Second paragraph of third chapter:

The rich scent of hare and juniper stew drew my attention back to the meal itself, reminding me how hungry I was. It was still steaming and the copper jug that held it was almost scalding to touch. A heap of breaded asparagus fenced in lightly charred mushrooms. Half a loaf of crusty bread sat in a basket. I sniffed at a small jug to discover it was full of blood, presumably hare, to go with the stew. Usually, though, it was stirred in before serving rather than after.

We got an extract of this to read in the 2018 Hugo packet, and I was not super impressed:

An interesting parallel history – what if Victorians had discovered a gateway to a fairyland, and sent missionaries? First few chapters are an interesting setup, though it seems a bit narrow in scope – how come only English missionaries are interested in exploring? Loses points for consistently misquoting John 1:1.

But reading the whole book, it makes an awful lot more sense. This is a story about nineteenth century Britain attempting to colonise Arcadia (ie Fairyland) through the Church, and the identity of the colonisers and what is really going on in a culture which the Empire is trying to control; it’s also rooted in British faery lore, and nineteenth century classic fiction. The descriptions of people and places are very arresting, and the message subtle but clear. Recommended, and I regret not getting to it sooner. You can get Under the Pendulum Sun here.