End of Magic - New book review!

[tomdawolfe]

The End of Magic by Steve Hellman is one of the best fantasy books I've read in a long time. The novelty of having child protagonists allows the author to achieve a sense of character development, which turns it into an emotional journey instead of a good story.

To set the scene: five young kids in a Tolkien-like land suffer early tragedies, leading to different voyages. The story weaves between each of the children, following there development as they overcome the obstacles put in front of them.

Hellman's style lends itself to sharp images of vast landscapes, with action never far away. No time is wasted on unnecessary scene setting, with detailed descriptions saved for the imaginative characters. In particular, I loved the Jihardan Pirates with their lightning fast reflexes and skewed sense of morality.

The pirates are a good example that the characters Hellman portrays are complex and not one sided like so many 'heroes' these days. They have no concept of right or wrong, they judge decisions purely on profit and which option makes the most economical sense. On that note, Hellman has created his own currency and system of keeping time, both of which add substantially to the submersion you feel into the world of Accoria.

Even the protagonists are not robots, although each one represents a different redeeming characteristic of humans that we see in many fantasy tales. My favourites are Regour and Kaveh, who both have incredible journeys of their own. Regour (the alpha male) is noble and honest, with his pride always intact. Kaveh is the youngest of the five, and embodies the feeling of abandonment all youngest children feel to an extent. He has an air of mystery surrounding him to an almost supernatural extent.

Another highlight is Hellman's use of various creatures as characters, from Kaveh's pet monkey-like-thing to the noble eagles who lost their relationship with humans many moons ago. The range of characters, cultures, societies and storylines keeps this book entertaining from start to finish.

... Anyways, just thought I would get the ball rolling on this one as I know it's gonna be huge once it's released. Has anyone seen it available anywhere yet? I got my copy off lulu, but when I passed on the link to a friend it was gone – I assume the publishing house bought out the copyrights or something?

Read the next bit at your own peril (although I don't give away the end, so it's not too bad – not like those idiots who put the Harry Potter ending in the first sentence of reviews!!)

SPOILERS!!!:

Did anyone else particularly enjoy Mariah's encounter with the eagles? The fact that Hellman made it harder for her added a lot of realism to the book – nothing ever comes easily! And I liked the fact that it was the young guys who overthrew the over bureaucratic elders, a lesson we could learn from today!

Hellman's strategy for character development throughout the book was flawless. Aydyn's struggle with the Jemadars was by far the most obvious example of what was seen in each character throughout the book. She obviously faced the most physically punishing, but also mentally I think. Although it wasn't a stroll in the park for any of them, she definitely had it worst. I think this is even more apparent by seeing how strong she becomes because of it, and how her powers develop.

[Teresa Edgerton]

Originally Posted by tomdawolfe

Anyways, just thought I would get the ball rolling on this one as I know it's gonna be huge once it's released. Has anyone seen it available anywhere yet? I got my copy off lulu, but when I passed on the link to a friend it was gone – I assume the publishing house bought out the copyrights or something?

It's unlikely that it will be huge; books published via lulu just don't get that kind of exposure.

And viral marketing, whether by the author himself or by his friends, doesn't seem to work very well.

(Reputable publishers don't buy copyrights. They license them.)