Cover: Micaela Alciano
Variety performance
Some authors make a career of repeatedly writing very similar books. Not Nicholas Bowling.. His output so far had been amazingly varied. His debut, Witch Born was a historical fiction set against a dark background of alleged witchcraft and Elizbethan politics. He followed that with the Carnegie shortlisted In the Shadow of Heroes, an exciting ‘mythical’ adventure in Ancient Rome. His third title, Song of the Far Isles, was, in further contrast, an enchanting Celtic fantasy, filled with the strains of magical music. And now he gives us a full-blown Gothic Romance in The Undying of Obedience Wellrest.
However, what does link all these books is a consistently outstanding use of language and expert storytelling, providing hugely engaging, entertaining reads.
Undying story
His exciting new title has all the classic elements of its genre. In a gloomy Victorian setting there is a secluded village graveyard with bodies being stolen by ‘Resurrection Men’. There is an ancient, reclusive gravedigger and his grandson, Ned, one of the two protagonists from whose interleaved perspectives the narrative is cleverly constructed. There is a crumbling manor with an impoverished owner, whose daughter, Obedience (Bede) is the other protagonist. There is a dastardly villain, Phineas Mordant, physically distinguished by a brass prosthetic nose.This creepy gentlemen seeks to marry Bede, with her father’s blessing, but to the total consternation of the girl herself. There are grim ‘scientific’ experiments in a quest to re-enliven a grisly selection of creatures, body parts and indeed entire, if rotting, corpses. There is an evil alchemist ancestor whose dark, hidden secrets Mordant craves to uncover and others try to protect.
Bede herself is as feisty and wilful a ‘heroine’ as any of her most independent-minded predecessors, and perhaps even a little more so.
‘Well you gave me the name,’ (Obedience admonished her father.) ‘It’s not my fault if I took it as a challenge.’ (p 54)
Hiding malicious intent behind a facade of slimy charm, Mordant is the perfect boo-hiss villain. It inevitably does not take long for simple, honest, kindly Ned to fall headlong for Bede and develop a loathing for her intended husband. And the girl herself is, of course, not blind to his qualities, despite the stark gap between their social standing,
‘I had certainly never had a friend who seemed as lonely;’ (she says of him) ‘none who might understand all the strange and sad corners of my soul.’ (p 211)
Bowling you over
There are many delightful inventions of this author too, though. If there is a novel where the hero frequently receives advice and assistance from his loyal and much loved pet fly, I have yet to read it.
However, it is not the originality or otherwise of Nicholas Bowling’s story elements but the construction of his narrative that is so masterly. His language is perfectly evocative of these dramatic characters, dark locations and chilling atmosphere. His plot is replete with twists and turns which take you completely by surprise, cause you to rethink, over and again, all your previous understand of who people are as well as your expectations of what will happen. This means ever more compellingly drawn on to find out how things are going to resolve. It is all just deliciously gruesome, full of thrilling jeopardy and totally compelling.
This new book does not have any pretensions to deeply meaning but it is a must for young gothic enthusiasts from about twelve years old. I think many other readers who like to be drawn into an engrossing story will hugely enjoy it too. Some new to the genre may even be tempted on to explore some of the classics, the original Frankenstein, perhaps.
Micaela Alciano is to be complimented on the glorious cover, which succeeds in being both darkly romantic and strikingly compelling, just like the text. Great to see the fly there too!