As adventure stories go, Tim Clare has a few surprises in store in The Honours, surprises that are too good to give away in a review. Suffice to say, the story starts out as one kind of book set in the 1930s, with a young girl gathering suspicions that there is a Bolshevik invasion of England being plotted by a group of suspiciously behaving individuals in an English country house, and then it suddenly blind-sides you into being something entirely different, opening the book up to another dimension entirely, so to speak.

There is of course also the possibility that 13 year old Delphine Venner is imagining things and even showing signs of early madness. After all her father, an artist, has been exhibiting strange manic behaviour and has had to check himself into a health clinic in the country estate of Alderberen Hall, taking his wife and daughter with him. There's no question that Delphine is an unusual girl. Expelled from boarding school for tying Eleanor Wethercroft up in the boiler room, she's strong willed and what you might called spirited and resourceful; a busybody even, into everything. Getting into mischief, it's no time before she is sneaking around in secret passages she has discovered in the hall, where she eavesdrops on some troubling conversations.

It's December 1934, and it appears that Delphine has indeed stumbled upon a conspiracy of some sorts being discussed between Ivan Propp, the organiser of alternative therapies at the hall and the owner of the Estate Lord Alderberen with the possible involvement of a few of the other residents belonging to the suspiciously named Society for the Perpetual Improvement of Man. What they are up to is not so clear. The idea of a Bolshevik invasion of England seems far-fetched and could be nothing more than the fevered imaginings of a child with a vivid imagination who has heard too many war stories from her father. It turns out however that the truth is even stranger than you can imagine...

The Honours then takes a surprising turn for the bizarre in a kind of From Dusk 'Til Dawn way, but it's not exactly Tarantino-esque. Clare's writing here has a wonderful blend of classic boy's own adventure - albeit from the perspective of a 13 year old girl - with a period 1930s lilt and even a touch of classic Jules Verne or H.G. Wells. There's nothing however the faintest bit pastiche about The Honours, which is also far from a typical YA adventure when it takes a turn towards dark horror in an unexpected way about which it's better to say nothing other than it open up a whole new adventure to delve into in the even more thrilling sequel The Ice House.

This is a bit of a mixed bag. I loved the start - gothic, mysterious, with funny main character who delights in horror and war. Then the supernatural twist came in and it suddenly turned into a different sort of book. It felt like two halves of books - each good but so different. It would have worked better if the monsters had been seeded more at the start.

Last year, I read Ice House and this book is the first book actually. I really enjoy them. Very good plot, character development, and gripping writing, I hope there's a third one :)
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

My thanks to Canongate Books for a digital edition via NetGalley of Tim Clare’s ‘The Honours’ in exchange for an honest review.

It was originally published in 2015 and was offered for review in advance of its new paperback edition and its sequel, ‘The Ice House’, being published on 6th February.

In 1935 war is looming in Europe and on the sprawling Norfolk country estate of Alderberen Hall the atmosphere is tinged with suspicion and paranoia. Young Delphine Venner, newly arrived at the Hall with her parents, is determined to uncover the secrets of the elite society based there as she is concerned about her parents involvement, especially as her father is unstable.

She explores the house, discovering a network of hidden passages that thread through the estate. In doing so Delphine unearths a secret world that proves darker and more dangerous than anything she could have ever imagined.

I found ‘The Honours’ well written, unusual and quite fascinating. Tim Clare has drawn on the tradition of classic British fantasy in which adventurous young people discover by accident portals to other worlds and have adventures. Here he has created a fascinating world peopled with eccentric characters. I found Delphine a delight and felt that the pre-war setting was perfect for the narrative. Overall, it proved a very good fit for my joint love of fantasy and historical fiction.

Both ‘The Honours’ and it’s sequel, ‘The Ice House’, are excellent and I unreservedly recommend both.

Action packed speculative adventure: a Ripping Yarn.

Following an incident involving another girl at boarding school, Delphine Venner (13) is sent home to Alderberen Hall, in Norfolk. Her father’s mind is disintegrating, her mother is brittle and both are in thrall to a sinister society. But never fear, Gamekeeper Garforth is on hand to provide essential training in firearms.

Here we have the horrors of boarding school, of the enemy in our midst and of invasion from another dimension rolled into one ripping yarn in the mode of Sapper and John Buchan, with a shot of China Miéville for good measure. Delphine, handy with a twelve bore and a crab hook, is a wonderfully flawed heroine.

Clare realises Delphine’s world in intricate detail. At times, he dwells overlong on the description, but his prose is so fresh and with real zest, that it is just a pleasure to read.

To be honest, as soon as I saw the map in the opening pages, I knew this book would be a rip-roaring read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Books for the ARC.

Last year I read the ice house,the sequel to this book, and enjoyed it immensely despite being a bit bewildered.
This time ,I got the chance to be delighted by Delphine,who really was a fantastic character,and know what was going on,and revel in the wonderful weirdness.
Enjoyable read that had me reading the book in two sittings.
I hear rumours of a third book,and look forward to it.