The Last Guardian of Magic (iUniverse*)
by Randall Andrews
*Yes, iUniverse is a self-publishing company, and we only review small press titles. But Abyss & Apex occasionally reviews indie books by our published short fiction authors.
Looking for an epic contemporary fantasy? You’ll get a lot of book for your money if you choose The Last Guardian of Magic.
Kyle Adams comes late to his unexpected magical talent, which hovered on the borders of his awareness as a sort of intuition and invaded troubling dreams he could not remember. Lily Goodshepherd came early to her talent, but thought she was the only one with it–and then she met Kyle.
And neither of them yet had a magical talisman–called a Gift of Nature–that would focus and enhance their talent. They had just joined a group others more experienced in such things, called The Guardians, when both all of their potential teachers and all of their talismans were destroyed. Only two other practitioners remain because one was in a self-imposed exile and the other was “just” a seer.
Their common foe, Ramius King, was using the oldest of the Gifts of Nature–an object that was used in building the pyramids–and is close to fulfilling his ambition: to build a worldwide realm based on his subjugating magic mixed with tech.
The magical system is coherent, fascinating, and different. The cast of characters is superb. The plot is full of twists and turns. A satisfying read. I enjoyed it immensely.
