The Tower and the Fox

You might like this book if you: 

-Are interested in alternate history 

-Would love to see how fantasy can meld into alternate history 

-Enjoy magical academy stories that aren’t Harry Potter 

-Like seeing characters in the minority overcoming oppression 

-Use Firefox 

The Tower and the Fox was a huge surprise for me. I remember hearing it was a magical academy story and being reluctant to read it, since that subgenre has been rather oversaturated. This book, however, does a lot to distinguish and mature the concept by using clear themes and historical knowledge. It really elevated the story beyond my expectations, and I’m very happy I picked it up. 

The story takes place in an alternate version of the American colonies. It’s the 1800s, the Revolution never got off the ground, and real historical events are awash in the involvement of sorcery, demons, and magical animal people. The story follows one of those animal people, a fox “Calation” named Kip. After the local college of sorcery (the titular tower) loses many of its students to a mysterious attack on Kip’s town, they become desperate for new talent and begrudgingly allow Kip, his otter friend, and a woman  (gasp) to apply for admission. This sets off a series of struggles for Kip and his friends as they attempt to prove themselves in a bigoted environment that’s dead set on seeing them fail. 

What really impressed me about the story is how it occurs on a historical backdrop. The book even starts with a letter from John Adams that slowly transitions from real-life historical matters into matters of sorcery and animal people. That got me hooked instantaneously, as did the rest of the historical events in the book. The influence of sorcery is described in the Neapolitan Wars, the growing Revolution, and the Spanish declaration of war against Britain. The historical elements make the world feel more real and the magic provides a wellspring for the reader to imagine how these real-world events must have gone down in this alternate universe. That, I think, is what really distinguishes this book from others of its subgenre. It certainly isn’t the only book to have ever added magic to history, but its application to a magical academy and anthropomorphic animal characters greatly distinguishes it amongst them. 

Fans of magical academy stories will enjoy branching out with this book, and fans of alternate history (or history in general) will appreciate the smart ways in which this book applies magic to historical events. It’s easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far, and I’m jumping into book 2 right away after writing this review.