It was hid amidst a conversation gone Wrong. As many conversations are want As they go on And on.
A frigid word intoned, Or misconstrued as rude in tone Or simply faux- (pho)nemes recklessly chose As a simple means to deliver meaning. Given. Taken. Implied — by one or both sides Who, once tied to their rightness, Assured their truth alone is correct, Or at least corrective within the collaborative mess,
Are set affixed, to run forever: parathetic.
Parathetic
Here meaning: to be set aside; together, but apart; as if contained within parenthesis.
One of the attractions of a live performance is the ability to include extended versions of beloved songs and allow space for improvisation and spontaneity. This is always where a live album becomes worth it to me. Otherwise, it is never as well recorded or played as the studio version to be worth hearing with an audience. And this live album is well played, well mixed, and overall well made.
Taking recordings made across the two sets at Born & Raised 2022 in St Catharines, Ontario, Alexisonfire have arranged them in a way that feels like the most natural live show put to disk, even though the tracks are delivered mostly out of order—sacrificing preservation of the sets for a flow which suits the band in 2024.
What impressed me on my first listen was the mixing. I can’t tell you if it is the work of the live sound team and recording engineer, or the post-recording team. I can’t even tell if it is the mastering. What I know is that throughout the album I could hear every instrument and each vocal as clearly as I could wish I’d get at a live show. I’m certain the audience was recorded separately too.
A Little Deeper
The mix of songs across their discography is impressive. From their second set where they performed their self-titled album in full, we get the recording of their first live performance of Jubella, and the first time since 2003 that they have performed A Dagger Through the Heart of St. Angeles. It also includes their live debut of Committed to the Con from 2022’s Otherness.
We have never played this song ever
George Pettit, on the live debut of Jubella
Whether to make the songs work better live, save the vocalist’s voices performing night after night or to keep the songs interesting to play after 20 years, I enjoy each of the moments where we are treated to a variation on what we are familiar with. This album is full of added parts (including a touch of Prince’s When Doves Cry), extended sections and switched up vocal inflections.
But Does It Sound Good?
In a word, yes!
The drums are clearly picked up and boom with a presence you’d expect, but without overwhelming the other players. The guitar tone is true to the studio versions and performed with real passion, full of adlibs and improvising. But the stand-out is Chris Steele’s bass. Alexis always have brilliant basslines, but here it cuts through, adjuring the listener to really hear what it has to say.
All three vocals are masterfully performed and thoughtfully recorded. The clarity of the distorted vocalists, George Pettit and Wade MacNeil, exemplifies the diligent work of the crew. There is one moment on Happiness by the Kilowatt where Dallas Green’s microphone muffles and crackles, but it lasts 40 seconds before it is fixed.
With a live album, the audience inevitably becomes a contributor to the performance. They were captured well and mixed into the sound: intentionally pulled back when the band needed focus and brought up when they added to the ambience. If you have seen any fan footage from these sets, you’ll know the energy to expect and I assure you nothing is lost in this audio-exclusive version.
Hearing the songs this way I also noticed that the songs from Otherness are written and designed in a way which makes them work really well live.
This band wouldn’t be here without the support of Southern Ontario, so thank you so much, thank you for sticking with us. Now let’s run this back and sing Prince one more time
WADE MACNEIL
The Best Parts and a Final Thought
What to listen out for,
Happiness by the Kilowatt: This is a pretty and haunting song, I understand why they end many of their sets with it. But the gratitude to the audience MacNeil expresses and extending the song (from 5 minutes to 11 minutes) with the inclusion of When Doves Cry by Prince, makes this performance hit me emotionally.
This Could Be Anywhere in the World: I can’t believe there was a time when I hated the way Dallas sings the final line of the chorus live “Left for these souls”. The audience is everything for any live performance of this song.
Jubella: One of my favourite songs from their self-titled album, performed live for the first time. Of course it’s a best part!
Dogs Blood: I never disliked this song, but it was always too much effort to remember to listen to it. But this performance made me realise how many great ideas they had before disbanding. The interlude going into the end section is everything I love about this band’s sound.
Rough Hands: Crisiswas an important album for me during the last year of my mum’s life and the six months after her death. This performance gives voice to that emotion (even if the audience clap in double-time at the start).
Little Girls Pointing and Laughing: The first song they wrote together, as George tells us after performing Jubella, and a showcase of their artistry as a band. The build up in the second half makes the feelings swell.
