The Subtle Fiend

The Green Woman #2

by Jane Dougherty

When reality becomes a nightmare, only dreams can save the world.
Deborah, daughter of the fabled Green Woman, has disappeared, and Hera, another grey-robed schoolgirl, has become the hostage in her place. Hera fears she will be left to languish, unnoticed and forgotten, in her prison cell. But the honesty in her eyes touches a young Black Boy, her prison guard—Amon.
Amon is destined for a military career, but convinced of the innocence of his prisoner, he begins to question the laws and values of his city. In befriending Hera, he risks his life by standing between her and the most powerful man in Providence—the Protector.
The Protector’s new hostage will serve her purpose. After all, one veiled girl looks much like another. But if Deborah has joined her mother and her host of myths and stories, the sham will be revealed. To hang onto power the Protector determines to destroy the Green Woman's allies within Providence by lighting the sacrificial fires of Moloch. When the flames have burned out none will be left, not even the child at its mother's breast.
As the flames of evil leap and dance in Providence, Hera and Amon resolve to defy the Protector, with courage as their only weapon.

211 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 2014

About the author

Jane Dougherty is a product of the Irish diaspora. She was brought up in Yorkshire and educated in Manchester and London before moving to France to work in the wine trade. She spent fourteen years in Paris where she married and had four children, studied Irish for a year and taught herself Italian. Next move was to Laon in Picardy, a medieval gem of a town set in beautiful countryside, where her fifth child was born. She now lives in Bordeaux with her family, a Spanish greyhound and a posse of cats.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Subtle Fiend is the second volume in Jane Dougherty’s The Green Woman series, a brutal fantasy novel set in an unspecified future world where the remnants of humanity huddle under the dome of Providence, a vile nest of cruelty sitting on top of a decaying nuclear reactor. The city is an all-too-familiar iron state founded on oppression ruled over by a Protector whose soul is in hock to the demons that gather around. They are preparing for a final confrontation with an equally rag-taggle legions of spirits, demi-gods and mythological creatures marshalled by the Green Woman beyond the Wastelands. Once again it’s a broad and complex canvas, with direct allusions to Milton’s Paradise Lost, William Blake and others. Yet despite a sometimes bewildering parade of beings from various mythologies, Dougherty keeps the story well and truly anchored in a very brutal and physical reality - through the stories of a handful of children both inside and outside the dome. We see less of Deborah this time, she’s still recovering from the traumas of the first book, but the tales of Hera, David and their families are just as gripping. Once again the author pulls no punches in her depiction of a society founded entirely on a combination of fear, bigotry and prejudice, whose masters’ increasingly insane desperation leads to a horrendous and all-too familiar ritual at the end of the book. Jane Dougherty is very happy to take the reader well past the point where less ambitious books would call in the cavalry to end the viciousness. The combination of the preening idiocy and calculating evil of the government of Providence is also particuarly finely realised. On the whole the books put me in mind of Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion novels, especially the Von Bek series. Dougherty’s writing evokes a similarly epic sweep of narrative peppered with a surreal combination of the fantastic, the mythological and the seemingly familiar rendered absurd and menacing in true nightmare fashion. An exhilirating and exciting, though often hard to read, sequel.

[Tricia Drammeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second book in The Green Woman Trilogy is a masterfully written, intense, amazing novel that had me on the edge of my seat. The elements of danger that were introduced in The Dark Citadel are amplified in this book, and as the villains take their evil to a new level, I found myself breathless as I turned each page. The antagonists in this story not only have their own foul reasons for doing what they do, they are also being manipulated by wicked forces beyond the city.

As Rachel's memories pour forth, Deborah is coming closer to being reunited with her mother. Raphael is ready to step into his role as a leader of the forces against evil. Hera calls upon her inner courage to withstand the Lord Protector's diabolical plan. The Lord Protector and the Elders set out to exterminate those who might rise against him. The city is on the verge of destruction and chaos, and only decency and bravery can overcome the evil in Providence.

The Subtle Fiend explores the complexities of human nature. How much can a person endure before they are pushed to the breaking point? How much evil can a person ignore before they're forced to stand up for what is right? How do good people stand by and do nothing when innocent lives are being threatened? How do the seeds of rebellion grow? Can good really overcome evil? As always, Jane Dougherty takes the reader on an incredible ride as she weaves this intricate epic fantasy. I was captivated throughout this entire book. If the first two novels (and prequel) are any indication, I know I'm going to love the final novel in the series. I can't wait to read it.

