I had such a good feeling about this series, even after the first volume was “only” a good book without anything to make it stand out. I had high hopes for this unplanned sequel, but was unfortunately let down. I didn’t dislike this book, exactly, but I also don’t feel like continuing this series. We’ll see where it ends up on my Lodestar ballot as soon as I’ve finished reading all the finalists.
THE SINISTER BOOKSELLERS OF BATH
by Garth Nix
Published: Gollancz, 2023
Hardcover: 368 pages
Audiobook: 9 hours, 50 minutes
Series: The Left-Handed Booksellers of London #2
My rating: 6/10
Opening line: The young man running panicked int he dark instinctively headed towards the Abbey.
Return to the enchanting world of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London in this sequel by Garth Nix, bestselling master of teen fantasy, where once again a team of booksellers must fight to keep dangerous magic under cover before the stuff of legends destroys our world.
There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity that inhabits the ancient hot spring.
This time trouble comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger, requiring a desperate rescue attempt from his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, and art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.
The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery and guarded by monstrous living statues. But this is only the beginning. To unravel the secrets of a murderous Ancient Sovereign, the booksellers must investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths. If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.
We’re back with Merlin, Vivien, and Susan, although the latter is doing her best to stay away from all sorts of magical happenings, even keeping her meetings (meaning: dates) with Merlin to one per week. Vivien and Merlin, however, are doing bookseller business as usual, and that means getting themselves into all sorts of danger.
My experience of listening to this second book was a meandering yet constant downhill journey that left me all the more disappointed because the story had started so strong.
My biggest problem was the pacing, both on the small scale as well as the larger one. We are thrown right into the action with a damn cool idea – a map that sucks people into it, trapping them in a sort of space/time bubble – which is then followed by a very sloggish middle part. The beginning was so cool and so much fun. There are walking statues, gargoyles trying to hunt down the protagonists, someone (or something?) controlling them and us having to figure out who it is and how to stop them… all the right ingredients are right there. But then comes the boring bits where nothing much happens. Technically, this would be the time for character moments, world building, and so on.
But here’s where the smaller scale pacing (I’m just going to call it that, there’s probably a somewhat more professional term for what I mean) comes into play. Because Nix lingers on the sort of details that I just don’t care about. I really, really don’t give a damn whether Susan’s Doc Marten’s are burgundy or more blood red, which outrageous outfit Merlin is wearing, down to the underwear – although I’ll forgive the latter, because it’s part of what makes Merlin, Merlin. I definitely don’t need to know Susan’s exact breakfast order or the way Merlin carries the plates as he brings it to her.
I would, however, very much like to know more about the booksellers and their dealings, about how the magic works, about all sorts of myths and legends our heroes encounter. Garth Nix seems to want to focus more on the mundane aspects of what happens rather than the bits that I found most interesting.
And here’s the thing: This is so subjective. For me, that made the book feel uneven and, at times, even boring. For others, this might be exactly what they crave. A shifting of the focus from the fantasy elements and with more attention to details of everyday life. This is still firmly an Urban Fantasy, mind you, so I’m not recommending it to you if you don’t like SFF.
Looking at the book blurb, I have to say, I don’t find this series’ world particularly “enchanting” – there’s way too little coherent worldbuilding for that and, while I appreciate the myths and legends Garth Nix uses to create the deities and creatures in these books, for me at least that sense of wonder never quite manifested itself. I am hesitant to mention that most famous wizard boy my generation grew up with, but whatever heinous shit his author may spew on Twitter, there’s no denying that when I first read those books, I wanted to crawl into them, look at every nook and cranny their world had to offer, and study alongside those magic students.
The Left-Handed Booksellers series never engaged me enough, world building or magic system-wise, to actually make me want to come back. Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, which automatically springs to mind when reading about a secret London (or Bath) behind “our” London, was much more immersive. It lets you in on this deep, dark secret that magical folks have been keeping of another world living side by side with ours. It makes you look at tube station names differently and giggle to yourself. Garth Nix’s books just make me go “oh, so there’s a goddess for that, neat”, and move on with my life.
Now despite my compaints, I didn’t hate the book, I just didn’t find anything to really enjoy either. Much like switching on the TV and just watching what’s there even if it’s not particularly interesting, and getting a sense of relaxation and entertainment out of it, this book was fun while it lasted, but I will remember next to nothing about its plot or characters. And I don’t even mind.
I’m not sure if Nix is planning to write another instalment, but if he does, I will not be reading it. There are too many books out there that get me truly excited. I can’t spend my time reading the ones that are merely okay.
MY RATING: 6/10 – Okay
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