The Pursuit of William Abbey

September 23, 2019
North (The Gameshouse) masterfully explores the weight of guilt and the power of truth in this dark historical fantasy. Sister Ellis is working as a nurse in France during WWI when she meets William Abbey, an Englishman who was cursed by the mother of a boy whose life he failed to save when he was a young doctor in Natal, South Africa in 1884. The novel is framed as Abbey sharing his story with Sister Ellis, telling of his employment as a spy for Great Britain, his epic love affair, and the ghastly shadow that dogs his every move. This shadow spirit’s presence gives Abbey the power to see the truth of men’s hearts, but it will kill those he loves if it catches him. Wracked with guilt over his past and enabled by his curse to see the evil motivations of the cruel imperialist he serves, Abbey sets out on a violent quest for revenge against his colonialist masters. North unflinchingly describes the ruthlessness of imperialism, but her choice to use a straight white male character to fight back against the exploitation of colonialism muddies her message. Readers will find this fantastical thriller as entrancing as it is disturbing. Agent: Meg Davis, Ki Agency

Narrator Peter Kenny shows his incredible range in this world-hopping tribute to "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," in which the titular character is cursed by the shadow of a person whose life he did not save. To outrun the shadow, William Abbey travels the world, and this allows Kenny to use a myriad of accents, smoothly transitioning from one to the next. Because he is telling a story within a story, Kenny must change perspectives quickly, and here he especially shines. As the story moves from Abbey's perspective to that of the nun who hears his tale, the listener actually forgets the narrator is the same person as before. As the tension ratchets up, Kenny hooks the listener. Be prepared to stay up late into the night to reach the end. A.R.F. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine