This has been my introduction to Eli Marks and by authorial association, John Gaspard, and I have to say that I have had a thoroughly great time in the company of Gaspard’s creation. The sphere of magic is always a little bit intriguing anyway, and add to this, a likeable narrator, witty and self-deprecating, and a variety of different situations in which we, as readers, see Marks navigate with insight and lively commentary and you have the makings of a really good read.
There is an art to a good short story: character establishing is key and Gaspard does this really well. Both Eli and his Uncle Harry lend the narrative an air of realism which is added to by their banter and exchanges about magic throughout and this did not deviate throughout the whole of the book. They were both a steady presence in all (or most, perhaps, for Uncle Harry) of the stories and I liked them very much.
Along with character, setting and a sense of place is important and whilst elements of the stories were similar, Gaspard is great at taking Marks into different places – to cite some examples, a conference, the home of a troubled man, a theatre. Within these differing scenarios, magic is key, but does not dominate, acting as more of an aside to the main action; a vehicle through which Marks discovers the truth through parallels with tricks he knows or is learning, or a way of introducing new characters by association, or a tool for discovery. But there is discussion of magic, its past and its masters throughout and whilst I did not recognise all of the names mentioned other than the most obvious, their appearance in the text adds an air of validity to Marks’ narrative as they reinforce Eli’s character and again, add realism- a magician is bound to make reference to magic, right?
What I will take away most from this book, is good storytelling. All of the stories flowed from start to finish and were well plotted. The sign to me of a good writer is having an experience where you are not conscious of anything other than the pictures created in your imagination by another’s writing and that is just what you get with Gaspard – easy, delightful reading from a good writer.
I will definitely read more Eli Marks and other books by Gaspard.
This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC.
Scuffed Granny 