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What makes a good gothic novel? On a superficial level at least, Paraic O'Donnell's The Maker of Swans has all the necessary elements in place. There's a sprawling gothic mansion with a fabulous library of rare and esoteric volumes, towers, secret passages and, of course, a few mysterious inhabitants. Aside from the owner, Mr Crowe, a gentleman endowed with "sacred gifts" that see him belonging to a secret order, there's also a young ward in his care who remains silent and has mysterious dreams. There's also, of course, the long suffering manservant who keeps the household from falling apart, and it doesn't take more than a couple of pages into The Maker of Swans to realise that things are about to get out of control very quickly. Another quality you might expect from a gothic novel is a certain archness in the dialogue, as well as lucidly clear prose with a colourful poetic edge that manages to heighten the fever-dream quality of the setting. Paraic...