Review.
Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments
T. L. Huchu
Book 2 of Edinburgh Nights
Pub date: 5 April, 2022
Publisher: Tor
Reviewed from NetGalley
First things first, I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley for the purposes of a review. Unfortunately, for me, it was a pdf which I would rather not have to read. But since I had been so impressed by by Huchu’s first book in the series The Library of the Dead, I decided to go ahead and shell out the scheckels (~$15) and buy epub a copy for myself. So that says something right there.
T. L. Huchu’s Edinburgh Nights series revolves around a rough and ready young woman saddled with caring for her aged grandbmother and younger sister in a world that is mostly past its best-before date. A world, however, that also encompasses magic (or advanced mathematics as some style it) and speaking with ghosts—a talent young Ropa Mayo uses to make her meager living. Book two of the series opens with Ropa, having solved a mystery in the previous book that many of the ruling class would rather have swept under the carpet, trying to settle down in her new role as intern at the General Discoveries Directorate. And trying to make some money.
As previously implied, I really enjoyed the world and characters that Huchu has created. Ropa is young woman saddled with great responsibilities (of the mundane sort) and possessing great talent (of the magical sort). The plot of Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments is ostensibly about her attempts to find the cause of a mysterious illness, but really the whole series is about her working towards finding happiness, contentment and security in a world that has gone to ruin; and of course, money.
Huchu’s Edinburgh is a fascinating place rich with geography, history and a Scottish accent, but he doesn’t let his world building overpower the story; instead he slowly builds out the reality of Ropa’s world and the life she she is force to live in organic snippets and hints and not a few history lessons. An experience that results in a much richer backdrop, and one that still leaves plenty of story to be told.
I absolutely loved Book one, especially the way Huchu painted the canvas with his characters and backdrop and I think he did an amazing job of following it up in this one—it’s not easy to maintain that sort of rich texture and slow build-up without either falling into the trap of a big info dump or starting to add extraneous details just for the sake of it. Really, how can you not love a book that has a great setting, engaging characters and is presented with grace, finesse and whole lot of craft. I am already looking forward to Book three—hopefully the wait won’t be too long.