Blackcurrant Fool

Greenwing & Dart #4

by Victoria Goddard

Magic is out of fashion.

Orio City is where that's decided.




When his best friend Mr. Dart unexpectedly needs to make an urgent trip to Orio City, Jemis Greenwing's immediate response to ask when. He's willing to make up to his grandmother so she will lend them her falarode, he's willing to offer to run the errands of half the barony, and he's certainly willing to spend a week or so away from the gossips of Ragnor Bella.




It's such a pity that Jemis and Mr. Dart are more than halfway to Orio City before Jemis remembers that his vindictive ex-lover Lark is a rising star in the criminal courts of Orio City. It's an even greater pity when they realize just what her new position is in the legally instituted court there.




What with the dragon Jemis slayed a month ago, his consequent ascension to the position of Viscount St-Noire, and his father's very recent second return from the dead, to say nothing of that still-famous play from the summer, Three Years the Tragicomedy of the Traitor of Loe, it's really too much to hope for that Jemis will be able to spend even three days in the old capital incognito.




University students. Bear baiting. Unexpected relations. Wild magic. Literary criticism. Kittens. And always that whisper from the highwaymen of the Arguty Forest that someone's death is on the line ...




Book Four of Greenwing & Dart, fantasies of manners--and mischief.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Magic, High Fantasy, Fantasy Of Manners, Cozy Fantasy

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2019

About the author

I walked across England in 2013, fulfilling a long-held dream. I'm currently the sexton of an Anglican church in Nova Scotia, which means I am keeper of the keys and opener of doors (and shutter-off of alarms). I have a PhD in medieval studies from the University of Toronto, looking at poetry and philosophy in the works of Dante and Boethius -- both the poetry and the philosophy come into my stories a great deal (and occasionally the Dante and the Boethius).

I like writing about the ordinary lives of magical people on the other side of the looking glass ... and the extraordinary deeds of ordinary folk, too. Three of my favourite authors are Patricia McKillip (especially 'The Riddle-Master of Hed' trilogy and 'The Bell at Sealy Head'), Connie Willis ('Bellwether' and 'To Say Nothing of the Dog,' which latter would make my top-ten books on a desert island), and Lois McMaster Bujold ('The Curse of Chalion' and its sequels).

Reviews

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

*vibrates off the chair, ascends into the sky*

That's a normal reaction to a book, right? Boy has this series ESCALATED. Who knew so many feelings could fit into one little adventure. *pats top of book admiringly* Jemis continues to be a wonderfully complex and interesting protagonist in that I want to hold him up like The Lion King, examine all his self doubts, and praise his virtues until he feels better.

This book features a road trip to the big city, hanging out on a college campus after you've graduated and feeling a bit weird about it, and a magical prison break. Just normal people stuff. *continues to vibrate* Just... normal people things....... 😂😭

[Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are the kittens ok? I need to know

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greenwing & Dart 'is' (grammar-wise 'are', but since it is a title...) turning into a fun series. The first three books were sort of background, stand alone, though each book builds a little from the former. Blackcurrent Fool produces all the makings of a full blown tale with a now defined enemy. Goddard is a wizard at inventing mysteries, in the form of riddles, to solve. Magic, divinities, afterlife, former life; gates between the two. Fun fantasy!

Onto book five Love-in-a-Mist .

[anna b · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINALLY SOME GOOD MR DART CONTENT

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been under curses and enchantments since I was fifteen. I don't know who I am if you strip all that away. I don't know if I want to know. I think it will be a great disappointment to everyone. [loc. 940]

In which Jemis Greenwing and Mr Dart go to Olio City, trusting that Jemis' evil ex will remain ignorant of their presence, to buy books, retrieve relatives, and -- as it turns out -- test the validity of the arguments in Jemis' final paper at university, in which he argued that an obscure poem was not only 'an allegory of [the poet's] emotional and spiritual state [but] a full blueprint of the physical layout of the prison'. Ah, literary criticism! There are also kittens, and the dubiously divine Hunter in (the) Green, and the ever-delightful Hal.

This novel goes to some fairly dark places (I don't just mean Olio City, which is exceedingly grim and Dickensian) and finds light in them. I'm increasingly reminded of Bujold's 'Five Gods' works, which describe religion as a simple and beautiful aspect of ordinary life. Jemis undergoes radical changes; Mr Dart seems increasingly brittle, and almost -- almost! -- on the verge of talking about his emotions; Violet's mysterious past is, in part, revealed. Yes, there is perhaps a surfeit of architectural poetry and riddle-solving: but it's good to see Jemis so competent, albeit in frightful circumstances.

As soon as I'd finished this one, I had to read the next ...

[Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

esse livro foi uma apreciação ao tema de estudo do jemis, quero muito que ele tenha a oportunidade de escrever um artigo sobre como ele estava correto sobre tudo

só não foi 5 estrelas pois o final foi meio abrupto, mas teve tudo, amizade, desenvolvimento de personagens, revelações de lore, introdução de personagens que só conhecíamos por reputação, e simplesmente a melhor análise literária de um poema que não existe (essa análise feita quando o jemis tava loucão das drogas)

“Thank you, Jemis Greenwing, for your love and care of my work. Love is never lost, in the end.”

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

My personal favourite of the series so far. This is perfection. I’m amazed at Victoria’s cleverness.

[Mimi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jemis and Dart journey towards Orio! I loved how their tasks piled up, and the exploration of another university and city. Hal returns (yay)! As do Violet (hmm) and Lark (ugh).

I liked how the poem Jemis did a dissertation on became so meaningful. It was well tied into both the prison break and the emotional turmoil, and a really good pay-off from previous stories. That’s something the author is really good at, threads and balancing short- and long-term plotting, especially in terms of character and relationship development (or pure fan service!).

In this book, Violet and Dart both get new angles, which might take some convincing in terms of how they connect to Jemis. Violet, because her complicity in Lark’s actions towards Jemis and the complicated questions about what was real (which I am not over, let alone open to romance). Dart, because I need to understand the new shape of their friendship, what with secrets and oaths revealed.

Unexpected ending, looking forward to seeing Jemis’s state, and the crew’s next steps.

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one; the journey through the wood where, every time they are held up, they are given something rather than something demanded of them; the characters having to face the grime and sordidness of the city; Jemis doing poetic analysis to save all their lives, whilst off his head on wireweed; and the mix of the ordinary and the lyrical in the scenes after death (reminded me a bit of some of Charles Williams's or Lewis's work). My only criticism is that Lark doesn't seem a rounded character, rather a cartoon villain. I have at times struggled with not understanding the lore in this series, but I think at the end of this book at least I feel clearer about what I do and don't understand. Think I may re-read the earlier books before going on.

[Blind Mapmaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 I am not sure quite what to think of this. The setup was fine, as was Tara and the labyrinth was interesting for a chapter or so, but I kept thinking of when the betrayal of Violet or Jullanar Maebh (or more likely half-betrayals from both) would happen. But apparently that's all to be taken at face value and to be topped by the interlude in paradise that takes a sacrifice and makes in meaningless in a couple of pages. Also all this reassurance of your dearly departed feels just so different than all the rest of the series. I think I might just be too much of cynic. The ending makes me wonder whether to immediately plough on to get to some more subtle stuff or partial reversals or to let it rest for a while.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for life-or-death literary analysis.

[Shaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

And we're finally off, apparently the second half of this book is where this story finds its true wings and takes flight. I think I read the second half in one sitting.

[Mskarla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This dragged a bit for me, but that’s ok. I still love this series.

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went back and forth about rounding up to five stars, but I think it doesn't quite make it there. It took longer for me to get into this one, but once things started twisting about it did take hold of me. That's not to say that the beginning was bad, but it felt a little like I was being moved from reference to reference, smile to smile until the author got me where she needed me to tell the main story. This novel starts to answer some of the more metaphysical questions about Greenwing's and Dart's respective situations and lays the groundwork for a more grand story that may shake the sociopolitical foundations of their world. And, while that groundwork is really interesting, I feel like the ending was somewhat like the beginning: the author positioning the reader for something to come more so than resolving the story laid out in the novel.

[Maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting volume because it brings us a confrontation that's been in the making since book one. At the same time, some interesting choices in terms of plot are made here, ones that I need to mull over before I form an opinion. In general, this series has always struggled with pacing, and this is sadly another book where nothing happens and then everything happens at once too quickly. That said, I still love this world and these characters, and I'm actually excited because I have very little idea of what the endgame is for this series.
( I do think on the romance subplot front, the endgame pairing seems to be Violet/Jemis, which honestly does not excite me at all. )

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Greenwing and Mr. Dart go to the big city and get saddled with errands and side-quests. Hal gets involved, too. Kittens.

[Joe Kessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep thinking that the Greenwing & Dart sequence is finally going to make the leap from good to great for me -- in line with the other entries I've read in author Victoria Goddard's sprawling Nine Worlds fantasy setting -- only to have those hopes ultimately dashed again as the present story unfolds. In this case, we at least manage to get through the first half of the book with an interesting (if admittedly slow-paced) plot that showcases the writer's usual talent for juggling all the various intrigues that surround our young protagonist Jemis Greenwing. He's still dealing with the fallout of several recent developments from previous volumes, but now finds himself enlisted to journey to a distant city to help escort his friend Mr. Dart's newly-discovered relations there, in addition to pursuing a few of his own personal errands in the area. Indeed, one of the definite strengths of this novel is that we get to see so much more of Dart, who only now feels as though he's earned that position as co-lead in the series title.

Things even seem to be looking up at the volume's midpoint, when an antagonist who's long been lurking in the backstory emerges to confront our hero once again. Unfortunately, what follows is a lengthy digression of Jemis and his friends breaking out of an enchanted prison based on esoteric clues in an obscure poem he happens to have memorized, which is like my least favorite part of book 3 (where he applied similar cryptographic principles to someone's letter) magnified many times over. This eventually devolves into a strange mystical experience in some version of the afterlife, and never does come back around to advancing any of the new concerns that were introduced earlier.

There's nevertheless a lot to enjoy here in the character interactions, and I adore the subtle link to The Hands of the Emperor in the form of the local innkeeper Mr. White, whom readers of that longer text will plainly recognize as Kip's lost cousin Basil, the connection between their lands having been severed by the Fall of Astandalas. But overall, Mr. Greenwing's portion of the saga continues idling in the three-star tier for me.

[Content warning for drug abuse.]

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[Noelle Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Greenwing and Dart series is possibly my favorite series by Victoria Goddard (at least until I read the next book about Kip, or the Red Company, or *fingers crossed* one that continues Raphael’s story). That said, this was not my favorite book in the series – I didn’t care for the setting of Orio City (although Tara was interesting), and I got bogged down trying to follow Jemis’ explanations about the architectural poetry. I was also disappointed in the long-awaited show-down with Lark…I wish Jemis’ friends had been better able to protect him from her.

All that said, I still enjoyed it, because I love these characters and their friendship. We find out Torquin Dart was married and has a daughter! We found out who Violet actually is. We spend some time with an interesting professor of magic at Tara named Magistra Aurelia Anyra who I have a theory about.

I love this series. I love all the books by Victoria Goddard, and I love how they all fit together within her universe (with only 2…maybe 3 short story exceptions that I can think of), and how she drops characters and side-stories from one series into another. For example, Kip in “The Hands of the Emperor” mentions his cousin Basil who became an innkeeper on Alinor that he has been writing to regularly, but he has never received an answer, and turns out this is the same Basil the innkeeper that Jemis’ uncursed in the Woods Noirell in “Bee Sting Cake” (Greenwing & Dart Book 2), and now Basil laments he hasn’t received any letters from back home from his cousin who works in the Astandalan government, and could Jemis check the various post offices on his way to Orio City to see he has any mail there? It’s little things like this…you don’t have to have read “The Hands of the Emperor”, but if you have, it’s a little added Easter Egg and you smile seeing Kip described this way.

