I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
The Case of the Spellbound Child
by
Mercedes Lackey
fantasy, alternative history in a Kindle edition that was published by Titan Books on January 7, 2020 and has 322 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Unnatural Issue, "The River's Gift", Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar, Foundation, Intrigues, Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit, Owlknight, Charmed Destinies, Changes, Beauty and the Werewolf, Invasion, Home From the Sea, Dead Reckoning, Conspiracies, Bedlam's Edge, Crown of Vengeance, Redoubt, Harvest Moon, World Divided, Elemental Magic: All New Tales of the Elemental Masters, Sacrifices, Steadfast, Burdens of the Dead, Bastion, Victories, Blood Red, The House of the Four Winds, Games Creatures Play, Closer to Home, Born to Run, Wheels of Fire, When the Bough Breaks, Chrome Circle, Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar, Under the Vale and Other Tales of Valdemar, Arcanum 101, A Tangled Web, Winter Moon, Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar, Elementary: All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters, No True Way: All-New Tales of Valdemar, From a High Tower, Hunter, Closer to the Heart, Silence, A Study in Sable, Elite, Closer to the Chest, Tempest: All-New Tales of Valdemar, A Scandal in Battersea, The Hills Have Spies, The Bartered Brides, Dragon's Teeth, Eye Spy, Breaking Silence, Pathways, Passages, Magic's Pawn, The Black Gryphon, Magic's Promise, The Serpent's Shadow, The Oathbound, The White Gryphon, The Silver Gryphon, Beyond, Spy, Spy Again, Oathbreakers, The Lark and the Wren, The Gates of Sleep, Phoenix and Ashes, The Wizard of London, The Robin and the Kestrel, Oathblood, Take a Thief, Exile's Honor, The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley, Owlflight, Brightly Burning, Exile’s Valor, Sword of Ice and Other Tales of Valdemar, Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar, Crucible, Choices, Into the West, Into the West, Sun in Glory and Other Tales of Valdemar, The Fire Rose
Fourteenth in the Elemental Masters alternative history fantasy series for Young Adult readers revolving around Sarah Lyon-White, Nan Killian, and Dr John and Sarah Watson out on the Dartmoor moors searching for missing children.
My Take
We’ve had some change of attitude since this time period — missing poor children are taken a bit more seriously these days. I can’t imagine a police department waving off children disappearing these days. It’s not just the police either, for most other adults aren’t concerned either. It makes for a sigh of relief when one of “those” adults actually comes up with a practical plan at the end. Shades of Nan and Sarah!
In The Case of the Spellbound Child, it takes that whiff of magic to spur on the authorities. If you consider Watson & company as the authorities. It seems the elemental masters of the day are concerned about any one with magic being taught how to properly use it. Luckily, early in the story, Sapphire Morrison encounters Sarah and company. We also learn more about Mrs Horace’s fancy house.
It begins with a short action, with characters we never meet again. It is rather funny to watch as Alf slowly figures out his limitations. It’s made more interesting with Peter’s “participation” to redeem Alf, and even better with Sarah, John, and Nan’s bargain with the neighbors. There’s a lovely bit where we catch up with Caro/Peter. We also encounter Sapphire and her daughter and the asylum case Alderscroft sends them on. The Elgin Marbles get a look-in with a nod to their controversy.
Per usual, Sarah, Nan, the birds, and Peter visit the spirit plane and learn even more about their abilities.
The chapters smoothly flip back and forth between Sarah, Nan, and company with Ellie and Simon’s experiences with the scenes and character emotions beautifully described — took me right in. I did appreciate our own advanced living as Nan observes the various differences in bathroom features and the various types of lighting available.
There’s an interesting bit of “law” on raising a cottage, and just goes to show how much respect Robert Byerly’s parents had in the area. It doesn’t quite make up for squire and his thoughtlessness.
The Case of the Spellbound Child also shows up the lack of respect women have in this time period. But, you know, don’t you “worry your pretty little head” about it. Ahem.
Lackey is using a third person global subjective point-of-view, which allows for perspectives from a variety of characters, enabling us to experience their thoughts and emotions first-hand. Sarah’s thoughts crack me up as she sighs over Watson’s attitude. Lackey is also using a spelled dialect that is tricky to read, ignoring today’s dialogue styling fashion.
I do enjoy Neville and Grey’s comments. Such smart birds.
