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Morland Dynasty #18
The Abyss
1833: William IV, Victoria; the Railway Age; George Hudson
The industrial age is sweeping through England and the Stephensons are planning the greatest engineering scheme ever undertaken - a railway line from Liverpool to London. At Morland Place, Nicholas had hoped that his brother Benedict had been banished for ever. But railway fever brings Benedict back to York as an engineer on the Leeds & Selby line. When plans are formed to bring the railway to York, Nicholas not only fears his brother may steal his inheritance, but that the iron horse will destroy the very Morland lands. The conflict between the brothers mirrors the nation's battle between old and new.
The industrial age is sweeping through England and the Stephensons are planning the greatest engineering scheme ever undertaken - a railway line from Liverpool to London. At Morland Place, Nicholas had hoped that his brother Benedict had been banished for ever. But railway fever brings Benedict back to York as an engineer on the Leeds & Selby line. When plans are formed to bring the railway to York, Nicholas not only fears his brother may steal his inheritance, but that the iron horse will destroy the very Morland lands. The conflict between the brothers mirrors the nation's battle between old and new.
577 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
43 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
169 books493 followersCynthia Harrod-Eagles (aka Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennett)
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy.
She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC.
She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four.
In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy.
She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC.
She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four.
In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 12, 2013
I have read and loved all the previous ones (to different degrees) but did not enjoy this one at all. I missed other characters (Lucy, Sophie, Thomas etc) who just vanished whilst the Nicky/Bendy saga was resolved. I found Bendy ridiculously wet in the previous book - who lets themselves be accused of a hideous murder and banishes themselves from a beloved parent when they have an alibi?! - and he was just as bad in this one. I couldn't wait for Nicholas to die and it all be over. In fact I basically skip read it until that happened and I could then relax and read it properly. Hopefully the next one will bring back other characters and hopefully Roasalind will either grow up / die of cholera and open up the way for Sibbella.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2013
Finally, he's dead. About time, too.
March 11, 2015
In spite of the low rating I gave this novel, I want to emphasize that I am a fervent fan of The Morland Dynasty Series (since 2005) and that this novel is well-written. BUT I must hasten to add that "The Abyss" is a novel laden with tragedies and various dark elements. Heartache and despair abound. The Morlands seem to be poised for an irreversible decline in their fortunes as Britain begins to embrace railways and the full force of the Industrial Revolution. Glimmers and sparks of hope and renewal show themselves here and there, which should encourage any reader to stay with the novel.
June 7, 2013
I agree with the other reviewers -- this was a very dark book. It had very few likeable characters and frankly, while the Cain and Abel storyline had to be resolved, even Benedict made some stupid decisions that were just DUMB. The major reveals were pretty odd and I just didn't think that they worked. I will continue reading the series as the next book deals with the other hidden girl, Charlotte. I find it interesting that the series has a lot of the same things happening over and over again, madness, fortune hunters, etc, but I think that Harrod-Eagles is really making a point about how no matter when you are living, or how modern you are the same kind of foibles can happen in any time period.
May 18, 2012
This is the slowest read of the series thus far; too dark. Looking forward to it being over... and hoping the next one returns to her previous tone of writing.
November 15, 2025
The Abyss is another brilliant instalment of the Morland Dynasty series – book 18! This book focuses only on Nicholas and Benedict, brothers Morland, and their individual stories with Nicholas as master of Morland Place and Benedict having to seek his fortune as a railway engineer in the early days of the steam railways. I did miss the intertwined fates of the other family members such as Lucy, Rosamund and Sophie so I’m hoping they’re back in the next book. This is such a fascinating series which guides me through history via one family’s fortunes.
August 5, 2021
*SPOILERS* This was the first book in the Morland Dynasty where I found myself really disliking the main characters. Nicholas is horrible and even though I like Benedict I was angry with him for falling for the awful Rosalind!
This book only followed the stories of Nicholas at Morland Place and Benedict on the railways and meeting the 'love of his life'.
The revelations of what Nicholas did are although shocking to have confirmed I had already suspected, but I don't think CHE had tried to hide those facts but to realise for sure that Heloise was murdered by her own son almost broke my heart. I loved her character and all she went through during the books to have her story ended in such a way is so sad.
I spent the whole book silently shouting at them all but I could not put it down and have already started number 19 as I am fully obsessed with this family!
This book only followed the stories of Nicholas at Morland Place and Benedict on the railways and meeting the 'love of his life'.
