Reviews for The Angel of the Crows
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
An alternate-world fantasy that adds a few welcome twists to the famous Holmes and Watson archetypes. Addison’s novel begins with an injured army doctor returning to London from Afghanistan and taking up residence with an eccentric detective in a flat on Baker Street. Readers don’t have to be mystery aficionados to guess what’s going on here, but this is no ordinary take on Sherlock Holmes. Addison’s 1880s London is populated with werewolves, vampires, and angels alongside its serial killers and common thieves. The Watson figure, here called Dr. Doyle, turns into a hellhound at night due to a supernatural injury, which Doyle must keep secret or risk being punished for not having registered with the government as an occult creature. The Sherlock figure, here called Crow, is an angel who helps Scotland Yard (Lestrade is still Lestrade, as useless as ever) solve its trickiest cases. Recognizable Arthur Conan Doyle mysteries and characters have new life in this sturdily built fantasy universe, making it fun to read even such familiar tales. All the while, the detectives watch the papers for more news on the grisly Whitechapel murders, committed by the all-too-human Jack the Ripper. As Doyle and Crow explore London’s seedy occult underground, Addison doesn’t shy away from discussing the era’s racism. It would be a spoiler to be too specific, but what really makes this title stand out among a sea of Sherlock Holmes stories is its straightforward criticism of gender roles and the gender binary itself. A Sherlock Holmes–esque novel that truly breaks the mold. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
The latest by Addison (The Goblin Emperor, 2014) is set in an alternate London, where hellhounds and necrophages must register with the government, werewolves and vampires are respectable pillars of society, and angels watch over certain buildings or areas, their "habitations." If an angel loses habitation, it either loses its identity and becomes one of the innumerable Nameless or runs the risk of becoming one of the monstrous Fallen. The exception is Crow, the self-titled Angel of London, who somehow survived the destruction of habitation without falling and set up shop as a consulting detective at 221B Baker Street. Crow is joined in his investigations by Dr. J. H. Doyle, a veteran of the Afghanistan campaigns whose leg and life were changed by the touch of a Fallen. Supernatural versions of classic Holmes stories take place alongside the Ripper murders, with Doyle and Crow in the thick of them. While very different in tone from her last work, Addison's adept characterization and world building elevate The Angel of Crows above the run-of-the-mill Holmes pastiche. Highly recommended for fans of Kim Newman's Anno-Dracula (1993) and Ian R. MacLeod's The Light Ages (2003) or anyone looking to be immersed in a well-wrought alternate historical fantasy world.
Library Journal
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Dr. J.H. Doyle faced the Fallen during the war in Afghanistan and survived. Physically and spectrally injured, Doyle is released from the Armed Forces and sent back to London. When a colleague arranges a meeting with a potential flatmate, Doyle is surprised to meet the angel Crow—who is not Fallen, but also not tied to any physical location, as are most angels. Even more intriguing is Crow's passion, investigating dark and mysterious crimes with the local police, especially the latest list of Whitechapel murders of prostitutes. Doyle is drawn into Crow and Inspector Lestrade's investigations, finding camaraderie. Yet Doyle has secrets—not the least of which is being a hell-hound—and Crow is as challenging as he is charming, leading to numerous close calls. A twisting, surprising Sherlock bend in a world of angels, hell-hounds, and other supernatural beings. Readers may know the names and the stories, but here is an original tale. VERDICT Addison (The Goblin Emperor) enthralls readers with her character-driven action, intriguing expressions of identity and sexuality, and a world set in an alternate 1880s London that captures the imagination.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton
