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A review by chickadee21
The Invention of Fire by Bruce Holsinger
3.0
I really enjoyed the first John Gower book, [b:A Burnable Book|18090082|A Burnable Book (John Gower, #1)|Bruce Holsinger|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1378328811s/18090082.jpg|25404531] - though I found the plot and ending overly complicated, especially with the political intrigue. Alas, The Invention of Fire is a similarly convoluted tale, but without some of the charm of the first book.
The story has an interesting premise: 16 unknown people found discarded in a privy (ewwww), shot to death with handgonnes. As this is the 14th century, handgonnes are a new and deadly technology, known to only a few. Unfortunately, the plot quickly devolves into this duke versus that duke, etc etc. As most of the high-level people mentioned as the connivers are barely in the book, I found it really hard to keep them all straight, or understand their motivations (though I guess the main motivation is just "power").
In addition to just how complicated the book was, there were a few other flaws that bugged me. The mystery is pretty easy to figure out - the clues being really obvious and unsubtle. I felt Holsinger could have done a better job hiding the clues. Also, I just don't find Gower to be a terribly interesting main character. All of his sections focus on the mystery at hand. He doesn't interact with anyone who isn't involved with the mystery somehow. A few scenes showing his personal life would have been helpful to make him a more relatable character.
But there are some good points to the book. Holsinger is very talented at writing stories from a woman's perspective, and developing strong female characters. Hawisia's story took a few surprising twists, and Margery's sections were my favorite (as Eleanor's were in "A Burnable Book").
As "A Burnable Book" was really complicated, and since I read it over a year ago, I had forgotten many of the characters, or what had happened. It's probably better to read Holsinger's books in succession, so you can keep track of the characters who appear in both books.
I will probably read the next Gower book, but I hope Holsinger changes up his formula next time. Less political intrigue, more personal stuff on Gower, please! And keep the strong women characters coming!
The story has an interesting premise: 16 unknown people found discarded in a privy (ewwww), shot to death with handgonnes. As this is the 14th century, handgonnes are a new and deadly technology, known to only a few. Unfortunately, the plot quickly devolves into this duke versus that duke, etc etc. As most of the high-level people mentioned as the connivers are barely in the book, I found it really hard to keep them all straight, or understand their motivations (though I guess the main motivation is just "power").
Spoiler
William Snell is telegraphed as the villain when you first meet him. I was hoping for a twist where he wasn't involved in a plot, but no such luck.In addition to just how complicated the book was, there were a few other flaws that bugged me. The mystery is pretty easy to figure out - the clues being really obvious and unsubtle. I felt Holsinger could have done a better job hiding the clues. Also, I just don't find Gower to be a terribly interesting main character. All of his sections focus on the mystery at hand. He doesn't interact with anyone who isn't involved with the mystery somehow. A few scenes showing his personal life would have been helpful to make him a more relatable character.
But there are some good points to the book. Holsinger is very talented at writing stories from a woman's perspective, and developing strong female characters. Hawisia's story took a few surprising twists, and Margery's sections were my favorite (as Eleanor's were in "A Burnable Book").
Spoiler
But I was surprised - and a little disappointed - that Margery and Robert never met up with Gower. If their story had been cut from the book, it wouldn't have really changed anything at all - the ending would have been exactly the same. I also wanted more closure on their story. I'm not sure why Holsinger chose to end it with Gower's and Chaucer's possible perspectives - an innovative idea, true, but not what I wanted.As "A Burnable Book" was really complicated, and since I read it over a year ago, I had forgotten many of the characters, or what had happened. It's probably better to read Holsinger's books in succession, so you can keep track of the characters who appear in both books.
I will probably read the next Gower book, but I hope Holsinger changes up his formula next time. Less political intrigue, more personal stuff on Gower, please! And keep the strong women characters coming!