Damiano

Damiano #1

by R.A. MacAvoy

Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Italian Renaissance this alternate history takes place in a world where real faith-based magic exists. Our hero is Damiano Dalstrego. He is a wizard's son, an alchemist and the heir to dark magics. But he is also an innocent, a young scholar and musician befriended by the Archangel Raphael, who instructs him in the lute.

To save his beloved city from war, Damiano leaves his cloistered life and sets out on a pilgrimage, seeking the aid of the powerful sorceress Saara as he must walk the narrow path between light and shadow, accompanied only by his talking dog. But his road is filled with betrayal, disillusionment and death, and Damiano is forced to confront his dark heritage, unleashing the hellish force of his awesome powers to protect those he loves.

The further volumes of this tale are Damiano's Lute and Raphael.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Alternate History, Historical

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Roberta Ann (R. A.) MacAvoy is a fantasy and science fiction author in the United States. Several of her books draw on Celtic or Taoist themes. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 1984. R. A. MacAvoy was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Francis and Helen MacAvoy. She attended Case Western Reserve University and received a B.A. in 1971. She worked from 1975 to 1978 as an assistant to the financial aid officer of Columbia College of Columbia University and from 1978 to 1982 as a computer programmer at SRI International before turning to full-time writing in 1982. She married Ronald Allen Cain in 1978.

R.A.MacAvoy was diagnosed with dystonia following the publication of her Lens series. She now has this disorder manageable and has returned to writing. (see http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/non...)

Reviews

[Michael O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stopped reading fantasy for a long time because all I saw was a field suffocated with Tolkien clones. But those books weren't just bad because Tolkien had already given us the swords and the creatures and the magic; they were also bad because they missed a huge part of what made Tolkien great: the feeling that Middle Earth was beautiful, wonderful and terrible.

RA MacAvoy's Damiano has that best part of fantasy. Damiano is set in a medieval Italy not as we see it but as the medieval Italians might have seen it, replete with angels and witches. The main character is her greatest triumph, however: a young witch trying to do the right things with his terrible power and his innocent inexperience. If you have any interest in fantasy - even if you thought that interest destroyed, as I did - you won't regret picking this one up.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

Young Damiano Delstrego is now the head of his house after his father, a witch, was killed when a spell went horribly wrong. Damiano is also a musician, an alchemist, and a witch, but he’s a good Christian, too, and he tries to use his powers only for good. That’s why he refused to help the army who came to take over his town, though they offered him riches. Instead, Damiano decides to follow the townsfolk who’ve fled for the hills. He wants to warn them that the army plans to find and plunder them. He’s particularly worried about Carla, the girl he has a crush on. He also wants to seek the aid of a powerful sorceress.

So, with an Italian medieval village behind him and the towering Alps ahead, Damiano sets off in the snow with his lute and his beloved talking dog, Macchiata. Along the way, Damiano has a few mishaps, witnesses brutal deeds done by Roman soldiers, gets some inspiration from the archangel Rafael, finds out some uncomfortable facts about his father, and is offered a deal by the devil. He also learns that there’s more to life than his dog, his lute, and Carla.

Damiano is the first volume of R.A. MacAvoy’s DAMIANO trilogy, a historical fantasy set in Renaissance Italy. MacAvoy’s prose is lovely and she makes the most of her setting, with allusions to real historical people, events, religious beliefs, literature, and art. The story takes place in winter and all the brutal events that Damiano witnesses seem especially vile when set against the whiteness of the winter alpine landscape.

I didn’t love the plot as much as I loved the writing and the setting, but this is more of a personal preference rather than any problem with the plot itself. Though it depicts some ugly events, Damiano, his talking dog, and the beautiful angel were a little too sweetly innocent for me. The main focus is Damiano’s struggle with his desire to use his powers for good and his discovery that sometimes it’s hard to know what’s right and wrong. He’s also worried about his soul because Satan has informed him that, since he’s a witch, he’s automatically damned. I didn’t find this to be riveting subject matter, but I thought the excellent writing made up for it.