The Case of the Spellbound Child is a lively story that promotes confidence in young people — Sherlock Holmes is involved on the periphery — with a good bit of adventurous action and an exploration of the day’s manners, attitudes, and technology. Lackey also continues additional sub-themes with her look at how inconvenient people are “cared for” and her environmental concerns.
The Story
There’s a rumor of evil magic in Dartmoor, confirmed when poor cottagers write for help when their children are missing.
The fault goes two ways, although their mother had reason to be angry when she sent them out on the moors to forage for something to eat. Only, they haven’t come back, and they aren’t the only missing children.
The Characters
The mediumistic Sarah Lyon-White has recently discovered that she’s a Spirit Master, and she’s best friends with Nan Killian, a.k.a. Nan Bullen, who manifests as a Celtic warrior and is a Spirit Magician and Psychic. Grey is Sarah’s grey parrot while Neville is Nan’s protective raven. Suki is their psychic ward and quite the clever young lady. Mrs Horace is their landlady. Dr John Watson is a Water Master while Mary Watson is an Air Master. Mrs Hudson does for Holmes and the Watsons.
Lord Alderscroft, a.k.a. the Wizard of London (The Wizard of London, 5), heads up the Hunting Lodge (of Magicians) and is based in London. Brendan is his coachman. Paul Sterling is His Lordship’s second coachman and the permanent driver for the bungalow.
Caro, a.k.a. Peter Hughes, can be a “ghost” (The Bartered Brides, 13) when he goes undercover. Peter has taken up boxing! And has switched to medicine at school.
Dartmoor in Devon
Sheepstor is . . .
. . . where Helen “Ellie” and Simon, the children of a one-handed father, Robert Byerly, who is an Earth Magician and their better-educated mother is Maryanne, a former teacher, live. Sally Byerly had been Robert’s mother. Daisy is their goat. Father Donald Shaw is the rector.
Yelverton
Harold Linwood is the owner of the Rock Hotel. Daisy and Dandy are Shire horses for the hotel carriage. Gatfer Cole, a former sexton, is a woodquist? with an interesting dog, Grim. Ganmer Dolly has a good reputation as does her daughter Daisy who runs a dairy. Chief Constable Harris appears to be based here. Maude Rundle deals in herbs and has a small cottage outside of town. The Drake Manor Inn provides the old-fashioned style of rooms and is popular as a pub with good beer.
The moor
‘Ansel Anglin is a scum bag and the Dark One. The spellbound children include Robbie, Rose, Lily, Colin, Mark, Stephen, Bill, the healing Sam, Ben, Deborah, and Jess. Liz wuz the one who didn’ do like Dark One said.
The Harton School is . . .
. . . a forward-thinking school that considers the child. It’s run by Isabelle “Memsa’b” and Sahib Horton. Students include Suzie Higgins and Jess Masterson.
London
Alf and Reg are friends in crime. Sam and Annabelle Brown run a cookshop. The Bartilinos are a huge Italian family. Mrs Hardy runs a brothel which Lottie will join. Recurring characters include Inspector Lestrade; Holmes , a.k.a. Benjamin Herbert, who is still pretending to be dead; the Irregulars are the troupe of boys Sherlock and now Watson uses as his spies and runners; Beatrice Leek, who is a witch with an in with the Bohemians of the time; and, Robin Goodfellow, a.k.a. Puck and the Oldest Old One, who makes a few brief appearances. Moriarty (The Bartered Brides) had been Sherlock’s big bad.
The Badger Court Twins need help crossing over. The hysterical child has pull. Robert was the conniving soldier. Sapphire Morrison is an Air Magician and teacher; her daughter is Sylvia (an Earth Mage to be). Her husband, Gerrold Morrison, is also a magician and they are part of Lord Alderscroft’s auxiliary, not full Lodge members.
Travelers are gypsies.
The Cover and Title
The cover’s background has the feel of torn tissue paper in a softened royal blue and pale gray with a profile of Sherlock with his pipe to his mouth, providing texture. At the very top is a testimonial in an embossed white and a slight black shadow with the author’s name using a variety of letter sizes and positions. Underlapping the name is a pale-wood bordered rectangular box showcasing an aerial view of a lone, cozy cottage with warming lights and a lone figure approaching the front door. The house is set at the bottom of a vari-colored hill of grasses and rocks at night. Overlapping the box is Sarah and Nan’s birds, Neville as a black raven and Grey, the parrot, flying over the graphic. Below them is the title in the embossed white with the black shadow. The series info, in white, is below that.
The title should really have been in the plural, for there is more than one of them in The Case of the Spellbound Child.
