Fawkes by Nadine Brandes
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!

I’ve always been fascinated by Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. This is due in large part to my deep and abiding affection for the film adaptation of V for Vendetta, which has been my favorite movie for well over a decade, which helped popularize the famous poem quoted above. And yet, I’ve never read any fiction inspired by the actual historical events. I’m happy to have now rectified this oversight in my reading life. Fawkes is a fantastic, fantastical reimagining of one of the most famed failed plots in history.

A lot of the narrative is drawn straight for the factual, historical event. There are a few major differences that slide this into the fantasy realm. The largest of these is the fact that the schism dividing England is not that of Catholic versus Protestant, but Keeper versus Igniter. In this imagined world, there is Color power, tied to the masks of its wielders. Everyone wears a mask: handcrafted, unique, imbued with the Color power of its wearer. Most only don the masks on occasion, keeping them tied to their belts otherwise. But some are never seen without them.

“There has always been fear. There will always be fear. It’s up to us to stand tall, even when the fear demands we bow to it.”

Each color responds to different tones, and accomplishes different things. Brown is linked to earth, blue to water, gray to stone, yellow to fire, and so on. Above all of these is White Light, the origin of all Colors. And this is where Keepers and Igniters differ. Keepers believe in only bonding to one Color, and preach that one should never answer White Light when it speaks, though you should honor White in all you do. Igniters believe in answering White when it speaks, and that White intends for those with Color power to utilize all of the Colors they can. This is a massive, recent divide between the people of England; Igniters didn’t exist until a rogue Keeper, a man by the name of Luther, became the first Igniter. The shift spread rapidly, however, and is now firmly ensconced in England. Now that an Igniter king sits on the throne, Keepers are being blamed for the stone plague, hunted, and executed in droves. It is this injustice that the Gunpowder Plot seeks to rectify.

Next is our protagonist, Thomas Fawkes, the son of Guy Fawkes who may or may not have existed in reality. When we meet Thomas he is sixteen, desperate to don his mask and hide his plagued face, as he has been hiding his case of the stone plague for over a year. This plague that effects Thomas is slowly turning him to stone. Starting in one of his eyes. If others see the plague, he will he cast out. Without a mask, he will be cast out. In other words, Thomas finds himself in an impossible situation. He wants to be among those few who never remove their masks.

“We need to fight for truth. Your beliefs can be misguided.”

Color power comes through blood: passed from mother to daughter, father to son. So his father, the famed Guy Fawkes, doesn’t appear at his Color ceremony to give Thomas the mask he expected, Thomas panics. He leaves school and heads to London, determined to hunt down his father and demand the mask he is owed. This is how Thomas becomes involved in the Plot, a group of men determined to free Keepers from the tyranny of Igniters and see a Keeper on the throne once more. Guy Fawkes is among their number, and Thomas joins them in hopes of finally securing the mask for which he is so desperate.

But is he truly a Keeper at his core? If the White Light is the source of all other Colors, and it wants to speak to us, who are we to not respond? I loved Thomas’s character development, especially in the realm of faith and ideology. His struggles over the question of Keeper versus Igniter were honest and relatable.

“My culture had affected my thinking without my consent. How many other things had it shaped without my knowing it? It made me want to examine things—to seek the heart of matters. Of skin color, of Keepers, of Igniters, of White Light, of all my assumptions. How many of us acted and spoke out and fought for beliefs that we held because our environment told us to?”

I loved the spiritual evolution of the narrative with the interaction of the White Light, and the questions and discourse surrounding it. I loved the thread of romance we get in the story, though I’ll leave that to be discovered by other readers. Also, the history lover and comic nerd within me really enjoyed the inclusion and portrayal of John Dee.

I really enjoyed my time with Fawkes. It’s a compelling story, and an interesting twist on history. It’s a twist that made me think, that helped me to see the historical Catholic/Protestant debate from a different angle. The writing was great, the pacing was solid, and the characters well fleshed out and sympathetic. I can see myself rereading this in future Novembers.

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