[K.r. Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pendulum swings….slowly, inexorably…

At the height–or depth, if you prefer–of the evil that consumed Providence, the leaders of the crystal-domed city made an alliance with Abaddon, the Destroyer, the King of Demons.

They touted him to the people as their ally against the threats from outside, and the people shouldered the burden of that favor for generations. Lost to them was anything that made life bearable–at least for those who were considered the “true citizens”.

Not so for the Danaans, the people snubbed and abhorred by the common and high citizenry. Only in their ramshackle hovels is there any happiness and love–and the others know nothing of them. And the Danaans know only of the cruelty of the others.

There’s also something else that can’t be overlooked: an alliance between self-serving individuals rarely will last for long. Each member of the alliance must constantly look over his shoulder for the possible traitorous behavior of the others. And with their own agendas most important in their own eyes, it can be understood that the trust levels and cooperation will be extremely low.

But things are changing. Caste overlaps caste in ways that were never envisioned by the leaders of Providence. And with understanding comes humanity, but not without blood shed and lives lost. New alliances are made, not with the lords of evil, but among the citizenry itself.

An excerpt from the book can give you an idea of what is in store: “Providence had never seen this before. The power of the Book was waning; long-repressed humanity was struggling to express itself in people who had never shown any emotions but anger and fear. They had been to the brink of horror, but they had pulled back.”

And that’s it then?

No. It isn’t.

The field of battle is carried elsewhere, while skirmishes continue on within the city. And the very thing that started the change is now in danger of extinction once again.

And the pendulum swings…



The more I read of Ms. Dougherty’s books, the more I find myself immersed in her world. To say that this tale would make a good movie would be a disservice; “The Green Woman Trilogy” should have a series or mini-series of its own. This series is so rich in story that a mere two-hour version would stunt its life and growth. The way she can put color and vibrancy into a world that is mostly brown and grey is beyond tremendous.

Every character, from the vile Protector to the girl, Hera, who fights through what she knows to become who she can be, are fiercely and meticulously painted by the author. This book is just as suspenseful and tightly-written as her first book and the short stories that have sprung tangentially from it.

Fans of dystopia would do well to pick up the entire series, and wait (impatiently in my case) for the third book, “Beyond the Realm of Night”.

[Dylan Hearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Subtle Fiend is the second book in Jane Dougherty's impressive Green Woman trilogy, concentrating predominantly on the politics of Providence, and what a nest of snakes that city is. With the forces of Abaddon and the Green Woman building outside their protective dome, prominent members of society manoeuvre themselves into position to take advantage of whoever, or whatever, wins out. Sides are chosen in the ensuing power play but it is the normal people, and the dananns in particular, who bear the brunt of the consequences.

I really enjoyed this book, probably more than the first, because it concentrated predominantly on Providence. The city-state is a fantastic creation, described by Dougherty so well that I feel I know the streets intimately. As the book progresses Dougherty introduces us to a large cast of characters until halfway through the book I started to worry I'd lose track of exactly who was doing what, where, but while the novel isn't for a person who likes a simple narrative, Dougherty manages to bring all the threads together nicely for the denouement.

Well, when I say nicely, I mean ruthlessly. This is a dark book and Dougherty doesn't flinch at showing humanity at its worst. Given the timing of reading this book during the 70th anniversary commemorations of the liberation of Auschwitz, it wasn't difficult to see parallels in what was happening in Providence. Some may feel the subject matter a little dark for what is essentially a YA fantasy, but I applaud Dougherty for not only confronting the issue, but handling it in a sensitive way without losing any of the horror.

The only criticism I have is that the Deborah's story, which is integral to book 1, while not being ignored, had lost some of the tension from earlier. This is just a minor point however, and I look forward to seeing how Dougherty takes that storyline, along with what happened here, through to conclusion.

[Chris The Story Reading Ape · Rating 5 out of 5]

The action continues with river infested by evil creatures to cross and attacking demons to overcome as Deborah approaches the time to meet her Mother, The Green Woman.
An exciting follow up to 'The Green Woman'.

See my review also at:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Subtle-Fiend...

https://www.amazon.com/Subtle-Fiend-G...

https://www.amazon.ca/Subtle-Fiend-Gr...

https://www.amazon.com.au/Subtle-Fien...

[Kate Wrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first. Full review to come.