Customer Reviews

Dagger Magic (Book 4)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At first blush DAGGER MAGIC seems to have all the elements that make up a really well told thriller. The fourth book in THE ADEPT series concerns the discovery of sacred oriental black magic texts on board a derelict Nazi submarine, and an evil Tibetan monk who turns out to be an Ubermensch hiding incognito.

Ludlum, Follett and Forsyth could do no better in creating mesmerizing plot elements. Added to this, DAGGER MAGIC has a wonderful subplot about a character's past life incarnation that is impinging disastrously on the present day. Kurtz and Turner Harris' writing is detailed and gives the reader a fine sense of place.

So why only two stars?

Essentially because although DAGGER MAGIC is a quality work it's becoming very evident that THE ADEPT is getting tired. After taking a hiatus from the Lodge of the Lynx in THE TEMPLAR TREASURE, Kurtz and Turner Harris have yoked this novel to the further adventures of Lynx-Master Francis Raeburn. Somehow, you know you've read it before. It's obvious from the outset that Raeburn is going to manage to elude Sir Adam Sinclair's Hunting Lodge yet again, leading us into Book Five.

Frankly, Raeburn isn't that interesting or that evil. Kurtz and Turner Harris haven't given the character any depth or complexity. He may be the Master of a Black Lodge but he's far too au courant to make you cheer for his downfall. Raeburn is a caricature of a nasty politician or a bad boss, not a picture of a man dedicated to all forms of wickedness. He seems to have no particular vices other than a yen for personal power, and so what? In short, Aleister Crowley he ain't.

What the esteemed Lynx-Master should be doing is seducing schoolgirls, smoking opium, and funding assassination squads, not examining ancient grimoires with a magnifying glass. What a dangerous pastime for a man to cultivate. The worst thing I can say about Raeburn is that he's rude and treats the servants like coolies. Hardly a fit heir for all the evils of the world.

By making their primary bad guy such a milquetoast, Kurtz and Turner Harris have practically guaranteed that the epic battle between good and evil that is the backbone of this series degenerates into a proxy fight between the impeccably tailored Sir Adam and the equally impeccably tailored Raeburn.

I'd like to like this book. The earlier volumes all have a quirky charm which is not missing here, but this book probably would be much better if the authors had put less effort into moving their continuing plotline along and more into good plain storytelling. As it is, despite it's strengths, DAGGER MAGIC doesn't stick with you.

"Dagger" is an above average modern-fantasy/occult novel that you can polish off in a few hours. It's a bit like an old episode of "Columbo" -- you already know whodunnit, watching the good guys unravel the bad guys' plans is where the fun is. The dialog is a little hokey (Peregrine's new wife tells him that their lives are "inextricably entwined" -- I'm almost 30 years old and have never said the word "inextricably" out loud). Also, "Dagger" would flow a little better if the author didn't stop to describe what kind of car everyone drives or the accent (or lack thereof) of the head bad guy. These are minor quibbles, though, and shouldn't stop you from reading it, especially if enjoyed the first three books in this series.

The "Adept" series is one of fantasy's more unusual ones, and Dagger Magic fits right in. A rusty Nazi submarine full of Tibetian magic? A police inspector who happens to also be a medium? Fantasy indeed! Aside from a tendency to get really bogged down by fashion detail (I ended up knowing more about Sir Adam Sinclair's wardrobe than I ever wanted to) the story develops fairly well. The heros are likeable, and the villians vile. They would both benefit from more ambiguity, as they come off a bit one-dimensional. Overall, a pleasant, leisurely read

I loved "Dagger Magic" and the other Adept novels. I would not recomend it for serious reading, but it is fun and imaginative, and had interesting devolopments of the Adept World View. Some readers may be put off by it's glimpse in the life of Adam Sinclair Style, and the fact that the supposed main focus of the book is stuck in the last quarter of it. I still found my emotions aroused, and my imagination put to the test. Perhaps it should not go down in literary history, but it has inspired me to read the other Adept books, I have already read the first one.

