In 18th century London, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A lot of knowledge is deadly.

When ambitious apprentice chemist and secret alchemist Peter Woulfe is tasked with caring for a mysterious illustrated book, the Mutus Liber, he quickly realises that the grimy underworld of Georgian London is even more dangerous than he first believed.

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Soon the book is stolen by the light-fingered Sukie and Peter finds himself being pursued by threatening men who are willing to do anything to get the book back. Where in teeming London might Sukie be found? Why is Peter so enthralled by her? And what is it about the Mutus Liber that is so enticing? As the search for the book becomes an urgent game of cat and mouse, it seems that the key to Peter’s present dilemma might only be found in half-remembered events from his childhood, and then further back still, in the mists of Irish myth.

A spell-binding and unputdownable tale about spirit and matter, love and lust, and reality and magic.

My Review

This is a story about a book, the Mutus Liber. It’s also a story about a student of alchemy called Peter Woulfe. It’s not his book, he is supposed to be delivering it to Baron Swedenborg. And all the while he is trying to make gold out of lead, or something similar. It’s also a story about a prostitute called Sukie, with whom Peter is obsessed. But she has stolen the book and he must get it back at all costs.

But then again it’s about the Jacobite Rebellion and the men who will stop at nothing to put the rightful King on the throne. As an aside, when I was at school, I had a classmate who believed in the same thing. During assembly she would refuse to sing the National Anthem, instead, toasting the ‘King over the water’.

It’s also a story about the myths and magic of Peter’s birthplace and spiritual home in Ireland. Even though he travels extensively, he is always drawn back there, and to the strange woman called Bridey Leary who told him fantastical stories when he was a child.

The book moves back and forth through time, Peter as a child in Ireland in the early 1700s, as a young adult in 1744 when he discovers other pleasures with Sukie, then later in 1780 when he is older, and obsessed with his study of alchemy, to the exclusion of all else including having a wife and family. We also jump ahead some years later, when he is in his fifties.

Unlike a couple of other reviewers, I was far more interested in Peter than in Sukie. He’s an interesting character. He is fascinated by Sukie and the smell of her neck, but for me I can only imagine how everyone stank, especially a prostitute.

Sparks of Bright Matter is beautifully written, almost lyrical, with a style slightly reminiscent of The Night Circus. It’s got that whimsical feel about it, with a lightness of touch to the text. It won’t be for everyone and I accept that there are some loose ends that didn’t get tied up like Nico and Katia, but it’s a work of art and needs to savoured for its sheer beauty.

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour and to NetGalley for an ARC.

About the Author

Leeanne O’ Donnell was born in Dublin and now lives in an old farmhouse on the foothills of a mountain in the remote south west of Ireland. She feeds her cats, dogs, chickens, daughters and wife reasonably regularly – and occasionally waters her poly-tunnel. She has yet to learn to write a proper shopping list but has managed to finish her first novel while hiding in an old caravan in the garden. 

Sparks of Bright Matter was inspired by the magic of the mountain where she lives and the whispers of the ancient stories buried in the surrounding landscape. She is interested in all the big questions like what it means to be alive, and which crisps go best with a pint of Murphy’s stout. In Sparks of Bright Matter she explores the liminal spaces between magic and reality, spirit and matter, love and lust.

She started her storytelling career working in radio with RTE and BBC – and has made a number of award winning documentaries for RTE’s Doc on One series. Notably THE LADIES OF LLANGOLLEN about two Irish aristocrats who ran away together in the 18th century and DIVING AND FALLING about dancer and artist Lucia Joyce. She is also a trained psychotherapist and is frequently awed by the sacred work of helping people to understand and transform their own real-life stories.