I don’t often jump into the middle of a series, but when I saw an ARC of The Improvisers by Nicole Glover, sitting on a table of freebies at the 4th Street Fantasy Convention this summer, the cover arrested my attention. It features a black woman in a leather flying cap with goggles, looking upward, with stars above ring, part of a white circle on one side of her, part of a gold circle on the other side, and an old-fashioned plane below her, flying across a golden swirl of sparks. It looked like my jam, and it was! Unfortunately, it took quite a while to reach the top of my To Be Read pile, but I really enjoyed it.
This is book #3 in Glover’s Murder and Magic series, but the protagonist here is the granddaughter of the protagonists in #1 and #2, so there’s a reset of sorts. I’ve put book #1 (The Conductors) on hold at the library, but I didn’t have any trouble jumping in here and following the plot of The Improvisers.
Velma Frye is a barnstormer pilot in an alternate-history fantasy Prohibition America. It’s also the Depression, but since Velma made a small fortune as a former bootlegger, she is fairly free to follow her own interests, which include arcane phenomena. In this world, magic is recognized and regulated, and the regulations come down particularly hard on some of the types of magic most in use by Black people. Velma is an investigator and troubleshooter for a magic rights organization that also deals with problems when they arise.
The magic seen here is apparently a combination of potions, sigils, and devices, learned from relatives, mentors, and books (academies aren’t mentioned, nor is the system explained a la Sanderson). Those who have the power/craft generally use it to improve their lives in small ways, for protection, to make marvels and money, but some people have darker, more dangerous agendas.
A magical brawl at an airshow turns out to have been sparked by a cursed pocket watch. When Velma starts looking into this, she learns that other artifacts have been causing problems across the country. Deaths occur, and deeper investigation eventually reveals connections to her own family’s past.
Velma Frye is also an alias. Velma/Viola/Violet is a member of a large family with branches in several cities across the U.S. Unfortunately, her frequent flights and other interests means she doesn’t spend nearly as much time with her relatives as most of them think she should, so there’s a bit of resentment and estrangement.
The Improvisers has a large cast of characters. Besides her barnstorming and bootlegging contacts, her Magnolia Muses supervisor, a researcher at the same society, and her far-flung family, there’s also a pesky reporter who keeps showing up and complicating her investigations. He knows her as an aviator and former journalistic rival, but he suspects there’s a lot more to Velma. He’s irritating, but increasingly useful.
I really enjoyed the relationships in this book, and Velma’s character development. Several people call her on how her fast-paced life has let her basically use people instead of sticking around and really being part of anything. Her parents’ and sister’s frustration with her long silences feels legitimate, but when they all finally start talking again, the love is also real. Also, an enemies-to-allies slow burn feels earned and welcome rather than forced or perfunctory.
Glover’s prose (third person limited, past tense) doesn’t often soar to poetic heights, but it’s direct and practical and a breeze to read. There’s a lot going on in this 443-page book, but it doesn’t feel nearly that long; Glover keeps it all racing along together and lands the ending with a very satisfying touchdown.
Most of all, this book is just fun to read. I love Velma’s adventurous life, with its combinations of barnstorming, action scenes, family ties and other connections, and figuring out how a lot of complicated elements are going to fit together and get resolved. I’m glad to have discovered Glover, and I will definitely want to read the upcoming fourth book in the series, set at NASA in 1964.
The Improvisers, by Nicole Glover, will be published on Nov. 5.
Content warnings: Death, murder, non-gory violence.
Comps: The Order of the Air series by Jo Graham and Melissa Scott, particularly Steel Blues (#2); and
Redwood and Wildfire (and sequels) by Andrea Hairston.
Disclaimers: Besides the paperback copy I picked up, I also obtained an eARC from NetGalley for review, for convenience and portability.
