The sequel to Widow’s Welcome, and the second volume in the Tales of Fenest trilogy, D.K. Fields’ The Stitcher and the Mute is another fantastic tale of stories within stories that adds depth and detail to both the overarching narrative and the world being explored. Having caught the man responsible for the Wayward storyteller’s murder, Detective Cora Gorderheim thinks she’s making progress, but when the killer is himself murdered on the way to serve his punishment she realises that all she has really found is more questions. As two more of the realms’ stories are told, Cora digs deeper into what’s increasingly looking like a serious conspiracy at the heart of the Union, and one in which her own family’s history might yet play an important part.
Structurally this follows the same pattern as Widow’s Welcome, with Cora’s continuing investigation interspersed with two more realms’ stories – this time the Perlish and the Torn. It very much builds upon the world building groundwork laid down in the first book, with the Union and the various realms – and the identities and characters of their peoples – becoming more and more familiar at the same time as Cora explores more of the city of Fenest in the course of her investigation. There’s still a lot going on in this setting, and references to the 50-strong pantheon of the Audience can be a touch bewildering, but the richness of the background means that even though there’s still plenty to take in, it’s consistently satisfying to learn more about these characters and their world.
The two stories are once again absolute delights, with the Perlish tale in particular doubling down on the ‘stories within stories’ concept – one family’s sad decline told in reverse as each new character tells a new story stretching back generations. It’s a strange little tale that takes a while to make sense of, but develops into a wonderful story full of both humour and sadness, beautifully evoking the Perlish attitude towards outsiders. Meanwhile the Torn story is much darker, telling the tale of a young woman whose livelihood (raising ash beetles) is threatened by the nature of her home – with a little foreshadowing thrown in – until she chooses to step outside the norm, abandon tradition and take a tremendous risk. Both stories dovetail perfectly into the developing narrative of the election and the state of the Union, cleverly reflecting events in the wider world and posing questions of trust and tolerance.
The two realm’s stories once again steal the show here, but as the overall narrative starts to come into focus, driven by Cora’s investigation and a deeper dive into her family history, there’s a sense of momentum really beginning to build. As any good ‘second part of a trilogy’ does, this book ramps up the tension and the stakes, revealing answers to some questions only to provide yet more questions in return, and increasing the danger quotient for Cora and those in the vicinity of her investigation. It’s hard to say too much without risking spoilers, but suffice to say the scene is now well and truly set for the series finale in Farewell to the Liar, and anyone who enjoyed Widow’s Welcome should find a lot of satisfaction in every element of The Stitcher and the Mute.
Many thanks to Head of Zeus and D.K. Fields for providing me with a copy of The Stitcher and the Mute, in exchange for my honest review.
See also: my review of Widow’s Welcome and my interview with D.K. Fields talking about The Stitcher and the Mute.
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