The Demon Redcoat (Traitor to the Crown, Book 3) [Mass Market Paperback]

C. C. Finlay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2009

The War of Independence appears to have no end in sight. Discouraged by the bloodshed and suffering their magic can do nothing to prevent, Proctor and his wife, Deborah, dream of starting a family. But when Deborah gives birth, a powerful demon called Balfri, summoned by the secret society of European witches known as the Covenant, tries to possess the child. Though the attack in unsuccessful, it makes Proctor and Deborah realize that there can be no safety for them, or for anyone, until the Covenant is destroyed.

With the help of such patriots as Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, Proctor embarks on a desperate journey to take the fight to the heart of the Covenant’s power: Europe. There he will uncover a dark, necromantic design of chillingly vast proportions. Meanwhile, back in America, Deborah will face Balfri again–only this time the demon will have the whole British army to command.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the engaging conclusion to the Traitor to the Crown trilogy, Finlay moves to Europe to explore the diplomatic side of his magically reimagined American Revolution. Proctor Brown, witch and revolutionary hero, must leave his wife, Deborah, and their newborn following an attack by the Covenant, a group of mages who rule Britannia. Proctor, John Adams and former slave Lydia Freeman cross the Atlantic to fight their enemy on Covenant territory. With the help of Ben Franklin and magic, Proctor infiltrates England and uncovers the Covenant's plans to destroy Washington's army at Yorktown. Disappointingly, Finlay's final chapters rush precipitously to a climax more cinematic than historical in an attempt to wrap up the entire trilogy. Though the abrupt ending lessens the book's charms and the Deborah-less narrative lacks some of the intimacy of the first volumes, inspired scenes and some imaginative historical revisionism still yield an enjoyable tale.
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About the Author

C. C. Finlay was born in 1964 in New York City but soon thereafter was banished to rural Ohio. His childhood was divided equally between playing in the woods and reading his way through the fiction shelves of his small town’s Carnegie library. Like Jay Gatsby, he studied abroad briefly at the University of Oxford, and it was there, at New College, founded in 1379 around a remnant of the old city wall built by William the Conqueror, that he fell in love with history. He studied literature at Capital University and did graduate work in history at the Ohio State University, where he was a research assistant on two award-winning books about the U.S. Constitution. He started writing fiction after the birth of his first son because he wanted to set an example about chasing one’s dreams. He lives in Columbus with his wife, Rae, and two sons, all smart readers, who keep him honest.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; Original edition (June 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345503929
• ISBN-13: 978-0345503923
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,195,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

C. C. Finlay was born in 1964 in New York City, but grew up in Marysville, Ohio, where his childhood was divided equally between playing in the woods and reading his way through the fiction shelves of the local Carnegie library. He earned a degree in literature at Capital University, studied abroad at New College, Oxford University, and did graduate work in history at The Ohio State University. Writing as Charles Coleman Finlay, he's published more than three dozen short stories, some of which were incorporated in his first novel, The Prodigal Troll (Pyr Books), and gathered in his short story collection, Wild Things (Subterranean Press). His stories have been included in volumes of the Year's Best Science Fiction, Year's Best Fantasy, and the Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, and havee been finalists for the Hugo, Nebula, Sidewise, and Sturgeon awards. His fiction has been translated into Czech, Estonian, Finnish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Russian. He lives in Columbus with his wife, young adult novelist Rae Carson, whose first novel The Girl Of Fire and Thorns will be published by Greenwillow in 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific alternate historical fantasy, June 25, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Demon Redcoat (Traitor to the Crown, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1779 the American War of Independence continues unabated. Having helped General Washington by using his magical skills, Proctor Brown decides it is enough as all he sees is blood flowing on both sides of the dispute. He, his wife Deborah the witch and a few friends relocate to a New England farm although the General pleads with him to help them in Europe. Even if he wanted to get back involved, he will not leave his nine month pregnant spouse.