From a book that started as a challenge to write a book in 30 days, this has turned into a great series!

[Mary Soon Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Greenwing and Dart fantasy series, described on the back cover copy as "fantasies of manners--and mischief." I enjoyed it considerably, though I note that I thought it darker in mood than the first three books. Offsetting the dark mood, the way the characters care about each other is deeply appealing to me. I also appreciated the role architectural poetry plays in the book: very nicely done.

Major spoilers ahead. For me, the final stretch of the book weakened the series. The main character journeys into the afterlife. He meets his dead mother and dead stepfather, and, in the case of his stepfather largely resolves an issue that's been troubling him. He speaks to a goddess. He is given assurances that he will, in due course, be able to return and go to the promised Mountains. For me, these things somewhat deflate the main part of Jemis's adventures, especially the assurance that he will be able to return to the promised land. Perhaps this a problem of mine. I rarely love the way gods/goddesses/the afterlife are shown. [Two exceptions to this are Megan Whalen Turner in her series beginning with "The Thief" and Lois McMaster Bujold in her World of the Five Gods milieu.]

I'd probably have rated the bulk of the book 4 stars, but with the closing chapters factored in, I'll settle on 3.5 out of 5 architectural stars.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

[Jennybeast · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMFG, what a gift to exhausted English majors everywhere, where an obscure poem from the architectural school of traitorous puzzle poem writers can describe the secret paths through a prison and across worlds. And what a feat of world building that sets up that ludicrous proposal as a completely believable situation, where an audience can follow the literary criticism. Good grief! I love it! And I feel that the frivolous inclusion of a litter of kittens just adds to the folderol.

I was unhappy when the verdict that Jemis' magical gift wasn't so vast as all that, although I see why that was a balm for its loss later in the book. I'm not sure about Mr. Dart's mythic connection, but I hope this unfolds a little more in the future. I delight that another university friend is joining the party and so is a mysterious young woman (sans mother). And in my secret heart of hearts I am sorely comforted by this version of an afterlife.

I am, however, deeply frustrated to have to wait for the next book on a library hold, although I suspect that it's character building, and will keep me from devouring the entire series too quickly.

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

For plot reasons(tm) Mr Dart needs to go to Orio City. Naturally, Mr Greenwing wouldn't dream of leaving him to do that on his own. Despite the fact his former lover, drugger, and scion of a major criminal family, Lark, is based there. Naturally, things don't go according to plan.

The first half of this book is mostly Jemis and Mr Dart exploring Orio City, which seems like a miserable place, even if it does have good booksellers. The back half is mostly Jemis and friends trying to escape from this gothic, "unescapable" prison that Lark has imprisoned them in, and it's a clever conceit. I'll not say how it works, but let's just say Jemis' obsession with poetry comes in useful.

The big showdown with Lark was a bit disappointing in the end. She comes across as just a thin-skinned, privileged bully who couldn't stand being stood up to. I imagine not many people in her life ever said no to her. I suspect we'll be seeing more of her at some point, since a number of things have upset the equilibrium here.

And Mr Dart is finally starting to justify having his name in the series title.

[Torie · Rating 4 out of 5]

another 3.5 for this series, rounding up because I keep pickin em up and absolutely tearing through them. It's got its quirks and errors, but with this book in particular I feel like the characters are finally starting to settle into the storyline and actually contribute to the world around them. All of our protagonists in this series are still generally pleasant people and the world overall is still fairly kind and forgiving, but they get a bit more tooth added to each of their own internal struggles in this book, which was very much appreciated.

I love the Ragnor Bella setting, but getting to go on a little road trip to Orio City with Jemis sulking around realizing how NOT a city boy he actually is, and struggling with his new imperial status was delightful. I really love the worlds Goddard creates.

