Let's get this out of the way first: The Witch Watch is a self-published book. I (and probably most of the other people that have reviewed it here) found it because I'm a fan of Shamus Young's blog. I wasn't necessarily expecting the same quality as a book released by a major publisher. Well, I'll say this -- as far as formatting and proofreading (hallmarks of bad self-pub books) The Witch Watch is on par with any professional offering. And as for the story...you'll just have to read on.
Warning: there are spoilers in the text that follows, although I do my best to keep my comments very general and/or confined to the early parts of the book.
The Witch Watch is a comedic romp through a Victorian England where magic exists and the dead can be raised as zombie-like abominations. That's what happened to Gilbert. Except that it was all a mistake; it was supposed to be a powerful wizard, Lord Mordaunt, who got raised. Now Gilbert has to contend with Lord Mordaunt's cult-like followers, the zealously anti-magic church -- and, of course, the "Witch Watch", the royal ministry tasked with investigating and defending against malicious magic. But Gilbert is not an evil abomination, he's just a guy trying to do right by the world. When he learns that the "vigor" (a sort of life force or essence) that revived him came from the Princess Sophie, he is determined to get it back to her.
Along the way we get to know Simon, the young sorcerer who raised Gilbert, who is both more and less than he seems. And Alice, daughter of the Witch Watch's founder, who is herself a magic user and has a very clinical approach to magic. As Gilbert regains his memories (they were lost due to his time as a corpse) we are treated to flashbacks to the time before his death, and slowly discover how it was that he was reanimated in place of Lord Mordaunt.
There's nary a dull moment in the book, as Gilbert's adventures take him across England (and beyond). The alternate history with its unique magic system and the organizations that surround them are carefully drawn. Clearly they were deeply thought out, but by and large the explanations are interesting and used to drive the story forward. And for all the high drama, the book is at its heart a comedy. Reading the banter between the characters is a pleasure whether they're debating how to escape their latest predicament or ruminating on what to have for breakfast.
Still, the book falls short for me in a few ways. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at how ready Gilbert is to give up his (un)life for a princess he's never met. At best it was a missed opportunity for more character depth, and at worst it chips away at the reader's belief in the character. And there were other ways the characters lacked complexity. For instance, without spoiling too much, once the characters sort themselves into good guys and bad guys things become very black and white. The heroes might argue about HOW to do accomplish something, but their goals are very much in a line. Again, if Gilbert had a bit more sense of self preservation I think there would have been an additional thread of tension that would have made all the heroes feel a bit more real.
But all books have their flaws, and in this one the good more than outweighed the bad. In other words, I'm glad I read it. (That's more than I can say about plenty of traditionally published books.) If you're inclined toward light historical fantasy, I think you'd like it too.
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Nick Eggleton
Undead Victorians? What's not to like!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 2, 2012Amazon Customer
A very enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 14, 2012