The revelations of what Nicholas did are although shocking to have confirmed I had already suspected, but I don't think CHE had tried to hide those facts but to realise for sure that Heloise was murdered by her own son almost broke my heart. I loved her character and all she went through during the books to have her story ended in such a way is so sad.
I spent the whole book silently shouting at them all but I could not put it down and have already started number 19 as I am fully obsessed with this family!
July 11, 2012
This one was all about Nicky and Bendy. I was a little disappointed that Sophie, Lucy, and Rosamund never appeared. Maybe in the next book?
... Oh and there were over 50 glaring mistakes in the Kindle version of this book! I really wish publishers would hire proofreaders to check the Kindle versions of their books before release. That's a job I would love ... if I were checking this series :-).
... Oh and there were over 50 glaring mistakes in the Kindle version of this book! I really wish publishers would hire proofreaders to check the Kindle versions of their books before release. That's a job I would love ... if I were checking this series :-).
November 16, 2018
Second Reading
Finally! After reading The Abyss a second time, I think I understand who the evil “Pie-Powder Man” really was/is. The Strangest Morland Dynasty so far. But. You have to keep reading!!
Finally! After reading The Abyss a second time, I think I understand who the evil “Pie-Powder Man” really was/is. The Strangest Morland Dynasty so far. But. You have to keep reading!!
January 23, 2014
I don't know which of the brothers was hardest to read about. Poor, mad, bad Nicki or painfully naive Benedict, whichever, it was a painful read.
June 23, 2024
Nach dem Tod seiner Mutter ist Nicholas nun Herr auf Morland Place und setzt alles daran, dass ihm diesen Titel niemand streitig machen kann. Zu seiner Schwester und seiner weitläufigeren Verwandtschaft hat er so gut wie keinen Kontakt mehr, hat auch die altgedienten treuen Dienstboten größtenteils gegen solche ausgetauscht, die ihm nützlich sein können und schert sich kaum um die guten alten Traditionen und Gebräuche der Familie. Die Geschäfte überlässt er seinem verschlagenen Verwalter, der in die eigene Tasche wirtschaftet, und es dauert nicht lange, bis das einst so gepflegte Anwesen heruntergekommen wirkt.
Seinen Bruder Benedict hat er nach Kräften verleumdet und gehofft, dass er und sein Ruf sich davon nie erholen werden, doch Benedict hat sich als Eisenbahningenieur einen Namen gemacht und arbeitet mit den berühmten Stephensons daran, die Eisenbahn als Verkehrsmittel Nummer eins in England zu etablieren - was schließlich zu einem offenen Konflikt mit Nicholas führt, der die Neuerungen komplett ablehnt und nicht zulassen will, dass die neue Bahnlinie über sein eigenes Land führt.
Die beiden verfeindeten Brüder könnte man, wie der Klappentext es tut, tatsächlich als Sinnbilder für die alte und die neue Welt im Vereinigten Königreich betrachten: Nicholas, der sich zwar nur dann um das Althergebrachte kümmert, wenn es ihm nützlich ist, aber durch seine Boshaftigkeit und seine Machenschaften selbst auf den absteigenden Ast befördert hat und Benedict, der sich mit Feuereifer um das Neue bemüht und in der Eisenbahn die glorreiche Zukunft für das Land sieht. Allerdings ist Benedict nicht nur ein strahlender Sieger, denn so klug und besonnen er im Beruf agiert, so unbedarft und ist er in Herzensdingen, was ihm böse auf die Füße zu fallen droht.
Überhaupt ist es ein eher düsterer Band der Reihe. Der früher so geliebte und tadellos in Schuss gehaltene Familienbesitz ist droht zu verwahrlosen, Menschen laufen sehenden Auges ins Unglück (was zumindest dem Leser schnell klar ist) und Nicholas ist einer der unsympathischsten Protagonisten in der ganzen Serie. Selbstsüchtig bis zum Anschlag und einer dieser Typen, die das Gekränktsein und die Opferrolle zur grässlich egozentrischen Kunstform erheben, ist er eindeutig der unwürdigste Erbe von Morland Place in dessen inzwischen vierhundertjähriger Geschichte.
Ein wenig schade fand ich auch, dass wir über die restlichen Morlands diesmal gar nichts erfahren, weder über die Schwester der beiden noch die zahlreichen Cousins und Cousinen, die man aus den Vorgängerbänden kennt. Das darf sich im nächsten Band gerne wieder ändern. Langweilig war aber auch dieser Band auf gar keinen Fall. Im Gegenteil, selbst die Szenen auf den Eisenbahnbaustellen lesen sich fesselnd und faszinierend (und oft genug auch erschreckend angesichts der Gefahren, denen die Arbeiter tagtäglich ausgesetzt waren).