A Dagger Through the Heart of St. Angeles: Alexis always make use of the bassline, but during the interlude Chris Steele gets to offer up my favourite bit of bass from their debut album. Here it is mixed forward, centred, given a moment to shine. You can’t help but hear the bass more clearly during the stampeding finale of this song.
El is an anti-social loner, and destructively powerful. She has worked to survive her magical education at the Scholomance with stubborn sarcasm and alternative angst. Graduating requires alliances, and this is the last year she can build those relationships. She went in with a plan, and she means to follow it.
But when the school hero, Orion Lake, insists on saving her, El finds everything she believes about herself, the people around her and the school itself upended.
a masterclass of how to reveal information to the reader when the protagonist isn’t new to the world, written in the 1st person perspective, past tense. It is the first book of THE SCHOLOMANCE trilogy.
The frequent attempt to compare this trilogy to Harry Potter is lazy, the trilogy is in better company with Lev Grossman’s THE MAGICIANS trilogy. The depth of trauma and issues like drug abuse aren’t explored in this book, but the tone is similar—this is not an inconsequential romp made for children. At least I can’t remember Harry using quite so many four-letter-words to describe fellow students the was El does, and enthusiastically.
If you are familiar with Novik’s other stories, you’ll know to expect the influence of European folklore. What you might not expect is the vast roster of creatures, called maleficaria in the series inspired by folklore, classic fantasy, TTRPG and card game monsters, and Science Fiction constructs.
The 13 chapters glide by, paced to perfection with a story structure subtle enough that you might not realise it is there at all.
Although there is an explanation for certain Americanisms in the school language, semester vs term, exams vs finals, junior year vs 3rd year, proctor vs invigilator,1 it remained jarring until the end of the 2nd book for me.
A WORD OF WARNING: do not look up the Maleficaria to see fan art and the like. I looked up what a maw mouth looks like, to see if the image in my head was accurate and google auto complete had the biggest spoiler from book three.
my favourite characters didn’t seem distinct, but became well established
Review
The first few pages throw the reader into a burst of action, with a fistful of worldbuilding, switching between what is happening now and the setup, which confused me so intensely that by the time I understood what was happening I had to start over the chapter. It was clearly written, I just prefer not starting a story with this kind of action.
El is a strong protagonist from the first sentence and I don’t think it is possible to not like her. Her flaws are endearing rather than annoying, she has an independent mind, and well reasoned actions. The reasoning is sometimes questionable, but that is how we avoid her becoming frustrating like many protagonists do when written in 1st person.
Other characters stand out, but to describe them would spoil the development of the story. To begin with many of my favourite characters didn’t seem distinct, but became well established by the halfway point. Don’t mistake this as a failure of the writing, it is effective in expressing the change in our protagonist.
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They don’t like me. No one does, except mum.
Page 12
Although the characters feel very true to life and as realistic as any fictional person ever does, they do suffer from the “floating teenager” problem. They float between mid-teens and early twenties. I can understand the point of showing the Scholomance students as socially and emotionally underdeveloped, but that is as much justifying a flaw than it is interpreting subtext.
The well metered pacing never feels like it is being forced by the heavy hand of the author trying to hit the right emotional beat. That isn’t to say the story does not follow a story-structure readers are familiar with, but that the well-practised prose does not make it obvious.
Affecting moments are well earned by the final third of the novel, and they solidified my feelings for this story. The anguish and pain are made more intimate by our closeness to El—in her perspective they are deeply cutting.
One of those moments comes after a scene which was difficult to read [I suggest you apprise yourself of the trigger warnings for this book if you need to know them]. From this scene we get the best use of the “I’ve gotta keep this information to myself, even though life would be easier if I told someone what I know” trope. It was the first time where I could appreciate their position to not scream it for everyone to hear and revelled in the healthy frustration that they didn’t.
The humour comes in the form of curmudgeon sarcasm for the most part, and becomes an intimate aspect of the reader’s relationship with El.
The way El is separated from her Desi heritage, from her Welsh community and from the world is the encapsulation of her key character flaw
The jarring Americanisms have a (mostly) coherent explanation, but I failed to find it satisfying. Having the school years referred to as Junior and Senior was particularly jarring. The talk of honours classes and valedictorian added to this feeling. Imagine the waySex Education mixes a British setting with distinctly American dressing.
