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Lucy's Blade
Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth¿s Secretary of State, was the greatest spymaster the world had ever seen. But when he asked Dr. Dee to summon a demon the result was unexpected, especially for his orphaned niece Lucy. Sir Francis¿ duty as her guardian was to find Lucy a suitably aristocratic husband, not to let her fight demons and witchcraft for the Queen¿s Secret Service. But his¿and Lucy¿s¿duty to protect Queen and country from enemies both natural and supernatural kept getting in the way. And so did all those demons . . .
371 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
1 person is currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
John Lambshead
39 books16 followersEducated Brunel University of Technology, West London, retired career research scientist British Museum (Natural History), London.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 19, 2011
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, has asked Dr. John Dee to summon a demon so he can ask it questions about who is threatening the queen. Just as the demon arrives, though, something goes wrong and the demon jumps into the body of Lady Lucy Dennys, Walsingham’s pretty ward. The demon, who calls herself Lilith, endows Lucy with superpowers, so when England is threatened by malevolent forces, Lucy starts kicking ass in her petticoats.
I like the premise and plot of John Lambshead’s Lucy’s Blade and its science-fantasy twist on where demons come from (Lilith is a future being who comes to Earth to study her ancestors). I also like the Elizabethan setting. The characters were mostly well done, especially Queen Elizabeth (I wish we had spent more time with her — she was a great character), Walsingham’s secretary Simon Tunstall, and the pirate William Hawkins.
Lucy’s Blade was unique and diverting, but it didn’t meet its potential, mostly because it simply lacked style. Lambshead’s sentences are short, choppy, mostly of similar structure (usually with the subject at the beginning of the sentence), and lacking creativity in word choice and figurative language. These are two consecutive paragraphs on pages 129-130 of the hardback:
"Simon sat down beside Lucy. Gwilym leaned against the wall by the door where he could watch anyone entering. A servant came in with glasses of hypocras. This expensive sweet liqueur, imported by Venetians from Smyrna, was a rare treat. The servant passed around plates of sugared pastries and pears.
The theatre was a hexagon open to the sky in the centre. The stage was a raised area against the front wall. Two highly decorated pillars held up a canopy that protected the actors from the elements. The Underside of the roof was painted deep blue and decorated with stars."
This sing-song cadence could have been fixed by a more conscientious editor. The editor should also have fixed the suddenly shifting character viewpoints, the inconsistency in the narrative voice, the misspelling of Lady Dennys’ name at one point, and the many missing commas. Also, the editor should have noticed that as the pirate ship was being piloted up the Thames, Simon asked the pilot a question... but Simon wasn’t on the ship.
A related issue is the constant interruption of the plot and dialog with expository statements. At some points, nearly every line of dialog and every sentence that advances the plot is followed by a sentence of explanation:
* “Very good, Master Smethwick.” The master could be safely left to organise such details with his usual competence.
* “I believe I will take a turn down the long gallery to catch the sun.” The Queen slipped from the royal pronoun “we,” indicating that she was now expressing the personal opinion of Elizabeth, rather than a royal view as head of the English state.
In their dialog, characters often tell each other information that is clearly only for the reader’s benefit, such as when the Englishman Walsingham tells his English secretary (more than once) that Queen Mary is Queen Elizabeth’s sister and that Mary’s husband is Philip of Spain. Not only is it unlikely that Walsingham the spymaster needed to mention that to his educated trusty secretary, but it makes for clumsy dialog and it slows the action.
If you can read beyond these issues, then you may very well enjoy Lucy’s Blade because it’s a unique story with engaging characters and bright spots of humor. However, so much of my own enjoyment of reading comes from the appreciation of the author’s use of language and style and Lucy’s Blade didn’t fulfill my expectations in that domain.
Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, has asked Dr. John Dee to summon a demon so he can ask it questions about who is threatening the queen. Just as the demon arrives, though, something goes wrong and the demon jumps into the body of Lady Lucy Dennys, Walsingham’s pretty ward. The demon, who calls herself Lilith, endows Lucy with superpowers, so when England is threatened by malevolent forces, Lucy starts kicking ass in her petticoats.
I like the premise and plot of John Lambshead’s Lucy’s Blade and its science-fantasy twist on where demons come from (Lilith is a future being who comes to Earth to study her ancestors). I also like the Elizabethan setting. The characters were mostly well done, especially Queen Elizabeth (I wish we had spent more time with her — she was a great character), Walsingham’s secretary Simon Tunstall, and the pirate William Hawkins.
