Whiskeyjack

Greenwing & Dart #3

by Victoria Goddard

Magic is out of fashion.
Outlaws make their own. Jemis Greenwing has slain a dragon, been acknowledged as the Viscount St-Noire, and not incidentally also been given a raise. After a chaotic first month back in Ragnor Bella, he’s finally feeling confident that he can make it to the Winterturn Assizes and the reading of his stepfather’s will without falling headlong into any more disaster. Then he’s arrested on suspicion of murder. By magic. Of one of the greatest folk heroes of legend. Trained to be a politically radical gentleman-of-leisure, Jemis thought he was doing fairly well as a bookstore clerk. That, of course, is before he ends up on the run in the Arguty Forest confronting highwaymen, illegal distillers, the odd relation, and the Wild Saint—not to mention the secrets a town truly committed to being infamously dull can hold. Book Three of Greenwing & Dart, fantasies of manners—and mischief.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Magic, Cozy Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Historical

402 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2018

About the author

I walked across England in 2013, fulfilling a long-held dream. I'm currently the sexton of an Anglican church in Nova Scotia, which means I am keeper of the keys and opener of doors (and shutter-off of alarms). I have a PhD in medieval studies from the University of Toronto, looking at poetry and philosophy in the works of Dante and Boethius -- both the poetry and the philosophy come into my stories a great deal (and occasionally the Dante and the Boethius).

I like writing about the ordinary lives of magical people on the other side of the looking glass ... and the extraordinary deeds of ordinary folk, too. Three of my favourite authors are Patricia McKillip (especially 'The Riddle-Master of Hed' trilogy and 'The Bell at Sealy Head'), Connie Willis ('Bellwether' and 'To Say Nothing of the Dog,' which latter would make my top-ten books on a desert island), and Lois McMaster Bujold ('The Curse of Chalion' and its sequels).

Reviews

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good that, when comparing to the first two books in the series, it feels like giving this five stars isn't nearly good enough. Five stars with honors? This was a rollercoaster of a story. I have experienced whiplash, laughter, and tears in the last twenty four hours. *happy sigh*

[sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love you jemis i love you hal i love you dart i love you [REDACTED]. i hate you plot structure i hate you lack of editing i hate you straight british people i hate you endless pages of dialogue summarizing the events of the previous two books disrupting the flow and emotions of literally every important moment in the entire book

[Mimi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Lots about Jemis’s father in this one - the infamous Jack Greenwing. Hero or traitor? (Twice) dead or alive? Subject of years worth of rumors and legends. We finally get answers behind his very convoluted history, and Jemis untangles some of his pain and anxiety. But it’s complicated emotionally all around.

Also: whiskey smugglers! The cultist return! Lawyers descend!

Another fun addition to the series. I admit what detracted a bit from my enjoyment was a personal issue. I appreciated, but couldn’t seem to understand how the multiple schools of puzzle poems led to revelations and insights (and we do spend rather a lot of time on that, with Jemis).

We learn more about our protagonists’ magic! This will be a fun bread crumb to follow.

[Blind Mapmaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 This volume was were everything really came together - for me at least. It's still over-the-top and slightly too chaotic for me, but I had a lot fun while never seeing any new developments coming. I guess you need a little bit of tolerance for main character suffering to read this series what with all the drugging, gaslighting and magical mind control, but for me it worked. Might not be what you expect after Cliopher and His Radiance, though.

[Kat Looby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how she shoves as many plot points as possible into every book, it's hilarious

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Greenwing & Dart series build upon each other, but they are stand alone fantasy mysteries. They are intriguing, because of the puzzles Goddard delivers to the main characters. The puzzles range from pure riddles to deciphering code in letters and poetry. Interesting concepts. And there is the magic, which Goddard breaks down into "schooled" and "wild." The former is taught over time with restraints. The other is its namesake.

These are fun reads in between more serious works. There are currently seven books in the series, not counting a novella or two. Goddard states in one of her acknowledgements that she thinks it will take ten books to finish the antics of Mr. Greenwing and Mr. Dart.

I'll take a break from Goddard for now, but will return.

[Kali · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 ⭐

No amount of previous immersion in the world and love for the characters could have saved this mess of a plot. But more than that I just did not enjoy the direction so many elements took. Why are we removing and/or re-contextualizing every single bad thing that has happened to Jemis? And there there's the way chapters constantly would end on a cliffhanger, a revelation, only for the next one to skip over it completely? It was very frustrating.

Will continue with this series at some point but I need a break. I'll still read anything Goddard publishes, this doesn't change that.

