‘The United Kingdom?’
‘Very strongly tied to Europe, which is why CENSOR has an English name and acronym. It did attempt to leave the European Union last year, but apparently that was prompted by demonic interference. A lot of politicians were subsequently tried for treason and beheaded at the Tower of London.’ [p. 149]
The latest in Cogman's 'Invisible Library' series, set in a multiverse where each world is somewhere on the axis between order (dragons) and chaos (Fae). I always forget how much I enjoy these, and I also forget who's who and what's what ... In The Secret Chapter, Irene and Kai become involved in an art theft on a high-tech world. During a dinner party hosted by the mysterious Mr Nemo in his Caribbean supervillain lair, a heist is proposed: if Nemo's hand-picked team acquires a very specific version of Géricault's 'The Raft of the Medusa', he'll grant each member of the team (a dragon tech expert, a Fae thief, a gambler, a driver and an enforcer) an item from his personal collection. For Irene this is the only way of acquiring a book which will save the world where she went to school from a rapid descent into chaos, so naturally she accepts the challenge. What could possibly go wrong?
Answers on a postcard of Vienna, please ...
This novel introduces several new characters, some of whom I very much hope to encounter again. It also hints at some intriguing backstory concerning the history of the dragons -- secrets which the dragons would very much prefer remained secret. And there is an intriguing subplot dealing with power, conscience and rebellion. But mostly it is great fun, breathless and fast-paced and full of abrupt reversals, betrayals, alliances, and petty sniping. An entertaining read: I went straight on to the next in the series ...
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