Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell meets A Tale of Two Cities in H. G. Parry's A Far Better Thing, a heart-rending fantasy of faery revenge set during the French Revolution.
I feared this was the best of times; I hoped it could not get any worse.
The faeries stole Sydney Carton as a child, and made him a mortal servant of the Faery Realm. Now, he has a rare opportunity for revenge against the fae and Charles Darnay, the changeling left in his stead.
It will take magic and cunning―cold iron and Realm silver―to hide his intentions from humans and fae and bring his plans to fruition.
Shuttling between London and Paris during the Reign of Terror, generations of violence-begetting-violence lead him to a heartbreaking choice in the shadow of the guillotine.
"Parry dazzles in this masterful fantasy riff on A Tale of Two Cities...The result is a rip-roaring tale rooted in love, vengeance, and justice. Readers will be wowed." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"With intricate character work and a seamless blend of history, literature, and imagination, this novel crafts a tale as vivid and textured as the classic that inspired it." ―Library Journal
"A dazzling incarnation of A Tale of Two Cities; a spellbinding tale of vengeance, violence and enduring heartbreak." ―Ariel Kaplan, author of The Pomegranate Gate
"This book had me at 'fairy revenge set against the French Revolution' and it did not disappoint! An elegant blend of magic, history and fairy lore that taps deep into what it means to be human―and the love and loss that entails." ―Kell Woods, author of Upon a Starlit Tide
This information about A Far Better Thing was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
H.G. Parry is the author of several books including The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, the Shadow Histories duology, and The Magician's Daughter. She holds a PhD in English Literature from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and divides her time between her tiny Wellington flat and a house on the Kapiti Coast where she lives with her sister and a menagerie of small animals.

If you liked A Far Better Thing, try these:
by Allison Epstein
Published 2026
A thrilling reimagining of the world of Charles Dickens, as seen through the eyes of the infamous Jacob Fagin, London's most gifted pickpocket, liar, and rogue.
Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted
by Ben Okri
Published 2025
In this modern fable with the impish magic of A Midsummer Night's Dream, a masked ball makes two upper-class British couples see each other in a new light.
A wise, enchanting novel about love, power, and our many selves—past and future, public and private—from the Booker Prize–winning author.
by T. Kingfisher
Published 2024
From USA Today bestselling author T. Kingfisher, Thornhedge is the tale of a kind-hearted, toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission gone completely sideways.
The low brow and the high brow
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.