Hugo Novel Ballot Review: A Sorceress Comes to Call, by T. Kingfisher
by Rich Horton
Ursula Vernon is a very successful writer and illustrator -- of graphic novels and children's books. Most of her work for adults (not counting the graphic novels) is under the pseudonym T. Kingfisher. She has won a Best Novel Hugo for Nettle and Bone, a Best Graphic Novel for Digger (at the first Worldcon I ever attended, in Chicago in 2012), three short fiction Hugos, plus a Nebula and a Lodestar (for Best Young Adult Novel) and has received numerous other awards and nominations. Suffice it to say that she's been very successful -- and based on what I've read (mostly the award winning short fiction) she deserves her success.
A Sorceress Comes to Call is told through two viewpoint characters, and I listed to the audiobook, narrated very well by Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens. One of them tells the chapters from the point of view of Cordelia, a 14 year old girl; and the other the parts from the POV of Hester, a 50ish woman.
We begin with Cordelia at church, and something strange is going on -- she has no control of her body. We soon gather that her mother, a sorceress, makes her "obedient" from time to time -- takes over her body either as punishment, or to make sure Cordelia does just what she wants. It's quite clear that the mother, Evangeline, is a monster, and indeed she is one of the most unremittingly evil characters I've encountered in recent fiction. Before long Evangeline's latest "benefactor" has broken off with her, and she hatches a plan to move to a larger city and seduce a wealthy man, with the goal of marriage and thus a more long-term secure financial position. But Evangeline knows that her age likely means she won't be able to gain the attention of as wealthy a man as she hopes, so she also decides that Cordelia, once established as the stepdaughter of a socially acceptable man, must attract an even wealthier husband, hopefully one old enough to die and leave his fortune in Cordelia's hands -- which functionally would mean Evangeline's. Cordelia hates her mother and hates that plan, and attempts to run away -- only to learn that her beloved horse Falada has betrayed her -- he is not a real horse, but Evangeline's familiar, and anything Cordelia tries will come immediately to her mother's attention.
Hester, meanwhile, is the sister of Samuel, a Squire. She is fairly comfortable living with her brother, whom she loves affectionately, though he is a shallow if likeable man. She has had a lover, Lord Richard Evermore, but she rejected his marriage proposal for a couple of reasons: insecurity (she and Richard were about 40 when he proposed and she worries that her looks will fade and he'll lose interest) and a desire for independence. But suddenly she has a premonition of "Doom". And before long "Doom" shows up, in the person -- as the reader will have guessed -- of Evangeline, who has already attracted the Squire's attention. Samuel has never shown much interest in the "Parson's Trap" as he calls it -- but Hester senses that Evangeline might be problem in that area, though she doesn't know why. She does know, quickly enough, that Evangeline is a terrible person.
Cordelia and her mother are soon long-term guests at the Squire's house. And, slowly, Cordelia and Hester form a relationship -- Hester is suspicious of Cordelia at first but soon understands that she has been at least mentally abused by her mother, and that she needs helps as much or more as the Squire needs to be saved from a disastrous marriage. We also learn -- indeed, Cordelia realizes for the first time -- that her mother is more than just a terrible mother -- she's a murderer, and she has "punished" her former benefactor in an utterly horrifying fashion.
Hester hatches a plan to interfere with Evangeline's schemes -- she'll invite some friends to a "house party" in the hopes that the Squire can be distracted from Evangeline. But Evangeline is a tricky character -- and a murderer, and things accelerate horribly. Cordelia finally tries to convince Hester of Evangeline's real nature, and eventually she and Hester and Lord Evermore and a couple more of Hester's friends are desperately trying to learn how to stop sorcery. The problem is -- nobody in this world believes that sorcerers are capable of anything beyond, basically, hedge magic. So there's a step to get people to believe in the danger Evangeline poses -- and a lot of work to track down a way to deal with her. The resolution is pretty well done, with some very dark scenes, and courage, and some pretty clever magical logic.
So -- it's a good book, and I quite enjoyed it. The abuse of Cordelia is horrifying and well-depicted. Hester is a really nicely done character, and her romance is nice to see resolved. There is a fine gaggle (word chosen advisedly -- read the book!) of smart and witty women side characters, and a good butler and a nice lady's maid. There is a fun ghost, and the villainess is appropriately vile, and her actions are truly scary. I was involved throughout, and I cared about the plight of the good guys.
So, it's too bad this is a Hugo review. But I need to ask -- is it a great book? A worthy Hugo winner? I have to say, I don't think so. Part of it is simply a sense that it's a bit slight. It's enjoyable but not entirely convincing to me. Some of this worldbuilding -- the setting is sort of faux-Victorian, or perhaps faux-Regency, in a polity that seems somewhat similar to England in that time frame, but with references to the "Old Country" that make one things of Colonial America -- and none of that holds up which is OK I suppose because it's a fantasy world of sorts. But -- I found myself not believing things. And even in that context, the magical part is, well, kind of routine, if handled nicely enough. The solution is, as I suggested, kind of neat in context -- but also on the convenient side. None of my issues are at all fatal, I hasten to add -- it's a good read that I'm happy to have encountered -- and I'll be reading more by T. Kingfisher. It's just -- not quite Hugo level in my mind.
[A side note -- not a comment on quality at all -- the novel is advertised as being an adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale "The Goose Girl". And you can seem some parallels -- but they are pretty slim, really. Which is just fine! It's its own story -- doubtless suggested or inspired by "The Goose Girl", but not really a retelling.]
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