Though the DAMIANO books were marketed to adults, I think this coming of age story will be appealing to teenagers, and it’s certainly written more beautifully than most YA fantasy is. It’s so lovely, in fact, that I plan to try the second book, Damiano’s Lute. This story has plenty of potential. I’m listening to Audible Frontiers’ version and am very pleased with Nicholas Tecosky’s narration.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I approached this one with some trepidation. I was a teenager when I first read this trilogy, and a Christian. The last is particularly relevant since the characters in this novel include not only an earnest teenager and a talking dog, but also the Devil and the archangel Raphael. I had loved these books in the 80's, but I doubted I would feel the same way today.

Long story short - I was once again completely enchanted by this novel. The plot is simpler than I remembered, and the deus sure do ex machina, but MacAvoy writes characters that a reader can fall in love with - and she's not afraid to raise some difficult questions along the way. Religion both comforts and frustrates her characters, and personal change is not always for the better.

I'm looking forward to re-reading the rest of the series, and moving on to her newer works as well.

[Hart_D (ajibooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really strange book, and I'm not sure what I think of it yet. I rate it 5/5 for its themes and characters, but 3/5 for my personal enjoyment.

Content warning: the dog dies, on-page, and it's terrible. She comes back in the end as a ghost.

It was first published in the early 80s but doesn't feel dated at all. I wasn't surprised because I loved another book by this author, Tea with the Black Dragon.

The first half of the book is pretty idyllic, although there are hints that things will turn darker. Damiano, along with his talking dog, goes on a quest through the countryside of Northern Italy in order to stop bandits from occupying his city. The dog is a wonderful character; she seems like a dog, even though she can speak, and not like a furry human.

I think the blurb mentions faith-based magic and that isn't true. The magic in the book is standard elemental stuff, for the most part, although a lot of people believe it's evil, and Damiano struggles with that question himself. Where it comes from is unclear, which is a plot point. But Damiano's Christianity is a very important part of the book. It's all real, too; the angel Raphael is his best friend, and eventually, he meets with Satan.

After the idyllic opening, Damiano becomes obsessed with a female witch, and the book takes a very dark turn. Then, Damiano is saved from his own opinion of himself as damned. The plot makes sense, and I was happy with the resolution. It was a really big tonal shift, though, and I feel unsettled.

This is the start of a trilogy and I'm curious to continue it at some point. I didn't love this book, but I'm glad I read it. I think it's one I might appreciate more with a reread in the future.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book and others in the series fairly mindlessly around 35 years ago because they were amongst the only fantasy books available at the time. It's taken me that long to actually get round to reading it! It is such a different book from others in the genre; set in the Italian rennaisance with a mixture between fantasy, magic, spiritual, Faustian literature and history with recognisable geography that sits quite oddly in a fantastical context. So interesting but not totally compelling (plot is actually very thin) though I'll read the others just because I feel I have to (having bought them - even so long ago).

[Lisa Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought the Damiano series because it was cheap on Kindle and the idea of Renaissance history blended with fantasy intrigued me. At first, I didn't expect much but it became clear after just a few chapters that my expectations would be greatly surpassed. It had been a very long time since a book has gripped me as much as Damiano.

The book's premise is what intrigued me in the first place- it is a story set in our real, historical world except that magic exists and is closely tied to faith. Despite being fantasy, this premise is done in a way that feels real. Mythical beings such as the angel Raphael and a talking dog existing in real locations amidst real conflicts blends the fantasy and historical aspects of the story together in a way that doesn't feel forced.

At first, the writing style perplexed me a little. At times it can be hard to follow, but once you get used to its poetic style it becomes easier to read. In fact, once you start to understand the way this book is written you start to really become drawn into it.

I didn't like any of the characters at first. They all seem infuriatingly naive, especially Damiano. But you start to learn that that naivety is an integral part of the characters, especially in a book with Christian themes about goodness and innocence. The whole book is about how this naive, young boy comes to realise the reality of the harsh world he lives in, and this tale is told beautifully.

This book is very much unlike the books I usually read as it is mostly devoid of fast paced action. But I found I enjoyed this book much more because of that. This story does not need action to string it along- instead it uses your connection to Damiano and your desire to know what will happen to him next to keep you invested. Just like its been a long time since I've read such an investing book, its been just as long since I've cared for a character in a book as much as I cared for Damiano. When the conflict comes to a point towards the end of the book, I could not stop reading because I just had to know what would happen to this young boy and his dog who I had become so attached to.

Don't let the book's age or Christian themes get in the way of you reading it. It is a beautifully written book that is unlike any other book I have read. It's style may be an acquired taste for some, and it takes a bit to get over the unusual writing, but once you do, you will find yourself with a fantasy novel unlike any other.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

R. A. MacAvoy's intimate fantasy novel, the first in a trilogy published as "A Trio for Lute," is an unexpected little jaunt. It defies fantasy conventions in such a cavalier way, with such natural comfort, that it almost warrants a genre of its own. This leads to some crossed thematic wires, some motifs that don't quite fit together, but these are inevitable side-effects of an experimental spirit that elevates Damiano from curiosity into something worth its investment.

The novel is shaped by eponymous main character Damiano's quest to save his hometown, and his personality is the centerpiece, in terms of tone and point of view. Damiano is well-written, as navel-gazing and insecure as a newly-minted adult must be, and the novel's dramatic turns are all linked to his moral growth and major life decisions. He's also girded by a cast of fascinating side-characters: an archangel who acts as his guide and protector, a star-crossed love and her jealous brother, a pair of street children, and a dangerous and alluring rival witch. And of course, there's Macchiata, Damiano's canine companion, whose presence brings Damiano's emotional richness into relief.

Damiano's story itself is surprisingly limited... he's on a quest to save his city from a malicious general, and most of the novel's meat consists of him running from one potential ally to another. This narrowness of scope -- one city, one militia, one big-bad -- belies the vastness of the world, which is modeled after historic Italy, but with Christian apparitions and mythology made manifest. It can be disorienting, reading a story where the big-bad is a petty military commander, but whose side characters are the angels Raphael and Satan. This bipolar nature of the world is one of the novel's charms.

I mentioned some dissonances. Certain scenes (like one in a ravaged hamlet) seem forced, and it would have been nice to see some clearer connections between the Christian elements and the fantasy mysticism that the novel is built on. Still, these details are just kinks in a fascinating larger picture, and I hope they'll get ironed out in the next couple volumes. On the whole, in a genre that often feels indulgent and overstuffed, Damiano is an intimate dinner with a few old friends, and I'm ready to continue the trilogy to see where it leads.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damiano is volume one in a fantasy trilogy set in an alternative medieval/early Renaissance Italy where witches have real powers but are not persecuted by the church although people are wary of them. Damiano Delstrego, a naive young man in his early 20s, lives alone since his father, also a witch, died after a spell went wrong. Damiano is a musician and plays the lute, and an alchemist who makes medicines for the local community.

When the story opens, he is being given a lute lesson by his teacher, the archangel Rafael. He eventually realises that soldiers have arrived who serve a rival power - not the Savoy masters he is accustomed to - and that all the townsfolk, apart from the town drunk, have fled. After being questioned by the leader of the soldiers, he uses his powers to escape, meaning to warn his fellow townsfolk that they have been betrayed by the drunk and the soldiers know where they are hiding.

So begins Damiano's wanderings in which he is accompanied by his talking dog, Macchiata (Spot) and acquires a stubborn but brave horse, Festelligambe. He encounters robbers, and dead or dying villagers slaughtered by the soldiers his townsfolk are fleeing, and events alter his goals to involve an ill-advised deal with the devil and a search for Saara, a Finnish witch whom he recalls his father saying was the greatest witch in the Italies. In the course of this, he meets a streetwise boy called Gaspare who later becomes an important character. Throughout the story, Damiano wrestles with the issue of whether, as a witch, he is already damned, despite the fact that he attends Mass like any good son of the church.

The writing is vivid and beautifully done, and is probably the best feature of the book, as the subject matter is often quite depressing. Strangely enough, given that this was written years before another fantasy trilogy, Chaos Walking, something very similar befalls his dog companion, who is one of the best characters in the book. The fantasy setting is original and has great potential, but Damiano is rather an irritating character with his dreaminess and stubborness and prevarication. Therefore, the balance of pros and cons means a 3-star rating.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had been years since I read the book, but I remembered the lyrical language. When it became affordable on Kindle, I got it. I finally sat down to re-read it, holding my breath, hoping it was as good as I remembered. I was not disappointed.

The writing is at least as good as I remembered. Now that I am older and have my own little dog, I find the Damiano and his little dog to be even more fascinating. I cried for Damiano as he encountered evil and rejoiced at the simple faith his dog had in him. I found Raphael to be a complexly drawn being. I stopped several times to think about what was written. My favorite quotations are below.

