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Title: A Distant Magic (Guardians (Del Rey))
ISBN: 0345476921
Author:
Mary Jo Putney
Publicate Date: 2008-05-20
Publish: 2008-05-20
List Price: $6.99
Average Customer Rating: 3.0
Format: Mass Market Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $3.27
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $1.38
Amazon Merchant Price: $6.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: What a strange book...
Props for combining romance, time travel, paranormal activity AND the beginnings of the anti-slavery movement, but what an odd mix! The "lighter" and more fantastic elements in the novel (the legendary cosmic lust between the leads and the hokey time travel) seemed trivial and quite silly really, against the historical backdrop of slavery. Not only must the hero and heroine jump forward in time, "quantum leap"-style, to render assistance to anti-slavery proponents so they can continue to further the cause, they must "mate" to augment their time traveling powers. Did I mention that the hero is a pirate and his kidnapped heroine just happened command a battalion at the Battle of Culloden? It's a shame because it seemed to me that the author really did her homework, and had a very interesting and unique angle with her emphasis on the efforts by some parliamentarians in Britain to end slavery over a forty year period. I was disturbed a bit by the focal nemesis of the novel as well. The hero and heroine, along with other masters of western and african magic, fight the ultimate battle in the novel against a super powerful african mage (magician) who presumably wants slavery to flourish so he could continue in his elevated position as assistant to a white slave trader. Of all the antagonists that could exist in a slavery novel, this is the evil that had to be magically contained in order for the anti-slavery movement to be a success? I know, I know-- I'm peevishly refusing to suspend my disbelief but this is just odd. In fairness to Putney, I had just finished reading Toni Morrison when I picked up "A Distant Magic" quite randomly in the library, and the contrast just about did me in.
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2: A weak romance
I wish that I could strongly recommend this book. After all the premise is original, there's magic involved and the characters are likable. But the latter half of the book is mired in abolishing slavery and going through time to fight the unseen evil that is promoting slavery.
Not exactly romance material and it really detracted from the story. It almost felt like a story about slavery instead of romance. Not a good mix at all. I think the intention was to make it an epic love story that spanned ages but it failed on that front.
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3: putney fan
good, I like her work. I do not like her contemproary works as well. It is her great history research that I appreciate. I hope she keeps writing.
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4: Commits the Big Sin
The child, Nikolai Gregorio, survived in the streets by stealing and using his untrained mage powers. Eventually he decided to rob the Macrae, who promptly recognizes him as a fledging Guardian and offers to take him back to England to raise him as a foster son. Unfortunately, on their way back to England, the ship is taken over by pirates and Nikolai is forced into slavery. The Macrae searches for him, but fails to find him and eventually gives up the search. Escaping slavery as he grew to adulthood, Nikolai vows two things - to end slavery by any means possible and to have vengence on the Macrae. Finding his way to England, Nikolai realizes that the Macrae is dead and decides to kidnap his daughter, Jean, in order to carry out his twisted revenge. Jean, herself a powerful Guardian, doesn't surrender meekly, but is stolen away regardless. During a tremendous storm at sea, Jean manages to save the ship and the lives of everyone on board. By this time, both Jean and Nikolai realize their strong feelings for each other and Jean joins Nikolai in his quest to hasten the end to slavery. Using their magical powers and aid from ancestors of Nikolai, Jean and Nikolai begin "time-hopping" in order to bring about events that would hasten the laws against slavery.
On her dedication page, Ms. Putney implores her friends who are authors to stop her if she should ever decide again to write about a social movement. My God, I hope they listen to her. I have read all of Mary Jo Putney's novels. While some are more entertaining than others, all of them have managed to hold my interest to some degree. This book commits the cardinal sin of being just flat out boring. I hate it when authors use their novels as platforms for their various beliefs and causes. (Christine Feehan is famous for this - writing about everything from strange dog breeds to hyping a real life bed and breakfast in California.) Instead of reading a romance, I feel like I am reading an Info-merical. Sure, slavery was pretty horrible, but if that was what I wanted to read about, I would read some real life works about the Underground Railroad or Harriet Beecher Stowe. As it was, I wasn't sure what was historical truth and what was fiction in this book. I know the romance certainly took a backseat to the slavery angle, and I became quite disgusted with the entire story about halfway through. I continued reading it, hoping the book would "right" itself, but it never happened. Don't waste your money on this yawner. Thank heavens I waited until paperback to buy it.
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5: Reaches well beyond the romance genre
I wish I could give this book four and a half stars. I can't give it five because of a middle section, dealing with initiation into the use of magic, that drags badly.
It is no snerk to say that the book is based upon a social movement -- namely, the growth of abolitionist sentiment in England from the mid 18th century into the first quarter of the 19th century. This book culminates in 1807 with the passage of the bill abolishing the slave trade by ships under the English flag.
The romance element (not the description of human love) is minimal. There is ample sexual tension, but very little sex. Putney really stretched her wings with this book and produced a result that is well beyond the conventions of the genre -- well beyond, in fact, even her earlier two books in the "Guardians" series.
Unfortunately, this may well result in her established readership not liking the book, while since it has been marketed as romance, the book is unlikely to reach a wider readership in the general fiction field.
Nevertheless, she is certainly to be congratulated for having taken the risk.
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