The Raven and the Pig by Lou Kemp
4 stars
The Raven And The Pig is book two of the Celwyn series of magical realism tales. These are also steeped in steampunk and set around the turn of the twentieth century.
Celwyn is an immortal magician and the book opens with him suffering a terrible injury. He is aboard the Nautilus submarine owned by Captain Nemo, and is being taken to the Cape Verde Islands in search of a special healer. With Celwyn are his associates and friends from book one; Kang, an automaton, and Bartholomew, along with Jules Verne and Celwyn’s estranged brother.
There are many adventures for the travelers as they encounter immortals, witches, vampires and villains of the human kind; several are after the designs for a wonderful new flying machine which Kang and Bartholomew are working on.
As with book one this is a steady paced novel, sprinkled with details of the era which support the magical elements. Celwyn’s love of classical music continues and later his magic is enhanced which allows him to create new exciting abilities. Another good book from this writer.
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As the music dies, the magician Celwyn is mortally wounded. His darker, immortal brother Pelaez brings him back, barely, with his magic and the party of protagonists travel on the Nautilus to the Cape Verde Islands and the healer of immortals. During the journey, Professor Kang and Bartholomew cannot tell if Pelaez will keep his brother alive. Captain Nemo is ready to evict Pelaez forcibly, but keeping Celwyn alive is the only thing that restrains him.
After Celwyn is saved, the healer requests payment for his services. This sends the adventurers to the catacombs in Capuchin, going underground with ancient and fresh corpses, and an experience they will not forget. If it hadn’t been for Captain Nemo’s foresight, they would have been lost. Before it is over, several of the protagonists question why it seems everyone from warlocks and vampires to witches, seem to be congregating in their world. Through it all some of them become surprising allies, and a few of their allies turn against them.
In part II, work on the new flying machine begins in earnest bringing attention from the Mafioso and a cherub-like warlock called Duncan.
Rosie Amber 