I would like to thank Nazia from Orbit for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Orbit

Published – Out Now

Price – £22 hardback £12.99 Kindle eBook

ANYONE CAN USE MAGIC - IF THEY CAN AFFORD THE PRICE . . .

In a world where everything magical is bought up and controlled by the super rich - Stephen Oakwood has inherited a natural talent for magic. Plunged by his father's disappearance into a glittering world of scheming dynasties, warring patriarchs and vicious scions, Stephen must navigate magical high society and learn to control his gifts.

Dangerous enemies await the Oakwood heir, and even more dangerous allies: if Stephen cannot master his magic quickly and learn to distinguish friend from foe, his name may end up on the missing persons list, just like his father.

How many of us have not wished to have the ability to perform magic. Fly, be fast, be invisible, be strong etc etc. As well as its clearly cool it is also something that takes us away from the boredom of this sometimes grey and safe world. But would magic remove all the problems or just create new ones? In Benedict Jacka’s very interesting new fantasy novel An Inheritance of Magic I found a start to new series that looks at the systems magic could end up building around itself and that has a lot to reflect on making a living in our own world.

Twenty-year-old Stephen Oakwood pretty much works hard to keep his head above water. A temporary job where enough sick days mean you lose employment. Rent, a cat and the small matter of London life means he keeps his head down but wonders what else there is. Stephen has though one skill - drucraft the ability to use a magical force known as essential to create sigls. Thes era physical objects that have special powers – Stephens creates a light. It’s an old skill but as his mother abandoned him and his father mysteriously vanished there is no one to train Stephen into what he could do. But then Stephen finds himself the attention of the Ashford family – one of the most potent, wealthy and powerful families who specialise in Drucraft and Stephen may be related. Stephen quickly finds himself threatened, kidnapped and treated like a nuisance. But Stephen is not the type of person to take this lying down and starts to put his mind and magic to the challenge and begins to learn about the hidden world that few know about, and Stephen wants to ensure he is never underestimated again.

Usually, I find the phrase ‘magic system’ a huge turn-off. I like magic to be weird and unexplainable not an instruction guide so it’s a mark of how good this story is that I ended up not caring that had I to learn some rules and terminology because this story is a lot more interesting than your usual warring magical families saga. Jacka has written a really compelling story about a main character who is working class and finding himself not just up against the rich and magical but the whole established and privileged business community that now owns the magical world. Jacka cleverly makes this a recognisable tale of anyone in their twenties who finds getting a job and working hard is no longer simply the way to make a better life for yourself. The system now has rules against allowing people to do that. This is a really refreshing take.

So, we do have for fantasy fans the interesting concept of a whole world of magical areas known as Wells from which these spellcasting sigl devices can be made. They can do things from increase health to invisibility and Stephen must now learn the ropes. For a welcome change we don’t have a magical school and endless teaching lessons and lessons but a character who has to be a lot more resourceful; pound the streets, experiment, follow leads and even spend cash for clues. What draws me in is Stephen is bright, but it is his determination that drives him – one foot after another, one experiment after another and never giving up. His narration shows us a person who solves problems like an engineer; both emotional and technical. In fact, the scornful and quite frankly horrible Ashford clan are motivation enough. Jacka makes observations on the entitled noble families who have all the wealth so can do whatever they want with few consequences while Stephen has to worry about paying the rent. Even as it appears Stephen has special gifts regards Wells and Sigls he finds that the gig economy model that the magical world has created is still very much designed to not allow any new young upstarts to make a killing. Those who seek out magical Wells for the corporations have poor magical equipment they must pay for: lots of competition and parallels are made with things like Uber and various selling/warehouse jobs show how even if you’re a magic wielder if you’re not from a wealthy family then don’t expect a big house and easy life any time soon.

Plotwise this the start of a new series is Stephen starting to understand the world. There is a lot of discussion of the magic system – which for me is a little wearing but if you enjoy that kind of thing then you’ll love the obvious care and though Jacka has pout into this. The more interesting element is how Stephen uses this - I love that the welfare of his cat (the awesome Hobbes) becomes a key plot point. But as things develop its about Stephen having to think through his problems – he can’t lose his temper and fight – these people (or more accurately their thugs) can squash him – it is instead about learning to be smarter that allows him an advantage. In addition, there are suggestions of wider currents in this world similar to debates on energy markets and dangerous populists. Drucraft may have other darker uses and perhaps other forces are showing their faces at last. Its very much the start of series so although we have an arc there are a lot of plotlines that can be explored in later books so don’t be surprised there are a few cliffhangers to resolve. That those forces don’t think someone like Stephen can possibly stand in their way is their mistake.

I really enjoyed this book. Read it very fast and even the magic system has enough interesting angles to keep my attention. But it is the fascinating approach to the world and this determined working class character who does not give in or up that really held my interest. If you’re looking for a new contemporary fantasy story with a bit more thought about the world that we live in this is highly recommended!