A Distant Magic (Guardian) [Kindle Edition]

Mary Jo Putney (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Near the start of this diverting romantic fantasy set in 1753, the third Guardians novel from bestseller Putney (after 2005's Stolen Magic), Nikolai Gregorio, a handsome pirate captain operating in the Mediterranean, kidnaps pretty red-haired Jean Macrae, a member of the Scottish branch of the Guardians (humans with magical powers derived from nature), in revenge for a wrong he thinks her father did him 20 years earlier. A decent sort who possesses limited magical powers, Nikolai is dedicated to fighting the evil of slavery by freeing galley slaves. He even sets up an island refuge for them. After Adia Adams, a freed slave, travels back in time from 1787 London, the pirate and the fiery Scotswoman find themselves on a dangerous magical mission to strengthen the fledgling abolitionist movement. The mix of magic, time travel, history, adventure, romance and social consciousness will delight series fans, but may strike some readers as an incongruous blend. (July)
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From Booklist

When Nikolai Grigori is a homeless urchin in Malta, the visiting Macrae of Dunrath recognizes his magical powers and offers to foster him. But on the voyage to England they are attacked by pirates, and Macrae does nothing to stop them from taking Nikolai as a slave. Years later Nikolai exacts revenge by kidnapping the late Macrae's daughter. Jean, a Guardian, saves the day, first when their ship is attacked by pirates, and later when she adds her magic to Nikolai's to survive a horrifying storm. Adia, a woman from the future who survived the Middle Passage and went to England at the end of the American Revolution, turns up on Nikolai's private island, Santola, with the message that Jean and Nikolai must travel to the future to ensure the success of the abolition movement. As they travel through time, they use both African and Guardian magic and discover the synergistic effect of intimacy on their paranormal powers. Not the page-turning escapist fare readers usually expect from Putney, this tale features admirable characters and a fascinating approach to slavery and the abolition movement. Tixier Herald, Diana

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 347 KB
• Publisher: Del Rey (July 17, 2007)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000U0NSZO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,899 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USAToday bestselling author, Mary Jo Putney was born in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. Her entire romance writing career is an accidental byproduct of buying a computer for other purposes.

Her novels are known for psychological depth and intensity and include historical and contemporary romance, fantasy, and young adult fantasy. Winner of numerous writing awards, including two RITAs and two Romantic Times Career Achievement awards, she has five times had books listed among the Library Journal's top five romances of the year, and three times had books among the top ten romances of Booklist, the magazine of the American Library Association.

Her favorite reading is great stories, but in a pinch she'll settle for the backs of cereal boxes. She's delighted that e-publishing can now make available books that have been out of print.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guardian series gets more serious, September 17, 2007

By 

L. Hagerty (Sunshine State) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Distant Magic (Hardcover)

The third book in the Guardian series has moved away from pure romantic fantasy with a touch of history to more historical romance with a touch of fantasy. If you expect more scottish castles and unicorns, you may be disappointed. I read this book first, and went back to read A Touch of Magic and Stolen Magic because I liked the author's style. A Distant Magic is my favorite because it is more complex. I also think time travel, when used well, is a great plot device. Very entertaining!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What a strange book..., December 19, 2008

By 

D. Fuentes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Distant Magic (Guardians (Del Rey)) (Mass Market Paperback)

Props for combining romance, time travel, paranormal activity AND the beginnings of the anti-slavery movement, but what an odd mix! The "lighter" and more fantastic elements in the novel (the legendary cosmic lust between the leads and the hokey time travel) seemed trivial and quite silly really, against the historical backdrop of slavery. Not only must the hero and heroine jump forward in time, "quantum leap"-style, to render assistance to anti-slavery proponents so they can continue to further the cause, they must "mate" to augment their time traveling powers. Did I mention that the hero is a pirate and his kidnapped heroine just happened command a battalion at the Battle of Culloden? It's a shame because it seemed to me that the author really did her homework, and had a very interesting and unique angle with her emphasis on the efforts by some parliamentarians in Britain to end slavery over a forty year period. I was disturbed a bit by the focal nemesis of the novel as well. The hero and heroine, along with other masters of western and african magic, fight the ultimate battle in the novel against a super powerful african mage (magician) who presumably wants slavery to flourish so he could continue in his elevated position as assistant to a white slave trader. Of all the antagonists that could exist in a slavery novel, this is the evil that had to be magically contained in order for the anti-slavery movement to be a success? I know, I know-- I'm peevishly refusing to suspend my disbelief but this is just odd. In fairness to Putney, I had just finished reading Toni Morrison when I picked up "A Distant Magic" quite randomly in the library, and the contrast just about did me in.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A weak romance, October 11, 2008

By 

emyln (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Distant Magic (Guardians (Del Rey)) (Mass Market Paperback)

I wish that I could strongly recommend this book. After all the premise is original, there's magic involved and the characters are likable. But the latter half of the book is mired in abolishing slavery and going through time to fight the unseen evil that is promoting slavery.

Not exactly romance material and it really detracted from the story. It almost felt like a story about slavery instead of romance. Not a good mix at all. I think the intention was to make it an epic love story that spanned ages but it failed on that front.