This in-between place, set in a place outside of the physical universe, also make the reveal that the protagonist is Welsh a little surprising. I can’t remember any specific way she is characterised as Welsh in the first book, but in the second book some lexical choices correct it. This could be the first time since the mid-00’s that a Welsh character has been allowed to say more than two sentences without jamming “Lush” into the fray.
That isn’t to say the author has not done her research on Britishness as an experience common across the island of Great Britain, with good references to things likeBlue Peter, but it feels generalised. I don’t believe my Welsh family and friends would recognise this character as Welsh until it is stated that she is.
I love having existential crises at bedtime, it’s so restful.
Page 181
The same might be said for her Desi heritage. Quite early on the experience of being shunned by people is left vague; are these people racist, or do they feel the destructive magic inside her? This question is explored in book two a little and is directly addressed in book three in ways I found to be interesting.
I am sure an author with a background more closely aligned with our protagonist would explore this in a deeper, truer, way. But I appreciate that it wasn’t ignored. The way El is separated from her Desi heritage, from her Welsh community and from the world is the encapsulation of her key character flaw brought about by her father’s sacrifice. This was the best way to include this topic within the story and hopefully in the upcoming film adaptation, directed by Meera Menon, we will see this portrayed in an even more impactful way.
The themes of the entire series, beginning in this book, are enjoyable as an adult. But as a teenager I might have internalised that the mark of a true friend was one accepting of my true self. I might have even learned to temper my sarcasm a little earlier than I did.
But the only chance they’re really giving us is the chance to be useful to them.
Page 183
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for something cosy, or at least without stress, or a new Harry Potter, this book is not for you. If you are any kind of outsider, not just angsty and goth/metal/emo, you will easily identify with El the protagonist.
As touched upon earlier, I think this series brings together my favourite parts of THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman, KINGKILLER CHRONICLES by Pat Rothfuss and THE BLACK MAGICIAN trilogy by Trudi Canavan. All three might feature magic schools, but that is not the aspect they share.
Grossman’s magic school and wider world are dark, where adult mistakes have adult consequences.
Rothfuss gives us a protagonist who must use their determination, intelligence and quick wit get them through the worst of their scrapes.
Canavan uses an outsider, cut off from what is familiar, to explore surviving in a strange system and respect for a dangerous power.
All three rely on finding a new family, building something to hold you up and fighting loneliness, or aloneness. El might not realise that is the point of her journey in this book, but from page 12 it is clear to the reader.
This story earnestly shows not merely finding your people, and a community, but to fall in love with it. To draw it in to your person, binding you to it.
But what this novel does best is the development of the side characters, which is less superficial than some entire series accomplish. At no point is El flattened to explore the other characters and that is rare to see.
The last sentence made me break my 2024 Reading Rule to wait six months before beginning a sequel.2 But the final sentence destroyed my impulse control and I had to move straight on to the second book.
The playfulness, between the main group of characters, and the theme of discarding loneliness are what has remained with me since reading this novel.
As much darkness as their may be, this novel ushered me back towards joy and satisfaction.
A Note On Language
Online spaces have this series tagged as YA. I suppose it is suitable for that age range in terms of themes and subject matter. Although one scene in the library made me emotional enough that I had to put the book down for a few hours.
The accurate use of swearing by teenagers is the only concern I imagine a parent might have in allowing their child to read this series. But in reality, your children are using all these words when out of your company.
Have you read A Deadly Education? Let me know what you thought in the comments below, or leave a link 🔗 to your review so I can check it out.
I ended up listening to the Things Left Unsaid self-titled album over 74 times whilst reading this trilogy and they are both intimately bound in my mind. I hear one of the songs and I can remember scenes from the books. I expect if I re-read these books one day it won’t feel the same without this album as the soundtrack.
Uniquely for this coupling, the songs fit the themes of the books. Even a little prosaically, the lyrics reflect events in the later books. Read my review of the album here [review incoming]
Not an Americanism, but invigilator is ubiquitous in the UK, so it felt out of place ↩︎
After finishing a series I often experience a reading slump and deflation which makes me hate everything else I attempt to read. This rule was an attempt to curtail that, and I was lucky it didn’t happen after completing this trilogy ↩︎
At a glance
75 years ago an entity saved humanity and kept them from harming Earth ever again. Amongst the stars we follow Eryn, the Navigator of a sentient/AI ship as it surveys and scouts ahead of humanities fleet of Ark ships, collectively called the Continuance.
But when a distress call from Candidate-623 leads to her sister disappearing, Eryn does what she must to be part of the investigation. Revealing a horrifying mystery she must race to solve.
