The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2024 |
| Founder | H. G. Parry |
| Products | Historical fantasy novel |
| Parent | Orbit Books (UK), Redhook Books (US) |
The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is a historical fantasy novel released in 2024, authored by New Zealand writer H. G. Parry. The book was issued in October 2024 by Orbit Books in the United Kingdom and its US imprint, Redhook Books. Its narrative unfolds during and following World War I, centering on a faerie responsible for numerous deaths and curses inflicted during the 1918 Battle of Amiens.
Plot summary
Set near Lancashire, England, Clover Hill is a farmgirl who discovers that her brother Mathew, injured at Amiens while serving as a soldier, is afflicted by a debilitating fae curse. She uncovers that a mage had summoned a faerie during the battle, which led to widespread fatalities and curses. Clover also learns about secretive aristocratic Families who have hidden magical knowledge for generations, along with Camford, their covert magical academy connected to Oxford and Cambridge. In 1920, motivated to heal Mathew, Clover obtains a scholarship to attend Camford despite not belonging to any Family or being male.
At Camford, she finds out that faerie magic was outlawed after Amiens and all faerie doors were sealed shut. Clover forms friendships with three students—Alden, Hero, and Eddie—who share her fascination with the banned magic. While spending a holiday at Alden’s Ashfield estate, they come across a faerie door that Alden had previously used to negotiate for his brother Thomas’s safety; however, the faerie abducted Thomas instead. The group experiments with faerie magic, reopens the door, but their binding spell breaks down, enabling the faerie to escape and take possession of Hero.
Critical reception
The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door garnered significant praise for its compelling narrative and thoughtful themes. Lynnanne Pearson from Booklist described it as "a mirror to our own world and the problems within it," granting it a "highly recommended" status. A starred review in Publishers Weekly labeled it an "ambitious historical fantasy" that "expertly intertwines the enigmatic with the ordinary," highlighting Parry's nuanced depiction of post-World War I England. Likewise, Marlene Harris writing for Library Journal applauded its immersive portrayal of power struggles and magical communities, suggesting it to admirers of Freya Marske’s Last Binding series.
Bethan Hindmarch of The Fantasy Hive praised Parry’s intricate worldbuilding and character development, remarking that the combination of faeries and clandestine magical societies "completely transported" her. She drew parallels between the novel’s mood and Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, emphasizing its detailed alternate history blended with enigmatic fae elements.
External links
- The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door at Orbit Books
- The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door at FantasticFiction