Wrong Train, Right Time (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wrongtrainrighttime) wrote2018-01-20 05:32 pm
wrongtrainrighttime) wrote2018-01-20 05:32 pm
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Spectred Isle (Green Men #1) by K.J. Charles
Charles, K.J. Spectred Isle (Green Men #1). KJC Books. eBook.
Spectred Isle is set in 1920s London, just after World War I. Saul Lazenby is a disgraced archaeologist whose only been able to find work helping rich eccentric research his nonsensical paranormal theories. During these investigations, he encounters Randolph Glyde, a handsome and aristocratic annoyance who is both exactly Saul's type and secretly a magician. Randolph is the final scion of an old family line dedicated to serving the British Isles. As he struggles to uphold his family's duties, he keeps running into Saul -- also exactly his type -- and has to figure out whether Saul is behind the ongoing mystery or merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. There's strange powers afoot, plus the government horning its way into control of the occult world, and (of course) Saul and Randolph's growing attraction to one another.
This novel is the first of the Green Men series, which is set in the same universe as The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal. I absolutely loved The Secret Casebook (review here) so when I saw that K.J. Charles had written more in that world, I snapped it up without hesitation. I knew The Secret Casebook characters only showed up in minor or cameo roles, but I liked the ending that Simon and Robert had gotten, and I wanted more of K.J. Charles' writing and the world.
Unlike The Secret Casebook, Spectred Isle is one long, slow burn between the protagonists, charting their repeated (and annoying) encounters, how they come to trust each other, and how they come to bond and fall in love. The awkward misunderstandings stage as they keep inexplicably running into each other doesn't last long, fortunately, and is mitigated by seeing things from both their points of view. Saul doesn't get why this suspicious and infuriatingly attractive noble keeps running into him during his professionally embarrassing job. Randolph doesn't understand why this mysterious and infuriatingly attractive archaeologist is messing around with a silly eccentric and getting caught up in his otherworldly duties. And when they finally reach and understanding, oh, it's wonderful. They are two young men who have been horribly damaged by the war, seeking safe harbor in each other. I enjoyed reading about both of them immensely, both separately and together. Saul's backstory is heartbreaking and explains both his self-loathing and generosity of spirit. Randolph's wit is flashy and funny but the weight of family tragedy and duty that he struggles under is terrible and sad.
One thing I really liked about the novel was that much of the cast is comprised of young men who had been used by the government and scarred by the war. The occultists, too, had been used by generals safely sequestered from the consequences, and had broken the metaphysical fabric of the world in the process. The fury of Sam (yes, The Secret Casebook Sam, now grown up and living in the Fetter Lane house) and his friends, of Randolph in particular, is palpable -- and sympathetic. Though set in the Bright Young Things era of the 1920s, the novel is thick with the ugly scars and aftermath of WWI, grounding it in that particular historical place and time despite the fantastic underpinnings. As with The Secret Casebook, Charles is mindful of homophobia in her chosen setting. Part of the early-book tension between Saul and Randolph is trying to figure out if they're actually being approached or if they're reading too much into the other man's words, fearing the consequences should they be wrong.
I think I got a bit lost in the action toward the end of the book, but I generally found the plot interesting and full of momentum. There's one particular set piece in the middle-ish that filled me with delight for how horribly and perfectly she slid in the horror element. If I have one criticism, it's that the cast is more or less entirely male, while The Secret Casebook at least had Miss Kay. Perhaps this was an artifact of how WWI affected and damaged the young men sent to fight it is one of the ongoing themes of the book. Still, I'm happy to see that the next installment of the series -- Last Couple in Hell, out on March 8! -- is set to feature an F/F couple. That should bring at least two, and hopefully more, women to the forefront. I'm excited to see what K.J. Charles has in store for them.
Spectred Isle is set in 1920s London, just after World War I. Saul Lazenby is a disgraced archaeologist whose only been able to find work helping rich eccentric research his nonsensical paranormal theories. During these investigations, he encounters Randolph Glyde, a handsome and aristocratic annoyance who is both exactly Saul's type and secretly a magician. Randolph is the final scion of an old family line dedicated to serving the British Isles. As he struggles to uphold his family's duties, he keeps running into Saul -- also exactly his type -- and has to figure out whether Saul is behind the ongoing mystery or merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. There's strange powers afoot, plus the government horning its way into control of the occult world, and (of course) Saul and Randolph's growing attraction to one another.
This novel is the first of the Green Men series, which is set in the same universe as The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal. I absolutely loved The Secret Casebook (review here) so when I saw that K.J. Charles had written more in that world, I snapped it up without hesitation. I knew The Secret Casebook characters only showed up in minor or cameo roles, but I liked the ending that Simon and Robert had gotten, and I wanted more of K.J. Charles' writing and the world.
Unlike The Secret Casebook, Spectred Isle is one long, slow burn between the protagonists, charting their repeated (and annoying) encounters, how they come to trust each other, and how they come to bond and fall in love. The awkward misunderstandings stage as they keep inexplicably running into each other doesn't last long, fortunately, and is mitigated by seeing things from both their points of view. Saul doesn't get why this suspicious and infuriatingly attractive noble keeps running into him during his professionally embarrassing job. Randolph doesn't understand why this mysterious and infuriatingly attractive archaeologist is messing around with a silly eccentric and getting caught up in his otherworldly duties. And when they finally reach and understanding, oh, it's wonderful. They are two young men who have been horribly damaged by the war, seeking safe harbor in each other. I enjoyed reading about both of them immensely, both separately and together. Saul's backstory is heartbreaking and explains both his self-loathing and generosity of spirit. Randolph's wit is flashy and funny but the weight of family tragedy and duty that he struggles under is terrible and sad.
One thing I really liked about the novel was that much of the cast is comprised of young men who had been used by the government and scarred by the war. The occultists, too, had been used by generals safely sequestered from the consequences, and had broken the metaphysical fabric of the world in the process. The fury of Sam (yes, The Secret Casebook Sam, now grown up and living in the Fetter Lane house) and his friends, of Randolph in particular, is palpable -- and sympathetic. Though set in the Bright Young Things era of the 1920s, the novel is thick with the ugly scars and aftermath of WWI, grounding it in that particular historical place and time despite the fantastic underpinnings. As with The Secret Casebook, Charles is mindful of homophobia in her chosen setting. Part of the early-book tension between Saul and Randolph is trying to figure out if they're actually being approached or if they're reading too much into the other man's words, fearing the consequences should they be wrong.
I think I got a bit lost in the action toward the end of the book, but I generally found the plot interesting and full of momentum. There's one particular set piece in the middle-ish that filled me with delight for how horribly and perfectly she slid in the horror element. If I have one criticism, it's that the cast is more or less entirely male, while The Secret Casebook at least had Miss Kay. Perhaps this was an artifact of how WWI affected and damaged the young men sent to fight it is one of the ongoing themes of the book. Still, I'm happy to see that the next installment of the series -- Last Couple in Hell, out on March 8! -- is set to feature an F/F couple. That should bring at least two, and hopefully more, women to the forefront. I'm excited to see what K.J. Charles has in store for them.