Crimes Against Magic (Hellequin Chronicles Book 1) [Kindle Edition]

Steve McHugh (Author)

Book Description

It’s been almost ten years since Nathan Garrett woke on a cold warehouse floor with nothing but a gun, a sword, and no idea of who he was or how he got there. His only clue … a piece of paper with his name on it. Since then, he’s discovered he’s a powerful sorcerer and has used his abilities to work as a thief for hire. But he’s never stopped hunting for his true identity, and those who erased his memory have never stopped hunting for him. When the barrier holding his past captive begins to crumble, Nathan swears to protect a young girl who is key to his enemy’s plans. But with his enemies closing in, and everyone he cares about becoming a target for their wrath, Nathan is forced to choose between the life he’s built for himself and the one buried deep inside him.

Crimes Against Magic is an Urban Fantasy set in modern day London with Historical flashbacks to early fifteenth century France. It's book one of the Hellequin Chronicles, a series about Nathan (Nate) Garrett, a centuries old sorcerer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steve McHugh lives in Southampton on the south coast of England with his wife and three young daughters. When not writing or spending time with his kids, he enjoys watching movies, reading books and comics, and playing video games. Crimes Against Magic is his first novel, and the first novel in the Hellequin Chronicles.

Product Details

• File Size: 523 KB
• Print Length: 388 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1477411321
• Publisher: Hidden Realms Publishing (April 27, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007YK01JY
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,138 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #47 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Magic & Wizards

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Surprising Debut May 4, 2012

By Jay_Otaku

Format:Kindle Edition

'Crimes Against Magic' is the first debut novel I have had the pleasure of being asked to review. It's author Steve McHugh has obviously spent a massive amount of time building the world of the story. The plot without spoilers, is about a magic user named Nathaniel Garret. An amnesiac thief for hire, whose past comes to catch up with him after a job goes bad.

This is nothing new, most stories you will read are just that, nothing new. With this being said the way, an author handles tropes and used subject matter, is the difference setting apart books and stories being told in this changing world of publication.

Steve McHugh in this debut novel sets himself apart in the urban fantasy genre. The main character to me is like James Bond with magic being directed by John Woo. He takes some very well known creatures of the fantasy genre and makes them savage, brutal, beings putting an edge back onto the fantastical. This makes 'Crimes Against Magic' a hugely exciting journey.

This is not a flawless masterpiece but as I said before this is his debut novel. There are some newbie author habits/mistakes in the novel. One of these I picked out was character diversity, as he uses alot of blond female characters. Another is Nathan himself. He is untouchable, taking out werewolves and other supernatural beings with relative ease. Very Bondish indeed. I must say the MC does take one savage beating at the hands of a well crafted villain.

All in all this is a well written and put together story with well done flashbacks to give you a movie like quality. I typically HATE flashbacks, but McHugh gives you exposition and character development amidst supernatural action. The action is well crafted and choreographed sequences....

This being an urban fantasy story there is magic. The system used to govern magic use in the story is well thought out, and ties directly into the stories plot. I can't go into more detail, because it would spoil rather pivotal scenes and events of the story.

'Crimes Against Magic' is an exciting, fun page turner of a story. An impressive feat from a debut author well worth being picked up. Read more ›

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick and Fun Read! May 7, 2012

By Darcie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

First of all, I must say, the title is wicked cool. I also have to give hats off to the cover artist because I could not have pictured a better embodiment of Nate than what is on the front cover of Crimes Against Magic.

Second, the novel was a quick and fun read. It has been awhile since I read an Urban Fantasy that didn't focus on werewolves, vampires, and witches. Perhaps that is my own fault, but none the less, reading about badass sorcerer Nate was a pleasure! I especially liked the action scenes. Even though most of the novel is action upon action upon action, it never felt repetitive or drawn out. I was able to see each fighting scene clearly in my head. I dare say, this novel would make a good movie script. *Hint hint to all you screenwriters out there!* :)

Steve also does a good job weaving in Nate's old life with his new life as his memories unfold and the danger to Nate's loved ones heightens as the novel progresses. I was also particularly intrigued by Steve's decision to weave historical France with the ancient Greek legends of mythology. Nate's life of magic relates to each of these time periods effortlessly as he travels the world in search of defeating the the "bad guys". Who shall remain a mystery. Guess you will have to read the book to find out what happens!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story October 13, 2012

By J Clifford

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I tried this book due to its excellent cover, and I really lucked out. This is a great read with well thought out plots, characters, and pacing. I usually read Jim Butcher and Kevin Hearne and this book fits right in with this genre. The Main character is strong but not invincible and has small flaws that are pretty funny. The world creation gives you a sense of the harder parts of modern urban life with hidden spaces and familiar landmarks. I am really looking forward to the sequel to this book.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Needs an Editor January 30, 2013

By Verity Brown

Format:Kindle Edition

This book is a really good example of why self-publishing shouldn't be an author's first choice (as opposed to actually submitting it to a publisher). There's a genuinely interesting story here. But it's undercut by small-but-persistent grammatical errors and the author's inability to resist turning his "hero" into a Gary Stu. An editor's discipline could have turned this into a good book instead of a "meh" book.

What I liked:
The mythos was intriguing, and the author has a nice flair for storytelling. So I didn't feel that my time was utterly wasted. But I'm also glad I borrowed this from the lending library instead of buying it (which I was tempted to do on the basis of the reviews).

What I didn't like:
The grammatical errors (such as changing between past and present tense in the same sentence) and occasional spelling and punctuation errors were jarring. Then there were the "wtf?" errors--little assertions (like having to avoid major cities during a walk that lasted just a few *hours*) that simply made no sense. Again, these are things that any good editor would have fixed. But the most annoying aspect of this book was the tendency of almost every character to be either an implacable enemy or Nate's loyal friend (to the extent of being willing to die for him, within days of meeting him!!!). Women he's never met before can't wait to get into his pants (with the accompanying porn-like descriptions). And of course he's the most amazing fighter ever--he even comes equipped with "cool" Chinese weapons. Some reviewers have compared this to the Harry Dresden books, but while this book has a similar kind of wild magical combat, it lacks Dresden's moral conscience and his essential underdog nature.... It's hard to feel worried about whether Nate will succeed when he has amazing "skillz" that have been honed over dozens of centuries and he has only a few semi-buff bad guys standing in his way.

Conclusion:
Why does this book have such high ratings? At first I couldn't help wondering if it was a combination of a lot of friends/acquaintances and good PR. But I suspect that it's more a matter of having a readership that shrugs off (or doesn't even notice) the grammatical errors and that *likes* (instead of being disgusted by) the Mary-Sue-fantasy nature of Nate's life. I'm sure McHugh will have a loyal audience for Nate's adventures. I, however, will not be among them.

BTW, I would have rated this a low 3 instead of a high 2, but the ugly sneers at Americans in the epilogue really offended me. A British guy who writes a book that's full of easily-obtained guns in the hands of British criminals has no business making fun of how easy it is to get guns in America. Read more ›

More About the Author

Steve's been writing from an early age, his first completed story was done in an English lesson. Unfortunately, after the teacher read it, he had to have a chat with the head of the year about the violent content and bad language. The follow up 'One boy and his frog' was less concerning to his teachers and got him an A.

It wasn't for another decade that he would start work on a full length novel, the result of which; Crimes Against Magic is now available from Amazon.

He was born in a small village called Mexbrough, South Yorkshire, but now lives with his wife and three young daughters in Southampton.