The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft
The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, they never shy away from a challenging case. But when they are approached by the royal secretary and told the king pleads to be baked into a cake—going so far as to wedge himself inside a lit oven—the Wilbies soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could very well see the nation turned on its head. Their effort to expose a royal secret buried under forty years of lies brings them nose to nose with a violent anti-royalist gang, avaricious ghouls, alchemists who draw their power from a hell-like dimension, and a bookish dragon who only occasionally eats people. Armed with a love toughened by adversity and a stick of chalk that can conjure light from the darkness, hope from the hopeless, Iz and Warren Wilby are ready for a case that will test every spell, skill, and odd magical artifact in their considerable bag of tricks. (Taken from Amazon)
Thank you to Orbit Books and Angela Man for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The Hexologists will be available on September 26th.
I have recently decided that fantasy mysteries are the best kind of mysteries! There is something irresistible about wondering whether the culprit in a whodunnit is human or some sort of magical being. The regular rules of mysteries don’t apply, which gives the writer so much freedom to confound the reader. In the realm of fantasy mysteries, The Hexologists is right at the top of my list of favorites, tied only with Jackaby .
The Hexologists sparkles with cleverness and fun! There was so much to love, from the charmingly oddball main characters to the delightfully bizarre situations they find themselves in. There was something irresistible about Bancroft’s writing that left me both incredibly happy yet wanting more. I loved the mystery and the characters so much that I could have gladly continued for another hundred plus pages.
The mystery itself is simplicity wrapped in a cloak of obfuscation. I loved the various fantastical interruptions that got in the way of things. The twists and turns were loads of fun, but at the end of the day it was the characters and their interactions that elevated this book to the absolute gem that it is.
Our detectives are Iz and Warren Wilby, a married couple whose distinct differences in personality mesh well. Before I go any further, I have to say that I absolutely loved that they were happily married. I haven’t seen that all too often in fantasy of any sort, and it has a refreshingly different feel to it. Plus, as a happily married person myself, I like seeing them interact in ways that I could relate to (within reason. I have yet to have a mandrake invade my front room and I don’t use chalk in interesting and creative ways). The way they played off each other and understood each other’s little quirks felt very familiar.
Iz is a little prickly, although it’s more from a distaste of nonsense than anything. Warren is rather easygoing in comparison, although he of course has his moments. The way the outside world sees them as opposed to how they see each other was fun to read. Their run-ins with other characters and how they played out were a joy to read.
The vaguely Victorian feel mixed with some steampunk-esque elements, combining beautifully with the magic that was present but never overpowering. The book relies on whimsy and strong character building more than on complex magic systems, and it was fantastic.
And that portmanteau! Mary Poppins wishes she had a bag half that cool! I loved the haphazard nature of it, that it was just as dangerous and (possibly) useful. That uncertainty was a stroke of brilliance on the part of the author, and it paid off in droves.
Read this book if you enjoy mysteries, or fantasies. Or, you know, good books. The Hexologists is a rollickingly good time!
