Review: The Mislaid Magician

[wshaffer]

The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After: Being the Private Correspondence Between Two Prominent Families Regarding a Scandal Touching the Highest Levels of Government and the Security of the Realm by Patricia C. Wrede


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Like the others in this series, reliable popcorn reading. Nothing groundbreaking, but good fun if you relax and let yourself be carried along by the voices of the characters.

I liked that the authors have allowed Kate and Cecy to grow up some, and introduced their children as characters in the story. This does present some storytelling problems, though - Kate spends most of the book stuck at home looking after all the kids. The plot also feels a bit thin: This book is longer than Sorcery and Cecilia, but if feels as if less happens in it, and there are stretches when even the characters complain to each other about the tedium. (Although, honestly, it can't be that tedious, because I read the whole book in two sittings!)

Still, this book was about what I needed at this particular moment: something fun and easy to read that wouldn't insult my intelligence. If you enjoyed the previous entries in this series, then this one is well worth reading.

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Comments

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

I agree; even stretching Regency gender conventions, it's still difficult for the married Kate and Cecy to be that active. The villains are also a little obvious. Still, all in all, a great deal of fun. I recommend Stevemer's (sp?) other works.