This review of Elisha Daemon first appeared in Historical Novels Review May 2018.
14th century Fantasy
Elisha Daemon is the fifth and final book in the Dark Apostle series, set in a fantasy version of 14th century England and Europe. At the beginning of this series Elisha is a barber, a low level medical person, who comes into his magic through tragedy. By this final book, Elisha is the most powerful magus of all. He tries to undo the harm the necromancers have done to Europe by enhancing and spreading the plague as a source of increasing their power.
Magic & Medical History in Elisha Daemon
The magic in this series, such as the ability to travel instantly from one place to another through the Valley of Death, is convincingly told and incorporated in a dark, gritty style. A great strength of this book is the realism of its portrayal of life in the 14th century, especially aspects of medicine. A portion of the book is set in the medical school in Salerno, and the depictions of the treatments and medical theories, as well as the social hierarchies, are detailed and fascinating.
Church and Character Struggles
The historical power struggles within the Catholic Church of this period are nicely interlaced with the fantastical elements, with evil mancers having infiltrated the Church. Despite the extraordinary powers Elisha has developed, he continues to have failings and many insecurities, and he refuses to give up on the downtrodden and rejected people he meets, so he is a likeable and engaging character. His complicated romantic history offers another thread of interest.
Further Information about Elisha Daemon
If you’d like to learn more about the author, here is E.C. Ambrose’s website.
If you’d like to purchase any of the books in the Dark Apostles series, here’s the series page on Amazon (affiliate link)
For a medieval historical mystery without fantasy elements, you might enjoy my review of Priscilla Royal’s Elegy to Murder.