Witchmark

Witchmark is a 2018 gaslamp fantasy novel by C. L. Polk. It was first published by Tor Books.

Not to be confused with witches' mark.

Synopsis

In the realm of Aeland, Miles Singer is a psychiatrist who clandestinely uses his magical powers to treat patients in a veterans' hospital. When Tristan Hunter brings in a dying man who tells Miles that he has been murdered, and then the body is cremated before an autopsy can reveal whether anything illegal actually happened, Miles and Tristan begin their own investigation — one which reveals that the secrets at the base of Aeland society are darker than even Miles knew.

Reception

Witchmark won the 2019 World Fantasy Award—Novel.[1] As well, it was a finalist for the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novel,[2] the 2019 Aurora Award for Best Novel[3] and the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror.[4]

Publishers Weekly called it "stellar", and praised the quality of Polk's exposition.[5] AudioFile found it to be "charming", with "a rich setting" and "fully developed characters".[6] In the New York Times, Amal el-Mohtar agreed that it was "thoroughly charming" as well as "deftly paced" and "accomplished and enjoyable", but noted that the female characters were "limited to their roles in the story", and stated that although the motivations of Miles' sister Grace were intended to be "opaque", they more often seemed "arbitrary".[7]

Locus considered it a "particularly sterling" instance of fantasy in an Edwardian-equivalent setting, while observing that a "genre-savvy" audience may be disappointed in how long it takes Miles to conclude that the veterans' post-traumatic stress disorder was being exacerbated by magic.[8] Tor.com lauded the worldbuilding and characterization, but faulted it for not resolving the conflict with Miles' colleague Dr. Crosby.[9]

Sequel

A sequel, Stormsong, was published in 2019.[10]

References
  1. World Fantasy Awards℠ 2019, at the World Fantasy Convention; retrieved November 4, 2019
  2. Witchmark, at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved August 23, 2019
  3. 2019 Aurora Award Ballot, by Mike Glyer, at File 770; published June 1, 2019; retrieved August 23, 2019
  4. 2019 Lambda Literary Awards Nominees, by Mike Glyer, at File 770; published March 7, 2019; retrieved August 23, 2019
  5. Witchmark, by C. L. Polk, reviewed at Publishers Weekly; published December 18, 2017; retrieved August 23, 2019
  6. Witchmark by C. L. Polk, read by Samuel Roukin; reviewed at Audiofile; published October 2018; retrieved August 23, 2019
  7. The Best New Fantasy Novels, by Amal el-Mohtar; in the New York Times; published October 5, 2018; retrieved August 23, 2019
  8. Amy Goldschlager Reviews Witchmark Audiobook by C.L. Polk, by Amy Goldschlager, in Locus; published December 9, 2018; retrieved August 23, 2019
  9. A Different Shade of Magic: Witchmark by C.L. Polk, reviewed by Alex Browne, at Tor.com; published Jun 29, 2018; retrieved August 23, 2019
  10. Revealing Stormsong, a Return to the Magical World of C.L. Polk’s Witchmark, by Joel Cunningham, at Barnes & Noble; published September 24, 2018; retrieved August 23, 2019
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