REVIEW | The Demon Redcoat (Traitor to the Crown) by C.C. Finlay (Del Rey)

One of my reading goals this year was to finish up any trilogies that I had started while they were still fresh in my mind. The Demon Redcoat caps off C.C. Finlay's American Revolution secret history series Traitor to the Crown that started out very strongly with The Patriot Witch followed by A Spell for the Revolution.  I thought enough of The Patriot Witch to include it as the Runner-up to Best Fantasy Series debut of 2009. With The Demon Redcoat, Finlay again sets the proper tone enmeshing the reader in what daily life was like during revolutionary times yet making it all feel natural. The customs and dialogue are like something straight out of a historical novel.

Proctor is back to his saving ways as he attempts to finally put a stop to the terror The Covenant has wrought upon the Americas. Only this time he is not only doing it to defend his country, but to protect his daughter with Deborah. To do so Proctor must travel to England to cut off the threat at its source.  Lydia travels with Proctor which certainly expands the view of how freed slaves were treated in Europe. This also gives Lydia's character a lot more depth, which she desperately needed after being trod upon so much.

As Proctor makes his way from America to England he travels on the same boat with John Adams, which was quite an infamous voyage that nearly didn't make it.  Adams was a colorful character, whose dialogue was pitch-perfect and I wonder if it was drawn directly from historical sources.  As always it is interesting to see how Finlay weaves the use of magic to explain oddities of historical records.  We are also entreated to a stay with Benjamin Franklin who opens the doors of Europe to Proctor, although I felt Finlay's portrayal of Franklin was a bit on the kind side given some of the dubious actions attributed to him during this period. But Franklin was instrumental in establishing good relations with the French and other underground happenings.

Proctor stumbles around England for a bit too long as Finlay tries to ensnare him in nearly every major event of the time.  Yet the history lesson learned is perhaps done better than my professors ever accomplished.  I wonder how this series would be treated in high school as supplemental text for those who have trouble with text book learning?  Part of the story is told from the view point of Banastre Tarleton who is a British loyalist responsible for keeping the American forces on their toes during this period.  Many atrocities were committed by him and his men that are explained away by the demon of the title, which made for a nice twist on the narrative. I could have done with a few more section from Tarleton's point of view, but I can understand why Finlay refrained as some things done in his chapters are quite horrible.

The Covenant illustrious membership is finally revealed, which I'll refrain from going into detail about because it is too good to spoil. Let's just say it is a bit of a who's who of infamous European magical celebrities. Although, I do think Finlay colored one of the leaders much darker than history traditionally paints him.

Overall, it took a bit long to get to the ending, especially with the turnabout Proctor has to undertake towards the end.  The time spent on the sea was a too much for me as well as Proctor's time in another famous locale.  The final battle itself worked well, but felt a little rushed given everything it took to get there. At this point the formula of the series has grown a little tiresome on me.  The Demon Redcoat is still quite enjoyable, especially for alternative history fans, but it felt the most labored out of the lot.  Yet the cast of historical characters does enliven the story quite a bit.  I give The Demon Redcoat 7.5 out of 10 Hats.  I'm eager to see what else Finlay has next in his quiver as he has grown quite a bit as a writer.  He has mentioned doing another book in this world although probably later in the timeline with new characters, but he also mentioned recently on twitter that he has changed projects so I'm not sure what to make of that.  The first volume of the series The Patriot Witch is still freely available as a full eBook.


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REVIEW | A Spell for the Revolution (Traitor to the Crown) by C.C. Finlay (Del Rey)