I wish this was 50-100 pages longer, the sequences in the labyrinth and in the Lady's garden were lovely and went by too quickly! I've been reading these at a rate of about 1 per month...but I'm nearing the end of what's published and no release date for further sequels in sight!

[Carro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was splendid. Includes a journey in a splendid coach with strangely powerful horses, with unexpected comic interludes. Or maybe they should have been expected, given what can happen around Messers Greenwing and Dart.
Orio City is a vividly awful place, with pockets where rationality and decency survive. The magic is fascinating.
I very much liked how there has been a build up through the series regarding Jemis Greenwing's interest in riddles and puzzle poetry, and how it all comes to a splendid climax and turning point in this book.
A Blackcurrant Fool does get eaten in the course of the book. Not quite sure if there was any other meaning to it, unlike some of the other titles in this series.

[Lois Bujold · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a point of inflection, the name for which utterly escapes me, where an airplane accelerating down a runway achieves the momentum to lift from the ground and take to the air. The second half of this book did this for its series.

Why the line, "I have waited for those whose souls were stirred into exaltation from my writing, because they taught me what I wrote." doesn't have a hundred highlights, also escapes me. I'd love to know if Goddard had all this planned out from the beginning, or discovered it as she wrote, unfolding like a flower or haiku. I'd bet the latter, but that may just be me.

Recommended, but begin at the beginning with Stargazy Pie and proceed in order.

Ta, L.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I nearly didn’t read this one because the third book ended so nicely and this one at first didn’t seem like it was going anywhere interesting. And granted, the first 50% was just mundane travel and typical daily life. But the last half…made me laugh and cry in equal measure. Loved it. The only other thing I didn’t really like (and this is personal preference) was that the main character is not the most interesting/powerful person anymore. And that Miss Dart didn’t really have a role to play beyond a way to get our two gentlemen into the big city. BUT, there were hints that she may play a bigger role. As of now, I don’t know her well enough to form an opinion. We shall see

[kvon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still enjoying this series. In this one, we finally get pay off of the prison poem that had been discussed in the past three books. Lark and violet reappear; we get more about the semi-divinities of Alinorel (The Lady of Alinorel, the Lady of the Green and the White, the Hunter in Green). We see a larger city, which is falling to poor government, and getting messy, leading Jemis to appreciate his small stable village a bit more. I liked that I was absolutely wrong about where this story was going, other than the fact that they would end up in the prison at some point.

[ECL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first three-quarters of this book - as usual in this series, the world-building is great and leaves you wanting to know more. Unfortunately, I hated the ending - SPOILER - a main character dies and we’re off into the afterlife for some exposition. I never find afterlife plots or scenes convincing, and this one didn’t change my mind. I generally like the fact that the author leaves some stuff hanging out there, rather than tidying everything up implausibly neatly, but there wasn’t any satisfactory resolution to this at all. And it didn’t rate as a happy ending as far as I’m concerned.

[Jess Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this book (which picks up a bit of a new story arc after the third book in the series sort of closed the first) started hitting its stride.

There are still lots of unanswered questions - it really feels like this book finished abruptly, which was a little disappointing after a slow, meandering start and rushed climax - but some really good character development moments. Looking forward to the next book!

[Diantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series so much! This is another excellent part, full of shenanigans, friendship, metaphysical events... you know, the usual. The characters are just so wonderful.

The only thing I like slightly less is the '... and this is what happened in previous books!' that crops up quite a lot. Understandable, but if you're reading the whole series in a row like I am, it is quite unnecessary. Thankfully it's easy to skip.

[Zimmerea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tension and build up of the series to this point was fantastic, and I thought Goddard pulled it off well- save for the trip to the land of the dead in the end. While Mr. Dart's defense of Jemis' soul was fantastic, the reunion of Jemis' with his family and friends added little. We already know they really love him! Plus the theology of the afterlife was a neither creatively evocative nor clear.