Council of fire

Eric Flint

Book - 2019

"The passage of Halley's Comet in 1759 is catastrophic. The comet appears to strike the Earth, sundering the New World from the Old. A chain of mountains rises in the Mid-Atlantic. No ship from the Old World arrives in America. No ship from the New World can find a passage to the Old-and most who try simply disappear. The comet has also unleashed magic forces, which soon spread everywhere. Slaves begin using powers derived from African witchcraft, bringing monsters from that continent into the New World. The native tribes begin doing the same. Some European settlers devise ways to couple Old World technology with sorcery. Kraken in the Atlantic, revenants in Jamaica, Dry Hands and Floating Heads in the Hudson valley, African ogres... and worse set loose in the streets of New York. Magic of all kinds, emerging everywhere, most of it poorly if at all controlled. The powerful Iroquois Confederacy disintegrates. The Onondaga Council Fire is extinguished; the Seneca and Cayuga follow their own shaman and war leader, and the Mohawks ally with the English. For their part, the English and the French in North America, who had been on the brink of war when the Sundering came, now have to contemplate what would once have been unthinkable. They must not simply forge a military alliance against the rising dark powers but may even have to unite politically behind the young English prince Edward, now the only person of royal blood left in the terrifying world created by the Sundering"--

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Subjects
Genres
Alternative histories (Fiction)
Fantasy
Fantasy fiction
Published
Riverdale : Baen Publishing Enterprises 2019.
Language
English
Main Author
Eric Flint (author)
Other Authors
Walter H. Hunt (author)
Physical Description
304 pages ; 18 cm
ISBN
9781982124151
9780373887620
9780373692552
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

The second book of the Arcane America alternate history series (after Uncharted, 2018, by Kevin J. Anderson and Sarah A. Hoyt) examines the impact that the rough passage of Halley's Comet had in 1759. The comet's effect is catastrophic, severing the New World from the Old, stranding French and English citizens on the wrong side of the Atlantic to face fantastical creatures including Irish ghosts, Jamaican zombies, kraken, and a plethora of Native American monsters. Military leaders from both sides quickly reach the conclusion that they must set their war aside, but face difficulties convincing the lower ranks and average citizens of it. The English have the unprecedented opportunity to rally behind a royal prince who is stranded with them in the New World. Historical figures such as George Washington and Paul Revere are actively involved in the story, giving this alternate history a sense of what the colonies could have become with a bit of magic involved. Each book in the series is written by different authors and set in a different time, and can be read independently.--Frances Moritz Copyright 2019 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Ghosts and fiends from Native American, Caribbean, and African folklore populate this well-constructed but slow-moving alternate history prequel to the Arcane America series (Uncharted, etc.). In 1759, the appearance of Halley's Comet unleashes magic and raises a mountain range in the Atlantic Ocean that permanently severs the Americas from Europe. The Native tribes and the early British and French colonizing forces must make peace and learn to survive on their own amid Scottish ghosts, Jamaican vodou revenants, and a kraken. After the Six Nations' peaceful Council Fire is extinguished, Seneca strongman Guyasuta harnesses magical power to raise storm spirits and stone golems, planning to expel white invaders from the continent. Meanwhile, Adm. Edward Boscawen rescues the shipwrecked French astronomer Charles Messier and his assistant, Catherine LaGendière, in the Caribbean. Messier has created an "alchemetical" compass to detect magical aether, which may be of use amid rising tensions. Boscawen also enlists the help of Prince Edward, grandson of England's King George and the highest ranking royal in the Colonies, and one Col. George Washington. Readers will enjoy the smart worldbuilding and historical details of colonial shipping, political conflict, race relations, and Native cultures. Unfortunately, the slow start, extraneous plot threads, and the scarcity of female characters mar an otherwise impressive adventure. (Nov.)

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