Deborah goes into labor, but as she gives birth to a daughter, the powerful Balfri the demon enters through an unguarded chimney. Proctor with the help of Abigail, Lydia and Magdalena force the demon outside, but the elderly Magdalena died doing it. Proctor knows now he has no choice but to take the fight to those who summoned Balfri, the European witches of the Covenant. Proctor heads by sea to Europe with black freewoman Lydia pretending to be his slave. On the ocean, he meets John Adams and in France, he meets Benjamin Franklin, but the Covenant uses minor mages and witches to destroy him while in the States Balfri attacks Deborah and her daughter Maggie as there is power in possessing an infant

This is a terrific alternate historical fantasy that continues the saga of Proctor Brown who is considered a "Traitor to the Crown" for helping the American rebels along with his loved ones, during the American Revolution in which magic plays a key role in the outcome. The story line is action packed from the moment that Balfri attacks the house and never slows down crossing the Atlantic or in France and England. Fans of alternate histories will want to read the entire series (see THE PATRIOT WITCH and A SPELL FOR THE REVOLUTION) as well as this thriller as the magic seems genuine and real persona like Adams and Franklin play major roles, but the audience will wonder whether Cornwallis or Washington will surrender at Yorktown as the magic is flying on both sides of the big pond.

Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite enjoyable, especially for alternative history fans, December 21, 2009

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The Mad Hatter "booktionary.blogspot.com" (NY State, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Demon Redcoat (Traitor to the Crown, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Demon Redcoat caps off C.C. Finlay's American Revolution secret history series Traitor to the Crown that started out very strongly with The Patriot Witch followed by A Spell for the Revolution. With The Demon Redcoat, Finlay again sets the proper tone enmeshing the reader in what daily life was like during revolutionary times yet making it all feel natural. The customs and dialogue are like something straight out of a historical novel.

Proctor is back to his saving ways as he attempts to finally put a stop to the terror The Covenant has wrought upon the Americas. Only this time he is not only doing it to defend his country, but to protect his daughter with Deborah. To do so Proctor must travel to England to cut off the threat at its source. Lydia travels with Proctor which certainly expands the view of how freed slaves were treated in Europe. This also gives Lydia's character a lot more depth, which she desperately needed after being trod upon so much.

As Proctor makes his way from America to England he travels on the same boat with John Adams, which was quite an infamous voyage that nearly didn't make it. Adams was a colorful character, whose dialogue was pitch-perfect and I wonder if it was drawn directly from historical sources. As always it is interesting to see how Finlay weaves the use of magic to explain oddities of historical records. We are also entreated to a stay with Benjamin Franklin who opens the doors of Europe to Proctor, although I felt Finlay's portrayal of Franklin was a bit on the kind side given some of the dubious actions attributed to him during this period. But Franklin was instrumental in establishing good relations with the French and other underground happenings.

Proctor stumbles around England for a bit too long as Finlay tries to ensnare him in nearly every major event of the time. Yet the history lesson learned is perhaps done better than my professors ever accomplished. I wonder how this series would be treated in high school as supplemental text for those who have trouble with text book learning? Part of the story is told from the view point of Banastre Tarleton who is a British loyalist responsible for keeping the American forces on their toes during this period. Many atrocities were committed by him and his men that are explained away by the demon of the title, which made for a nice twist on the narrative. I could have done with a few more section from Tarleton's point of view, but I can understand why Finlay refrained as some things done in his chapters are quite horrible.

The Covenant illustrious membership is finally revealed, which I'll refrain from going into detail about because it is too good to spoil. Let's just say it is a bit of a who's who of infamous European magical celebrities. Although, I do think Finlay colored one of the leaders much darker than history traditionally paints him.

Overall, it took a bit long to get to the ending, especially with the turnabout Proctor has to undertake towards the end. The time spent on the sea was a too much for me as well as Proctor's time in another famous locale. The final battle itself worked well, but felt a little rushed given everything it took to get there. At this point the formula of the series has grown a little tiresome on me. The Demon Redcoat is still quite enjoyable, especially for alternative history fans, but it felt the most labored out of the lot. Yet the cast of historical characters does enliven the story quite a bit.

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent series, inventive and fast-paced, September 15, 2009

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S (Boston, MA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Demon Redcoat (Traitor to the Crown, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Traitor to the Crown series is a lot of fun, and a must-read for fantasy and historical fiction fans alike. I found the conclusion (which I will not ruin here) to be very satisfying and a great story in and of itself. I look forward to reading more from Finlay!