Book Log 9/2013 - Benedict Jacka: Cursed – Alex Verus #2

I almost surprised myself by how quickly I succumbed to the urge to get the second Alex Verus book after reading the first, 'Fated'. I have to say that I enjoyed this just as much.

Alex is a London-based mage who runs a magic shop and despite being apprenticed to a dark mage in his youth reckons that he's left that behind him. Well, he may not class himself as a dark mage, but as one of the characters points out, he's been the object of several assassination attempts and not many of the assassins are still standing. This is a high body-count book.

For a mage who doesn't class himself as particularly powerful, Alex's talents are unique and definitely give him an edge. He can see the future; not a single future as it will happen, but all the many strands of futures showing what might happen. It means he knows just when to duck, an especially useful talent when someone is pointing a high velocity rifle at his head and about to squeeze the trigger.

After nearly getting killed four times in twenty four hours Alex might be forgiven for thinking someone is out to get him, but he's not the real target. Someone has figured out how to suck the power out of magical creatures and when two of those magical creatures are counted amongst Alex's very small circle of trusted friends, this understandably pisses him off.

Also Luna, who Alex has been teaching to control her curse (a curse that kills anyone she comes into close contact with) is endangered by a developing new relationship.

This book brings back some characters we met in the first one: Arachne the giant spider fashionista, Sonder the young time-mage; Talisin a council member Alex almost trusts, and Cinder and Deleo, antagonists last time, but it's more complicated than that, now. There's a new bad guy in town, though it's just possible that Alex's old enemy is still lurking in the background. It's a fast-paced, gripping read that doesn't let go.

This is developing into an excellent series. I seem to have been reading a cluster of male-magician-urban-fantasy books this year, all of which I've enjoyed, but it's particularly nice to have a British-based story as a contrast to Harry Dresden, Atticus O'Sullivan and Isaac Vainio.

Movie of the Week: Beautiful Creatures

Set in the American south, this is a love story with a supernatural twist. Ethan longs to leave the small town where he feels he's being stifled by the narrow minds surrounding him, but his life changes when he meets Lena, recently moved to town to the protection of her uncle, Macon Ravenwood, a recluse who more or less owns the town founded by his ancestors.

The trailer gave away the main plot point, however. Lena is a witch - or a caster as they prefer to be called. When she reaches 16 she'll be claimed either by the dark or the light. Terrified she's going to turn dark as other family members have done, she des the usual teenage thing of causing minor chaos, mostly unintentionally as her magic gets out of control. Macen tries to protect her while her mother, Sarafine, having possessed the body of Mrs Lincoln, a town busybody, does her best to make sure the darkness wins.

The slight plot is saved by some good performances, surprisingly with Brits Jeremy Irons (Macen), Emma Thompson (Sarafine) and Eileen Atkins (Grandma) cast as Americans and making a decent job of it. (Jeremy Irons in any film is always a bonus!) Relative newcomer Alden Ehrenreich is very convincing as Ethan, but sadly Alice Englert is one of those actresses seemingly interchangeable with many others of her generation and is instantly forgettable as Lena. Viola Davis is excellent as Amma, the local seer and librarian who's been keeping an eye on Ethan ever since his mother died.

After a couple of thin weeks for movies even worth seeing on two-for-one day it was nice to get out to the cinema again, but this won't set the world on fire even though it was a pleasant way to pass a Wednesday afternoon.