Jane Turner the British plane mechanic and Marcus Dewar, an American pilot, were pitted against the Blue Planes in the earlier books of this imaginative series. I found the first book, DROPS OF GLASS, easiest to get into, and by the time we reach the third, CASTLES OF SAND, I recommend it only for those who’ve read the earlier adventures.
The start of this book hits the difficult mid-series slump in action. Jane and Marcus are both under arrest in a prisoner of war situation. In reality, Jane is claiming to be the wife of a deserter. Marcus claims to be that deserter. It’s this or get shot as spies. They are in Holland, a country which is neutral in the war against the Kaiser, but nervously so. The neighbouring Low Countries are a sea of mud and blood by this point. Jane is guarded but allowed to go to the village, and Marcus gets basic food in the camp – and regular questioning to try to prove he is a spy.
A strange figure known to them only as the Blue Flyer has been leading aerial sorties against any planes of either side. World War One is a dramatic setting for The Shards of Lafayette series, which intertwines the use of magic with real events. Now, rumours spread of influenza which is killing people across the continent.
By the end, the Flyer is revealing his Faerie talents and the aerial adventures are back on, with the hunt for magic items continuing across the battlefields. But the story does take a while getting there. When the series hangs on piloting Sopwith Camels and the like, the lack of planes makes the start of this tale seem slow. On the other hand, it’s a good chance to see how ordinary farming people were affected.
Kenneth A. Baldwin has created a lasting alternative world, with hedge witches, dastardly deeds, and principled men on both sides. The involvement of an American pilot breaks class barriers and the mechanic is one of many women breaking gender barriers. CASTLES OF SAND concludes the trilogy, but Kenneth A. Baldwin has also written the late 19th century Louella Winthrop series for those who feel they want more of this unusual mix.
Manic and isolated, Jane struggles to form a plan that will, once again, reunite her with her best friend and free them from the grasp of a neutral nation. Meanwhile, Marcus faces the shadows of his past by coming face to face with a group of sympathetic deserters. What's worse, they really like him, and their hands-off approach to the war is as tempting as it is timely.
But the Flyer has plans, and they'll wait for nothing.
Soon, a brand new evil reaches Marcus and Jane's forced convalescence all the way from the belly of the war front. Thoughts of hiding from the violence, themselves, or even each other fly out the window as new friends, familiar enemies, and shifting alliances drag them back into the conflict. There is no stopping the creation of new magical artifacts, and their power is up for grabs.
As they pick themselves up and start mending the broken bones of their relationship, the walls of the war start tumbling down. As they fall, Marcus and Jane face impossible decisions about peace, courage, honor, and love.
And when peace is within reach, they'll have to decide what going home truly means.
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