My Five Word TL:DR Review: Demons and Witches, Oh My

The original Tinder Box is a story that I have only a very vague recollection of. I seem to have a dim recall of a retired and exhausted soldier, doing a witch’s bidding, with very firm instructions of what not to do! Strangely I recall the dogs – each one more menacing than the last with eyes as large as saucers – or some such dramatic description. But, other than that my memory is sketchy, maybe it was one of those stories that never quite gained the momentum of some of the others. Anyway, I do like this author and at the moment he seems to be writing in a style that feels very unique. His last book, Once Was Willem (I could be wrong, it might not be the last book) I very much enjoyed, it felt so original and I feel like The Tinder Box also fits that description perfectly.

This story once again is mediaeval in nature. We have a soldier who has been removed from duty due to injury. Far from returning home a hero it seems that the country is bitter about the war, which is still ongoing, and our soldier, Mag, struggles from place to place, barely earning enough food to eat until he finds work at the home of a widow known as Jannae Mirchella. From here things take a very strange turn indeed. Basically, and just bear with me now, but in a nutshell, a dead demon falls from the sky, our soldier retrieves a tinder box from his body following which he finds himself on the run, with the widow Jannae hot on his tail. Jannae is in fact a witch and recognises that the tinder box contains a source of great power. Now, on top of this, there is another who is aware of the tinder box and is also searching for it. Eventually the three shall meet with quite unexpected and dramatic results.

So, I don’t want to go much further into the story. This is a loose retelling but its easy to recognise the bones of the original but instead of dogs we have demons.

What appealed to me about this story.

First and foremost the writing. This may be a bone of contention for some readers but for me this worked well. I wouldn’t say that the writer has gone so far as to write this in true ‘olde worlde’ fashion, but he certainly doesn’t have any modernisms lurking – or at least none that pulled me out of the story. And, frantkly, I appreciate that. I don’t want to read a mediaeval story where people are saying ‘whatever’ and rolling their eyes. This was a different era and everything about it comes across in the writing. It let me lean into the story really well. I will also say that this story takes its time setting up, again, this isn’t something I have a problem with at all. I want the backstory and I’m a patient reader. I don’t want a bunch of bunkum that brings nothing to the story and that isn’t what you will find here. You need the context. You need to understand the characters and their motivations and more than that you really can’t appreciate their growth without it. So, the writing. Frankly, if I appreciate the writing that goes a long way for me to really liking the book, even if the pacing is slow or the story isn’t quite as gripping as I’d like.

Secondly, the two main characters share povs buy they’re so completely different, their voices unique and their stories quite fascinating. The pair of them undergo this terrific character arc in terms of, well Mag is almost a bit washed out but he reforms into a character that wants to do the right thing. Jannae is incredibly angry. She has lived her life planning revenge and has been so consumed by this that she hasn’t really lived her life at all. She is intent on this tinder box. All her focus is upon it. And yet, things change. But, of course I’m not going to say why.

On top of this the three demons were very entertaining. Of course there’s a play here on good vs evil. These are demons so presumably they’re going to be absolutely terrible. And yet, maybe not. I like the contradictions and suggestions that leave you to make your own decision. Strangely enough it’s man’s own greed and ambition that plays a part in sending all these men to war and keeping them there with all the resultant deaths.

The story itself. Well, it meanders a little. The start takes its time – but when did we all become so impatient that we just wanted to read a book in five minutes – Tolkien would never have succeeded with this mindset! Lets just take our time to appreciate the actual story. It doesn’t have to be all guns blazing, racing out of the stalls with its tail on fire – although the last quarter of the book does resemble that a little to be fair. Yes, there is set up. Yes, there is backstory. It’s all relevant and I enjoyed it. The story was quite bewitching. I also enjoyed the play on how both our protagonists, although they could make whatever demands they pleased, eventually found themselves instead making polite requests.

In conclusion, this might not quite pack the punch of some of Carey’s earlier stories but it is a really good read. I thoroughly enjoyed it, I loved the writing and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next – because frankly, he’s nothing if not unpredictable.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4 of 5 stars