The winds of change
are blowing through Paris in the winter of 1789, both for France and for our
hero, a striking and mysterious Gypsy boy named Yann Margoza. He was born with a gift for knowing what
people are thinking and an uncanny ability to throw his voice, and he has been
using those skills while working for a rather foolish magician. That work will soon end, however, and on the
night of the magician’s final performance, Yann’s life will truly begin. That’s the night he meets shy Sido, an
heiress with a cold-hearted father, a young girl who has only known loneliness
until now. Though they have the shortest
of conversations, an attachment is born that will influence both their paths.
And what paths those
will be! While Revolution is afoot in
France, Sido is being used as the pawn of a fearful villain who goes by the
name Count Kalliovski. Some have instead
called him the devil, and only Yann, for Sido’s sake, will dare oppose him.
(Book jacket, “The Red Necklace”)
As the French
Revolution descends into nightmare, Yann Margoza, a mysterious and
extraordinary practitioner of magic, uses his skills to confound his enemies
and help spirit refugees out of France.
If he fails, their fates lie under the blade of the guillotine. But the question of Yann’s true identity and
the kidnapping of his true love, Sido, expose him to dangers that threaten to
destroy him. With Paris on the verge of
collapse, Yann must summon all his strength and courage to rescue his beloved
Sido and outwit the devil’s own – this time for good. (Book jacket, “The Silver
Blade”)
Strongly
reminiscent of two other of my favorite books (The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy and The Fallen Angels by Susannah Kells), I
immediately fell in love with these two books.
What strange serendipity that all three stories happen to be set in the
French Revolution and all three are stories of adventure, intrigue and heroism
with a generous touch of romance. I
guess I am a sucker for this kind of story.
The main distinction that differentiates Gardner’s books from Baroness
Orczy’s and Kells’ books is that they are geared towards a young adult
audience. Compared to “Pimpernel” and “Fallen Angels” these two are quite light, easy, and
fantastical. There was no element of the
magical/supernatural in either “Pimpernel”
or “Fallen Angels” (just the most
thrilling sly and ingenious cleverness and wit) whereas Gardner’s books held a
healthy dose of magic. In fact, there
was a scene in The Silver Blade that
I felt bordered on the awkward and incongruous (I won’t relate it here, for
fear of giving spoilers), but I enjoyed the story so much that I didn't mind a
little deus ex machina. Why is it so rare to find stories like
these nowadays? I thank the gods that I
managed to stumble upon these books at a book sale – there they lay in a random
pile of pitiful-looking marked-down books and when I saw them, I didn't even
think twice. They were practically
calling out my name. It was fate,
definitely fate – and I only paid a seventh of the original price for
them! Fabulous.
What
I liked most about these two books is that although the plot centers on the
love story between Yann and Sido, it does not detract attention from the deeper
underlying themes that pervade the setting of the tale. The French Revolution was a brutal episode in
human history. It began with noble
ideals – equality, fairness, justice, liberty, and so many other lofty dreams –
but all too quickly deteriorated into a violent bloodbath where neither the
guilty nor the innocent were spared of the lash of human greed and
conceit. Yann suffered the dilemma of
his role as a ghostly, magical rescuer colliding with his longing to be free of
the blood-covered Hell that Paris had become and simply be together with Sido. Added into the mix was the fact that he had to
confront the monsters of his own personal history, the origin of his strange abilities,
and the fearful enemy that threatened him and all those he loved. I appreciated
that the hero of this story was portrayed in such a way as to be cognizant
enough of the meaning of responsibility and mindful of the consequences of
selfishness – especially since this tale was meant for a young adult
audience. Heavens know that young people (everyone, in fact, not just the young) nowadays need to learn that particular lesson among many others. I also liked the fact that Sido was not
satisfied with being a prettified doll sitting in the lap of luxury and wealth, that
she managed to overcome her imperfections and didn't settle with being a
typecast figure. Her character clearly
showed that wealth and luxury can be as stifling and restricting as any other
prison, and she chose not to let herself be held by those opulent
bindings.
While
these books are apparently romance-themed, I appreciated the fact that more
than being about romance, they dwelt heavily on adventure and heroism, about
taking risks and making excruciating decisions and sacrifices. The plot was quickly paced and exciting – not
a dull moment. It carried you through
the characters’ fears, frustrations, dangers, and joys. You could witness the unfolding of events of
one of the most crucial times of history as you followed their tale. Just wonderful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who
wants to read a well-told tale, and who wants to savor the closing of a book
with a full head and a full heart.
Please
also read The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Fallen Angels if you come across
them. Enjoy!
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