Just finished reading Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan.  Set in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I Midnight Never Comes brings to us the wold of political intrigue from not only the court of the Virgin Queen but also from Queen Invidiana, ruler of the Onyx Court that lies beneath London.  I really enjoyed this story.  It’s well written and based on an intriguing concept that ties the fates of both Queens together through a pact created when the young Elizabeth lived under threat of execution.

I have to hand it to Marie Brennan here.  She has clearly researched extensively both this period of history and also the world of the fae and it shows.  She’s managed to recreate London and the Queen’s court with it’s political manoeuvring whilst also giving us the Onyx Court with it’s own brand of politics laced with the fae’s own wicked style.

The story centres around two particular courtiers.  Both of whom struggle for different reasons.  Lune serves the fae Queen but has fallen from grace after her negotiations with the sea fae left her Queen less than pleased.  Michael Deven aspires to greatness and is desperate to catch Elizabeth’s eye.  He manages to secure himself a place among the Gentlemen Pensioners who protect the Queen and also to gain the patronage of Walsingham.  Both characters are thrown together in the role of spy.  Lune to live among mortals at her Queen’s will uncovering secrets from the court in order to help with her own scheming and Michael as the eyes and ears of Walsingham as he tries to uncover what he believes to be an unknown influence upon Elizabeth.

The settings are both equally enjoyable to read.  Brennan manages to easily bring to mind the 16th century streets of London with it’s dark and seedy elements and also creates the magical world of the fae world that lies beneath the streets as a dark reflection.  No sunshine enters the Onyx court.  It’s filled with dark and twisting corridors and populated with a mixture of beautiful, ugly and bestial creatures who all take sinister pleasure in the downfall of others.  It’s a frightening world where Lune lives on a knife edge.

The characters are well written.  The tension and fear are easily felt and the constant danger that particularly Lune lives with gives the story a certain edginess.  Alongside this we manage to have a sprinkling of appearances from famous names from the period.  Walsingham, Essex, Dee and Marlowe all put in a turn and from the fae Queen’s court we have an equally interesting bunch of characters such as Tiresias – a mortal pet of Queen Invidiana and a seer whose strange and often incoherent visions torment him.  Brennan also manages to twist some of the most famous historical moments from Elizabeth’s history to give them a different slant, such as the defeat of the Armada.  I love it when an author manages to interweave historical and fantasy fiction in order to give a different meaning in this way.

The basic thrust of the story is that the pact made between the two Queens is damaging to both worlds and the two courtiers are between them set the task of discovering the basis of that pact and finding a way to break it.  It’s a very dangerous path to tread and both of their lives will become increasingly under threat.

If I have any criticisms about the book it would be probably in relation to the romantic element that exists between the two main characters.  I didn’t particularly read this book with any notion of romance being involved but Lune and Michael do become romantically involved.  For me, the relationship between the two felt very ‘thin’ – just as though we’ve been told they have feelings and that’s that – it just didn’t come across in the writing very well is all.

Apart from that I really enjoyed this book.  If you enjoy historical fiction mixed in with fantasy and courtly intrigue then I think you’ll enjoy this very much.

I’m submitting this for the Once Upon A Time event being hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings