His son doesn't know what he wants, but is angry with his father for making him attend the French military academy. His daughter is only interested in parties and the mysterious Frenchman who stole her heart in Vienna. And the French agent who wants to buy the ore is willing to take advantage of all the family's problems.

The title is appropriate because there doesn't seem to be much light in Paris at that time. It's hard to see the good in any of the characters, although Harsanyi and his son both have their moments and I liked the few people that they both trust. The theme can best be explained by a phrase that is often used throughout the book. "Only God could ... stop evil, keep a man from doing evil, stop the war ..." Unfortunately, that is not an expression of hope, but of cynicism. When they use the phrase, they mean it will not happen because they don't expect God to act. But somehow, through the evil events in the story, good does manage to shine through, God is not totally absent, and genuine love motivates some of the characters.

I found the book refreshing, after reading a lot of much lighter, romantic historical fiction, and I enjoyed learning about a period of time I knew nothing about. Keep in mind that the Napoleon in the book is not the one you studied in high school. This one is his grandson and not nearly as powerful or brilliant.

Pros: Detailed historical fiction with conflicted characters who reflect the international conflict they influence.

Cons: The mood is pretty dark and you have to be patient to see the goodness in the story.

The original review was posted on Pix-N-Pens

Dark in the City of Light by Paul Robertson is compelling historical fiction about 1870s Paris. Baron Harsanyi works for the Austrian ambassador working in Paris. His late wife owned some cinnabar mines that produce the highly prized materials that the English, Prussian, and French are all bidding for. Their political machinations fill the novel with twists and turns. His daughter Therese loves being in the City of Light, especially with her forbidden beau Auguste who may have secret intentions for their courtship. Her brother Rudolph seems to be just going through the motions, forced to accede to his father's wishes that he attend military academy instead of fulfilling his own political ambitions, until he discovers a terrible secret about his father that may destroy the entire family. Robertson writes a truly rare novel with great intelligence and suspenseful twists and turns. Just when the reader thinks they know what's going to happen next, Robertson reveals new information that throws everything into question. I wish there were more novels written like this, that stimulate the brain and thrill the senses with terrific historical detail. I didn't want it to ever end.

I recently studied about the Franco-Prussian war in history last semester and I feel that the novel was an accurate depiction of the life and times during that time period. I was not fond of the layout of the book. The book was interesting but the way it was divided into little chapters confused me at times. The scenery and characters were always changing and it took me a while to get all the characters straight. The description of the scenery, clothing and the people were vivid and accurate. Once I was able to figure out the characters, the story was great.

With the facts fresh from studying the Franco Prussian war in our history time last year with the boys, this book literally leapt off the pages with imagery and fresh insight. Paris was right at my fingertips through his vivid descriptions. Sometimes they were beautiful and sometimes marred by war, but always an image in my mind.

I did not have a hard time developing interest in this book; however, committing to memory all the foreign names (which were entirely appropriate for the book) and separating all the characters took me a couple of chapters. Once I accomplished that feat, I was able to accomplish my true desire which was to dig into the true story line. I am not one to usually enjoy a book that centers around a war.

Mr. Robertson masterfully created a story which tied all of the characters together. How their lives affected each others. How their decisions affected each other.

Whether intentional or not, the symbolism that his book provides against the background of war provides great basis for discussion. This truly is a small world after all and we can decide whether we are going to be a light in the darkness or vice versa.

This book was provided free by Bethany Publishing in exchange for an honest review.