Invitation to the Blues

This was equally fascinating as its predecessor, but at the same time it was a very distinct work from Farthing. While the latter was more of a country-house mystery, this one is a political thriller, and given the inherently political nature of the setting, that allows Walton to explore a bit more of the reality of her alternate history.

As in the first novel, we're looking at an alternate England that has secured Peace In Our Time by signing an armistice with Nazi Germany in 1940. The result is not only the nightmare of a Nazi-controlled Europe; we also see the corrosive effect that reality has on democracy in England, and even in familiar bonds and the general morality of the characters we see. The “Nazis are horrible and bad for everyone” theme would maybe seem more cliched in the hands of a less-skilled author, but Walton's rich characterization and foreboding plot add a lot of richness and depth to the story.

Perhaps most importantly, though: the plot revolved around a partially gender-swapped version of Hamlet (Hamlet and Ophelia are crossed, with the other roles still being played by their traditional genders). I need this in my life, because it sounds like it would be excellent.

This book was....fine, I guess. Not my favorite by Roan Parrish, but not a disaster either. There wasn't much of a dramatic arc to it. Jude has depression, he and Faron get involved, and Jude learns not to hate himself so much. I guess it's important to have a depressed MC to decrease the stigma of mental illness, but as a fellow person who has dealt with depression all my life, I can tell you it's not that interesting to read about. Point to the author, however, for not taking the easy way out - Faron's love doesn't magically cure Jude's depression. But it would have been preferable if Parrish had given Faron some quirks or faults, or some personality traits besides artsy and beautiful. Nice to see Daniel and Rex from [b:In the Middle of Somewhere 25687508 In the Middle of Somewhere (Middle of Somewhere, #1) Roan Parrish https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433927277s/25687508.jpg 45515563] and of course Ginger from [b:Small Change 34878010 Small Change (Small Change, #1) Roan Parrish https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494424431s/34878010.jpg 56130556] still kicks butt.Merged review:This book was....fine, I guess. Not my favorite by Roan Parrish, but not a disaster either. There wasn't much of a dramatic arc to it. Jude has depression, he and Faron get involved, and Jude learns not to hate himself so much. I guess it's important to have a depressed MC to decrease the stigma of mental illness, but as a fellow person who has dealt with depression all my life, I can tell you it's not that interesting to read about. Point to the author, however, for not taking the easy way out - Faron's love doesn't magically cure Jude's depression. But it would have been preferable if Parrish had given Faron some quirks or faults, or some personality traits besides artsy and beautiful. Nice to see Daniel and Rex from [b:In the Middle of Somewhere 25687508 In the Middle of Somewhere (Middle of Somewhere, #1) Roan Parrish https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433927277s/25687508.jpg 45515563] and of course Ginger from [b:Small Change 34878010 Small Change (Small Change, #1) Roan Parrish https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494424431s/34878010.jpg 56130556] still kicks butt.

Walton calls her series “Still Life with Fascists”, and, yeah.Not a whodunit, as in [b:Farthing 183740 Farthing (Small Change, #1) Jo Walton https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442714837s/183740.jpg 1884104], but a ‘will the British Detective Inspector and his competent-but-no-genius sidekick prevent the murder?'. I prefer the former for my British detectives.And yet, in our current political clime, probably quite triggering (oh ho what a pun, she says of the bomb-plot novel).

i liked this book even more than Farthing, it is a worthy sequel. Poor Inspector Carmichael breaks my heart, and Jo Walton tells a well-crafted story about the dangers of fascism. This close after the recent European elections, the book was a depressing read at times, and proved difficult for me to finish. I look forward to the final book in the series, but I need to take some time out with lighter fare before I'll be able to stomach it.