Everything you could possibly want in a Thriller... and then some! Take all the elements of a classic Ludlum thriller: Nazis, evil cults, etc., then throw in some otherworldly exploits by our hero Sir Adam Sinclair, the Adept and Master Huntsmen. The mix makes for a surprisingly entertaing yarn, the fantastic elements in the story are handled well and are never far outside the realms of belief. A true "modern fantasy", with an intriguing cast of supporting characters and dastardly evil villians

I'm a huge fan of wacky World War II occult/super-science stuff. Indiana Jones, Wolfenstein, that kind of stuff.
When I see that the book's got a swastika on the cover, has a title like "Dagger Magic", and the synopsis talks about crashed Nazi submarines and Nazi black magic threatening the free world, my attention is piqued.

Too bad 3/4 of the book is dominated by a wedding party, the honeymoon of two characters, and the investigation of a completely unrelated side-plot involving a woman astral-projecting and unknowingly causing accidents on a freeway.

The book opens by introducing the Nazi submarine and having ominous Tibetan monks killing some coast guard employees, and then the entire Nazi plot that the book is allegedly about doesn't come up again for a full 220 pages when the "bad guys" finally reveal what their devious plan actually is.
Even then, the "bad guys" don't get anywhere near the submarine to even execute their plan until after page 300. And despite this, the book is dominated by a whole lot of inane talking and not a lot of doing.

To make it even worse, in a book dominated by dialogue, every character sounds the same, except for a couple mercenaries who show up around page 300 and then end up getting killed 10 pages later. Every character "murmurs" and "grins wryly".

I should have learned my lesson after I picked up 'Lammas Night' by Katherine Kurtz for the same exact reason I picked this book up. 'Lammas Night' was plagued by similar problems - every character sounded the same and did a whole lot of (often repetitive) talk and very little interesting action.

Maybe I'd have liked 'Dagger Magic' more if I was a fan of the series it's a part of, but the book really felt like a bait-and-switch based on the description and I ended up being bored to tears.

I ordered this book form the vendor and it arrived on time and in good condition.

Although the book bore no resemblance to the synopsis whatsoever, I found it to be a most enjoyable addition to the series thus far. Readers of the previous novels in this series will find themselves able to jump right in where they left off, with little or no refreshing of their memories.
I have only two issues that I feel are worth mentioning. One, there is a point in the book where DCI McLeod is waiting for a phone call from a fellow Detective. A misprint will confuse the reader, as Noel says that he will ask "Scanlan" a question that needs asking. Unfortunately, "Scanlan" is not the name of the detective Noel is waiting to hear back from. It is the name of the victim in the case they are working on. If the reader is not sharp, this error will cause a bit of confusion for a moment or two.
Secondly, I feel that the story line involving Sir Adam's hit and run patient was left glaringly unfinished. Perhaps we will see this story line brought to some sort of conclusion in the next installation of the series.

All-in-all though, minor quibbles aside, I would have to say that Kurtz and Turner-Harris have supplied another wonderful addition to the series. I polished it off in a matter of hours and found myself re-involved in the lives of characters that I hadn't visited in months. It was enjoyable, fast-paced and intriguing. Well done!

A book I enjoyed reading but was surprised by the blurb on the jacket & your synopsis which have no relation to the content. The story concerns Adam Sinclair and his 'team' rather than a prequel concerning his mother !

This is the third book on The Adept series and it is finally one that can be read without yawning. I wouldn't call it a late-night-turn-the-pager as advertised but is more interesting then the previous books. A major disapointment, starting in book two, is the fact that the developing relation between Adam/Ximena and Pergegrin/Julia is reduced to a few sentences where the reader is informed that something is going on. Especially with Adam where we are told in an entire! paragraph about a relation that is supposedly going on for over a year. In Peregrins case we are suprised with the fact that they are marrying. I would have expected more interaction between the characters prior to engagement. Especially as the plots dragged on and there would have been ample room for that. At least this book has an interesting prologue and Peregrin gets a bit more involved than only being the servant of Adam. Even if it is only at the beginning, but it is a start.