"A fine fantasy"
Over the centuries as the nation of Queensland expanded,
the common regard towards magic and its practitioners
withered. In the present those who practice the obsolete
art are considered at the lowest rung of the food chain.
Perhaps the only more debased than membership in the
Magicians' Guild is to be an apprentice magician. Just ask
Lemyth and Boye of Barnady village. Summoned to Melwyn the Scope, the Primary Landowner of
Barnady, the beloved Wedna Aedynathan, leaves for a trek
of several day across the vast country. The townsfolk are
concerned that they must lose their "essence" for so long
especially on Wedna's birthday. After Wedna departs with her caravan, the Mayor
investigates the Magicians' Guild and begins shouting
conspiracy. He plans to ban the Guild with only those two
ennui apprentices in his way. As their masters throw out
Lemyth and Boye for violating the magic commandments, they
try to save their Guild, but uncover an even darker plot
that could destroy Barnady and more if they fail to stop
the odious endeavor. The Myth of Magic is a coming of age tale, but that would
oversimplify the parable that is the heart of the novel.
The intriguing story line uses symbolism and stereotyped
characterizations to create a strangely different type of
magic in which powers cannot alter the world of physics,
but enhance the feelings of individuals in a manner
similar to the ritual use of music. Adam Cole's
allegorical fantasy blows away dogmatic religions and
governments (the American Constitution as the strict words
of a bible and the Founding Fathers as a Mount Olympus
like pantheon) fostering the obsolete at any cost in his
remarkably mentally invigorating metaphor. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted January 4, 2004
|
