The Facefaker's Game by Chandler J. Birch

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong language

 

For fans of Patrick Rothfuss and Scott Lynch, a picaresque fantasy about a clever young beggar who bargains his way into an apprenticeship with a company of thieving magicians and uses his newfound skills in a vendetta against a ruthless crime lord.

Ashes lives in Burroughside—the dirtiest, most crime-ridden district in the huge city of Teranis. His neighbors are gangs of fellow orphans, homeless madmen, and monsters that swarm the streets at nightfall. Determined to escape Burroughside, Ashes spends his days begging, picking pockets, and cheating at cards. When he draws the wrath of Mr. Ragged, Burroughside’s brutal governor, he is forced to flee for his life, only to be rescued by an enigmatic man named Candlestick Jack.

Jack leads a group of Artificers, professional magicians who can manipulate light with their bare hands to create stunningly convincing illusions. Changing a face is as simple as changing a hat. Ashes seizes an opportunity to study magic under Jack and quickly befriends the rest of the company: Juliana, Jack’s aristocratic wife; William, his exacting business partner; and Synder, his genius apprentice. But all is not as it seems: Jack and his company lead a double life as thieves, and they want Ashes to join their next heist. Between lessons on light and illusion, Ashes begins preparing to help with Jack’s most audacious caper yet: robbing the richest and most ruthless nobleman in the city.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was easy to read, pulled me in immediately, and the characters were likable. The world is very reminiscent of Victorian London and the book felt like it could have been inspired by Dickens. Someone said Oliver Twist with magic and that seems rather accurate, but I also think the comparison to Rothfuss is a good comparison, at least as far as the story goes. The writing style is very different though. I can't say how similar it is to Lynch though, as I haven't read any of his books.

I really liked the magic system in the book, even though it wasn't some big intricately thought out thing. It worked and was enough for the story. There were some nice twists and turns in the story and it left me wanting to read more. The author said he wanted to write more, but it's been five years and so far nothing else has been written. For now I'm going to consider this a standalone, and it works ok as one, although there are some answers that I would love to have about the rasa, where they come from, and why they can't remember who they are. I would also like to know how the ravagers came to be. I do have my eye on this author and I'll be watching for any new releases in the future.