After reading Christopher Nuttall’s Schooled in Magic, I went out and bought the first six books…
In part because the first book was just that good.
Also, they were all on sale.
So, after putting together a book one that was pure epic fantasy, and a finale that threatened the magic school, and the entire world, how does one follow that up?
By threatening an entire kingdom … and the rest of the world.
The Story
After defeating the villain of the last book with magic and theoretical physics, Emily has gone from being an outcast in a new world to being renowned as the “Necromancer’s Bane.” Songs are sung about her. And now that first year is over, she’s even getting propositioned.
As such a celebrity, her college classmate, Princess Alassa of Zangria, is taking her home to meet the royal family over summer break. Alassa needs to travel home by coach, and visit princes along the way. The Princess is of age, about to be confirmed, and the suitors are lining up.
Except Emily has made one enemy too many. Bringing basic technology and ideas from our world has upset the applecart in Zangria, and slowly the rest of the world. Her friendship with Alassa has even changed the princess enough to shake up the country. Now, powerful people in Zangria have put a hit out on Emily. And after dealing with her, Zangria is next… assuming that Zangria’s past hasn’t already condemned its future.
Once more, Christopher G Nuttall has come up with a brilliant fantasy work, that if it doesn’t reach epic or high fantasy, it certainly comes close.
It’s amusing to see how much Lessons in Etiquette opens with a mirror to Schooled in Magic —we open with evil machinations in the prologue, and chapter one starts with Emily in the library, only her circumstances are much improves.
There are some amusing bits, like this:
“If [the sycophant] complains, feel free to turn him into a toad.”
“I think your father would object.”
“I know,” Alassa said, with a sigh. “He certainly complained enough when I did it.”
“You turned him into a toad?” Emily asked. “Why didn’t they change him back.
It’s also quite amazing that this book serves two purposes that are usually divergent. This has been a great standalone novel, as well as almost entirely built upon repercussions from book one. Emily’s mere presence has been altering the world, and now there is some blowback. At the same time, I’m not entirely certain one needed to read Schooled in Magic to follow Lessons in Etiquette. There is enough details about book one to inform any reader of everything they need to know.
Speaking of details, Lessons in Etiquette is more of a mystery than Schooled in Magic. Before even reaching Zangria, it’s clear that Something is Up. But no one, not even the reader, knows who’s behind it all. There’s some good, interesting, and active detective work in this one. There are even clues built into book one that are brought up even here.
But when the action kicks into high gear, it’s about a quarter of the novel.
Once more, it’s nice to see a fantasy world be fantastic. There are more random players with conflicting motives and secret agendas that a Game of Thrones novel, without any of the nihilist BS, with characters you actually want to see win, instead of wondering if all of them can lose.
Or as I put it in my notes: “George RR Martin is for amateurs.”
Also, watch out for the cockatrice in act one.
The Characters
Everyone gets a surprising amount of character development along the way. Since this takes place in Zangria, Princess Alassa gets more background and character arcs. Between her family and her kingdom’s history, it explains a lot about how she got that way in book one. She’s also smarter than she looks, having picked up casually picked up strategy and tactics from listening to her father’s court. And her explaining to Emily how marriage works is hilarious.
Watching Emily still adapting to the magical world—and her personal celebrity— is entertaining. She’s very certain of herself and all the improvements she’s creating … until the repercussions take a personal toll, and then she remembers all of the downsides of the improvements she’s introducing. She’s not the invincible magical girl. She has no idea how to deal with being approached by men (don’t worry, only one serious prospect so far, it’s not that kind of Isekai). And she’s still trying to make gunpowder.
If Emily gets any more promotions, she’s going to turn into another Fantasy Jack Ryan, like Tavi from Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera.
Then there’s Void—Emily’s sponsor in this new world, but also the hatchet man for the Council of wizards. He’s almost a background character, popping in whenever it’s convenient for him. We don’t know how much he’s pulling the strings, and how much he’s just dropping a hint or two, and letting chaos theory do the work.
Then there’s also Lady Barb, Alassa’s bodyguard, and has a history with Void. She makes for some good conflict.
The World
This is the second book, and I can’t tell if Nuttall has a lot of backstory already planned, like he’s Tolkien, or if he’s making it up as he goes along. But once again, enough world-building has been built in, it has been made integral to the story. This world has a deep lore and history, but it’s only thrown at us when it becomes essential to the story. Surprisingly, it all adds into the plot.
Even the little details are amusing, such as alchemy requiring exactly so many stirs, or else it becomes something completely different. Just how the magic works is delightfully unique… including the drawbacks.
It’s also very nice to have an author who knows how to apply both history and anthropology to the fantasy world. Nuttall even handles fantasy geopolitics. Such as: yes, there’s a reason for royal dances.
And dear Lord, we get to some nightmare of the drawbacks of magic playing around with things they don’t understand. Hint: magic and eugenics don’t mix if you don’t know what genes are. That’s how you get orcs.
We also get part of the justice system in this world, which is less medieval, and more pagan—which fits, because there is no monotheism in his world. Some of the concepts of the value of human life are different here. In short—life is cheap. Being a convicted killer in pre-modern Europe would be better.
Politics
There is no modern politics, unless you object to free markets. Of if you want to label the philosophy of technology and its development as political. But this is a world run by monarchs, barons and lords.
Content Warning
If this tops out at PG-13, I’d be surprised. There is mention of nudity—because this is a world that’s barely phasing in undergarments—basic biology, and three decapitations. However, the nudity, the biology and the decapitations are as graphic as this paragraph. It’s hard to get any more nonsexual than this.
Who is it for?
Take one part magic school setting like Harry Potter, and one part world-building on par with Butcher’s Codex Alera. Given Emily’s interest in banking, I’m waiting for a future novel to turn into a slightly more serious Terry Pratchett novel.
Why buy it
Perhaps the best high fantasy world I’ve read since Jim Butcher’s Alera.
Y'all are keeping me broke.