Für den nächsten Band hoffe ich allerdings dennoch auf ein bisschen mehr positives Miteinander und Grund zur Freude für die liebgewonnenen Figuren :)
Seinen Bruder Benedict hat er nach Kräften verleumdet und gehofft, dass er und sein Ruf sich davon nie erholen werden, doch Benedict hat sich als Eisenbahningenieur einen Namen gemacht und arbeitet mit den berühmten Stephensons daran, die Eisenbahn als Verkehrsmittel Nummer eins in England zu etablieren - was schließlich zu einem offenen Konflikt mit Nicholas führt, der die Neuerungen komplett ablehnt und nicht zulassen will, dass die neue Bahnlinie über sein eigenes Land führt.
Die beiden verfeindeten Brüder könnte man, wie der Klappentext es tut, tatsächlich als Sinnbilder für die alte und die neue Welt im Vereinigten Königreich betrachten: Nicholas, der sich zwar nur dann um das Althergebrachte kümmert, wenn es ihm nützlich ist, aber durch seine Boshaftigkeit und seine Machenschaften selbst auf den absteigenden Ast befördert hat und Benedict, der sich mit Feuereifer um das Neue bemüht und in der Eisenbahn die glorreiche Zukunft für das Land sieht. Allerdings ist Benedict nicht nur ein strahlender Sieger, denn so klug und besonnen er im Beruf agiert, so unbedarft und ist er in Herzensdingen, was ihm böse auf die Füße zu fallen droht.
Überhaupt ist es ein eher düsterer Band der Reihe. Der früher so geliebte und tadellos in Schuss gehaltene Familienbesitz ist droht zu verwahrlosen, Menschen laufen sehenden Auges ins Unglück (was zumindest dem Leser schnell klar ist) und Nicholas ist einer der unsympathischsten Protagonisten in der ganzen Serie. Selbstsüchtig bis zum Anschlag und einer dieser Typen, die das Gekränktsein und die Opferrolle zur grässlich egozentrischen Kunstform erheben, ist er eindeutig der unwürdigste Erbe von Morland Place in dessen inzwischen vierhundertjähriger Geschichte.
Ein wenig schade fand ich auch, dass wir über die restlichen Morlands diesmal gar nichts erfahren, weder über die Schwester der beiden noch die zahlreichen Cousins und Cousinen, die man aus den Vorgängerbänden kennt. Das darf sich im nächsten Band gerne wieder ändern. Langweilig war aber auch dieser Band auf gar keinen Fall. Im Gegenteil, selbst die Szenen auf den Eisenbahnbaustellen lesen sich fesselnd und faszinierend (und oft genug auch erschreckend angesichts der Gefahren, denen die Arbeiter tagtäglich ausgesetzt waren).
Für den nächsten Band hoffe ich allerdings dennoch auf ein bisschen mehr positives Miteinander und Grund zur Freude für die liebgewonnenen Figuren :)
March 10, 2019
The background canvas in this book shrinks to include only York and its environs during the 1830s as the story focuses on the two Morland brothers: Nicholas, who recently inherited the family estate, and his younger brother Benedict. Three years earlier Nicky forced Bendy to leave home with false accusations, so Bendy found a job working on the railroads, which only adds fuel to Nicky's feud with Bendy. The details of the railroad construction are fascinating, as also are the developments of the two men's very different characters.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series, but I hope it expands in view to once again include the wider Morland family.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series, but I hope it expands in view to once again include the wider Morland family.
July 6, 2024
Very readable as always (once you adjust your expectations).
But, as other reviewers have mentioned, it's really dark and the two brothers' stories are both miserable and annoying in their own ways.
And the rest of the family are just not even mentioned, let alone actually appearing. It makes zero sense.
The two brothers get married, one even goes to London for a season. They don't see the rest of the family or even mention why they don't appear. It's as if they (and even the author) have forgotten about their existence.
Weird. Just weird.
But, as other reviewers have mentioned, it's really dark and the two brothers' stories are both miserable and annoying in their own ways.
And the rest of the family are just not even mentioned, let alone actually appearing. It makes zero sense.
The two brothers get married, one even goes to London for a season. They don't see the rest of the family or even mention why they don't appear. It's as if they (and even the author) have forgotten about their existence.
Weird. Just weird.