Besides, Damiano, the important questions involve not the intent of God toward us but the soul’s own duty, and you know that clearly, don’t you?

We live our lives bound by our little tasks and possessions and never know how free we could be unless God sees fit to pry us away from them.

To be damned is only not to love.

If you enjoy an alternate history fantasy that includes a heavy dose of Christian background (appropriate for Renaissance Italy), then I think you would enjoy it. Be aware that the Christianity presented is from an alternate history and may not align always with your beliefs. Still the story is quite good and I enjoy philosophical fiction.

[Uudenkuun Emilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up from Mount TBR, a random 80s fantasy I didn't have particularly high hopes for. But oh - I was very pleasantly surprised. MacAvoy's prose is absolutely beautiful: a joy to read for that alone. I always enjoy a well-done medieval European setting (with magic ofc). And the plot ended up being pretty good, too. Not too epic, focusing mostly on Damiano's own internal journey. He was pretty great especially for a male character from an older book: challenging some toxic masculinity tropes, good job dude.

One of the major characters was a Sami witch lady from Finland, too?? WTF, Saara was so great.

Also: I don't know if I've ever read a novel with a nearsighted character where they don't have access to glasses, but this was a very personally relatable feature in Damiano and I loved how MacAvoy wove that part of his character throughout the story, e.g. him not being able to recognise people's faces from afar. What a great detail, and very realistically done. I've often wondered what life would've been like in an age before easy access to glasses and contact lenses.

Spoiler re the amazing talking dog character: Macchiata dies during the low point, which I was upset about, BUT she comes back as a GHOST DOG at the end and is the cutest ghost doge ever.

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this series simply because the author based the main character, Damiano, on Pierre Bensusan, whose music I was studying at the time. I liked the idea of Raphael the Archangel giving lute lessons. There's a music teacher I'd like. To see what inspired her to write this, check out these videos: Merrily Kissed the Quaker, The Alchemist and La Femme Cambree/Wu Wei.

[Lera · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light and fluffy riff on the Christian mythos, with added magicians. Very readable.

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely fantasy novel, set in Renaissance Italy, featuring an endearingly good-hearted, sweet-natured hero who is by heritage a witch and by preference an alchemst, plays the lute - literally taught by an angel - and cooks up medicine for townsfolk who don't all appreciate or even like him. It's not a nice world, however. The town is invaded by mercenaries and the townsfolk flee, leaving him behind. He sets out after them, accompanied only by his talking dog, and determines to keep them and the town safe from war and conflict, little realising what a daunting task he sets himself: selling his soul to the devil being only one of his varied efforts.

It all has the feel of some sly medieval tale, Dante by way of Eco, with an innocent everyman beset by worldly and otherworldly problems alike, with his willingness to make almost absurd personal and spiritual sacrifices for people who barely know him and generally don't appreciate him and a town that he only loves because it happens to be where he lives, propels him headlong to a kind of saintliness that would be ridiculous and even cruel if Damiano wasn't intelligent enough to be aware of it.

Damiano is fun, clever, touching and unusual, about the cost of being nice for the sake of it in a world with lots of bad in it.

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This review may contain spoilers).

I remember reading, when I was a child, a book called Raphael and that it was part of a set of books, though I couldn't remember how many. Typing the title into Amazon brought up the book that was the third in this trilogy. I still couldn't remember if it was the right one, but the image on the cover looked about right.

Since the whole trilogy was available on Kindle, I purchased the three of them and just finished the first book now. I didn't think it would be as good as I thought, because I'm an adult now, but I was wrong.

I liked the characters in this book - all of them, even the minor ones. Well, there was one exception - I'm not a particular fan of brutes in fiction. I found the book quite intense and Damiano was an easy character to relate to. I also liked his relationship with Raphael and with his dog, who was adorable and sweet.

This was definitely well worth reading again. And the author's portrayal of Lucifer was creepy, in some ways, and very well-done, in my opinion.

