Fawkes

May 1, 2018
The infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605 is reworked with a fantasy twist.At St. Peter's Color School, Thomas Fawkes is desperate to pass his Color Test and access his magical powers. Afflicted by the Stone Plague and shunned by his peers, Thomas waits in vain for Guy Fawkes, his father, to arrive and pass on his powers. However, Fawkes senior sends word that he is not coming, and Thomas is expelled from school. He escapes to London, where he finds Guy and joins a plot to murder King James and several hundred parliamentarians in an England divided between persecuted Keepers (Catholics) and dominant Igniters (Protestants). Thomas' love interest, Emma Areben, is an Igniter of African descent, and while there is some narrative around race and slavery, it lacks enough detail to offer major insights into the social structure and mores of the time. The book's historical flair--most characters were real people--is muted by Brandes' (A Time to Rise, 2016, etc.) melodramatic writing style and contrived dialogue. The result is an awkward mélange of modern teenage angst and excessively stylized faux historical dialect. Characters traipse through a series of shallow epiphanies, with little opportunity for real insight, and the treatment of space and movement is clumsy, leaving readers struggling to visualize important scenes.Despite its allegorical promise and imaginative recasting, Fawkes' execution leaves plenty to be desired. (author's note, discussion questions) (Historical fantasy. 14-18)

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June 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-This historical fantasy set in 1600s London takes the story of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot and gives it a spellbinding spin. Thomas has not seen his father in more than 13 years, but he knows that the famous Guy Fawkes will show up to his son's color test. Only a father can give his son a mask, which will then attach him to a certain color of magic. Thomas desperately wishes to bind himself to grey magic so that he can heal himself of the stone plague. When Guy Fawkes fails to appear at the time Thomas needs him most, the teen decides to take matters into his own hands. He heads to London to find his father and demand a mask from him. He's soon thrust into a dangerous city where Keepers (those bound to only one color) are being hunted and killed by Ignitors (those who use White Light to control multiple colors). Thomas manages to locate his father and quickly becomes part of the conspiracy to kill King James, and hopefully, end both the plague and the persecution of the Keepers. The only problem is that Thomas hears White Light speaking to him and badly wants to answer its call-especially when he sees the Ignitor power of his crush, Emma. Brandes successfully blends magic into history, and one can easily see both sides of the conflict as Thomas struggles with his choice. VERDICT A recommended purchase where the genre is in demand.-Heather Webb, Worthington Libraries, OH

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 4, 2018
In this historical fantasy set in early 17th-century England, a young man becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to assassinate King James I and blow up the House of Lords, all to impress his father and receive the magical powers he feels are his birthright. With his body slowly petrifying thanks to the Stone Plague, Thomas Fawkes’ only hope is to earn the mask that will grant him the power of color speech, which can reverse the Plague. But first he has to prove himself to his father, Guy Fawkes, and his fellow conspirators, who seek an end to the ongoing war between the Keepers and the Igniters, who currently hold the throne. His only true ally: Emma Areben, a noble girl with her own potentially devastating secrets. Set against the backdrop of the infamous Gunpowder Plot but with a paranormal parallel reflecting the real-life Protestant and Catholic conflicts of the day, this adventure tackles class and race issues. While Brandes’ (A Time to Rise) color-based magic system could use further development, Thomas’ struggle for survival and acceptance, and the chemistry he shares with Emma, make this a satisfying tale. Ages 12–up. Agent: Steve Laube, the Steve Laube Agency.

May 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 Sixteen-year-old Thomas Fawkes, son of famous soldier Guy Fawkes, is kicked out of school on the eve of his long-awaited color test, subsequently denying him the tools and training to become a respected member of society. As a result, he travels to London to join his father and a small band of traitors who intend to blow up Parliament and King James and eradicate the Stone Plague coursing through the city?and Thomas' body. This alternate history refocuses the issues from religion to a conflict between those who manipulate one color to do magic (Keepers) and those who seek to control all colors (Igniters). It is a dense novel, very ably written, with a first-person narrator that invites readers into the intricacies and dangers of plotting against authority. In with the Gunpowder Plot story line, there is also a romance and subplot tied to John Hawkins and the African slave trade in England. The history and language of this engrossing historical fantasy suggest older readers, rather than any sensitive content.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)