... it had been said -- it had been believed -- that much of the old, deep magic of Alinor before the coming of the Empire was gone.
The Fall of the Empire had made it clear that that magic was only quiescent... [Plum Duff, loc. 126]
Reread, because (as per the final line of my February 2023 review of Plum Duff) the seventh book in the series really is due soon... I note that on first reading, I found this wintry novel, full of solstice cheer and ancient traditions and the threat of the Dark, less enjoyable than the 'cosier, more mannerist' novels that preceded it. I do think it feels as though the scope of the story is expanding rapidly: but given the miracles and wonders of the previous pair of novels, that makes more sense to me this time around. And I'm more intrigued than before by the two-tailed fox, the hints of the Good Neighbours, and the penalty Mr Dart has paid for his stone arm.
And then to The Saint of the Bookstore, which is really a short story and as such probably didn't count (or wasn't counted) back in 2023. I have a feeling I read it quite a while after the novels. This time around, it felt more powerful.
Sister Mirabelle of the Linder Church of the Lady is sent to Ragnor Bella to investigate rumours of a saint. Her job is to determine whether it's magic, trickery, or actual miracle. She finds herself in a bookstore, where a young man welcomes her -- and then turns to tending a small girl who stumbles into the shop, barefoot and shivering. Sister Mirabelle assists, and is present when two more young men turn up. The good-looking blond, she notes, has a massive crush on Jemis Greenwing...and their mutual friend, the man with what seems to be a dog but isn't, is well aware of it.
I do love to read familiar characters as seen by an outsider, and Goddard does it brilliantly here, as well as putting some of the events of the series into a wider theological context. I'd be interested to read Sister Mirabelle's report.
I am so looking forward to Bubble and Squeak...