The Shadow Crucible: The Blind God, Book 1

Echoing classic gothic works, this lurid stew of a novel mixes in too many elements in search of a transcendent spiritual touch. Estella, a fosterling of the Twilit people disguised as the daughter of a duke in a vaguely premodern London, possesses preternatural second sight. Count Mikhail, a Templar from “east of the Frankish kingdoms,” is led to her manor home and tries to win her to his side in the battle against Samael, the Blind God. Unfortunately, his superior, Cardinal Pious, falls to Lucifer, while England’s King Wulfric is beholden to Samael. Estella, sought by all factions and aided by a fallen angel, makes numerous escapes as Mikhail tries to hold the forces of good together. There are also elves. Debut novelist Lakomy name-checks a broad variety of gods (Lug, Zeus, Odin, Horus, the Sophia, the Norns) and beliefs (divination, purgatory, reincarnation) and employs an archaic vocabulary (characters never see when they can “descry” or “distinguish”), but the effect is more jumbled mix-up than enlightening mash-up. (May)