The Alchemist in the Shadows [Hardcover]

The Alchemist in the Shadows is the follow-up to last year's successful swashbuckler, The Cardinal's Blades. Picking up mere weeks after the first book left off, Alchemist plunges headlong back into the world of flashing blades, courtly intrigues, dodgy liaisons and dark magic.

In Pevel's take on 17th century Paris, only the complex manipulations of Cardinal Richelieu have prevented France from being overwhelmed by its many foes. France has enemies without (its Protestant neighbours), within (scheming nobles - including the queen's mother) and supernatural (the Black Claw - draconic cultists with an apocalyptic vision for Europe). In the first book, Richelieu was forced to recall Captain la Fargue and his "blades", a group of talented (if unconventional) soldiers. Now, in the second, the Captain and his friends are up to their collective necks in danger.

This is a very, very stylish book. Either the reader is willing to commit to the joyous, flamboyant, no-holds-barred swashbuckling lunacy of the series, or the adventure is wasted.

If anything, The Alchemist in the Shadows is a slightly more mature offering than The Cardinal's Blades. If the first book was an unrepentant homage to Dumas' creations, in The Alchemist in the Shadows, the reader is introduced to more of Pevel's own talent. A bit more background is revealed - a few more knightly and religious orders come to the front as the world is fleshed out. Even more importantly, we learn more about the backgrounds and personalities of the characters, major and minor. The Blades are all very likeable folk, and, with this book, they also become slightly more differentiated. This is no bad thing - Pevel proves that he's not only able to channel Dumas, but also that he can create something quite impressive with his own voice as well.

Mr Pevel is creating a stunning series that mixes plot and style, sword and sorcery, fine dining and fiery dragons. He's clearly got a knack for the convoluted intrigue of the period, but resists the urge to let indulgent detail stand in the way of telling a great story. The Alchemist in the Shadows is the sort of crazily-fun, laugh-out-loud adventure that makes you want to fence with your own shadow, and practice witty repartee in front of the mirror. Speaking a reader, the more of these books that exist, the happier I am.

Pevel returns to seventeenth century France in this second novel of the Cardinal's Blades. A new threat rises to threaten the future of France. La Donna, an Italian spy known for her subterfuge and intrigue and, of course, inescapable and beguiling beauty, possesses information of a plot against the King and is willing to share it, for a price.

As a French adventure story that is supposed to remind us of Dumas - if Alexandre had had a penchant for dragons, dragonnettes, and dracs running rampant in the streets of Paris and the French countryside alongside the musketeers, that is - Pevel succeeds.

There is a flavor to this novel that is very reminiscent of nineteenth century adventure novels, doused liberally with fantasy elements. This novel isn't without its difficulties, though. As a sequel, it stumbles a little. Certain revelations from the first book are largely ignored in this sequel, a flaw that only can be overlooked thanks to stronger writing on Pevel's part. The reader has to be prepared to do a little bit of work as Pevel traces a path through Paris street by street in what can be a confusing list of streets. Pevel, like Dumas (but sometimes without the same grace), suffers the crime of random information dumps, which mire this story in unnecessary complexity at times. Too much information, especially when revealed in a story utilizing the third person omniscience of the all knowing, all seeing, all explaining author, lends a detachment to the reader that makes it difficult to invest fully in the characters.

"The Alchemist in the Shadows" is a good read, but you may have to
work for it a little bit. .

There's really nothing serious to think about in Pierre Pevel's "The Cardinal's Blades" (Pyr, $11.99, 307 pages) and "The Alchemist in the Shadows" (Pyr, $11.99, 286 pages) except the convoluted plots, which involve Cardinal Richelieu, spies, intrigue and romance. And of course, how much fun it is for readers of a certain age to enjoy a book with the traditional characters: the shadowy grise eminence, the noble hero, the rogue with a heart of gold, the fencing master, and so on down the line.

Pevel also throws in a lot of detail about Paris and French life in the early 17th century, and those who are familiar with Paris will undoubtedly get a lot more out of these two books than I did. That said, I had a good time reading them, and there's at least one more in the series so I have something to look forward to.