Lucy’s Blade was unique and diverting, but it didn’t meet its potential, mostly because it simply lacked style. Lambshead’s sentences are short, choppy, mostly of similar structure (usually with the subject at the beginning of the sentence), and lacking creativity in word choice and figurative language. These are two consecutive paragraphs on pages 129-130 of the hardback:
"Simon sat down beside Lucy. Gwilym leaned against the wall by the door where he could watch anyone entering. A servant came in with glasses of hypocras. This expensive sweet liqueur, imported by Venetians from Smyrna, was a rare treat. The servant passed around plates of sugared pastries and pears.
The theatre was a hexagon open to the sky in the centre. The stage was a raised area against the front wall. Two highly decorated pillars held up a canopy that protected the actors from the elements. The Underside of the roof was painted deep blue and decorated with stars."
This sing-song cadence could have been fixed by a more conscientious editor. The editor should also have fixed the suddenly shifting character viewpoints, the inconsistency in the narrative voice, the misspelling of Lady Dennys’ name at one point, and the many missing commas. Also, the editor should have noticed that as the pirate ship was being piloted up the Thames, Simon asked the pilot a question... but Simon wasn’t on the ship.
A related issue is the constant interruption of the plot and dialog with expository statements. At some points, nearly every line of dialog and every sentence that advances the plot is followed by a sentence of explanation:
* “Very good, Master Smethwick.” The master could be safely left to organise such details with his usual competence.
* “I believe I will take a turn down the long gallery to catch the sun.” The Queen slipped from the royal pronoun “we,” indicating that she was now expressing the personal opinion of Elizabeth, rather than a royal view as head of the English state.
In their dialog, characters often tell each other information that is clearly only for the reader’s benefit, such as when the Englishman Walsingham tells his English secretary (more than once) that Queen Mary is Queen Elizabeth’s sister and that Mary’s husband is Philip of Spain. Not only is it unlikely that Walsingham the spymaster needed to mention that to his educated trusty secretary, but it makes for clumsy dialog and it slows the action.
If you can read beyond these issues, then you may very well enjoy Lucy’s Blade because it’s a unique story with engaging characters and bright spots of humor. However, so much of my own enjoyment of reading comes from the appreciation of the author’s use of language and style and Lucy’s Blade didn’t fulfill my expectations in that domain.
December 17, 2018
This book has some very fun and odd genres all mixed up. Magic in Old England, naval battles, sci fi electrical beings from alternate worlds... with a dash of historical fiction feel. These aspects are charming, and kept me engaged despite the simplistic writing style and feel of a young adult book.
May 24, 2013
Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, has asked Dr. John Dee to summon a demon so he can ask it questions about who is threatening the queen. Just as the demon arrives, though, something goes wrong and the demon jumps into the body of Lady Lucy Dennys, Walsingham’s pretty ward. The demon, who calls herself Lilith, endows Lucy with superpowers, so when England is threatened by malevolent forces, Lucy starts kicking ass in her petticoats.
I like the premise and plot of John Lambshead’s Lucy’s Blade and its science-fantasy twist on where demons come from (Lilith is a future being who comes to Earth to study her ancestors). I also like the Elizabethan setting. The characters were mostly well done, especially Queen Elizabeth (I wish we had spent more time with her — she was a great character), Walsingham’s secretary Simon Tunstall, and the pirate Will... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
I like the premise and plot of John Lambshead’s Lucy’s Blade and its science-fantasy twist on where demons come from (Lilith is a future being who comes to Earth to study her ancestors). I also like the Elizabethan setting. The characters were mostly well done, especially Queen Elizabeth (I wish we had spent more time with her — she was a great character), Walsingham’s secretary Simon Tunstall, and the pirate Will... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
January 27, 2009
Clearly intended as a lighthearted book, and apparently a first novel, so I can cut slack for the spotty editing and lapses in dialogue.
If you can accept 4 premises:
1) Roger Zelazny's Shadow Worlds (Amber) are real.
2) Our descendants will be computer/gravity beings.
3) Magic works (in some shadow universe, at least).
4) Gravity beings, magic, and humans are all intercompatible.
you can enjoy this book. I liked the ambitious scope, even while I was having trouble swallowing the 4 fantastic premises. The sea dogs were fun (but competent horsemen? WTF?). The atmosphere was fun (but the future construct fell into the game a bit much). The villainess was absurd. Francis Walsingham and Queen Elizabeth (nominally the historical centerpieces) turn out to be paper tigers, alas.
Yes, the beginning/ending wrapper is frankly dorky.
If you can accept 4 premises:
1) Roger Zelazny's Shadow Worlds (Amber) are real.
