When I put a library hold on The Conductors by Nicole Glover last month, I wasn’t even thinking about the fact that it would give me the opportunity to review a Black historical fantasy novel during Black History Month, but I will gladly accept this little bit of serendipity.
The Conductors blends elements of fantasy, mystery, and history together to create something that feels like an urban fantasy, but set in the 19th century instead of the modern day. It’s kind of like a cross between The Dresden Files and Barbara Hambly’s Benjamin January series, but with its own very unique elements.
Establishing a New Series
The Conductors is not only Nicole Glover’s first novel, but the first book in a series. As such, it does have a small bit of new-series awkwardness, where the first couple of chapters involve the author trying to introduce a lot of characters and ideas without disrupting the flow of the story too much. These initial pages were a bit clunky, but once the scene was set, things smoothed out considerably and the book was a lot more enjoyable!
Henrietta and Benjamin Rhodes (Hetty and Benjy to their friends) used to be conductors in the Underground Railroad. Now that the war is over and the Black people are ostensibly free, they’ve settled into Philadelphia. But this is no quiet retirement! Because of their reputation for having helped so many enslaved people reach safety, their community now often comes to them to solve problems, especially if there appears to be a supernatural element.
This is a world where magic is a normal part of life. Not everyone has it, but it is pretty common, and there are different schools of magic. Sorcery is the domain of white people, whereas Black people have both Celestial magic and brewed magic. Although it’s mentioned that some of the techniques of Celestial magic come from Indigenous people as well, we don’t get too much insight (yet?) into what sorts of magic people of other races and cultures might have developed. I’d be curious to see if this comes up in future books!
Hetty and Benjy both have magic, though Hetty is both stronger and more adept. Benjy somewhat makes up for this by being both physically stronger (he’s a blacksmith) and very clever. Together, they make a good team, complimenting each other’s strengths and dividing up investigations based both on their talents and roles in the community.
Not Your Usual Urban Fantasy
In addition to the historic setting, The Conductors has a couple of things that make it notably different from a lot of urban fantasy series that I’ve read before.
The first, of course, is that Hetty and Benjy are an established married couple. Theirs is something of a marriage of convenience, but it’s also a partnership. This was a nice change from series that either have a long, drawn out “will they or won’t they” dynamic (perhaps with a side of love triangle), or a tough main character determined to go it alone.
Things happen in this first book which cause Hetty and Benjy to reconsider the nature of their marriage, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how that might develop in future novels as well.
The other big difference is that urban fantasy tends to take one of two approaches to law enforcement: either the main character works with the police on “spooky” cases, or the main character doesn’t work with the police because no one in the “mundane” world knows about the supernatural.
In The Conductors, the police are sort of a non-entity. Of course the free Black community wouldn’t go to the police for help, even in a world where magic is normal and the police might have magic cops to solve magic cases. This community knows that at best, the cops will do nothing for them, and that at worst, they might make things worse. So it makes sense that they would go to Hetty and Benjy when somebody has disappeared, or there’s dodgy potions being sold, or there’s been a murder.
A Little Rough at Times
Although this was an enjoyable book, it’s not without its flaws. The dialog, especially, seemed a little rough around the edges. At times, someone would say something that didn’t really seem like a correct response, or that meant the opposite of what I think it intended (ie, when someone says “He wouldn’t have run if he was guilty!”). It felt like the book probably could have benefitted from one more editing pass.
But here’s the thing: this book was published in 2021. As a reader and a reviewer, I’m giving all books published in 2020-2022 a pass on these sorts of errors. It’s been a hard couple of years, no one has been working under optimal conditions, everyone in publishing seems to be burned out, release dates keep getting messed up by the supply chain, etc etc. I think writers and editors deserve a lot of grace right now.
My only other complaint is that Hetty’s magic is pretty powerful and versatile, and in most situations she’s able to simply magic up a solution. It made it feel like nothing was really a challenge for her, so there wasn’t a lot of tension. While it can be enjoyable to watch someone (especially from a marginalized community) be an absolute badass, I do hope that future books up the stakes and thus the tension.
Quick Diversity Check
The Conductors is very much focused on the Black community of Philadelphia. We see the occasional white character, and there’s mention of other immigrant communities, but because of how segregated cities could be (and still often are!), it makes sense that we don’t really encounter, say, any Chinese immigrants, though there’s certainly room for Glover to explore other neighborhoods in the future!
Within the Black community, we see a fair amount of diversity, however. Class mobility is a big topic, with some successful Black people flaunting their wealth as a sign of success, and others living in the slums that serve as the source of some of that wealth (greedy landlords are not a 21st century invention!). And in this story we see a couple of gay characters and a trans man. While it’s not clear how well-known their orientations are in the wider community, among their friends and family these characters are welcomed and accepted pretty much without comment.
Who Will Enjoy This Book?
The Conductors will be a great choice for urban fantasy or historical mystery readers looking for something a little different. It’s written for an adult audience with adult main characters, but I feel like teenage me would have also devoured this book, and my parents wouldn’t have found anything to really object to. There is mention of whipping and other terrible aspects of slavery, so read with care of these are triggers for you (and take care when recommending it to younger readers who may not be ready for these heavier subjects).
I’m Ready For More
The second book in the Murder & Magic series, The Undertakers, is already out and already on my library hold list. I’m really excited to see where Glover takes this series.
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