A Spell for the Revolution is the 2nd volume of C.C. Finlay's Traitor to the Crown series. I was more than pleasantly surprised by how much I liked The Patriot Witch so I was eager to start this one. You can check out my very positive review of the first volume here, which is so far one of my top 5 reads of the year. A Spell for the Revolution picks up a year after the events of The Patriot Witch. Proctor is in search of other witches to join him and Deborah at The Farm so they can combat The Covenant who are supporting the British in their efforts to thwart the American Revolution. Finlay shows yet again that he is no light weight when it comes to American history. His melding of history with fantasy is completely seamless. Proctor and Deborah undertake a journey that brings them to the front lines again and again. As with the first volume they play pivotal roles in explaining the events around many of the Revolution's most baffling times. A Spell for the Revolution had a few slow places as Finlay sometimes has to put the characters through a lot to get them at the scene of some incidents, but it all works beautifully in the end. A Spell for the Revolution truly evokes what hardships Americans were under during the times and how close the British came to putting down the Revolution. Finlay's portrayal of George Washington and other pivotal historical characters feels so right. The main characters certainly have shown growth as well in more than just their skill with magic. Proctor is coming into his own instead of being overshadowed by Deborah. Deborah still comes off as a strong woman though her perniciousness in the 3rd quarter did get on my nerves a bit. I could also have done with a little less arguing between Deborah and Proctor. It just seemed like they were having the same argument again and again. The new enemies introduced worked well and I love the mythology behind them. Mentioning exactly who and what they are would ruin their introduction so I'll refrain. The ending is satisfying as all of the players come together for a show down of sorts. This is the most solid series I've read this year and it flows so easily. I give A Spell for the Revolution 8 out of 10 Hats. I've already picked up the third volume The Demon Redcoat so expect that to be reviewed quite soon as I am anxious to see how everything culminates. I'd recommend this to any American history buff in addition to alternative history fans. Book Link: US Canada Europe

REVIEW | The Patriot Witch (Traitor to the Crown) by C.C. Finlay (Del Rey)

The Patriot Witch is the first in a trilogy of historical fantasies in the Traitor to the Crown series by C.C. Finlay also known as Charles Coleman Finlay author of The Prodigal Troll. Del Rey is releasing the series one a month with the first this past April and the 2nd and 3rd books following a month apart similar to how Brent Weeks' Night Angel Trilogy and Naomi Novik's Temeraire / His Majesty's Dragon were done. I love it when a publisher does something like this, especially given the lag time most of us wait for our favorite series to have a new release. Although publisher a has to have a lot of confidence in the books as their expectations would have to be high. I can say without any reservations that The Patriot Witch hits all the right marks with gritty action, believable characters, and good magic while nailing the setting. The story is centered during revolutionary times in Massachusetts, mostly in the Lexington to Boston area. From a historical aspect The Patriot Witch is completely accurate to the point you could consider it a secret history instead of an alternative one. The story just mixes in magic here and there to help explain how events unfold as they did in ingenious and completely logical ways. I'll refrain from mentioning specific events as it would ruin the fun of finding out what the characters were involved with. The lead and some secondary characters have a lot of depth given the length of the book at 330 pages, which nowadays I'd consider a light read in the fantasy genre. The Patriot Witch gives you the common people's view of the revolution through the eyes of Proctor Brown, a christian farmer and minuteman who also happens to be descended from a line of witches with magic in his blood. I watched the John Adams HBO mini-series last year, which was enthralling but it differed in that it was from the perspective of the leaders of the time so I found Brown's everyman POV refreshing. Proctor is very conflicted between his faith, his newly found powers, and also turning against the British. Even nowadays it is strange to think that people considered themselves British just as much as American during revolutionary times. There is a second war being fought at the same time. One with arms and the other magical as the British side has witches of its own helping. Although it is unclear how much the Brits know about their involvement, but more of the intrigue will probably unfold in succeeding volumes. At it heart The Patriot Witch is a story or responsibility, courage, and selflessness with the main characters sense of doing the right thing driving them even when alternatives from danger are given to them time and again. The one slow point was Proctor's time spent on a farm while trying to learn about his abilities, but even that sequence ends on a high note of surprises and action. The battle scenes are well drawn from historical sources with very realistic combat. The ending plays out well and leaves you wanting for so much more from the characters. The Patriot Witch turned into one of those reads you stay up late for just to get a few more pages in. Before you know it you look up and see you should have been to sleep an hour ago and than turn back for another page. I give The Patriot Witch 8.5 out of 10 Hats. If it wasn't for The Prodigal Troll I'd put this up as a possible Fantasy Debut of the year. Judging by the synopsis of A Spell for the Revolution the action will only be getting bigger so I'll definitely keep following the series. ***Until the end of May The Patriot Witch is available as a complete free e-book here. Grab it while you can. Book Link: US Canada UK