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Hard magic
422 pages
A gritty, high-octane collision of 1930s noir and explosive magical combat.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a black-and-white gangster film that suddenly erupts into full-color superhero combat. The atmosphere is steeped in 1930s grit, featuring fedoras, tommy guns, and rain-slicked streets, but supercharged by a meticulously crafted, physics-bending magic system. The narrative moves at a breakneck, propulsive pace, driven by punchy, utilitarian prose that lingers lovingly on the mechanics of both firearms and spellcraft. It is a deeply kinetic experience, balancing cynical, hardboiled detective tropes with the earnest, high-stakes camaraderie of a ragtag found family. This is a story built for readers who want their fantasy served with a side of pulp, delivering relentless action, explosive set pieces, and a world-weary hero who just cannot help but do the right thing.
- Mood
- gritty
- noir-tinged
- explosive
- shadowy
- Tone
- hardboiled
- cynical
- pulpy
- kinetic
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- the burden of power · vigilante justice · reluctant heroism · found family in the trenches
- The writing
- Punchy and utilitarian, the sentences are built to deliver maximum kinetic impact and lovingly detailed descriptions of firearms and magical combat.
- The arc
- The protagonist moves from cynical, world-weary isolation to embracing a dangerous, larger-than-life cause alongside a ragtag found family.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave high-octane, cinematic action sequences blended with hardboiled detective tropes and meticulously crafted magic systems.
Content notes
- gun violence
- graphic violence
- period-typical bigotry
About the book
Jake Sullivan is a licensed Private Eye—with a seriously hardboiled attitude. He also possesses raw magical talent and the ability to make objects in his vicinity light as a feather or as heavy as depleted uranium, all with a magical thought. It's no wonder the G-men turn to Jake when they need someone to go after a suspected killer who's been knocking off banks in a magic...more
Description from Open Library.
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