Hexologists

In this book, the Hexologists are on the trail of a mystery. But each time they draw close, the answer seems to shift out of their grasp.

I'm a huge fan of Josiah Bancroft in general, so more of his writing just makes me happy. I think objectively the plot of this one may be weaker, but it's hard for me to give an unbiased review since I enjoyed myself too much. Not to mention, I do really love time travel stories. We also get an advancement of the meta plot of Isolde's father!

One sentence: loving couple does mystery investigation during a magic-driven industrial age

Things I enjoyed about the book:

• established caring relationship between two very different people, who understand each other's quirks and needs (reminds me some of MRK's Glamourist Histories)
• investigators who aren't cops (and are also anti-royalist)
• setup for future books, but not in a way that detracted from this one
• interesting magic system that also has social implications
• an industrial age powered by fuel from portals to a hell dimension (and requiring people to fight back monsters trying to come back through said portals)

I know "romp" is overused as a fiction description, but this is a romp if ever I've seen one. It's grippy action scenes and compelling characters, but more than that a romp for me is fiction that calvinballs its way to undiscussed locations or adding new worldbuilding details with very little foreshadowing. I think this can be done poorly in a way that feels shallow or disconnecting, but here I was entertained and compelled.

A fascinating book (apparently the first in a series) set in a Victorian-era world involving two investigators that use Hexes to solve crimes. Well, only Iz Ann Always Wilby (hah!) uses Hexes, while her husband has his own resources. And their current investigation is a doozy, involving a King who wants to be cooked, a possible bastard son, and various spirits and denizens of other worlds. Like most investigative stories, the clues are there, but it would be a challenge for the reader to solve it before Iz does, even with the various Hexes and other magical incantations and objects shown and explained.

The story starts with the King's cooking situation explained by his secretary and a letter from the apparent bastard son, before action explodes on to the scene (literally). Iz and her husband are then off to investigate the origins of the possible son. But it becomes clear that some forces would be happier if they drop the investigation. The investigation would lead them into the realm of the dead, interactions with a shadow world, and encounters with monstrous creatures from another plane of existence. But even with the case closed, things are not settled, for the Wilbys are now aware of an even more powerful magical force at work in their world, and it would not do to antagonize it unduly, for the force is aware of them and is willing to leave them alone: for now.

In the Wilby's world, the system of magic is divided into four branches: the Wizards, Necromancers, Alchemists, and Hexology. The Wizards and Necromancers are now banned and strictly controlled, while some Alchemists are busy creating new sources of power and raw materials, sometimes from other worlds. Iz uses Hexes (drawings of arcane symbols) during her investigation to help her, and also magical items that have come into her possession from her long-lost (and dead) father, who was an explorer and collector of magical items.

The story is written in a light-hearted way, but with moments of high emotion during important revelations in the investigation. The book would conclude with Iz making a controversial deal with a magical being that would reveal a truly power magical being at work in her world that she would rather avoid if possible. Presumably, a confrontation between them in the future is inevitable, but that would be for a future book in this interesting series to reveal.