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Crimes Against Magic (2012)

by Steve McHugh(Favorite Author)

3.99 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Paranormal Fantasy

publisher

Hidden Realms Publishing

series

Hellequin Chronicles

review 1: I wasn't sure what to expect when I downloaded this book - and it's fair to say that what I got was unexpected. Fortunately, this was mostly in a good way.The story splits itself between two time periods; 15th-century Europe and modern-day London. Tying both settings together is the mysteriously long-lived protagonist Nate, a man who has somehow had his memory erased but is in possession of seriously badass magical abilities. With no memory of his 15th-century life, he now earns a living stealing valuable artifacts to order for various contacts. However, his latest job proves to be a set-up, and he soon finds himself caught up in a centuries-old conspiracy that threatens his life and those of the the people he cares about.Within the first couple of chapters it soon became ... moreapparent this book was part of a series, and I'd arrived at Book Two. However, the author did a very good job of summarizing the backstory of the previous book, filling in enough of what had gone before for me to understand what was happening now without making it feel like a massive info-dump. The pace is fast and intense; putting this book down was incredibly difficult because so many chapters ended on cliffhangers so dramatic that I just HAD to find out how the situation panned out. (Thanks for making me late for all my school runs this week, Steve McHugh!) Most of the characters were well-drawn and satisfyingly complex, and the world created, with all it's magical and fantastical elements, made sense and hung together in a logical and believable way.On the downside:Steve McHugh spends a lot of time painting the visuals for his story. And I mean REALLY - a LOT. This guy LOVES to describe absolutely EVERYTHING, often in excruciating detail. For instance: every time anyone gets dressed they don't just 'get dressed' - they 'get dressed in a green hooded top and dark blue combat trousers,' for example. And that's not just once or twice in the book - that's all the time, for everything that makes an appearance. While this does add to the mood a lot of the time, there are also times where it gets in the way of the action. And there is a hell of a lot of 'action' in this book - for 'action,' read 'violence.' In fact at times it feels relentless, like there's no break from it at all, and this is not helped by the aforementioned problem of endlessly detailed descriptions, which are pathologically precise and yet weirdly dispassionate. Not only does this make it feel as if the violent moments last much longer, but in a strange way you almost find yourself becoming bored with it (although the violence committed against some of the women characters - and there's quite a bit of that - never failed to creep me out, ironically for the very same reason.) I will also admit I had to smile/rolleyes at the amount of sexytime Nate managed to fit in between having to save himself and everyone he knows from hideous torture and death. Well, when a drop-dead-gorgeous girl just can't resist your ripped body and is totally okay with the notion that it'll only ever be a purely recreational, no-strings bang, what's a deadly assassin-sorcerer to do? Gotta do his manly duty, right?So yeah, even though this is a bit of a 'by a bloke, for blokes' kind of book, I enjoyed it anyway - but only enough to score a 3. OCD-level-descriptiveness and violence levels aside, I did think the story was original, with some great twists and memorable characters.
review 2: In early 1400's France a wandering warrior with Chinese weapons faces werewolves among a massacred city. In present day Southampton a thief with no past and a secret talent for magic charms his way through heists and carefully deals with the dangerous family ties of his associates. If it sounds like I'm describing the premises of two different books I understand - that's how I felt reading for a majority of Crimes Against Magic. The two parallel tales are connected of course, but the general atmosphere and tone was so different the switching back and forth was somewhat jarring. The past timeline also became much less compelling than the present during the middle of the book. Despite plenty of action and solid plot progression it still seemed to primarily exist for exposition. I'm mentioning this all up front because it's directly connected to trying to give an idea of what the book is about and is worthwhile criticism to mention. I don't want to give the wrong idea though - Crimes Against Magic rises above these small issues and is a pretty great read overall. A large part of that success is due to a variety of engaging and intriguing characters, particularly our narrator Nathan Garrett. He has as much to learn about himself and the strangeness of his world as he already knows, but he's experienced enough to make things interesting even when in over his head. McHugh gives even minor characters little touches of depth that add significantly to the narrative and connection with the reader.Like with the characters and some general plot elements, the world building take familiar elements from various genres and combines and uses them to great effect in unique ways. Concepts and folklore are pulled from some many sources there are almost too many mythologies and creatures blended in, but as it all connects logically and is tightly connected to the plot and characters it ends up working well.One last thing I'd like to praise is the storytelling. Mysteries are unraveled gradually and with careful precision. My favorite type of book is one that foreshadows enough that I piece together some of the major developments from provided hints but still manages to surprise me. I got both here in abundance, including a couple of wonderfully shocking turns and a strong ending that have me very excited about continuing with the series.So while it does feel at times that the author tried to fit a little too much in one book, I really enjoyed Crimes Against Magic and it's an easy recommendation for any fan of urban fantasy. less

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