What if Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities look so alike because one was a fairy changeling? That is the question that led to A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry (The Magician's Daughter; The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door), which steps into not only a classic of English literature but also into a moment in the French Revolution, bringing it to life in a new way. Parry's intervention takes the perspective of Sydney, who was stolen from the cradle as a child and raised in the fairy realm, while a changeling was left behind in his place. Children who grow up in the fairy realm have two choices when they turn 13: to become fairy servants in the mortal realm, or to become fairies themselves. What they are never meant to do, however, should they return to Earth, is to meet their changelings, to learn their original names and who they would have been had they never been taken. But when Sydney sees his double on trial, his life changes in more ways than he could have ever anticipated.
Parry's prose is captivating and evocative, illuminating Sydney's world as he works in the shadows for forces and powers far above him, both human and not. This imaginative work has fascinating characters that will grab at readers' minds and hearts while dealing with themes of love, revenge, and even redemption. A Far Better Thing is a historical fantasy novel not to be missed. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer