Review: Wickedly fun!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 26, 2010
"Tracking Magic (Max Killian Investigations)" is Maria Schneider's second foray into fantasy, and I'm happy to say that she's batting a thousand. Like her first fantasy work, "Sage: Tales from a Magical Kingdom," "Tracking Magic" is a collection of short stories, but that's where the similarities end. "Sage" is set in an unstated time and place where everyone has some kind of magic power, whereas "Tracking Magic" is the Earth in the future after fossil fuels have been exhausted. With few conventional energy sources remaining, it's now safe for supernatural beings such as witches, elves, and fairies to come out of hiding and offer their unique and powerful services to humans."Tracking Magic" is a collection of five short stories about the exploits of Max Killian, a private detective who, as a human, has no magic powers, but his remarkable perceptiveness and ability to work with supernatural beings earn him a decent living. I enjoyed each of the five short stories in the collection. In "Haunting Clues," a wealthy thief learns the hard way that there are consequences to his thievery, even when the stolen property is only a bunch of rocks. "Roadkill" shows how dangerous even cold cases can be. "Privy to Secrets" was my favorite story. It's a very creative story combining humor, witchcraft and black magic, and even a little romance for Max.Ms. Schneider amazes me with her creativity and originality. "Tracking Magic" is the third book of hers that I've read, and each one has revealed more of her talent and her ability to combine genres. She describes "Tracking Magic" as "Get Smart meets Ghostbusters." That's an apt description. Max is a funny guy, but his business is serious, and he knows that just being around magic can get him killed at any time or place with no warning.As a bonus, "Tracking Magic" includes samples from some of the author's other works.Bottom line: two thumbs up and five stars.