A Quick Note On This Review: This article includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org as a way of supporting both local bookshops and my own ability to write.
Magda Sparks has built a lovely little life for herself writing novels under a pseudonym and attending the meeting of the Society of Unknowable Objects every six months. The Society, consisting of three ordinary people, have a mandate to protect the world from the misuse of magical objects that appear ordinary but can be incredibly destructive in the wrong hands. Which is why, when someone who shouldn’t know about the Society contacts them about a previously unknown magical object surfacing in Hong Kong, Magda goes to investigate. She finds the object, but in the process kicks off a series of events that soon unravels all the secrets the Society of Unknowable Objects would have preferred to keep hidden.
The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown is billed as a standalone novel following Brown’s acclaimed The Book of Doors, but what’s striking about the book is that it does feel like a bit of a continuation of the kinds of stories set up in Brown’s first book. The circumstances are different — Magda isn’t a girl fleeing the grief that comes from the loss of a beloved caretaker and uncovers a magical item in a bookstore — but there are similar elements around grief, inheritance, finding magic in the mundane reality of the world, and some of the concerns people have around access to the awe-inspiring power of those objects.
Rather than focusing solely on what’s familiar, though, Brown takes the reader on an adventure across continents with a specific focus on unraveling a mystery rather than the fight between good and evil in The Book of Doors. Magda, who recently inherited her seat in the Society from her mother, is enamored with the possibilities that magical objects present to improve the world; they could heal the sick, remove mundane obstacles to everyday comfort and joy, or simply obviate the need for some things altogether. However, Frank, the leader of the Society of Unknowable Objects, believes there’s far too much risk involved with mass use of magical objects, which Magda disagrees with, but doesn’t challenge because Frank is a dear old friend of the family and semi-father figure. But Magda, when she’s forced to flee a mysterious gunman using an unknowable object her mother kept from the society while trying to retrieve the new unknowable object, is forced to confront Frank about the Society’s history and reason for keeping these objects hidden. The gunman from Hong Kong attacks before Frank can explain, and then Magda has to look for answers while attempting to keep the Society’s collection out of the hands of someone who embodies the very fear Frank expressed about misusing the magical objects in the first place. This premise, balancing a search for answers with a need to prevent the world’s destruction, and the layered approach to plotting amplifies what Brown accomplished in The Book of Doors and offers a fresh enough experience for readers who enjoyed his first book.
For casual readers, The Society of Unknowable Objects offers a great opportunity to enjoy an urban fantasy novel with elements magic and mystery. Any reader who enjoyed The Book of Doors would likely enjoy The Society of Unknowable Objects, for the obvious reason that the same writer and style of storytelling was used, but also because the two fit very cleanly within the same niche and focus, such that the same audience would likely find both appealing. Additionally, The Society of Unknowable Objects explores parental relationships and grief in an interesting and more expanded way than The Book of Doors, so if someone enjoys urban fantasy books or even books with light magical elements that explore these kinds of relationships, then they would likely find Brown’s book appealing.
For writers, The Society of Unknowable Objects would offer an additional template to build on the lessons one could learn from The Book of Doors, but this novel does explore in more detail taking a layered approach to plot. Most novels use multiple plot lines to help drive the story forward and maintain a reader’s attention, but what’s interesting about The Society of Unknowable Objects is that unlike a traditional mystery where there’s a central issue that then gets hidden behind layers to reach a point where the story can begin, The Society of Unknowable Objects almost employs controlled chaos when unveiling its next plot focus. Brown undoubtedly planned the novel meticulously, but for the reader he was able to create a story that seemed to almost wrap up a plot point until something else came by to derail it, unveiling a whole new issue that wasn’t considered related before but has high enough stakes to warrant immediate attention. This technique was fascinating, and may be worthwhile for any writer to learn as another tool for maintaining a reader’s attention.
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What’s Next?
I am an avid reader and have quite a few thoughts on how some books could benefit both people that want to be entertained and those looking to sharpen their literary skills.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what I’ve been reading – and how it could benefit you – I will be publishing those thoughts on a weekly basis. Check back next week for a discussion of Alix E. Harrow’s The Once and Future Witches!
The Writerly Review 