The Midnight of Eights
1580s England. Queen Bess sits on the throne, and the threat to the nation is real as Spain plans an invasion of the island to oust the Protestant ruler. Nelan Michaels begins his tale with a number of woes: he’s a wanted man searching for his true love while shouldering the responsibilities of avenging his family, saving England, all while being pressed into service by Walsingham, the queen’s spymaster, a man who slips between acting the friend and the foe. Politics at home and abroad threaten to unseat the very thing Nelan wants most: a family life. The pressure’s on for Nelan, a friend of Dr. Dee, to do what he must while also protecting – and learning to harness – his astral and elemental knowledge and abilities.
For anyone who has ever been fascinated by use of the occult by a government that would otherwise deem such practices heretical, this story wades confidently into that arena. Fantastical and fun, and well-researched to boot, The Midnight of Eights is full of stakes and tension. Though some problems get resolved too easily, and despite some loose threads and inconsistencies, the story is an adventure into which readers won’t regret escaping… not to mention the settings are delightfully textured and rich, without the pages getting bogged down with too much description. This is book 2 of The Island of Angels series; I have not yet read book 1, but that didn’t impede my enjoyment.
Full of political intrigue and occultism, this story will appeal to anyone who enjoys tales about the Tudors and those which spark their own magic.
