This year our nation reached a milestone anniversary – 250 years since we declared our independence, an act of defiance against one of the most powerful nations of the day. As we reflect on the courage, vision, and determination required to engage in a conflict against an empire for a future uncertain, one might start to wonder how it all would have played out if dragons were involved. Lucky for you, flintlock fantasy is here to help! Loosely defined as a sub-genre of historical fiction inspired by the technology, culture, and aesthetics of the late 1600’s to early 1800’s, it is often set during a revolution or war, though not a requirement. If you’ve ever needed wizards at Waterloo, dragons on the Delaware, or fairies on the frontier, this post is for you.
First, in honor of this milestone moment for our nation, some titles that are centered around the American Revolution, or at least an alternate version of it:
Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson is set in 1765; in those politically turbulent days we follow Ethan Kaille, conjurer and thieftaker, as his latest case gets him in over his head and he must navigate murder, magic, and conspiracy to survive.
Michael A. Stackpole’s At the Queen’s Command is set in an alternate version of 1763, where the colonies are called Mystria, necromancers lurk in the enemy’s forces, and, most importantly, there are wurms a.k.a. dragons.
Many more stories follow the flintlock aesthetic, but for the sake of the word count let’s narrow the scope to ones that take place in our world:
In Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman we follow Eleanor, a housemaid, as she goes from British servant to French Revolutionary spy in this retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel, now with vampires!
Set in the 1800’s in an alternate United States rife with folk magic, Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card is about the life of Alvin Miller, the seventh son of a seventh son and thus born with powers and called a Maker, who is hunted by the chaotic and evil forces of the Unmaker.
The Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Perry touches on the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, and the abolitionist movement in England, where notable historical figures such as Robespierre, Toussaint L’Ouverture, and William Pitt the Younger are fighting for freedom and the right for anyone to practice magic regardless of social class.
You can leave magic behind in favor of just dragons with His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik, the first book in a series set during the Napoleonic Wars that follows the exploits of the dragon Temeraire and his captain Will Laurence as they join England’s Royal Aerial Corps to fight France’s draconic forces.
And lastly, the graphic novel series Manifest Destiny written by Chris Dingess and illustrated by Matthew Rovers is a supernatural horror retelling of Lewis and Clark’s journey through the uncharted west where they encounter monsters and madness on the frontier.
The post ends here, but your journey doesn’t have to! Whether a specific era piques your interest or you are just beginning your “What if….” journey, the library has something for you!
~posted by Chelsea M.