Revisionary by Jim C. Hines

It has been a really long time since I've posted. I've been in kind of a creative slump since finishing my bachelor's degree, like all of my brain power was drained and is just now starting to fill back up. I haven't felt much like reading and even less like writing about reading. Recently, however, I moved to a new apartment which forced me to pack all of my To-Be-Read books. They got all jumbled up and put in a fresh order on the bookcase so new titles jumped out at me. I grabbed Revisionary and read it cover-to-cover in a single evening. It was a little bittersweet because (as far as I know) it's the last book in the Magic Ex Libris series.

Obviously, some spoilers may follow for books 1-3.

Our intrepid hero, Isaac Vainio, has managed to establish a center for magic out near Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the revelation of magic to the world has been fraught with tension. Nation states are quick to notice military and espionage capabilities of the various magical species but frustratingly slow to acknowledge them as living, sentient beings. After coordinated terror attacks on some of the most vocal anti-magic government officials, Isaac begins to suspect some larger scheme. In tracking down the perpetrators, however, he risks not only his own life but the lives and safety of all magic users.

If you haven't picked up this series, it's really cool. Libriomancers use magic to pull objects from books, so if you've ever wanted to wield Excalibur, shoot a ray gun, or just ever wished something you read about could be real, Jim C. Hines has your back. If nothing else, the list of titles he puts in the back as a suggested reading list is invaluable for broadening your horizons in sci-fi/fantasy. Considering how reliant this series is on other author's works, Hines is remarkably good at incorporating familiar elements in a way that never feels like a rip-off. This really is a series for book lovers. It's also really inclusive with a diverse cast of characters, something more fantasy books should strive for.

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