H. G. Parry really throws you for a bit of a loop with A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians, book one of the Shadow Histories. The book opens in 1779 with William Pitt and William Wilberforce first becoming friends and working on becoming members of Parliament in the House of Commoners. They become friends due to their joint interest in pushing for the increased rights of commoner magicians and then later their fight against slavery. We also meet Maximilien Robespierre who is a young lawyer and secret necromancer who wishes to also fight for the rights of commoner magicians but in France. Across the ocean from them in Jamaica is young Fina, a slave girl kept enspelled through a mix of alchemy and magic. As someone starts maneuvering things and pulling strings behind the scenes their lives and destinies start gradually intertwining as chaos and later war spread through each of their respective realms. Now they must face their own roles in what is happening and their own ability to influence the future as they each decide on what they consider to be the right thing as they are forced to fight for their beliefs, and in some cases for their lives.
Though I was already somewhat familiar with the events covered in this book I must admit that I was not sure what to admit with this particular angle of these events. This book is essentially a historical fiction fantasy what if that predicated entirely on the idea that some people randomly have magic but that only members of the aristocracy are allowed to use that magic. Being able to take that one idea and turn it into this sprawling story that spans close to fifteen years all told is incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it all unfold and seeing how closely it paralleled the original events with only minor changes because of the magic. It also does a great job of setting up this world and makes me wonder about how things will play out in the sequel. At the same time I found myself entranced by how well it handled the historical fiction aspects of the story because you can tell just by reading it that there was massive amounts of research that was done before it was written. While I am not entirely sure how accurate some of that is in regards to personalities of the characters, the overall flow of events seems to be pretty accurate even when taking into account the obvious changes. It must have taken immense amounts of thought and planning to be able to create something so cohesive in terms of both actual history and the additions and changes. This book was both enjoyable and fairly impressive so I am happy giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
This is the first book in an adult fantasy series though it also has many elements of historical fiction so it could probably hold appeal for readers who enjoy either of those genres or for those who enjoy an overlap of those genres. Due to the rather dark, bloody and gruesome history associated with the French Revolution which is covered in the later parts of the book, I would caution all readers to think carefully before diving into this one. The book may not be overly graphic but it also doesn’t skirt around things either. While I do suggest caution it can also probably be read by slightly younger readers but probably not younger than about fifteen. A good book though and one that I hope you will consider. If you do try it out, consider sharing your thoughts in the comments.