Booklog 103/2020: Paul Cornell: Last Stand in Lychford

[jacey]

This is the last of Paul Cornell's Lychford novellas and between them they form one continuous story. In other words, don't start here, but do seek out the whole lot and enjoy.

 With Judith gone, it's up to Autumn (magic shop owner) and Lizzie (vicar) to save the sleepy Cotswold town of  Lychford from an incursion of enemy magic which will not only destroy the town, but the universe as well. Right then... better not muck it up, ladies. The enemy intends to destroy all borders between worlds to the detrement of the fae and the humans. Judith might be gone, but she's certainly not forgotten, and she's left help. There's a new viewpoint character, Zoya, a Ukrainian immigrant single mum who has mysteriously been unaffected by the magical rain which made the townsfolk able to sense magic (which makes her wonder "why everyone here is now bugfuck crazy in the head"). Expect exploding fairies, the return of a previous antagonist, a message from beyond the grave, some gruesome deaths, and three brave women trying to save the universe. It's a satisfying end to the Lychford cycle.