There are other magical powers, such as the necromancy wielded by the Germans and Russians during World War I, that turned dead armies into zombie armies. Another character, Faye, an orphan Okie adopted by a Portuguese farmer in California with a secret past of his own, turns out to be a "Traveler" who can teleport. His ex-girlfriend, Delilah Jones, is a "Brute" with super strength.
Jake Sullivan is a "Heavy" who can manipulate gravity. All the "magic" comes in the form of fairly defined sets of powers, each magical "Active" being gifted with one particular power. But while there are certainly "noir" elements, they mostly come from the 1930s setting, and the plot is a world-saving adventure against an ascendant Japanese Imperium, led by the immortal demigod Chairman Tokugawa, in the time between world wars. I think that is what the author may have intended, particularly with the main character: gritty, growly tough guy bruiser Jack Sullivan, who starts the book as, yup, a private eye, though that becomes irrelevant after the first chapter. You might think that it's a noir urban fantasy, ala Harry Dresden.
Hard Magic is pure action-packed fun with a misleading title (and blurb). And the Feds have plunged Jake into a secret battle between powerful cartels of magic-users - a cartel whose ruthless leaders have decided that Jake is far too dangerous to live. Problems arise when Jake discovers the bad girl behind the robberies is an old friend, and he happens to know her magic is just as powerful as his. It's no wonder the G-men turn to Jake when they need someone to go after a suspected killer who has been knocking off banks in a magic-enhanced crime spree. 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.
Jake Sullivan is a licensed private eye with a seriously hardboiled attitude.
0 kommentar(er)
