Wickhills by Premee Mohamed delivered a rich fantasy perfect for fans of the Ana and Din Mysteries and the Inheritance of Magic series. In the magical city of Wickhills, Mohamed guides readers through a story where a streetwise secret agent is tasked with saving a defector and, perhaps, the entire world.
by Premee Mohamed
Genres: Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
In the dangerous magical city of Wickhills, a streetwise secret agent is tasked with protecting a foreign defector from his pursuers... even at the threat of war.
Looking after a defecting scientist should have been Ferec's easiest mission. But now he's on the run from the intelligence agency she works for, dodging a handler who might have gone rogue, and relying on a secret patchwork of illicit resources and dodgy contacts. Turns out his defector might be carrying an apocalypse-level magical weapon — and protecting it requires Ferec and his team to go underground, literally. Down here, the rules are very different... and the tense peace between every city in the world will shatter unless Ferec can drag their darkest secrets into the light.
When I opened the pages of Wickhills, I expected an urban fantasy with a suspenseful plot, and while I got that; the author delivered so much more. Wickhills is a city (country) surrounded by a wall and is one of just a few cities remaining in the world, each isolated from the other. Within the walls live not only humans but others. There are avian types, sea types, vampires, a manticore, and more. All live out in the open. I imagined the city streets similar to old London or Diagon Alley.
We meet Ferec, a member of Seaborne, Wickhills’ Secret Police. He’s been a member for ten years, but as we soon learn, he has his own resources, hidey-holes, contacts, and allies. Seaborne doesn’t advertise, and he likes to think they are like our CIA. His boss, a manticore, gives Ferec and his partner an assignment on the sea docks to retrieve a foreign defector. Things go sideways, and Ferec soon finds himself not only questioning his boss but partnered with a motley crew he isn’t even sure he can trust.
I read Wickhills slowly over the course of a week as I immersed myself in this magical world and got to know the key players and villains. The story slowly unfolded and about midway I found myself completely caught up and secretly hoping this won’t be standalone.
I admired Ferec and felt like I understood him. I loved the underworld and the sidekicks who assisted him from there. We’ve got twists, betrayals, power grabs, and secrets combined with a deadly invention that not only questions the existence of the entire world but could end it as well.
A brilliant gaslamp fantasy filled with magic, rich characters, science fiction, and plenty of suspense and intrigue. I highly recommend this to fans of Robert Jackson Bennett and Benedict Jacka.
While the story wrapped up and left me satisfied, Mohamed left the door open for more and I sincerely hope he revisits this world.
About Premee Mohamed
Premee Mohamed is a Nebula, World Fantasy, and Aurora award-winning Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction author based in Edmonton, Alberta. She is an Assistant Editor at the short fiction audio venue Escape Pod and the author of the 'Beneath the Rising' series of novels as well as several novellas. Her short fiction has appeared in many venues.
Stay Caffeinated!
Never miss a post by adding Caffeinated to your Inbox
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Katherine
I love the cover and it sounds amazing. I will definitely have to pick this one up.
Sarah @ Sarah's Book Solace
Oooh, I’ve been.looking for an interesting urban fantasy book to sink my teeth into. This one sounds really interesting!