And now, in my ongoing pursuit to spam you today, here’s my third post this morning.
I finished the second book in the series of Monster Blood Tattoo books last night: this one Lamplighter. One the most promising areas of fantastic writing currently seems to be the blending of historical literature with fantastic elements, and Lamplighter does this with the precision of a planned military campaign. Apparently writer D.M. Cornish spent the last fifteen years creating the universe these books take place in. The books are rich in detail as well as characterization.
Of course, a book is only as good as its main characters. The protagonist of the books, a young foundling named Rossamund Bookchild is set into the world with Dickensian like prologue. Rosamund enters the service of the lamplighters, but on his way to his apprenticeship has several wayward adventures he survives through courage, luck, and ability. The world around him is populated by colorful and classical characters, echoing the societies of Austen’s world, or Forester’s Hornblower. There are rules, roles, and classes.
There are also monsters. Rossamund finds himself questioning the blanket morality that all monsters are bad and deserve killing. These complicated moral issues interweave the action, adventure, and backdrop.
I can’t recommend the book highly enough. Books like this are a fresh breath of air in the YA and MG market, where we tend to clone what’s selling as an industry. It treats all its readers to morally complex issues, yet maintains a simplicity toward what is heroic and what is not. I hope you will all scurry out and and buy Foundling. Foundling is a fine book, but remember–you need to get to Lamplighter, where both Rossamund and the world come into their own.
Catherine