[anna b · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot happens to Jemis. He self-describes as living in a melodrama -- it's true -- but I dearly wish that he got to have a bit more agency, instead of being a victim of circumstance and plot-twist. He is conveniently struck with memory loss at several points, and bumbles along through his own story. I get that the central point of this particular book was Jemis and [redacted], but I got bored of that, my dudes, especially because almost everyone surrounding him is so much more compelling.

On that note: god, I wish Mr Dart were in this book just a bit more. I would die for Perry and I am desperate to know anything about him: about his magic, about his dreams, about his obligations to his brother & their home, about ANYTHING other than his great capacity to lay a comforting hand on Jemis's shoulder when Jemis is feeling too much.

The curse breaking scene was so good. I miss Mrs. Etaris. Give Hal more time to talk about plants, and also show me Hal & Jemis eating breakfast together and doing roommate things. Also, ahem, WHERE did that letter come from?

[emi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so incredibly fond of Jemis

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this, but very much from the perspective that I am in deep enough to the world that the characters and lore can carry me through the slightly jumbled plot and odd pacing. In some ways it feels like this one is returning to the narrative well of things I did like a lot in the first one (mostly around memory / being a reliable narrator) but which have less impact when repeated. I’m also increasingly thrown off my the relative underdevelopment of Mr Dart when the series is called “Greenwing and Dart”. But I did enjoy all the new and newly-developed characters and the ending REALLY worked for me on an emotional level, so it’s very clear to me that I’m going to keep reading everything Goddard has ever written, and just slightly wishing they were 10% better edited…

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this series went from 'Nice but nothing special' to 'I would die for Jemis Greenwing' in three instalments, can't wait to see what the rest will be like.

[Shaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars

Yet another chaotic confusion of a plot in which stuff happens to Jemis and he gets carried along. It's entertaining and this volume wraps of much of the arc of the story so far. There are still dangling threads, a couple of which at least seem to belong to this arc and I thought should have been addressed, but there are many more books to go.

I enjoy the cast of the series, though many of the delightful side characters did not get to shine in this one and were missed. And I do somehow feel there could have been better editing, both structurally and on a word and line level.

[Kate Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

this, in my opinion, is where the series truly picks up. featuring daring escapes from prison, a notable person returning from the dead, highwaywomen and whiskey smugglers, the corpse of a dragon, a lifted curse, and a truly excellent fictional card game, whiskeyjack is great fun and also where jemis truly comes into himself, making him at last the kind of protagonist i want to read.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you thought the first two books had chaos, then I'm not sure how you would describe Whiskeyjack. Jemis Greenwing has truly been cursed to live in interesting times.

We do get more of My. Perry Dart in this book, which is lovely. The whole book was oddly cheerful for such violent happenstances and delightfully witty. This book does tie up some major plot threads from the first two books as well.

[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a mystery that was cleverly plotted and worked out by the characters exactly as I had wished the first book had been. It did leave some interesting things lying on the table for future stories, but it wraps up so wonderfully in the end. I'm falling in love with the world that has been built through this series, the first two stories of the Lays of the Hearth-Fire and the Return of Fitzroy Angursell. A mystery thriller that takes the time out to introduce the basics of the world's old literary periods and the history of contemporary literary analysis is pretty much exactly the kind of thing that I want. Plus I love the role of friendship and family and the way that ideas of trust and honor are explored in these books.

[Stephanie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one started slow for me, but crescendo-ed in interest and impact all the way to the very last line. I was in tears multiple times, not because what's happening is sad or depressing, but because of all the emotions Jemis is feeling and coming to understand throughout the book. So well-written and satisfying.

[Rhode PVD · Rating 4 out of 5]

An glorious summation of the story arcs started in the first two books. Hugely satisfying. (It makes me wonder if they were meant to be one book, but sliced into a series to be more palatable for the buying and reading market.)

I have thoughts on why our hero is a young man when the author is so very good at peopling her stories with women of all types and ages who more interesting. She has to Mary Sue him up, giving him genius-level skills at puzzles, academics, fighting, etc in order for the surrounding women not to overpower his character. And then she has to pull him down with humility, physical afflictions and the age-old dead mother trope, just so he doesn’t come off like a privileged asshole. It’s a lot of work when you could have just written about a woman in the first place.

I’m also confused by the world building wherein women can be rulers of estates, heads of criminal gangs, soldiers, college deans, business owners, etc - the equals of men, but then under a father’s will, the daughters are given a smaller portion which they must be married or 27 to receive, but a son gets a greater fortune into his hands at 21 with no marriage requirement. So, girls get dowries and boys get the world at their feet. This deep unfairness is presented as a thrillingly happy moment, a moment of triumph with everyone smiling.