SCIENCE FICTION, SPACE OPERA, HORROR, NEAR FUTURE, MYSTERY
From the start…
the inclusion of Sam, the talking cat, and a dry sarcastic ship’s avatar set the tone which carried me all the way to the end of the story. We spend most of the novel in Eryn’s perspective, bouncing around a few of the others in the group and one exploring the events of the past. The switching of perspectives are well utilised at forming the structure and manipulating the pacing, but the perspectives were not distinct enough that I ever cared for them besides the flashback perspective.
Powell writes clearly enough that I did not struggle with the audiobook during the action beats (Dyslexia effects my audio processing very mildly, but enough to make intense action intelligible in this format). The audiobook was well narrated by the voice actor, adding subtle difference between voices which fit the descriptions we were given. I was less of a fan of the accents, but not enough to swap to the physical book instead.
A sequel was published in April 2023; however, it follows a new set of characters making this a standalone story with more to explore in the universe.
Powell has a gift for writing these almost-human characters
Review
Of all the fast-paced novels I’ve read this year, none have executed the pacing this well, with enough resolution to buffer the moments of rising action and high tension. The mystery and reveals are well placed throughout the whole novel. The other perspectives tend to be noticeably short, not giving away much on their own, but that brief interlude settles the tension and prepares us for another burst of action hurtling us through the mystery.
As a main character Eryn is likeable with plenty of flaws. I enjoyed being in her head. She can feel unique in the best moments of the story, even if her rebel-lite attitude is a familiar reluctant-yet-dutiful and ready-for-action caricature. It is all the taste of unruly, without all the confusing complexity.
The other characters suffer a similar issue. Like an artist’s manikin draped in a cloth, the contours of the blank underneath endure. There was the angry man, and the untrusting woman, and even a child but none of that made them easy to tell apart.
My favourite characters were the ship’s envoy and the entity which saved Earth from humanity, Raijin. They certainly did have detailed and unique personalities. The avatar of the scout ship Furious Ocelot, through the connection with Eryn, offers some very dry wit and humour throughout the story. Powell has a gift for writing these almost-human characters (which I believe is also present in his earlier works). The Angel of Benevolence has a touch of DEATH as written by Terry Pratchett at times, which might be what I liked most, but the concept is simply interesting and I would like to read more about these beings.
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The balance between action, humour and horror were masterfully mixed
The other characters all worked well enough that every scene left me wanting to read on. The answers I wanted were repeatedly teased. The anticipation of having certain characters interact was also teased, which kept me engaged with the story, but was ultimately disappointing.
The balance between action, humour and horror were masterfully mixed, all whilst maintaining a consistent atmosphere making no approach feel out of place.
One area to be aware of is the love interest. From early on you might be anticipating a romance subplot. There is none. That aspect of the story is meant to add dimension to Eryn and give her someone else to feel connected to beyond her sister and niece. Another story might have explored this relationship further, and I might have enjoyed that story more.
The themes of responsibility for looking after our world (before it is too late) were clear and well explored. I commend Powell for not trying to keep it within the subtext, if it comes across as moralising that is only because it has been woven into the core of each part of the novel. The ending was good, and although clear to the reader much earlier on, you believe the characters taking a long time to understand the situation enough to solve the problem.
“It’s a partially completed Dyson shell,” the ship said.
Chapter Thirty: Monkeys In Self-Driving Cars
Final Thoughts
At a length of 8 hours and 30 minutes, this book was not long enough that I regret reading it, but if you aren’t already a fan of the author or interested in the story described above, I would give it a miss.
After this book I have no real interest reading the sequel, DESCENDANT MACHINE (2023) knowing that it does not follow Eryn and FuriousOcelot’s envoy. I am not in love with the universe, or the writing, enough to give it a chance. Although I’d be interested to read more about Raijin and the entities.
Still On My Mind Weeks Later
Being forced to stop at any suspected life other than their own made me think of Alien (1979).
If the continuance ships were made using the moon, how did Raijin [Chapter 31] think the animals and plants would fare on Earth? Did it later build a new moon? Or leave Earth moonless? Did it move the moon closer to the Earth to maintain the current proportional effect they have on each other? Why not use debris from the Oort cloud or asteroid belt?
Have you read Stars and Bones? Let me know what you thought in the comments below, or leave a link 🔗 to your review so I can check it out.
L N Sanby 
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