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A review by vinayvasan
The Rogue Retrieval by Dan Koboldt
4.0
This turned out to be quite a fun book subtly drawing inspirations from a lot of sources but retaining enough charm to differentiate it from the others. Charming, I think, thats the word for this book. The characters are not very complex but are extremely charming and good humored. There is a vein of darkness but that's mostly hidden away to an extent.
The classic fish-out-of-water scenario heres involves a Vegas magician being hired by a large faceless corporation to hunt a rogue scientist who has gone missing in another world, a world fuedal in set up but containing magic. Which gives our unlikely lead a chance to get involved in things beyond his control, in a world where impersonating magicians could sentence you to death. Quick with his feet and words, Bradley Quinn tries to charm, wheedle and negotiate his way out of the situations that he manages to land and make worse. The supporting cast is also adequately covered and has great chemistry.
There is a nice easy pace to the book and a great comfort level from the way it is written, the moment you pick it up. There is hardly a dull moment in the book. The ending however seemed a bit too pat and rushed. At a point in the book, around 80%, I was resigned to a sequel given how things were going but surprisingly enough, the threads all converge together, if too conveniently to let you off with a decent resolution even if there are enough ancillary threads to make you want to visit the world if there are any sequels planned (Please let there be)
The classic fish-out-of-water scenario heres involves a Vegas magician being hired by a large faceless corporation to hunt a rogue scientist who has gone missing in another world, a world fuedal in set up but containing magic. Which gives our unlikely lead a chance to get involved in things beyond his control, in a world where impersonating magicians could sentence you to death. Quick with his feet and words, Bradley Quinn tries to charm, wheedle and negotiate his way out of the situations that he manages to land and make worse. The supporting cast is also adequately covered and has great chemistry.
There is a nice easy pace to the book and a great comfort level from the way it is written, the moment you pick it up. There is hardly a dull moment in the book. The ending however seemed a bit too pat and rushed. At a point in the book, around 80%, I was resigned to a sequel given how things were going but surprisingly enough, the threads all converge together, if too conveniently to let you off with a decent resolution even if there are enough ancillary threads to make you want to visit the world if there are any sequels planned (Please let there be)