Newlyweds Chryse and Sanjay are transported, via a mysterious deck of tarot cards, to an alternate 19th-century England filled with magic and machinations. Trying to find their way home, Chryse and Sanjay become attached to an archaeological dig and royal intrigue.

This was cute. It doesn't break new ground on the "Victorians with magic wands" genre (which is an oddly old and venerable one), but it deals out the traditional elements (top hats, classical artifacts, and demons) with generosity. I had mixed feelings about the presence of space-time-travelers Chryse and Sanjay, who are not the focus of The Labyrinth Gate and don't really do anything during the course of the novel, but on the final assessment, I suppose they're an easy entry point for the reader. All the weird and unsettling elements of this new world must be explained to Chryse, Sanjay, and (by extension) the reader, who then comprehends the situation.

The novel suffers from a surfeit of characters who fail to justify their existence, but it does boast one tremendous figure: the Earl of Elen, an (allegedly) demonic lord funding the archaeological dig for his own dark and devious designs. The Earl's plans are both bleaker and better than anyone suspects; his maturation during the novel is the best part of The Labyrinth Gate. ( )

This is a fun portal fantasy, not so much a romance although there are several couples in various phases of romantic tropes who form most of the characters in the story. A sprightly moving plot and interesting characters and complications pulled me through what had to be at least my second read of this book. ( )

45/2021. This was Kate Elliott's first fantasy novel, published in 1988. It's mostly a fantasy of manners set in an alternative magical England named Anglia in a vague pseudo-historical period combining 19th and 18th century tropes but with considerably more gender-equality. The word-building is good, the maguffin-based plot works well enough, and the characters are expanded somewhat from stock types. Entertaining, if you like the fantasy of manners genre (which I do), and a promising first novel. 3.5*

Quotes

"Chryse smiled, looking smug in her trim, tailored gown and matching military-style jacket, the legacy of the treaty of Amyan, the signing of which had caused military fashions to go out of style and Julian's sister to consign the outfit to her closet." (Presumably the rough equivalent of the Treaty of Amiens, 1802, in our world.)

"And in the center of the room, on a thin pillar of white stone, stood a cup, a golden chalice. It had no decoration whatsoever, but from it emanated a force that both attracted and repelled the eye."

Like most trendsetting fantasy of manners this quotes early modern English literature but with a couple more layers of world-building than most similar novels of the time. ( )

Just married Chryse and Sanjay pick up a small velvet pouch as they leave their wedding reception and find a set of cards, similar to the tarot deck, but not. Riding the elevator up to their hotel room as they look at the cards, the elevator jerks, the cards drop and when the door opens they aren't in the hotel anymore, but transported to . . . somewhere very different. Where they fall into an adventure, of course! An ancient city, a potential treasure, magic (well imagined) and lots of romance. The story is lively and well written and not too demanding, but not silly -- all the potential pairings differ and a couple of them are intriguing, and not overly explained or prettified at the end, the mystery of attraction remaining mysterious. Good getaway fare for these times. **** ( )

This, in the abstract, has all the hallmarks of something I'd like--except I didn't, and I tried. When multiple things irk me that early on, it doesn't bode well:

1. The couple magically transported into an alternate world are wearing approximately appropriate clothing because they decided to have a fun dress-up wedding instead of what people would normally wear (which I could forgive if, say, a magic corset then transported them, but no).
2. They are as unfazed as possible to be magically transported to an alternate world, accepting it with the equanimity of a 4-year old child in a book aimed at 4-year old children.
3. They manage to be interested in and understand the complex social and political relationships between the world's key players, overnight, when someone who lives there claims it took her years to master it.
4. On and on with lists of cards, descriptions of cards, what's usually on cards, what's on these cards instead, blah blah blah blah blah.

So I went back to goodreads to see if reviews converge on "after a weak beginning, it gets amazing," but no, the closest I can see to agreeance is that the couple is lame, but not important to the plot. Well, sorry, but if they're not important to the plot, and the writer spends that much time getting them there, and getting them up to speed, and alienating me in the process, then she's not making choices that endear me to her. So, it stops here. Because--I just can't. So on to something else.

(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!) ( )