Elisha Barber
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15
Ratings2
Average rating3
E.C. Ambrose's gritty, sharp historical fantasy series, The Dark Apostle, follows Elisha Barber through a magical reimagining of 14th-century England England in the fourteenth century: a land of poverty and opulence, prayer and plague…witchcraft and necromancy. As a child, Elisha witnessed the burning of a witch outside of London, and saw her transformed into an angel at the moment of her death, though all around him denied this vision. He swore that the next time he might have the chance to bind an angel’s wounds, he would be ready. And so he became a barber surgeon, at the lowest ranks of the medical profession, following the only healer’s path available to a peasant’s son. Elisha Barber is good at his work, but skill alone cannot protect him. In a single catastrophic day, Elisha’s attempt to deliver his brother’s child leaves his family ruined, and Elisha himself accused of murder. Then a haughty physician offers him a way out: serve as a battle surgeon in an unjust war. Between tending to the wounded soldiers and protecting them from the physicians’ experiments, Elisha works night and day. Even so, he soon discovers that he has an affinity for magic, drawn into the world of sorcery by Brigit, a beautiful young witch who reminds him uncannily of the angel he saw burn. In the crucible of combat, utterly at the mercy of his capricious superiors, Elisha must attempt to unravel conspiracies both magical and mundane, as well as come to terms with his own disturbing new abilities. But the only things more dangerous than the questions he’s asking are the answers he may reveal.
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Priests..........without the ad&d setting, this time the setting is 18th century England.......Nuff said???
Short review: a good book with a complex plot, gritty and grim, but confusing in spots, especially in characterization.
I picked up a free copy of Elisha Barber at The World Fantasy Convention in New Orleans, 2022, just before I said hi to E.C. Ambrose. I read almost two thirds of this book in one sitting (that is, sitting in the airport and on the plane back to Denver). This book starts off really fast with no introductions whatsoever, though a reader can quickly figure out this is a slightly fictionalized version of London in 1347. The main character is a barber-surgeon, a really interesting choice for a main character. Tragedy strikes right away, and then he is whisked away to attend to wounded soldiers at a castle under siege. While there he encounters a secret network of magi, all with varying powers and strengths, and the plot thickens from there.
The plot and the choices for the characters were really the strength of this book. It's very fast-paced, sometimes confusing in its complex plot, but it's all well-intentioned. I liked the grim edge to everything; this is an author not afraid to write about disturbing and downright gross stuff, and I always admire that. However, sometimes the main character comes off as kind of a coward, which is really unappealing. I wasn't sure if he was supposed to be a 2010s sensitive guy or if there was some justification for it. If there is justification for this aspect of his character, it doesn't really come through. There are plenty of great characters, although the author doesn't dwell on characterizing them through discussion or backstory.
I vacillated between enjoying this book (though not loving it) and just being confused and not caring all that much. More importantly though, I often forgot about the author, or when I put the book down I thought “Is this really written by the person I know?” That's impressive.
Bottom line: I might have picked up this book from the library, and I was lucky to find a copy for free, but it was a struggle to read in spots. I'd definitely like to read more of her work.
Featured Series
3 primary booksThe Dark Apostle is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2013 with contributions by E.C. Ambrose.