2) Our descendants will be computer/gravity beings.
3) Magic works (in some shadow universe, at least).
4) Gravity beings, magic, and humans are all intercompatible.
you can enjoy this book. I liked the ambitious scope, even while I was having trouble swallowing the 4 fantastic premises. The sea dogs were fun (but competent horsemen? WTF?). The atmosphere was fun (but the future construct fell into the game a bit much). The villainess was absurd. Francis Walsingham and Queen Elizabeth (nominally the historical centerpieces) turn out to be paper tigers, alas.
Yes, the beginning/ending wrapper is frankly dorky.
November 8, 2011
This is badly in need of a good editor - which was a service that major publishing houses used to provide, once upon a time.
The author doesn't know how to punctuate his dialog so that it sounds natural. He uses the word "aesthetic" when he clearly means "ascetic". Despite the fact that he's obviously (painfully obviously) done a lot of research into Elizabethan England - he makes us drink from the hose for most of the first quarter of the book - it's full of anachronisms. And the contemporary frame-story is completely unnecessary, unless it's a setup for a sequel, in which case it's not engaging enough.
I didn't completely hate it. The main character, though unrealistically self-confident, competent and assured for a sixteen-year-old Elizabethan maiden of good family, is appealing enough. But I won't be looking for another book from this author.
The author doesn't know how to punctuate his dialog so that it sounds natural. He uses the word "aesthetic" when he clearly means "ascetic". Despite the fact that he's obviously (painfully obviously) done a lot of research into Elizabethan England - he makes us drink from the hose for most of the first quarter of the book - it's full of anachronisms. And the contemporary frame-story is completely unnecessary, unless it's a setup for a sequel, in which case it's not engaging enough.
I didn't completely hate it. The main character, though unrealistically self-confident, competent and assured for a sixteen-year-old Elizabethan maiden of good family, is appealing enough. But I won't be looking for another book from this author.
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December 30, 2014This book caught my interest enough to want to say something about it. I’m always fascinated by Walsingham and Dee, and (in my opinion, anyway) to mix those two figures with a free-floating futuristic intelligence (aka demon) and Elizabethan privateers takes a special kind of authorial swagger. This is a very ambitious premise.
It’s also a bit of a different style of book. It’s the kind of narrative that wanders from one point of view to another, feels free to introduce historical sidebars, and takes its time with the material. It’s not for those who like their stories as high-velocity bullets, pared down to the bare necessities. Rather, it’s for those who like wry humour, unlikely juxtapositions, and storytelling outside the box.
Was it successful? Yes, I believe so. I like quirky books and this one was refreshingly unlike anything else I’ve read lately.
It’s also a bit of a different style of book. It’s the kind of narrative that wanders from one point of view to another, feels free to introduce historical sidebars, and takes its time with the material. It’s not for those who like their stories as high-velocity bullets, pared down to the bare necessities. Rather, it’s for those who like wry humour, unlikely juxtapositions, and storytelling outside the box.
Was it successful? Yes, I believe so. I like quirky books and this one was refreshingly unlike anything else I’ve read lately.
March 10, 2009
The characters and portrayal of the Elizabethan period milieu were really well done. I particularly liked the protagonist Lucy, the niece of Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's spymaster. She had a very interesting relationship with a rather unusual "demon". Given her background, Lucy could only perceive this being as a demon. As science fiction author Arthur Clarke said "Any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic." I realized that demons don't have to be used in the same tired traditional role that is a staple of dark fantasy.
March 7, 2016
I really, really liked this book. It's fantasy with science fiction behind it, sprinkled with humor. The main characters, Lucy and Lilith, are very likable, and even the supporting characters are appealing and rich. Lambshead takes several ideas from science fiction and fantasy, and mixes them in a plot with originality and suspense.
One minor peeve I had was periodic jumps between viewpoints and times, but on the whole most of the plot takes place in Elizabethan England, with plenty of intrigue, naval adventures, magical battles, and even some romance. The book was hard to put down.
One minor peeve I had was periodic jumps between viewpoints and times, but on the whole most of the plot takes place in Elizabethan England, with plenty of intrigue, naval adventures, magical battles, and even some romance. The book was hard to put down.
June 28, 2007
only finished for mocking purposes. perhaps his next novel will make sense, but I doubt it. ending made no sense in context with the rest of the novel, which is even worse.
January 4, 2011
having a hard time getting through this one...
September 11, 2015
I find this Title Totally enthralling and Is There going to be another book to continue the story of Lilith & Alice
July 26, 2016
Started off strong, and rapidly went down hill...
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews