The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison
I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Book Summary
Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor, returns with The Angel of the Crows, a fantasy novel of alternate 1880s London, where killers stalk the night and the ultimate power is naming. This is not the story you think it is.
These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the book you are expecting. In an alternate 1880s London, angels inhabit every public building, and vampires and werewolves walk the streets with human beings in a well-regulated truce. A fantastic utopia, except for a few things: Angels can Fall, and that Fall is like a nuclear bomb in both the physical and metaphysical worlds. And human beings remain human, with all their kindness and greed and passions and murderous intent. Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of this London too. But this London has an Angel. The Angel of the Crows.
Book Details
The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison
Fiction / Fantasy / Historical / Sherlock Holmes
On Sale Date: June 23, 2020 by Macmillan-Tor/Forge
Hardcover, 448 pages
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Review
Set in an alternate Victorian London, THE ANGEL OF THE CROWS by Katherine Addison re-imagines classic Sherlock Holmes only this world is inhabited by angels, vampires, and werewolves. Here, a madman treads the streets at night named Jack the Ripper.
Classic elements of Sherlock Holmes set into a fantastical fantasy world inhabited by Angels, Vampires, and Hellhounds.
Here, in this alternate London, Sherlock Holmes is envisioned as an Angel named Crow. His character comes complete with huge wings and the astute observation and deduction skills readers would expect. Dr. Watson is played by the eccentric surgeon Dr. Doyle who is recently returned from the war and finds himself a flatmate and assistant to the sleuthing Crow.
Told from Dr. Doyle’s perspective, Addison weaves into the main plot Crow and Doyle aiding the Scotland Yard in the grisly Whitechapel murders. Their search leads them into the dark underbelly of London, searching for the identity behind the notorious serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.
Readers familiar with the classic storylines will find threaded among the plot such investigating cases as A Study in Scarlet and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Several storylines seem very familiar as you are reading, but then there are twists and turns that take that familiarity away.
This is a fun read with its Sherlock Holmes retelling and mix of supernatural elements combined with the Jack the Ripper mystery. Angels, Vampires, and Hellhounds—oh my!
Fans of the classic will enjoy the character dynamics and brewing friendship between the feathery Crow and eccentric Doyle. As each case takes our duo one step closer to Jack the Ripper's identity, readers will feel like they're within familiar stories.
An engaging plot and mystery round out the story. My only wish was for a better feel of the Angels and the Fallen's history. Fans of Holmes and Watson will find familiar storylines while the twists keep you on your toes.
