THE FETCH
by Laura Whitcomb
(Houghton Mifflin)
Here I am, a card-carrying Romanov Fiction Nitpicker. For years I've been studying every accessible cranny of these people's lives right down to their carpeting, which makes me virtually impossible to please when it comes to the myriad details of setting, wardrobe, and personality. It's petty, but just a peek at one misidentified photo can start me off in an imperial snit.
And yet this plot (which you can fill yourself in on here) intrigued me enough to squelch my internal flub meter. Also, while the main character, Calder, doesn't recognize the significance of some of the Romanov family scenes he witnesses early on, I sure did, and they gave me the willies - in a good way. Despite my quibbles, I wanted to know what happens - or more precisely, how it happens. Make no mistake, this is purely fantasy, but I don't think I've seen another novel tackle so many aspects of the Romanov/Rasputin mythology, and all without falling back on tired old survival theories. Extra bonus points for working in a role for the oft-forgetten sailor, Nagorny.
Sample the first chapter here.