[Takumo-N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid historical fantasy, set in 15th century Italy, where the black death is sweeping Europe, and people with money and military power are taking advantage and taking cities. That's the plot, a general is in Damiano's city, trying to take it. Damiano tries to convince the general to work for the city, but he refuses, and our main hero goes on a quest to search for peace and save it. It's darker that I expected, and it rises difficult question of duty, responsability, honor and sacrifice. The writing is also way better than anticipated, just because nobody talks about this book, or author, which is a shame. Because of the simple plot, and very few characters it feels as sword and sorcery, but because of the understated but sprawling world building and, as the kids say, soft magic system it's almost high fantasy. It's something in between, whatever it's called. Great stuff.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I entirely loved this book at age 16, maybe 17. So much so I kept it and the rest of the trilogy in my book collection through several moves and the great purge. However, as part of my Re-read Or Die policy towards my bookshelves, I finally got around to rereading this one. And while its time period was neat, it's an example of a close-to-real-world setting, etc... I didn't love it as much. Damiano is too much an innocent for the likes of old, jaded me. The meaning of the grace extended to him at the end doesn't grab me as much as it did young, more Christian me. I still feel a warm feeling for the book, but it's no longer something I need to have so I can always reread it.

[Christopher Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, and this series, I loved as a young adult, but it has been out-of-print for years. It recently came out on the Kindle directly from the author and I immediately purchased all three.

Re-reading this time they held their own — and even offered more, as my palette is more refined.

Each stands reasonably well alone, which is rare for a series, and each is very different, which too is rare for a series. I highly recommend it.

[Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about an italian boy, his musical instrument, his dog, and his guardian angel. not always in that order.

This has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while, read it about a decade past, so picked it up again. MacAvoy has an easy-to-digest writing style, and while the story itself is not particularly epic the books are quite enjoyable, and highly recommended.

[Tieria's]

I loved this series. The concept of Raphael having to - ok, I'm not going to spoil it - go through what he goes through is something I found really charming, and MacAvoy handles it with good sense and humor.

[Tony duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

this whole series was amazing. She is one of the most lyrical writers and so compelling. for a while she was my favorite author. About an angel in the renaissance.

[Chuck Childers · Rating 5 out of 5]

R.A. MacAvoy, you really should write more.

[Michael Lore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damiano is an enchanting, charming novel that has a lot of the features I like in my fantasy novels. It's set in an alternate medieval Italy, one of my favorite settings, and the magic is wild and unexplained - something I really enjoy among the recent trend of explaining everything like it's a science textbook instead of a genre novel. There's also a talking dog, which is always fun. Damiano is the protagonist, and he's interesting, likeable, and goes through significant growth. There's not a ton of action, instead the plot is moved along by Damiano's introspection and internal struggle. Religion is a major theme of the book, and characters - especially Damiano - are simultaneous comforted and troubled by it. I'm not religious myself, but after reading Between Two Fires, To Reign In Hell, and God's Demon in the last couple years, I always like when books feature angels and demons. And while Raphael, the archangel who serves as Damiano's companion, doesn't feature on screen as often as I thought he would have, he plays a major role in Damiano's development and in the climax of the novel.

This is a classic fantasy novel. It's not grimdark, and there's not much violence, or even much action. It's written in a different style than most modern novels, less Joe Abercrombie and more Patricia McKillip. It's a quick, short read and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy when I get around to it.

[Natasha Hurley-Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was... fine. A tour through an alternate MIddle Ages Europe where Christianity isn't just one of many religions, it genuinely is the real deal, with angels, spirits, and Satan all featuring as characters. If you keep your virginity you really get superpowers. I don't read a lot of fantasy nowadays because I have trouble not extrapolating. I had to take a deep breath and just try to turn that part of my brain off in order to get through this.

The story itself is quite meandering. I thought there would be a bit of a plot twist two thirds through It turns out the elder Delstrago isn't dead, he's taken over the body of his son, and that explains the way Damiano remembers things weirdly, and how he didn't reaaaally see his father die, and he can cast some of the spells his dad did despite only seeing them once, etc etc but then there wasn't, and I was a bit disappointed. Damiano just kinda wanders around, tries to do the right thing by his village and gets amusingly misunderstood by all of the less-naive characters (i.e. everyone). I didn't really feel connected to him as a character; he's very... soft. Like the mozzarella someone calls him in the first few pages.

I'll probably read the sequel because I want to see if the author does anything interesting with this insane world they've created.