Lastly, the portrayal of a son’s love for his father is so gorgeously, achingly rendered that it impressed me tremendously. But it also made me think of the greater literary world where, although we have tons of similar emotional stories about mothers for their children, we almost never (I can’t even think of one) have such stories of young adult daughters honoring and loving their mothers. Particularly if the mother is adventurous, frequently away from home to live her dreams. This is not the author’s fault, it’s patriarchy. Her story made me miss it though. Which is worth something.

[Joe Kessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another noticeable step forward for this Regency-pastiche fantasy series, though still not quite strong enough to clear the three-star rating tier for me. (I thought it might for a while, but the lengthy scene where Jemis applies esoteric Kabbalistic cryptography to decipher a hidden code in a letter and thereby unlock a slew of associated conspiratorial implications is both hard to follow and deeply silly, which really saps the narrative momentum.) I do appreciate the protagonist's emotional journey throughout this novel as well as the slowly-developing larger plot around him, but I want more from the supporting characters -- especially Mr. Dart, who nominally should be a co-lead in these affairs but has generally wound up as a bit of an afterthought so far.

Nevertheless, starting the story with the hero in prison is a great idea, as is the trumped-up murder charge against him, alleging that the dragon he killed in the previous volume was the famous vanished poet Fitzroy Angursell in disguise (a truly hilarious notion for anyone familiar with that adventurer's antics in the wider Nine Worlds canon). The young lad quickly stages a jailbreak with the two older gentlemen in his cell, who prove to have some surprising connections to him and his friends, and the whole enterprise progresses from there in typical madcap fashion. The eventual conclusion to the affair is rather delightful, drawing to a close several ongoing threads from the first two books, but it rushes past certain consequences that seem like they would merit more attention on the page. I am hoping that the Greenwing & Dart series continues to improve after this, in line with the superior later works that I've read from the author.

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[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book begins in media res, with Jemis in a prison cell, and finding himself pondering some poetry as he tries to figure out how he got there and what happens next. What happens next is that he quickly escapes, with the help of his cellmates and goes on a long trek to get home. And yes, another of Jemis's collegemates does show up in this book, this time in the role of highwayman and whiskey smuggler upon said trek.

This one feels like it's a breathing point, pulling together a number of different threads from the previous books into a satisfying conclusion. I could have probably just stopped here and been happy, but Lark is still out there (given that the next book takes the boys to her stronghold city, there's more chance of her showing up than I was expecting - I thought she'd be kept back until the final book as the BBEG), and there are still mysteries to be solved and new characters to be delved into.

Once again, Mrs Etaris is a background character, although I do sort of like the idea of her knitting circle being secret master spies and there's no other female characters who get much more than most broad characterisation, which continues to be a shame for these books. After having Mrs Etaris and Violet from the first book, Red Myrta and Jemis's grandmother just don't cut it. I am still very much loving Duke Hal though, who's obsessed with botany, loyal to a fault and a thoroughly decent chap.

The plot here hinges on puzzle poetry - the idea that poetry can have multiple meanings, using keys known about the author and context to work it out. I don't really get on with normal poetry, never mind the multi-layered stuff, so there was a degree of skimming going on here.

A bunch of excitement, plot threads pulled together and finally Mr Dart getting some stuff to do and even a hint of characterisation.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.0

Similar to BSC, Whiskeyjack is definitely more settled into the setting and the characters, and I did greatly enjoy that the mystery was tied to poetry based codebreaking and continuing the mystery already established in Jemis' life, rather than introducing a new, overly complicated one. Bringing one that had already existed but the reader didn't realize was still ongoing was smart, and I had tricked myself into thinking it couldn't possibly be the obvious option, but of course it was. This trope does bother me sometimes, but I thought it worked here rather well.

Unfortunately I do think this book is a bit of a backslide in terms of failing to let the characters sit with the emotional moments, though not quite as bad as SGP but I found myself missing some of the character moments I started to appreciate in BSC. I know there was technically a plot reason why Jemis couldn't fully appreciate the big reveal in this book, but I was mostly just confused and not in a fun along-for-the-ride way. Even when that particular curse is broken, the book still never gives enough time for Jemis to really come to terms with what's happening, or if it does, it happens offscreen. I also greatly missed the other characters in this one- Jemis and Hal's relationship (and Perry's, to a lesser extent) was my favorite part of BSC and Hal wasn't in this one as much. And honestly the series is called "Greenwing and Dart" but I still need more of the Dart part of the duo to really feel like that title is justified, and none of the three books have proven that to me yet. Nevertheless, I'll continue to read, if only so I can properly appreciate the fanfics I've already read, haha.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made a tally of said sensational acts attributed to me. All right, I had rescued a mermaid from a burning building, and I had slain a dragon, and the two of my university friends who had so far shown up had been a beautiful cross-dressing Indrilline spy and an Imperial Duke, and I had broken a curse on the bees of the Woods Noirell, and I had been involved in the strange matter of the disastrous Late Bastard Decadent dinner party given by Dame Talgarth, but that was incognito, as was the small matter of the cult to the Dark Kings sacrificing cows at the Ellery Stone, which Mr. Dart and I had witnessed. The rest of the rumours were totally wrong. [p. 34]

