New Pierre Pevel books on their way

The first two novels in Pierre Pevel's Cardinal's Blades series have been well-received, so it's good news that the third and concluding book in the series, The Dragon Arcana, has been given an English-language release date by Gollancz. The novel will be published on 20 October 2011 by Gollancz in the UK. It's already available now in French.


Pevel also has a new book, The Three Prince War, coming out in September 2012 from Gollancz. The blurb:

Pierre Pevel has written a fantasy Dumas novel, and now he's bringing all the skills of a historical fantasy writer to an epic stage. In the wake of Martin and Gemmell, his new project charts a dynastic power struggle between three brothers. When the King dies his will, to everyone's surprise, leaves the throne to the second of his three sons. It's a surprising choice, and a worrying one as it coincides with a prophecy: that the succession will lead to war, chaos and the undoing of the entire nation. It's something his eldest son can't allow to happen . . . so he challenges his brother's right to rule - as does the youngest son, with the full support of the Church behind him.

But while the prophecy itself is clear, it's not so clear which prince it's referring to. Lorn knows which side he's on: his King chose a sucessor, and Lorn is going to fight to the last to place him on the throne. Honouring that last wish is the right thing to do; Lorn is also fighting for his best friend and the man he believes should be king. But belief is one thing, victory in politics and war is another and the odds are against them. Worse: with every passing day the prophecies grow darker, and a land already torn by civil war is easy pickings for an invasion . . .

Sounds more traditional, but Pevel's a good enough writer to create something special out of the material.

The Alchemist in the Shadows by Pierre Pevel

France, 1633. A secretive female agent, known as La Donna, is wanted for crimes across Europe. When she stumbles across a draconic conspiracy aimed at the French throne, she asks for a pardon from Cardinal Richelieu in return for the disclosure of her intelligence. Whilst Richelieu's agents and La Donna engage in a verbal battle of wills, the Cardinal's Blades are assigned to uncovering the extent and nature of the conspiracy before it can be set into motion, only to learn that the formidable Black Claw agent known as 'The Alchemist' is involved.


The opening novel in the Cardinal's Blades series was a fun, swashbuckling adventure which combined elements of Dumas with dragons to great effect. This second novel is a somewhat different beast. The first book seemed to establish a potential formula, with the Cardinal's Blades being made aware of a threat and moving to counter it, a formula which could generate quite a few novels before feeling tired. Interestingly, the second novel ups the ante and moves events onto a larger and more apocalyptic scale before ending on a cruel cliffhanger just as the plot starts to really get going. The result is a book which is, at least compared to its predecessor, somewhat disappointing for much of its length and then abruptly ends just as it catches fire.

Part of the problem is that the book lacks the clear structure of the first one. In the first novel the Blades were gradually re-recruited by Captain La Fargue, assembled and then unleashed against a formidable enemy. In this volume the Blades seem to be more at the whims of fate and luck than working effectively as a team (the book sees the Blades off on their own missions for much of its length, with a corresponding lack of the banter and camaraderie of the first novel). Some character arcs are continued from the first novel, although bafflingly the major cliffhanger of the first book is only briefly referred to and then dismissed, which makes me wonder why it was included in the first place. Held back until later, it would have been more powerful and effective. Characterisation is also uneven, with Leprat, Laincourt and Saint-Lucq being satisfyingly developed whilst Marciac simply doesn't have much to do. The character of La Donna is introduced, becomes fascinating, and then vacates the storyline with little forewarning, with even her much-referred-to verbal fencing skills being reported rather than shown directly, which is a disappointment.


This lack of depth is frustrating, given the evident skill Pevel has in other areas. 17th Century Paris is again vividly described and Pevel has some skill depicting political intrigue, whilst there are more swashbuckling swordfights, rooftop chases (amusingly slightly subverted here) and dastardly carriage escapes by moonlight, all mightily enjoyable, but generally they arrive fairly late in the day after many pages of fairly workmanlike plotting. The Alchemist in the Shadows simply lacks the je'nai sais quoi that made the first volume so much fun, only showing signs of its predecessor's verve and energy towards the (well-realised) conclusion and the cruel cliffhanger.

The Alchemist in the Shadows (***) will be released on 16 September 2010 in the UK.

The Cardinal's Blades by Pierre Pevel

France, 1633. Cardinal Richelieu is the most powerful and feared man in France, overseeing the affairs of the kingdom from Paris. His current priority is to prevent war from breaking out between France and Spain whilst France is militarily distracted in the Low Countries. To this end, at the request of the Spanish crown he reforms an elite band of men and women known as the Cardinal's Blades and gives them a delicate mission that will strengthen the ties between the two countries. For Captain La Fargue the restitution of the Blades is a great opportunity, but as he re-gathers his former soldiers it becomes clear that a very complicated game is afoot, designed to see Europe crushed under the dominance of an ancient foe...


The Cardinal's Blades is the first in a series of books recounting the adventures of the titular military force, set in an alternate-history Europe where humans live alongside the spawn of dragons. Originally published in France in 2007, the novel has been translated into English by Tom Clegg, who seems to have done a good job. This is a swashbuckling novel packed with rooftop chases, back-alley swordfights, epic tavern brawls, clandestine roadside meetings in coaches and cool diplomatic exchanges between men of power where what is left unsaid can be as important as what is voiced. It's somewhere between Dumas and The Seven Samurai with a bit of the Dirty Dozen thrown in as well (and, contrary to some earlier buzz on the book, nothing at all to do with Temeraire; these dragons ain't talking sky ponies).

The book is cleverly written. The first third or so of the book sees the introduction of numerous characters, most of whom are pretty shady and disposed to violence. It's clear that this is the 'captain getting his old soldiers back together for a new mission' section, and it's fun working out which characters are the good guys and bad guys (and getting it wrong half the time). In fact, Pevel keeps the reader guessing about that right through the book, as various characters are pulled in different directions and even the apparent heroes' loyalties are sometimes murky. Rapid-fire chapters and changes between location and groups of characters can sometimes be disorienting, but after a while the book finds a rhythm which keeps the pages ticking by nicely as the nature of the conspiracy against France and Spain is made clear and various characters' true loyalties are revealed. The book is rich in historical detail, plunging the reader into 17th Century Paris and its environs quite convincingly, and the fact that sometimes chapters at a time go by with no reference to the draconic storyline can occasionally make you forget that you are reading a fantasy work at all.


There aren't that many problems. The book is quite obviously the first in a series and whilst the main storyline is resolved, quite a few character arcs break off in mid-flow, some just as they're getting interesting. The rapid-fire chapters at the start of the book can be a bit confusing and ironically this is one book that would benefit from a dramatis personae, but doesn't have one. Keeping track of who is who can be a problem, as dozens of characters are introduced in a fairly short space of time. However, as the book settles down halfway through, this ceases to be an issue.

Overall, The Cardinal's Blades (****) is a rollicking good book, full of action, adventure, mystery and some quite delicious intrigue. The book will be available on 19 November in the UK in hardcover and trade paperback, and on import in the USA. A sequel, The Alchemist in the Shadows, follows next year.