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Fantasy review: The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heap

I picked up The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heap from my favorite used book store after one of my writing group friends recommended H.G. Parry. 

I found this book to be highly enjoyable. As an older sibling, I found Charley and Rob's relationship to be very realistic. I thought the side-relationships with Lydia and Millie added some extra flavor to the plot, but that neither were really necessary--that is, those relationships seemed to exist to drive the plot, but didn't actually matter that much to the character development. Since I tend to fill out my supporting cast in later drafts, I think this book is a good reminder to make sure they are fully integrated into the story. 

Looking at the book's twists, there was one that I loved and another that I didn't. I thought Parry did a good job at dropping clues throughout the first half of the story of Charley's true identity, so that when it was confirmed I felt that thrill of having realized the secret before Rob. (I did find this to be a little funny, because while this book integrates Sherlock Holmes into the plot, the style of mystery that allows the reader to know the secret before the detective is the opposite style from Holmes (I think)).

I found myself a little disappointed by the big reveal of who the Summoner's identity. To be fair, it should have been obvious from the rest of the book that the antagonist was going to be someone from another Victorian novel. Maybe the fault is mine for missing the clues because I haven't actually read a lot of Victorian novels. I was convinced that the Summoner was going to be E. B. White, the author of Charlotte's Web (not that I have any indication that she would be a character-murderer), and that the reason why Charley and the Summoner had powers the other characters didn't was because they were authors written out as characters. However, that didn't happen. The actual reveal felt much more anticlimactic compared to what I thought was happening. 

Overall, I found this book to be very enjoyable. I liked Rob's annoyance with his brother, and Millie, and all the little bookish easter eggs. I will definitely keep my eyes out for more of Parry's work. 

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