THE CRACKLOCK SAGA, ALICE AND THE MIRROR GLASS BY C A DEEGAN
Exceptionally brilliant, this book will make a great film.
“Lady Cracklock, Agatha, this is Charles Peterson of the D.O.A. I just wanted to check that my agents made it over to this other place or whatever it is? Do you have any news?” An excerpt from page 294.
First, Fae or Foe? Then, The Lost and the Departed, and now, Alice and the Mirror Glass. The Cracklock Saga book series is one of those brilliant fantasy novels that I’ve ever read. It’s astonishedly well-written, awesomely interesting, full of suspense, hilarious, and action-packed. It reminded me of Susanne Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and George Martin’s A Game of Throne. I am eagerly waiting to see what becomes of my lovely and hateful characters in Dire Sorrows.
Following on from the release of the Cracklocks from Agatha’s riotous mansion, and the strange call that Elsie got from a supposed family member in the US, it’s enthralling to see how this mystifying story develop further in Alice and the Mirror Glass. The whereabouts of David Cracklock have been a quest for the Cracklocks, Agatha sought after his life, the so-called Agency of Otherworld Affairs seek to stop him, and his lovely family desired to have him back. This made the mission to David’s whereabouts nurture some ill perceptions from its different seekers, the D.O.A thought that he was a time traveler going back and forth in time to cause damage to the world, the Cracklock needs to kill him because he’s trying to stop them from destroying the Realm Pillar, the other Cracklocks, his dear family, needs to help him escape from the Mirror Realm where he has been trapped for years. This led to a season of coalition between Agatha Cracklock, and Charles Peterson.
Alice, a pleasant character, and a member of the US Cracklock had requested Elsie’s attention following the capture of her grandfather, Nate whom some unknown black men had seized. These silly men are from the crew of Charles Peterson, they formed their organization with the hope to prevent America from invasion by extraterrestrial creatures after they had a memorable and horrible experience back then in the year 1947. Nate had been captured and taken to the D.O.A facility, they suspected him to have some link with David, and believed that he would be a great asset to their search in supplying crucial information. However, Nate, after he had been tensed about his daughter’s life, gave out all the information he knew about David to Peterson with the hope that he would release his daughter. However, he was shocked when he realized that his daughter together with other captured Cracklocks from England would be joining him in the facility prison. He was disappointed by Peterson’s deceitfulness.
The story unfolds, and follow a series of interesting twist to the eventual capture of other Cracklock who was caught while trying to communicate with David in the mirror, they were arrested and driven to the facility. Elsie, Sammy, Jack, Jimmy, Fermy, Roly, Alice, and the smart Poppy and Dorcas who had smartly disappeared during the capture, followed their friends through to the facility. This is my most admirable part, it reminded me of the first capture of the Cracklocks in Agatha’s abode, this part again, reads interestingly and it looks as if I was watching a movie. I love the intervention of Roly at difficult part, he played a significant role in this section.
However, I will restrict from revealing further as to what became of the captured Cracklocks in the D.O.A facility. I’d love you to want to check out for yourself how Agatha would feel knowing that Cracklock has again been captured in the Department of Otherworld Affairs, how would they escape from these Agents who are embedded with first-class Otherworld equipment. Will they be able to help David escape from the Mirror Realm? Also, what will become of the selfish connection that exists between Charles Peterson and Agatha when Peterson realized that Agatha had deceived his men to travel to the Mirror Realm knowing fully well that it’s a journey of no return. I for one anticipate how these two devil will turn up against themselves. There is much to say about this book, there is much to learn about the Boatman, the aging disease, the blackout in some parts of England, the strange act of Malchiah to Agatha, the aftermath of the Mirror Realm occupants, the rehabilitation of the Department of the Otherworld Affairs, Agatha Cracklock’s indulgence, and many more.
This book again proves the expertness of Craig Deegan, and I am a fan of his works. I am more intrigued by his use of words, the placement of each punctuation, his switch from the general third-person point of view, to the use of first-person narration whenever a particular character is telling his ‘own’ story, I love the way his writing brainily takes his reader’s back in time to understand a particular scene, and to have a full understanding of some transition, this is a style that I haven’t seen anywhere else, and it’s a peculiar trait that I think distinguished his works. I love his characterization, some got me laughing hard at their slightest display of stupidity, his storytelling technique is a great one, one that I have learned some writing techniques from. With all sincerity, this book got me amazed, it’s a perfect literature work, and I can’t wait to read the fourth book. I’d solely recommend this book to lovers of fantasy, and literature at large.
Book link: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Alice-Mirror-Glass-Cracklock/dp/1739908147
Reviewed by Peter Okonkwo (Host of P English Literature)
Human Endeavor 