2025 fantasy. The Cloak of Sunset and Starlight is a major
artifact—meaning it has a mind of its own. It's been sitting in the
vault of the Order of the Open Eye since its last wielder died, but
here comes an apprentice wizard who looks interesting…
And there's a lot going on here, because we're in something like
the modern world, with Star Trek and mobile phones. And superheroes.
The wizard in question was already a surgeon, scooped into the Order
via an unconventional route; but unlike the usual run of wizards who
just accept what they're told, she uses the scientific method to try
to work out what's going on, and question why things are This Way.
And all of this is seen and narrated from the cloak's perspective.
(Yes, there's a certain amount of Doctor Strange here. I haven't
seen the films or read the comics, so that's largely lost on me, but I
enjoyed this anyway.)
The main job of the Order, apart from staying hidden from society, is
to deal with dimensional interlopers, of varying degrees of danger.
And quite soon a really tough one comes long, which leaves the
survivors scrambling to pick up the pieces… and work out just how
much the former Eminence was using memory-wiping spells to stop people
from asking some of the hard questions.
There's plenty of action, but also a whole lot of praise for the
importance of competent organisation, something that I think can
sometimes get lost in the fun. And yes, Nicolet doesn't ignore the
problem of collateral damage from super-powered battles (one of my
main reasons for not being interested in many superhero stories).
It's not perfect; I felt there was a bit too much tonal oscillation
between serious business and farce. But I had a good time and I'll be
looking out for more by Nicolet (Rachel Reddick).