Tuesday, November 2, 2021

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Undertakers by Nicole Glover

 


Full Disclosure:  This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on November 9, 2021 in exchange for a potential review.  I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.      


The Undertakers is the second book in Nicole Glover's "Murder & Magic" series, which began earlier this year with The Conductors in March (which I reviewed here).  The series is a historical fantasy mystery/noir series, taking place in reconstruction-era Black Philadelphia.  There our protagonist Hetty Rhodes and her husband Benjy - former conductors on the Underground Railroad - use their magic to help the people of Black Philadelphia with their problems, such as crimes, kidnappings, murders and more that the white authorities have no interest in dealing with.  I really liked The Conductors, which featured a really great protagonist and strong supporting characters to go along with a setting that allowed the book to deal with serious themes (not to mention a time period all but glossed over by White-described history of this country).  

The Undertakers continues this series' winning ways, with a story that remains strong in dealing the prejudices and problems faced by Blacks in reconstruction-era Philadelphia, and beforehand, even while barely featuring any White characters at all.  Main protagonist Hetty remains excellent, and her supporting cast is incredibly easy to fall in love with.  And while the story's occasional red herrings still go nowhere like the first book, they also still serve a purpose in hitting some serious themes here of issues faced not just by Blacks, but by other immigrant cultures new to Philadelphia, all of whom have their own forms of magic (which are just touched on here, but intriguingly at that).  All in all, if you're looking for a new fantasy series, this should absolutely be on your radar.  

-------------------------------------------------Plot Summary-----------------------------------------------------
Hetty and Benjy have been trying to make their new business as funeral home directors/undertakers work, but they have been finding it impossible to attract new clients.  In the meantime, their "side" business of investigating the mysterious happenings of Black Philadelphia, and helping those with problems, isn't necessarily going well either, leading to some conflicts with friends when they can't find any conclusive proof that one Raimond Duval is found dead in a fire - one of the many fires seemingly being set or at least ignored by a White fire company.  And what can they do against one of Philadelphia's most powerful White aldermen?  

But when Raimond's son Valentine is also killed, and their investigations reveal a series of mysterious tunnels, Hetty and Benjy realize that more is going on in Black Philadelphia - as rumors reach them of a mysterious spellbook meant to make Celestial (Black) Magic look bad, of magic items stolen from Black and immigrant communities, and of a lost treasure of sapphires hidden behind an uncrackable numeric cypher.  And then there's the figure from their past, a black man who once acted as a bounty hunter for refugee slaves, who is incredibly skilled with magic, and has a score to settle with Hetty...one that he will do anything to settle...no matter who gets in his path.   
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The Undertakers is told in the same manner as The Conductors - with the story largely told in the present except for interludes to crucial past moments that largely take place during the time Hetty and Benjy worked on getting slaves to freedom, with the story still entirely told from Hetty's point of view.  That said, the novel doesn't attempt to retell the same story as the last book - so Hetty and Benjy, whose marriage was more formal than romantic in book 1 until Hetty realized she actually loved him, don't have to relitigate their relationship; and nor do some of their friends have to relitigate their own relationships (like the gay embalmer Oliver and his lover, the bi Thomas).  

Instead, this book is very much a moving forward with the various relationships, which works really well as all the characters here are highly enjoyable.  Hetty remains an excellent protagonist, as she worries that her new business is falling apart before it even can get started, and that her friends are doing things without her even as they've gotten closer....and most significantly, deals with the grief that comes from finally discovering her sister Esther is now dead.  She's also still an intrepid do-gooder when it comes to her side business (really main business) of acting as the Sparrow, which is why she gets so offended when she realizes others are trying to do good without telling her (and to be fair, Hetty not paying proper attention to news kind of is her own fault).  And her capability with magic remains top notch, especially in combination with Benjy, whose love she now knows she has and reciprocates, even as she accepts his stubbornness as just a part of who he is.  

And then again there are Hetty's friends, who are just a delight as they all form essentially a found family around Hetty in their own ways - you have Penelope, who mixes magic potions (and has an interest in girls) who is basically Hetty's replacement sister, Darlene the painter and her husband George, Oliver and Thomas, Sy the trans boy and his sister Rosie, and more, all of whom have their own personalities and interests....and yet who also want to be part of both Hetty's life and adventures (there's one scene where Hetty goes to tell them they're all in danger, only to discover they all are secretly armed, which is kind of hilarious).  And there's Hetty's paternal figures Jay and Cora, who used to be in charge of the network that they used to free slaves, who Hetty has issues with in this book. The dialogue in the story works really well at building these relationships, and is often incredibly amusing and enjoyable as well.  And there's one late-appearance character who's a lot of fun and who seems like she's gonna stick around too, which I eagerly look forward to.

Then there's the plot, which deals with different ideas than the first book, but still very relevant ones to both this time period and our own.  So you have rich white politicians enacting a reign of terror, and propaganda and theft against primarily black magic users, but also secondarily against other immigrant groups like Asians and Jews, who are revealed to have their own forms of magic.  You have the hunt for a white man's treasure, which was of course hidden by his black slave, and the story of a black slave who was really a freedman stolen from his family, only to adopt a new one before ending tragically - a story that comes to the forefront in really interesting and sad ways.  And the main villain isn't a black man who wants white people magic (ala book 1), but one who uses black Celestial magic against his own people, and cares little for anyone but his own.  And hell, while the mystery of the real antagonist behind him isn't that surprising, the reasoning behind their actions both fits the themes here of families torn apart and works in the story.  

So yeah, The Undertakers is a second winner in this series, which I really recommend to others at this point.  If you're looking for an enjoyable fantasy series from a non-White perspective, definitely check this one out.  It's great.  

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