The Light Ages
October 15th, 2006by Ian R. MacLeod
ISBN: 0441011497
Imagine if the power mined from the ground in Victorian England was not coal, but magic.
This is the basis of MacLeod’s fantastic alternate past: the world runs on aether, or so it seems. Royalty doesn’t matter, and science and engineering are stagnant because magic makes things possible that wouldn’t be if everyone had to play by the laws of physics. But class and privilege are still very much alive, and status in society revolves around which guild a man is in, and how high within the guild he is — in other words, everything depends on which secrets and which spells one can access.
Light Ages revolves around Robert Borrows, son of minor guildman. Robert is expected to eke out a life not much different from his parents, never leaving the depressing little town of Bracebridge and toiling away at Mawdingly & Clawtson. But Robert isn’t your typical kid, he’s one who takes fairy tale type stories to heart, one who is a bit more curious than most, and one who learns firsthand what can happen when the trollman pays a family a visit. Robert grows into a young man obsessed with revolution, and with secrets.
MacLeod can write, which means he delivers not just a great story, but the kind of read that is rewarding on nearly every page. He isn’t just cranking out pages, he’s crafting a tale, and it shows. I don’t think it is giving anything away to quote the very end of the book, as what it most reveals is spirit of the story and not the plot:
I still don’t know what that truth is, but I’m sure that, when I find it, it will be marvellous.
You don’t need to be into fantasy novels to enjoy this one, you only need to have an open mind and enjoy smart fiction with a twist. Having a soft spot for London, the London of books at any rate, is an extra bonus. Highly recommended.
