The Last Days of Magic

January 25, 2016
Tompkins mixes a heady brew of Celtic and Biblical mythology with late medieval political intrigue and warfare in his debut novel. In the present-day prologue, Sara Hill discovers that hidden in books of mythology from her childhood in London is evidence of Nephilim, offspring of angels and humans, whose existence the Vatican wishes to suppress. The scene shifts to late 14th-century Ireland where a centuries-old status quo is in jeopardy. During times of trouble, the goddess Morrígna is born as twins: one is to rule the human Celts and the other to be queen of the Sidhe, a diverse group of Irish Nephilim. In a bid for power, Kellach, leader of the Skeaghshee (a tribe within the Sidhe), has one of the twins assassinated. Kellach has allied himself with Cardinal Orsini of the Roman Church, who wishes to forcibly bring Irish Christians into the Roman fold. Tompkins combines deft characterization with treachery, battle, magic, and hints of Dan Brown. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, The Gernert Company

December 15, 2015
A half-goddess, a Vatican mercenary, kings, queens, warriors, and faery creatures battle for control of Ireland in this historical fantasy adventure. Medieval Ireland is protected by a powerful goddess known as the Morrigna, a female trinity with one aspect in the spirit realm and two human aspects, born again and again as the twins Anya, the sage, and Aisling, the warrior. Or it should be. Only Anya's been killed, and Aisling remains alone, half a person, cut off from much of her power. And forces are massing to attack the weakened island. The Roman Catholic Church is bent on exterminating magical creatures and converting new lands, and they've set their sights on Ireland. Their goal: to drive out and kill the Sidhe, the magical creatures descended from angels who protect Ireland and fill it with magic, thus driving magic out of the world forever. But Jordan, the mercenary the Vatican has chosen to lead this mission, may not be as loyal as they expect. Debut novelist Tompkins creates an intriguing world stocked with colorful characters and rich with biblical and mythological allusions. The stakes are high, and the battle between magic and religion ought to be compelling, but the story gets bogged down in excessive historical detail, sapping the energy and weakening the characters' appeal. The bones of a great fantasy are here, but most readers will find the book slow going.

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March 15, 2016
Fourteenth-century Ireland is a magical land of Celts living alongside druids, witches, faeries, trolls, and sprites. Half-goddess Aisling is thrust into a world of chaos as the Irish kings and queens are divided and vulnerable. The balance between the Celtic clans, Sidh, Fomorians, and Nephilim is teetering, and this fragility allows England and the papacy in Rome to independently devise plans to gain power over the magical island. The Vatican hires Jordan, a mercenary, to lead the crusade for control over Ireland and demolish the Irish source of magic. England joins in hopes of securing Ireland itself. The ensuing war crucially tests Aisling and Jordan in a story of power and magic, love and loss. Weaving together the consequences of choices, from the time of Adam and Eve to the mystical entities of medieval Ireland to the present day, Tompkins offers the reader a unique, intricate, and complicated story intersecting myth, magic, mysticism, and biblical lore.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2016

Ireland in the 14th century is the last bastion of real magic, with the Celts and the magical Sidhe jointly ruled under the three-part goddess known as the Morrigna. One of the goddess aspects, Anya, is killed by a power-hungry sect of the Sidhe known as Skeaghshee, leaving only Aisling in Ireland and her sister in the underworld. The question is whether they will be enough to protect Ireland from not only the Skeaghshee, but an invasion from England and the representatives sent by the Catholic Church. VERDICT For this debut novel, Tompkins has done extensive research on the history of the period and the myths of faerie but leaves too much of it on the page, slowing the action. His invented mythology attempting to combine Irish tales of the faerie folk with biblical tales of the descendants of angels makes for a messy kitchen-sink worldbuilding. The framing story of a young woman scholar discovering undamaged versions of the Dead Sea Scrolls adds nothing to the story yet will perhaps make more sense in the inevitable sequel. [See Prepub Alert, 9/28/15.]--MM

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015

Aisling, a goddess in human form, aims to reunite medieval Ireland and the Middle Kingdom, where faeries dwell, even as she tries to keep the peace among Celts, Vikings, and angry, otherworldly sorts. Meanwhile, Vatican commander Jordan's captive Najia is an enchantress bound by spells. Lots of power plays; first in a series.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.