Camelot Burning

March 17, 2014
Rose’s shaky debut, first in the Metal & Lace series, introduces a steampunk Camelot in which Christianity and the “mechanical arts” from the East are rapidly replacing addictive pagan magic. Eras blend uneasily in Arthur’s court, where knights wear blazers and shoot crossbows, aeroships sail through the sky, and serfs till the land. Seventeen-year-old Vivienne, apprenticed to the inventor Merlin, builds a mechanical dragon to fight sorceress Morgan le Fay while struggling with her feelings for a squire on the verge of a vow of celibacy. At times, awkward prose makes it difficult to fully invest in Vivienne’s dilemma. If Vivienne runs away with her beloved, “ reputation would be a harlot’s, and he might be outcast from the kingdom as nothing more than a serf whose mother’s life could be lost.” If she stays, she must face impending war with Morgan (“Days of peace are few before it will all come to pass”). While Vivienne’s resourcefulness, courage, and relationship with Merlin, her quirky mentor, make her an appealing heroine, that doesn’t offset the unpersuasive worldbuilding and convoluted style. Ages 13–up. Agent: Corvisiero Literary Agency.

April 15, 2014
It's not your father's Camelot: Tattooed knights in eye makeup and piercings party hearty, downing absinthe and ogling hussies. As for lascivious Lancelot, "[u]p close, he's nothing more than an obnoxious drunk with messy facial hair," observes narrator Vivienne, 17-year-old lady-in-waiting to Guinevere. Secretly, she's apprenticed to Merlin, a recovering magic addict (to the practice, not the game) who now practices the mechanical arts. How this blend--furnaces, steam, pipes, copper, hooks plus alchemy--differs from magic or why, unlike magic, it's acceptable to Christians isn't clear. While knights carouse, Vivienne helps Merlin prepare Camelot's defense against Morgan le Fay, Arthur's sister, whose ultimate objective is the Grail, believed to confer immortality. Vivienne longs to see the world, but Camelot's vulnerability (and Marcus, Lancelot's handsome squire) distracts her. As Merlin fights pain and addiction with alcohol and opium, Vivienne enlists Marcus' help finding Excalibur, but their deepening attraction is thwarted as knighthood, his goal, requires virginity. (Religion's invoked purely for plot purposes.) No heart--magic or mechanical--beats in these cardboard characters or by-the-numbers narrative. To care what happens to Camelot, the Round Table and the Grail, readers must believe they're worth saving. Part Arthurian high fantasy, part steampunk, laced with belle epoque drug- and absinthe-fueled decadence--the concept's so high it floats, but that doesn't mean people will want to jump up and catch it. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-By day, 17-year-old Vivienne is the lady-in-waiting to the future queen Guinevere; at night, she is an apprentice to Merlin. The famed wizard has given up magic and is teaching her the secrets of alchemical machines. Guinevere and Arthur are to be married soon, and Vivienne is kept busy during the preparation for the wedding. Her feelings for Marcus, a knight in training, are a welcome distraction to her double life. Suddenly, Morgan Le Fay returns to attack Camelot and claim the throne. Vivienne soon learns that magic always comes with a price. At the exact moment she begins her attack, Merlin's protection spell begins to expire, and he must be careful not to resort to magic. The novel has the perfect blend of romance and action. Readers will be racing through the pages during the battle scenes and swooning over the teen's romance with Marcus. Vivienne is a strong female character who holds her own against evil Morgan Le Fay as the fate of Camelot hangs in the balance. This book would be a natural pick for fans of BBC's Merlin and the steampunk genre. This debut fantasy novel will have readers clamoring to find out what happens next.-Patrick Tierney, Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School, RI

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