The Flaw in All Magic
The Magebreakers series, Book 1
Ben S. Dobson
Amazon Digital Services
Fiction, Fantasy/Mystery
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: The human Tane Carver is a university-trained expert on all things magical, yet hasn't a single drop of magic in his blood. His graduation thesis - that non-magical people should be allowed to study the forces that power so much of their modern world, as proven by his own ability to sneak through classes by outsmarting detection spells and teachers alike - got him expelled and disgraced. So it was a surprise when a dean called him back to campus to help with a problem that has baffled the mages and guards on staff: an impossible murder.
An old friend of Tane's was working on an experimental magical airship when she was attacked. That airship is only days away from its grand debut, part of the Lady Protector's plans to promote peace with neighboring nations who distrust magic. Nothing, not even murder, must delay its maiden voyage, putting a tight deadline on the investigation. With help from a persistent half-orc woman and an old elven lover, now a constable, Tane sets off on the trail of a killer. But this case may best even his talents, endangering the airship, the city, and the lives of himself and the few friends Tane has left.
REVIEW: This fantasy/mystery hybrid (with a hint of steampunk around the edges, with the airship) has many elements that would make for an interesting tale, but doesn't quite click together like it should. The characters are decent enough, if somewhat expected for the genre; Tane is the somewhat-cocky lead detective working outside the system and driven by a tragic past, Kadka the half-orc is the loyal sidekick contributing her brawn to balance his brains, the elven constable Indree is the inside contact with the law (who still clearly harbors feelings for her human ex-lover despite a bad breakup years ago), and so forth. The culprit is also somewhat obvious, not to mention prone to explaining their evil plot like a cheap Bond villain at the climax, but I could've overlooked this. The real drag on the rating is Dobson's tendency to overexplain his world, its history, its many races, and its magic. Even when it's one character explaining things to another (Kadka comes from a part of the world without much magic, a convenient set of ears for Tane to fill with worldbuilding details for the sake of the eavesdropping reader), it interrupts the flow of the story. It also ventures into overkill territory, particularly when dealing with other nations that were only ever involved as mere names. Some of the scenes also feel overlong, fluffed by the aforementioned tendency to wander into infodumps. I frankly started skimming those parts of the tale, which ultimately had little to do with the mystery itself. While not a bad fantasy/mystery hybrid, set in a decently constructed (if overexplained) world, I just didn't enjoy it enough in the end for a solid fourth star in the ratings, and don't expect I'll read on.
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