[James]

"I am greatly impressed with Ms.MacAvoy's Damiano. Her style is masterly and her sorcerous duels hold one spellbound. You seldom find such telling evocation of striking witchcraft scenes, and the weaving of the whole tale is like viewing one five-hundred-year-old masterpiece just about to be cut finished from an artists's loom. I recommend it highly." -Andre Norton "Damiano is a treasurable read. Roberta MacAvoy is undeniably a writer to watch." --Anne McCaffrey Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Italian Renaissance this alternate history takes place in a world where real faith-based magic exists. Our hero is Damiano Dalstrego. He is a wizard's son, an alchemist and the heir to dark magics. But he is also an innocent, a young scholar and musician befriended by the Archangel Raphael, who instructs him in the lute. To save his beloved city from war, Damiano leaves his cloistered life and sets out on a pilgrimage, seeking the aid of the powerful sorceress Saara as he must walk the narrow path between light and shadow, accompanied only by his talking dog. But his road is filled with betrayal, disillusionment and death, and Damiano is forced to confront his dark heritage, unleashing the hellish force of his awesome powers to protect those he loves. The further volumes of this tale are Damiano's Lute and Raphael.

[Bruce Retallack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw this title (actually, the whole trilogy) on special and happily downloaded it based on pleasant, albeit faint memories of reading MacAvoy back in the day. Sad to say, I was decidedly disappointed. The writing is good enough, certainly, and there are some great characters, but the bulk of the story is purely episodic, with no rising arc. Mostly, we just find out how our hero encounters all the people who are needed to participate in the end game. In a similar vein, our hero, while likable enough, only starts to change at the very end, and when he does, he does so in spades. His monomania isn't really credible or sustainable. Nor his his ability to use his 'poor' magical ability to effect really extraordinary magic very believable.
I suspect part of this has to do with the time it was written and the rather different style in which fantasy was delivered. But by today's practices, it doesn't get off the ground, in my opinion.
So, sadly, 2 stars. And I shan't be ready the rest of the trilogy.

[Charles Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has been sitting on the shelf for a long time but was well worth getting round too. Before we get onto the story itself the setting is worth a mention. Renaissance Italy is a refreshing change for a fantasy novel, this also sets up well for interesting interactions between the magic and the largely Christian population.
Despite the fantastical elements this book feels real. Actions have consequences, power is abused and regret is felt. Damiano feels young and inexperienced and is frequently in over his head and yet the challenges this presents are dealt with logically with basically no Deus Ex Machina.
This won't blow your mind despite the big story fitted into a slim volume but is a must read for anyone who enjoys fantasy especially those who are fed up with quasi medieval Tolkein clones.

[Whimsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at page 88.

When I pick up the first book in a series, I like to be eased in gently. When the author takes the time to show me the world and its characters before leaping into the plot and going 100 miles an hour, I'm happy. This book did none of that.

I don't know any of the characters or why I am supposed to care. This book is also meant to be an alternative history? With magic and religion coexisting? How about you let me in on that before you bring in a talking dog and a war I know nothing about?

It's like the author didn't even consider their readers at all during the writing/editing process. If they understood it, then surely everyone else will, right? But I, as a reader, don't have all the information the author has. It is the author's duty to let me in on this so I can get maximum enjoyment. This book, this author, is lazy.

[Jeffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic, Underrated Fantasy

I loved so much about this book. I am left with a few questions at the end, but unlike first time readers, I know there’s a second volume, which I will definitely be reading. I was trying to describe this to someone who wanted a narrower description than fantasy. Alternate history? Quest story? I don’t think one lake fits nicely. Another thing to like. A character study? Damiano’s “dark night of the soul” is pretty harrowing. I can see how some readers may think he had an easy out, but it was almost a Dorothy moment. He had to learn who he is and what he’s capable of, but still had to be told by someone else. The power was his all along. I enjoyed all the characters along the way. And I’m a fan of MacAvoy’s prose. 👍🏻🙂

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was doubly attractive to me, as it's both a fantasy and a novel set in Italy. Damiano is a Christian witch in medieval Italy. He hopes not to follow the evil path that his father trod, but when an army overruns his beloved town he is tempted to use is powers to reverse its fate. The ups and downs he experiences as he struggles with what constitutes moral use of his powers make fascinating and sometimes appalling reading. The novel is the first of a trilogy, and I began the next book the moment I'd finished this one. Scenes of Damiano with the Archangel Rafael and with his dear little dog Macchiata (Spot) are especially affecting.