Traitor to the Crown: A Spell for the Revolution [Mass Market Paperback]

C. C. Finlay (Author)

Book Description

Series: Traitor to the Crown | Publication Date: May 19, 2009

After making early gains on the battlefields, General Washington’s struggling young armies are being relentlessly pressed back by British troops and Hessian mercenaries. Among the enemy’s ranks is a mysterious force from the Covenant, a secret society of evil witches that for centuries has been pulling the strings of European history: a Hessian necromancer who drinks the power of other witches like a vampire and whose allies include devils and ghosts. Now this man seeks to sap the fighting spirit of Washington’s troops by means of a pernicious curse, chaining the souls of the dead to the spirits of the living.

Against him stand Proctor Brown and Deborah Walcott, two young patriots who lead a ragtag band of witches as much in danger from their own side as from the enemy. Proctor and Deborah must find a way to break the Hessian’s curse before the newborn revolution is smothered in its cradle—and the Covenant extends its dark dominion to the shores of America, extinguishing forever the already sputtering torch of liberty.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the charming second book of the Traitor to the Crown historical fantasy trilogy, Finlay continues to adeptly reimagine the American Revolution. Magical and mundane terrors follow Proctor Brown, newly trained witch, and Deborah Walcott, Quaker sorceress, as they venture from New England to the battlefields of New York and New Jersey. Proctor and Deborah seek to save unwary witches from the Covenant, an international cabal of power-hungry mages, and must maneuver through the Battle of Long Island, the crossing of the Delaware and the Christmas attack on Trenton. Finlay's clean, clear prose unites imaginative magic and a strong historical foundation. The book delivers inspired, historically-informed nuggets, including Proctor and Deborah inspiring Thomas Paine and saving Betsy Ross. History and fantasy buffs alike will delight in the mystic reworking of well-known events, and fans of romance will enjoy the deepening relationship between Procter and Deborah.
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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: 390 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; Original edition (May 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345503910
• ISBN-13: 978-0345503916
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #870,008 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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid middle book of a great series!, June 9, 2009

By 

J. StClair (Southern, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Traitor to the Crown: A Spell for the Revolution (Mass Market Paperback)

My only quibble about this book is that it's the middle book in a trilogy. In truth, it reads like the middle of one book, not a trilogy; I think that after I get the third book I will read them all together.

I'm hoping Finlay will write more set in this world; I really like the historical details and clever ways that he manages to insert actual known historical figures.

A Spell for the Revolution picks up where The Patriot Witch left off, and while I felt that the beginning was a bit slow (mostly the rehash of what happened before) the introduction of a new villain and his henchman kept me reading all afternoon and into the evening until I (unhappily) finished.

I'm not going to spoil the plot for anyone, but if you like historical fantasy and are interested in the American Revolution, this is definitely a keeper!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The American history we didn't learn about in school, June 9, 2009

By 

Vautour (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Traitor to the Crown: A Spell for the Revolution (Mass Market Paperback)

C. C. Finlay is back with the second installment to his TRAITOR TO THE CROWN series and continuing with his inventive and clever twists on the American history we thought we knew. There's something in here for everyone; a little romance, detailed and accurate history with real historical figures, and ghosts, living scarecrows and demons for the horror fans.

The characters are three dimensional with their own memorable quirks. Deborah is a likeable, strong-willed woman with enough mysteries about her past and her abilities to keep readers intrigued. The one exception is Proctor, who is a nice guy, but doesn't go much beyond that. I liked him well enough, but I kept wanting more "oomph" or something from him, since although he does try to make a difference, things seem to happen to him more by luck or chance than his own efforts.

The writing is solid, the tension is enough to keep readers eagerly turning pages and reaching for the next installment. From a writing perspective, it's impressive how Finlay managed to weave in the supernatural elements with actual historical events and it's worth reading for that alone. Even though this is part of a series, it stands well on its own, so if you've missed PATRIOT WITCH (why?) you'll still know what's going on.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very fun series you won't be able to put down, June 9, 2009

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S (Boston, MA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Traitor to the Crown: A Spell for the Revolution (Mass Market Paperback)

I was lucky enough to borrow a copy of the firt book in this series, The Patriot Witch, and blew through it in a few days. I immediately ran out to get A Spell for the Revolution, and enjoyed it immensely! Just like the first book, I had a very hard time putting it down, and the blend of history and fantasy is really fun. I think the historical context and details are really what make the novels stand out to me; it's fun to recall bits of your American history (dusty though it may be) as you read.