Entromancy

According to the clunky exposition in this first of a projected trilogy, set on near-future Earth, humankind has somehow rediscovered a previously depleted element, ceridium, “the axis upon which all magic revolved.” Its emergence leads to the birth of a variety of “long-eared, tusked, horned, or pig-snouted” children known as aurics. Oddly, neither the magic of ceridium nor its link to aurics seems crucial to what is in essence a conventional adventure story. Law enforcement agent Eskander Aradowski has some magical prowess of his own, suspects one conspiracy is afoot, learns of another, and, along with a motley collection of fellow heroes and a few healthy doses of derring-do, saves the day. The narrator occasionally references tension between aurics and humans, but readers generally see cooperation between them, and the ill will between their respective governments is detached from any racial animus. Eskander and other characters are armed with ceridium rifles, bullets, and spears, but there seems to be little difference between these and more traditional weapons. Genre fans will be disappointed by the story’s lack of real innovation. [em](BookLife) [/em]