Review: Stranger Magic
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 3, 2012
I am confused which book should carry the true story of Magic, the genetically enhanced golden retriever from Iran.  I read a book earlier on from the same author, Edmond Humm, that relates the story of Magic, how he rescued a Marine and how he came to live with the Marine back in the U.S., then heroically stop a terroristic act.  I thought Strange Magic would pick up from where the book ended.  It did....or not.Although the marine is still one of the main characters,  he is now married to her then girlfriend in the first book.  They now have 2 kids. That's still good. But the time frame is wrong. The first book tells that Magic is just over a year old, so if this book is a continuation of the first,  then with the Marine's kids being teeners, Magic should be older as well. However, the first chapter claims that he's just a year old, a brought home by the Marine from the war.  It surely does not coincide.  The same characters....  different facts.  It leaves the impression that I am reading two different realities of Magic.  If so, then I prefer the first story of Magic. This one just doesn't coincide with all the info I already know and have accepted from the first.It would have been much better if the dog was another one like Magic, and not Magic himself.  Or Humm could have tweaked some facts of Strange Magic to have continuity and consistency from the first.  Also, the story flow from the book Magic is more fluid than this book Strange Magic, the last one ended  somewhat abruptly.  The last chapter feels truncated.  Still, they are both good stories, but the first one appears more well laid out and have fewer typo & grammatical errors. In both stories, Magic is consistent as a lovable, highly intelligent dog who cares for the what's right and wrong, and ensures the safety of his family.  It is a tale for people who love dogs with a twist of action and suspense that would keep you guessing of the outcome till the end.