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The Quick by Lauren Owen
Truth be told, the gorgeous sepia-toned cover art and the publisher’s comparison of Lauren Owen’s debut book The Quick to Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian were what initially drew me to it. Although I’m not particularly drawn to books about vampires and the like, if a compelling tale includes such material, I won’t hesitate to read it.
The Quick is undoubtedly captivating. I received an ebook copy for review, and when I got to the end, I was actually shocked to see that the paperback version would have been more than 500 pages long.
The reader is drawn into the world of Owen’s characters by her descriptive descriptions, which are generous without being over the top. Treasures abound in the library. The cousin—the really distant cousin who had owned the hall before them—had added volumes to an already sizable collection by purchasing them at an alarming rate.
No one intervened to prevent Charlotte and James from taking what they wanted and reading whichever dusty, enticing volumes they preferred. A crimson carpet, red and gold wallpaper, and a stunning marble fireplace with a pattern of grapes carved all the way around made up the room’s aesthetic beauty. The Quick’s strength lies in its underlying focus on humanity; people’s want to do ‘good’ within their own contexts and the personal sacrifices they make in pursuing that goal.
Colourful Characters
The colourful characters that Owen has included in this book range from the endearingly resourceful and brave to the ignorantly nasty. But Charlotte is the most likeable of all. Her demure demeanour betrays a strength, intelligence, and tenacity within that you cannot not but cheer for. While there is blood and mutilation in this book, which is unavoidable in a vampire environment, what really drew me in was Owen’s emphasis on the characters’ drive for knowledge and the problem-solving aspects of the plot.
However, Owen’s novel eventually has a timeless quality that transcends all of its particular characters. It speaks to people’s transience while appreciating the importance of the information they gain during their lifetimes and their contribution to the world.
The Quick is an excellent book and Lauren Owen’s great debut novel, but the plot has several flaws (such as a slower than required opening and some improbable character connections). While it is terrible to see some brilliant characters in The Quick pass away, I am interested to see where Owen takes those who survive in the sequel she is now writing.
About The Book
James Norbury, a shy aspiring poet who has just moved away from Oxford, finds lodging with a likeable young nobleman in 1892. He is introduced to the high society drawing rooms through this new friendship, and he finds love in an unexpected place. Then all of a sudden, he disappears. His sister, Charlotte, is alarmed and sets out to find him from their dilapidated country mansion.
She discovers a hidden, magical city in the ominous, labyrinthine London that welcomes her. These individuals include a female rope walker turned vigilante, a street urchin with a fatal secret, and the unsettling “Doctor Knife.” The predatory Aegolius Club, whose predatory members include the most ambitious and violent individuals in England, holds the key to solving her brother’s disappearance, though.
Lauren Owen has crafted a fantasy universe that is both alluring and horrifying in her debut book. She will become known as one of fiction’s most brilliant geniuses thanks to The Quick.
The Review
The Quick
9.3 Score
The book intentionally commits to the Victorian Gothic style...so expect it to feel close to reading Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or The Portrait of Dorian Gray. I.e., it can feel a little clunkier and more dry than a modern-American style novel...but it's an intentional style choice, so I'm not knocking any points off for that.
PROS
- Victorian Gothic.
- Deeply Creepy.
- Excellent Tale Of Vampires.
- Engaging Alternative Story.
CONS
- Very Disappointed.
- A Real Snoozer!!
- Childish.
- Unnecessarily Complicated.
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