Young Edmund is a poor boy whose mature and wise demeanor grants him favor and residence with the local Baron Fitz-Owen. Raised in the castle, Edmund is the delight of all, until his disposition raises the ire of those who view him as a competitor. Mistreated, he eventually flees, but finds a protector and much more besides- for his birth is not as he suspects, and he is in fact the child of a murdered lord and former occupant of the castle. Will providence shine on him and restore what is his, or will human evil overcome?
I was unaware of this work until recently, but as several claim it was important in the development of Gothic fiction, I gave it a go. It's solid. Reeve says right up front that her goal is to re-tell The Castle of Otranto but make it less fantastic/supernatural, and grounded purely on the explicable. She succeeds in the latter [I don't recall enough of Otranto to judge the former], and her diction is excellent, but the tale is told without an element of suspense it could otherwise contain.
Rating: B
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