October 26, 2024
I realize when reading a book that the narrator is revealing the details she wants us to notice and the characters may not notice the same things, but even taking that into account … wow, Bendy is dumb. Like, he’s sweet,but has anyone ever missed more obvious red flags?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2018
I enjoyed the setting during the industrial revolution and that it focused in primarily on two characters, even though they both had me screaming at them for completely opposite reasons.
April 4, 2022
This is the latest book in my quest to complete all the books in the Morland Family Saga, as usual full of historical facts some I knew and some I was unaware of - when I research the facts I did not know I find that the content is historically correct. There for I consider these books educational to me anyway.
July 9, 2013
Review taken from my Blog Post (#74) after borrowing the book from the local library. Part of a series (book 18), but it's possible to read as a stand alone.
It seems a strange place to start at Book 18 I know, but actually this is a book that my Mother picked up on a library run during the snowy period in December .... and she just grabbed it and hurried back to the warmth of the log burner. In actual fact, she rejected it without reading it ...... I on the other hand, desperate for other authors to read, thought I would give it a go before it went back. I'm so glad I did actually - and proves a point that you should expand your horizons in the literary field.
It couldn't be described as a love story exactly, but there is love found and love betrayed within its pages.
I am now keen to go back and read the other 17 books. Don't worry though as it is perfectly possible to read it as an individual body of work.
Set in 1833 in the height of the industrial revolution it's the story of Morland Place in Yorkshire, the story of Nicholas the owner of Morland Place and his younger brother, Benedict.
Nicholas had banished Bendy for ever, but it seems that the railway fever sweeping the country has brought his brother back to York. Stuck in the past, and hating the railway equally as much as his brother, Nicky in a frenzy of panic (and a certain amount of cunning that goes wrong) marries the sister of a childhood friend to stop any hope that his brother might have of getting his hands on Morland Place.
Since his banishment Bendy has carved out a life, albeit a lonely one, as a Railway Engineer. He falls in love with the beautiful Rosalind Fleetham, but lack of fortune means that he cannot have her. Luckily for him then an old mistress leaves him a vast fortune and he returns to claim Miss Fleetham for his own and assist in the plans to bring the railway to York.
With conflict aplenty, mental illness, depravity fed by a sinister steward and a certain amount of cruelty it's a brilliantly crafted tale. I would highly recommend you give it a try.
A 4 **** Star read.
It seems a strange place to start at Book 18 I know, but actually this is a book that my Mother picked up on a library run during the snowy period in December .... and she just grabbed it and hurried back to the warmth of the log burner. In actual fact, she rejected it without reading it ...... I on the other hand, desperate for other authors to read, thought I would give it a go before it went back. I'm so glad I did actually - and proves a point that you should expand your horizons in the literary field.
It couldn't be described as a love story exactly, but there is love found and love betrayed within its pages.
I am now keen to go back and read the other 17 books. Don't worry though as it is perfectly possible to read it as an individual body of work.
Set in 1833 in the height of the industrial revolution it's the story of Morland Place in Yorkshire, the story of Nicholas the owner of Morland Place and his younger brother, Benedict.
Nicholas had banished Bendy for ever, but it seems that the railway fever sweeping the country has brought his brother back to York. Stuck in the past, and hating the railway equally as much as his brother, Nicky in a frenzy of panic (and a certain amount of cunning that goes wrong) marries the sister of a childhood friend to stop any hope that his brother might have of getting his hands on Morland Place.
Since his banishment Bendy has carved out a life, albeit a lonely one, as a Railway Engineer. He falls in love with the beautiful Rosalind Fleetham, but lack of fortune means that he cannot have her. Luckily for him then an old mistress leaves him a vast fortune and he returns to claim Miss Fleetham for his own and assist in the plans to bring the railway to York.
With conflict aplenty, mental illness, depravity fed by a sinister steward and a certain amount of cruelty it's a brilliantly crafted tale. I would highly recommend you give it a try.
A 4 **** Star read.
June 21, 2015
The Morland Dynasty saga has reached the Industrial Revolution and the coming of the railroad (about 1833). I enjoy this series very much and continue to await each new installment eagerly. Harrod-Eagles does tend to intersperse lengthy bits of British history into her stories, but I don't mind that. If you can manage the history, the family saga is fascinating (and I think the history is too.) Recommended.
February 25, 2016
Her usual tour de force....a great tale about Benedict and Nicky Moreland as well as great context of Victorian social customs and niceties. Particularly interesting was the background of the expansion of the railways. On top of all that, I find her writing style very fluid and never dull.
October 5, 2008
This episode was darker than any other Morland Dynasty book so far. Some very Gothic happenings. Can't wait for the next one!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews