Words&Dirt

Urban fantasy novels are not my usual cup of tea; in fact, they’re not even my unusual cup of tea. Ilona Andrews’s Magic Bites departs from my typical reading in too many ways to count, but my wife loves this series so dearly that I had to give it a shot. And what a pleasant surprise! This book––the first in a series by a wife/husband writing duo––made me reconsider some of my assumptions about fantasy-based genre fiction. Not only was it fun and highly imaginative, but legitimately intelligent as well.

Magic Bites draws its power primarily from Andrews’s clever world-building. Set in a futuristic version of Atlanta where magic has begun to undermine the dominance of science and technology, the story is both a commentary on our modern relationship with science as well as an attempt to escape the rational confines of modernity. As Andrews puts it, “Magic could not be measured and explained in scientific terms, for magic grew through destroying the very natural principles that made science as people knew it possible” (52).

In this world, magic and technology take turns being “up” or “down”––when magic is “up,” magical tools, spells, and beings become more powerful, and the same becomes true for technology when magic is “down.” Fluctuations between these two systems of cosmic accounting can be sudden or gradual, minor or extreme. This narrative mechanism not only keeps the reader on his or her toes, but also provides metaphorical punctuation marks for emotional and conflictual developments.

It’s a compelling premise, but it wouldn’t go far without Andrews’s simple but effective storytelling. The events in Magic Bites are derivative without being dull or pretentious, and Andrews injects just the right balance of humor and horror. This magical landscape is gritty and grisly rather than glitzy, with a spectrum of unnerving features that would be repellent if they weren’t so enticing. At its heart, Magic Bites is a police procedural with the hard-nosed, rational detective work turned on its head. Andrews does an admirable job of employing magic to thwart expectations while always intimating that the magical world does indeed have rules––just not the ones we’re used to. The project is as ambitious as it is self-effacing, aware of its limitations even as it seeks to exceed them.

Andrews also succeeds on the characterization front. Kate Daniels may not be the most original protagonist, but she’s damned likable––a refreshing contrast to the Twilight-esque bimbos who lack brains and swoon at the first sight of a handsome face and a six-pack. Daniels is too smart, too busy, and in too much danger to indulge in schoolgirl vapidity. She is a true pragmatist who invariably puts the real world first and forces her fantasies to take a backseat. Andrews surrounds Daniels with a variegated array of friends, foes, and weirdnesses that coalesce into an adventure that is simultaneously believable and delightfully absurd.

I look forward to joining Kate Daniels on at least one or two more occasions, and will perhaps read the entire series.

Rating: 7/10