What can I say? I'm hooked, and I like the characters, and I like Goddard's prose in these books: light and cheerful, witty and mannered, treating events of great significance with no more or less gravity than a borrowed fountain pen or an early-morning run. The tone is utterly different to that of The Hands of the Emperor and other works featuring Cliopher Mdang; it's less riotously headlong than The Return of Fitzroy Angursell; I admire Goddard greatly for the versatility of her voice.

Whiskey Jack opens with Jemis Greenwing in prison for 'murdering Fitzroy Angursell in the form of a dragon'; he can't recall anything between his morning run and his imprisonment, but he is shortly joined by two villainous-looking vagabonds, with whom he escapes to the greenwood, where the three encounter a merry band and another of Jemis' friends from university. Onward -- via an honestly terrifying river, an unexpectedly innocent relative, a suspiciously competent Honourable, a number of mysterious letters, an examination of the card game Poacher and its prognostic uses, and a lingering curse -- to the Winter Assizes, and a cheerful and optimistic finale.

Luckily there are another three novels ... watch this space!

Fulfils the ‘Featuring an Inheritance’ rubric of the 52 books in 2023 challenge.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness

I’ve just read Olive and the Dragon and thought: “why don’t I read Whiskeyjack?” It was an excellent decision.

The beginning is very intriguing. Jemis is in prison and we don’t know why. He is thinking about ancient poetry. (Of course he is.)

In Whiskeyjack, Goddard is playing with all kinds of adventure novel tropes. I’ve lost count of unexpected meetings and coincidences that just happen. There is a sinister cult, we also have old mysteries, suspicious magic, puzzles, poetry, heartbreaks old and new. Jemis is being badass and awesome a lot, it’s wonderful. His friends make my heart melt.

Victoria Goddard dropped an amazing plot bomb in this book! I am still reeling a bit. The emotional impact is huge. What will happen next? This series just keeps getting better.

Best quotes:

”My friend Mr Dart said that I was already sufficiently eccentric for a man three times my age.”

”I walked forward out of my silence, into his silence.”

”The Baron finds it exceedingly difficult to comprehend,” murmured Master Dart.
”The Baron finds most things exceedingly difficult to comprehend,” Sir Hamish responded.

”Mr Dart. Friendship runs both directions. You keep supporting me through my various tribulations.”
”Which are considerably more significant and interesting than my own.”

[Stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

They way everything discovered in the first two books rolled together here was absolutely beautiful. I loved seeing the thought process of Jemis develop throughout the whole series but especially this book. Sure, it was long-winded and a tad boring at times but it delves deeper into the beautiful world and explained culture, geography, and history that were important to putting all the pieces together. Granted, there were several descriptions of poems, history, and politics that were very dry and quite frankly unneeded, but it does show just how much love VG has for her world

I love the plot twists that were hinted at but given just enough doubt to their validity that it’s still a bit jarring when they reveal themselves. The doubt and suspicion slowly developed kept me on the edge the whole time wondering who was friend and who was foe.

And overall, everyone’s reactions to all the things that were happening were very different from tradition, but we’re extremely realistic. The adrenaline rushes giving clear view of the world followed by mind-numbing confusions and bumbling idiot-ness was hilarious and glorious.

The dry humor, the daring escapades, the honorable gentlemanly-ness, the desire of a young man for all his melodramatic adventures to end culminated in a beautiful story that I wish was more popular. Doubtlessly, it won’t get the attention it deserves because there’s no smut, LGBTQ themes aren’t drilled into the reader’s skull, and there’s no token female empowerment

[Mary Soon Lee]

This is the third book in the Greenwing and Dart fantasy series, described on the back cover copy as "fantasies of manners--and mischief." I enjoyed it quite a bit, yet less than I think many would. This is because of a critical turn in the plot that bothered me for idiosyncratic reasons arising out of my own experiences, a plot turn that I had predicted, hoping to be proved wrong. I won't elaborate.

