A Magic of Twilight

Take the political intrigue of various factions of church, state, subjugated peoples of an empire, and religious heretics in a Renaissance setting and combine with magic and a well-realized fantasy setting and the result is A Magic of Twilight by S.L. Farrell, the first, yet stand-alone, volume of the Nessantico Cycle.

Nessantico, the city and empire has endured a period of relative peace under the leadership of its long-time ruler – Kraljica Marguerite ca’Ludovici. This period of peace has allowed for elements within the ruling nobility, the lands of The Holdings, and factions of the religious order known as the Concènzia Faith to separately plot their own ambitions. The Kraljica and Archigos Dhosti ca’Millac of the Concènzia face a rough road as they are awakened to the growing dangers encircling them.

The main narrative follows the path of a of a minor noble, Ana cu’Seranta as she gains the favor of the Archigos Dhosti within the Concènzia. Ana is gifted in the magical force at the heart of the faith and is soon overwhelmed by the ambitions of the higher nobility, the demands of the faith, and a personal brush with a heretical sect at odds with all she’s ever believed in as she is taken into the Archigos’ council. In these struggles lie the future of The Holdings and Nessantico.

A Magic of Twilight represents another example of a fairly standard epic fantasy framework – an adolescent rises above her roots to attain power and save the day with inborn magical skill. A couple of the variances to the common clichés are the Renaissance setting and use of a female lead character, though the tropes of epic fantasy are embraced rather than subverted. The key is that A Magic of Twilight is skillfully realized and balances well the needs of world-building, characterization and plot. Trope and cliché have their roots in universal truths of the human condition and in competent hands can both entertain and enlighten. While A Magic of Twilight may not rise to a level of enlightenment, it does provide an entertaining and addictive read.

The strength of A Magic of Twilight resides in politics. There are no less than six factions of competing interests at play – complete with assassination, massive armies, and powerful magic. The interplay of these factions and their shifting alliances keeps the reader alert and interested while providing just enough surprises along the way. The portrayal of these Machiavellian politics rivals writers like Robert Jordan at their best, even approaching the skill of George R.R. Martin, if not actually attaining it.

The characterization generally holds up well across the spectrum of point of view and supporting characters. While all the common roles are present, Farrell manages to go beyond caricature characterization to provide an interesting depth. My only real complaint with the characterization is with some of his choices surrounding the main character, Ana. To round her out with a depth of hurt and despair, Farrell chooses to follow the well trodden path of sexual abuse. This approach both benefits and detracts from the character that Ana could be and would drive any follower of feminist theory into a fury.

The primary aspect of A Magic of Twilight detracting form its readability is the choice of naming and the hierarchical titles. The liberal use of apostrophes and made up titles brings the pace to a crawl – especially in the beginning. While this is somewhat effective at creating an otherworld sense of atmosphere, it often proves to be a confusing stumbling block that will likely sour many a reader. The inclusion of an informative Appendix may help and please some, but does little to improve the pace of the narrative.

A Magic of Twilight presents a familiar fantasy epic in a new wrapping that should appeal to fans of the genre while providing an entertaining and addicting read. The story is complete and stands well on its own, though this is the first volume of the larger story of the Nessantico Cycle.