As a historical fantasy enthusiast, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is everything I could ask for and more from a magic-imbued reimagining of the interrelated histories of the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, and the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire!
A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians presents an alternate version of the late eighteenth century world, a world with magic in it. The story travels back and forth between France, Haiti, and Britain where magic is confined strictly to the aristocracy in the European countries. In France, Robespierre dreams of a country free of constraints, a France where commoners and aristocrats alike use their magic freely. He’ll go to any means to make it a reality, even if that means he has to associate with dark magic. As the abolition of the slave trade is heavily discoursed in London, Prime Minister William Pitt is locked in a constant battle against his own nature. Fina, a slave stuck in a sugar plantation in Jamaica struggles to be free of the enchantment suppressing her magic and join the Revolution. In the midst of it all, an ancient, dark presence is stirring, slowly leading the world into utter chaos.
This book is a beautiful and well-balanced combination of extensively researched history and a captivating magic system. I’m completely in awe of the way Parry has woven magic into the late eighteenth century world and given it a magical background so convincing! As you read the book, you’ll find yourself firmly believing that the Parisian mob that stormed the Bastille consisted entirely of commoner magicians, or that Robespierre, a necromancer, raised an army of undead during the French Revolutionary Wars. In terms of pacing, the story itself moves quickly enough, but it also demands to be read slowly and savoured thoroughly. The writing can seem quite dense and history book-ish at times, and I can see why that might make it difficult for some to get through this brick of a book. That being said, I think the writing style suited the tone of the book perfectly, and I was engrossed enough in the story to not feel thrown off by the verbosity.
The magic system in the book is not something we haven’t seen before, but you can never go wrong with elemental magic. We don’t actually witness most of the magical battles since we get to know about them from the conversations the characters have, but the few scenes where we do see various types of magic in action are exhilarating, especially Camille Desmoulins’s fire magic. The antagonist in this novel possesses dark, mysterious magic that brings about countless deaths and devastation, and while that’s not fun to read about at all, his abilities are fascinating all the same.
Along with William Pitt and Maximilien Robespierre, we see several other prominent historical figures in this book, including William Wilberforce, Camille Desmoulins, and Toussaint Louverture. Parry brings them alive on the pages, and most of them possess magic in some form or other. She makes you deeply care for these people and what they fought for and that’s not something very easily achievable, especially when dealing with characters most readers had to reluctantly learn about in history class while wistfully looking out the window and dying to be let out.
The fact that all of these characters perceive the concept of the greater good in radically different ways, and yet each of them think they are doing the right thing even when their actions directly contradict each other’s makes this book a compelling and thought-provoking read. One of the things that really appealed to me about the characters was the complex but heartwarming relationships they shared, especially the one between Pitt and Wilberforce. Their friendship and their constant witty banter bring a breath of fresh air in the otherwise solemn and at times depressing narrative.
The one issue I have with A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is that we didn’t get to see much of Fina and the Haitian side of the story in general, and the characters there didn’t get as much development as the ones in Britain or France. However, the ending leads me to believe that I might get my wish in book two. Except for that, this book was pretty much perfect to me.
If historical and heavily political fiction is something you enjoy, or if you’re just looking for an intriguing read to really get you thinking, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a book you want to keep your eyes peeled for. And just in case you need more convincing to add it to your high priority TBR: this book has vampires.
A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 23rd 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A sweeping tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a genre-defying story of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom in the early modern world.
It is the Age of Enlightenment — of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France to the weather mage Toussaint L’Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas.
But amidst all of the upheaval of the early modern world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilization into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to darkness and chaos.
For more from H. G. Parry, check out The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep.
