Review: Notes From The Burning Age by Claire North

If nature was to rise up against mankind and destroy everything that we have built, what will we rebuild? What aspects of our current technology and knowledge would be considered off-limits, in the hope that we will not repeat our mistakes again? And which aspects of mankind, no matter how hard we try to suppress them, will break all chains that hold them back and thrive again?

Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North is about a utopian society built from the ashes of a burning world. Scholars and archivists of the Temple have long searched and collected artifacts from our present age, preserving the knowledge so it may not fall into the wrong hands. The world has been at peace, keeping these spirits (“kakuy”) at bay. But man is bound to get greedy and want more. There will always be people for whom equality and equity are not enough, people who need praise and power, and that will be the downfall of utopia.

Thoughts on Notes from the Burning Age

This book has a lot to offer. Through the story, the author looks at our present age with a critical lens, often condensing complex ideas into succinct beliefs. Our protagonist is a man named Ven who has seen the kakuy and was there when destruction took place in his hometown. His thirst for knowledge and influence leads him to leave the Temple and start working for an ambitious man who will stop at nothing to gather the knowledge he needs. There are three things that have stuck with me since I finished this book.

On World Building

Notes from The Burning Age is set in a future post-apocalyptic time and there are subtle links to our existing geography. Most of the book takes place around a city called Budapesht, which resembles the spelling of present-world Budapest. The establishment of the Temple and their priests for conserving knowledge points to religious beliefs in the area and I found the commentary around the kakuy not being gods interesting.

Worldbuilding isn’t purely about the place either. The culture of the people has to be depicted well for the world to seem real. There are lots of natural spots and towns, and few larger cities. Technology is not abundant. Political tensions are high as political groups that want access to information are gaining momentum and voice. In the midst of all this, we have Georg who seems like the orchestrator of a number of things that go on in the city. Ven ultimately ends up working as his assistant.

On Strong Characters

I admired Ven as the protagonist. He is knowledgeable and sharp. He has a high intellect and the best way to describe him would be that he has spunk. He knows what he brings to the table with his knowledge of multiple extinct languages, everything he learned when he was at the Temple about the artifacts and archives, and he is willing to bargain for it. He is the perfect example of someone who might repeatedly be called a coward for not taking action but is truly very observant and looking for the right opportunity to make his move.

On the other hand, Georg is a powerful entity in and of himself. He is resourceful, secretive and manipulative. He is a puppet master and most people don’t even know what he is making them do. He is the perfect mafia warlord.

I loved reading about the relationship between Ven and Georg. They are bound together by destiny and even when they separate, they continue to cross paths. For me, a good political thriller has contrasting people and continuous tension. The political landscape and struggles set up in Notes from the Burning Age is fascinating to observe, and the interplay between Ven and Georg is very well written.

On the Burning Age (our present)

We have developed so much in the last few centuries, with advances in medicine and warfare, and it does make sense that knowing how this knowledge may be used, for bad or worse, and having the option to start over, people might not want it to fall in the wrong hands.

One of my observations was that for a utopia to function, there still has to be a hierarchy and structure. Everyone had agreed that the Temple had the power to limit the circulation of material. People cannot just live happily and in harmony without standards and law to abide by. While this does not come off as an imbalance of power to someone who has always lived in that world by those very rules, Georg and the Brotherhood saw it as such and are willing to do anything to get a hold of the information being kept from them.

Reading Experience Summary

Notes from the Burning Age had me intrigued from start to end. It is not an average-length book so it is important to be patient with it. I found the cover simple and beautiful – it had me curious to read the book. The characters were mostly well done and as I mentioned above, the relationship between Ven and Georg was what held the book together for me. The world building was vivid and detailed and since it is a post-apocalyptic scenario, there were times when I found the writing quite atmospheric. The lack of particulars over the course of time over which these events took place added an additional suspenseful element to the story. Sometimes I found the book hard to follow because it is ingrained in ideology, often conflicting sides of it. At the same time, it is a thoughtful read that made me question my reality and how the same can be viewed with multiple lenses and have polar interpretations.

There is no doubt that Claire North is an exceptional writer with a brilliant imagination and eloquent storytelling. If you are looking for a unique fantasy with an espionage driven plot and descriptive writing, pick up this one!

Notes from the Burning Age is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 20th 2021.

Content Notes: Depiction of violence, war, torture, floods, death of a loved one and fire.

Will you be picking up Notes from the Burning Age? Tell us in the comments below!

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Synopsis | Goodreads

From one of the most imaginative writers of her generation comes an extraordinary vision of the future…

Ven was once a holy man, a keeper of ancient archives. It was his duty to interpret archaic texts, sorting useful knowledge from the heretical ideas of the Burning Age—a time of excess and climate disaster. For in Ven’s world, such material must be closely guarded so that the ills that led to that cataclysmic era can never be repeated.

But when the revolutionary Brotherhood approaches Ven, pressuring him to translate stolen writings that threaten everything he once held dear, his life will be turned upside down. Torn between friendship and faith, Ven must decide how far he’s willing to go to save this new world—and how much he is willing to lose.

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