Caligo by J.J. Fischer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have a confession to make: I preordered this standalone sequel to the Nightingale Trilogy before I had even started the first book. I was that sure that I would love the series. That bet paid off. It’s not often that every single book in a series is a five-star read, but the Nightingale saga was that for me. And that includes Caligo. This sequel was just as fantastic as the main trilogy, if not even better.

Our two main perspective characters, Cass and Zaire, start out as enemies. They were originally on opposite sides of a war that ended in a way no one could have expected, resulting in their two sides coming together in the end. Both Cass and Zaire have lived enslaved to a variety of things — abusive loved ones, alcohol, sex, actual slavery, the altered gifts they view as curses. Both are broken and on the run from heartache, failure, and regret. When they find themselves aboard the same ship amidst their respective flights from Caldera, they come to an uneasy truce, though there’s still a lot of distrust between them. The way the two grew, both as individuals and in their changing relationship with each other, was wonderfully believable and very well done.

We also have a fantastic supporting cast comprised of new faces and favorites from the original trilogy. My favorite of these recurring characters is Spartan, who is just so easy to love. There’s a purity to him and his faith in the Three that I find inspiring. And then there’s Synth, one of the weirdest, funniest animal companions I’ve come across. He’s a Gallus, a small, prophetic chicken. He provided some much needed comic relief on more than one occasion. Also, in keeping with the light touches of Greek mythological influence woven into the series, there are monsters that have been nicknamed Scylla and Charybdis. I love these small nods to Greek myth.

I loved the variety Fischer gave us in terms of setting, and how different those settings were from those that comprised the bulk of the main trilogy. I love nautical stories, so having the initial setting be aboard a ship was fun for me. The nautical first act of the book is followed by a combination of desert and subterranean cavern settings, both of which were captivatingly portrayed. It is here that we meet the Virago, cave-dwelling Amazons with a color-based caste system. Interactions with the Virago comprise the bulk of the story, and it is through these interactions we see some of the larger themes come into play, such as abuse and the ways those being abused often excuse it, sanctity of live, and infertility. As someone who struggled with infertility only to have to undergo a radical hysterectomy at 26, there was an aspect of this story that was healing for me. Which isn’t always the case with books that utilize infertility in such a way. There is also a great—if brief—portrayal of going through physical withdrawals when being forced to detox from something to which you’ve been addicted for a long time.

But as with the main trilogy, my favorite element of this installment was the spiritual aspect. I love the illustration Fischer uses of followers of the Three drinking from tiny vials containing the waters of a particular pool in the Garden. These bottles never run dry, no matter how deeply you drink or how much you share with others. When you consume these waters, they give memories of things past and visions of things to come, all of them anchored in Truth. It’s a wonderful allegorical representation of Scripture, of the encouragement and source of Truth it should be in the lives of all believers. And there was a moment toward the end of the book that reminded me of one of my favorite scenes in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It’s a powerful portrayal of rebirth.

I loved Caligo so much. I would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite among the four books in the Nightingale universe. But if I absolutely had to choose, Caligo would be neck-and-neck with Memoria for that top slot. I’m already looking forward to revisiting this world. And in the meantime, I’m excited to read everything else Fischer has penned. What a gift she has!

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