Other than that, I liked the book, its characters, and its telling. I especially like Mr. Dart and Mrs. Etaris, and would always be glad to see more of them. There's a moment in the book's closing paragraphs that brought me near to tears, despite the fact that I had anticipated it.

3.5 out of idiosyncratically-bothered stars, which would have been 4 out of 5 stars but for the idiosyncratic botheration.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

[Bridgit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This, the third Greenwing and Dart outing, finally answers some of the questions that have been troubling Jemis Greenwing since the first book. We learn more about what's behind at least some of Jemis's problems, and a couple of loose ends are tied up satisfactorily.

All Jemis's old friends and foes are back, and a few new characters are introduced. There aren't any magical creatures as such this time (the dragon from Bee Sting Cake makes a post-mortem appearance), but there are some decidedly peculiar geographical features which prove to be important to the plot.

Even though Whiskeyjack more or less resolves the major story arc of this and the preceding books, I was very slightly disappointed that some of my questions about magic, past events, and the relationships between various characters still weren't answered.  Northwest Oriole and its inhabitants are full of enough cults, plots, and mysteries both personal and natural to keep me hoping for a fourth novel, or at least some more novellas and short stories.

[Jess Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit conflicted about this book - parts of it I enjoyed greatly, as some mysteries and characters were resolved, Jemis continued to exhibit satisfying competence, and relationships deepened. The pace of the book moved well and I was caught up in it. I liked that the mystery felt more organic for the characters than someone presenting Jemis with some cosy village puzzle to solve.

On the other hand - especially towards the end - parts were confusing. (The geography of the river/caves/bridges?!) I also felt like there were some parts that jumped a bit, and while the ending of the book was a lovely moment, I sort of felt like we'd missed something in there. (What happened to the conspirators? Are we missing seeing some of other characters' reactions to X?) While some plot threads are clearly meant to be picked up in the next book, I didn't feel like all were.

[QuincyK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I’m not going to lie - this is the book that made me love the series

I honestly think that the first three books of this series should have been published together because the first two are such meandering randomness

And I understand that we don’t know what Jemis doesn’t know and he’s still putting pieces together

But once those pieces are put - EPIC

What I LOVE about this series is that *everything makes sense*

This third book (and the fourth book) starts digging to the heart of things 20 years (or centuries) in the making

And Jemis’s family, past, sneezing, and so forth, all start slotting in together

Unfortunately, I barely made it through the first book of the series to get to this third one. PLEASE KEEP READING

The payoff is excellent

And book four gets things really rolling

Is it a long wait? Yes. Is it worth it? VERY YES

[Sharondblk · Rating 3 out of 5]

By the third in a series, a reader usually has a good idea of how this is going to go, and this one is no exception. The plot moved on in a satisfying way and I love Jemis and his friends, but there are two things about how this is written that drive me nuts.
1) The game of poacher that is life. This weird metaphor that pops out frequently. Poacher is some made up, very complicated card game. Apparently it's just like life. It's clunky and unnecessary.
2) Constant repetition of parts of the story. It's like Victoria Goddard thinks we haven't read the previous books. We keep revisiting the same situations, being reminded of what happened. I've got a pretty crappy memory, so I like some clues, but this is over the top.

And yet, I'll keep reading, because Jemis and his friends are so charming and original.

[Fernanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

eu chorei uma três vezes lendo esse livro? pode apostar que sim, chorei horrores

se os dois livros anteriores foram bom, esse aqui foi maravilhoso, da relação entre os personagens (uma realação em particular acima de todas, se você leu o livro sabe qual relacionamento), sobre os mistérios, como a victoria goddard usa análise crítica literária de movimento literários que ela mesmo inventou e o uso de um jogo de cartas, que não existe, como uma metáfora para a vida e é tudo tão intrínseco, o worldbuilding, os personagens, a trama e tudo culminou nesse e livro e meu deus amo a victoria goddard

"Well: if you cannot straighten, if you cannot balance upright, then use your bent, embrace your limitations, make them your strengths. That is the way of the poet, who takes the constraints of his form and turns them into freedom; that is the way of the warrior who desires to live."

[Geraldine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third novel in the series starts with Mr Greenwing waking up in a prison with no idea how he got there - a typical state for this drugged, bewitched and sneeze-prone hero. I found his passivity - occasionally interrupted by manic bouts of stupid action - very annoying but the author does give him a long list of excuses. Apart from the usual strange happenings the plot does contain one big, though rather predictable, surprise. Most of the mysteries set up by the author can only be solved by a detailed knowledge of the invented literature of her world, which ordinary readers of course don't have. In spite of this unfairness I've given this book an extra star because the plot does generate real emotion, some things actually are explained, and Mr Dart almost becomes interesting.