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The Machinists #1
Fracture
Magic is real. And it has consequences.Allyn Kaplan has money, prestige, and a thriving career. But when a mysterious attack thrusts him into a secret world of magic he realizes everything he thought he knew about the world is wrong.Magic isn’t a show performed by entertainers. It’s real, it’s dangerous, and it has terrifying consequences. Enemy wizards are preparing for war, and for reasons unknown they have Allyn in their sights.Hunted, and on the run, Allyn longs to return to his normal life, but when his sister vanishes he fears the worst.Did his mysterious enemies get to her too? The only place to turn for answers is a magi Family whose agenda he wants no part of. But what will they demand in return?
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 7, 2013
193 people are currently reading
375 people want to read
About the author
Craig Andrews
9 books18 followersCraig Andrews graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelors of Arts in English. Growing up on a healthy diet of fantasy and science fiction, some of his favorite childhood memories include being traumatized by the TV shows Unsolved Mysteries and The X-Files. He currently lives in a small, rural town outside of Portland, Oregon with his wife and two boys.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 24, 2014
Oy. One of those troublesome books that was entertaining; had enough story innovation to avoid feeling like a retread of every other urban fantasy out there; had a decent protagonist; and yet, lacked some hard-to-quantify spark to make it memorable.
The story in a nutshell. Allyn is a lawyer, determined to make a name for himself, working 12 or more hours a day to impress the boss. Once, he was close to his twin sister, but his obsession with work has come between them. It's only when she disappears that he's forced to evaluated his priorities.
Emphasis on "forced," because pretty soon he and sis are in the middle of a Magneto vs. Xavier-style battle between a race of sorcerers (Magi). Standing in for Magneto, with a viewpoint that ordinary humans are a lesser species, made to be ruled, "blah, blah, blah," is Lukas, the head of one Magi family. Doing the Xavier thing is Graeme, who believes the Magi can peacefully coexist with humans, but only if they keep a low, low profile.
Lukas has kidnapped Allyn's sister, Kendyl, because he believes that she, despite being human, can wield magic. His methods of bringing out Kendyl's inner Magi, however, are brutal. And Allyn must ally himself with Graeme to rescue his sister.
The story moves along at a nice clip, but I found myself wondering how the Magi had managed to survive, unseen, as it were, for all this time. Graeme and his family have rejected much of the modern world, to such an extent that he and his people don't even have fake IDs or any kind of identity beyond the mansion where they reside. I kept thinking, "Uh, okay, but who built the mansion in the first place? Are there Magi contractors? How do they manage stuff like taxes if they don't exist?"
Ya know, the kind of picky questions that yank a person out of the story?
Also there was Lukas, a textbook, one-dimensional villain. No charm. No motivation except a desire to get his way. (None of Magneto's cracking dialogue.) Just bleh. With such an abyss of personality, it's hard to care if the baddy gets his just desserts.
So...fast pacing, likeable protagonist, but shaky worldbuilding and a boring antagonist.
The story in a nutshell. Allyn is a lawyer, determined to make a name for himself, working 12 or more hours a day to impress the boss. Once, he was close to his twin sister, but his obsession with work has come between them. It's only when she disappears that he's forced to evaluated his priorities.
Emphasis on "forced," because pretty soon he and sis are in the middle of a Magneto vs. Xavier-style battle between a race of sorcerers (Magi). Standing in for Magneto, with a viewpoint that ordinary humans are a lesser species, made to be ruled, "blah, blah, blah," is Lukas, the head of one Magi family. Doing the Xavier thing is Graeme, who believes the Magi can peacefully coexist with humans, but only if they keep a low, low profile.
Lukas has kidnapped Allyn's sister, Kendyl, because he believes that she, despite being human, can wield magic. His methods of bringing out Kendyl's inner Magi, however, are brutal. And Allyn must ally himself with Graeme to rescue his sister.
The story moves along at a nice clip, but I found myself wondering how the Magi had managed to survive, unseen, as it were, for all this time. Graeme and his family have rejected much of the modern world, to such an extent that he and his people don't even have fake IDs or any kind of identity beyond the mansion where they reside. I kept thinking, "Uh, okay, but who built the mansion in the first place? Are there Magi contractors? How do they manage stuff like taxes if they don't exist?"
Ya know, the kind of picky questions that yank a person out of the story?
Also there was Lukas, a textbook, one-dimensional villain. No charm. No motivation except a desire to get his way. (None of Magneto's cracking dialogue.) Just bleh. With such an abyss of personality, it's hard to care if the baddy gets his just desserts.
So...fast pacing, likeable protagonist, but shaky worldbuilding and a boring antagonist.
February 7, 2018
Different mage story
This mage story was different to most I have read and I really enjoyed it. The characters were so well written and as enjoyable as the story itself
This mage story was different to most I have read and I really enjoyed it. The characters were so well written and as enjoyable as the story itself
March 12, 2018
I actually stopped reading this about halfway through when I really couldn't figure out where this guy was going with the story. I understand that authors give you a touch of info, hoping that it will tease you enough to keep reading, but this guy was either too obscure, or I was too obtuse to catch on. I had no clue where he was going with the story and found that I really didn't care, so I just put it down.
April 18, 2023
It was… okay. A good story, but an awful lot of pointless killing, destruction, and some torture. That doesn’t bother me IF it makes sense for the story, but the story and motivations seemed thin. Also, the rules of magic were somewhat refreshing--can’t just keep shooting fireballs etc willy-nilly without a cost—but seemed too limiting, not really workable. But overall a good read if you can suspend disbelief and just go along for the ride.
November 12, 2016
Very interesting book
If I had the option to give this book ten stars I would. This was one of the best books I've ever read for free.
If I had the option to give this book ten stars I would. This was one of the best books I've ever read for free.
March 14, 2018
I read this on advice of my daughter as the author is local. It was a good entertaining debut for a series I'd like to read more of.
December 29, 2016
3/5 ok
Written well, but I never really got invested in it.
Written well, but I never really got invested in it.
October 9, 2016
Fantastic read!
I really enjoyed this book - the author effortlessly took me on an intriguing and extremely well written journey into the fascinating world of the magi I want to learn more about. I see great potential in the author's work and would love to see this on screen one day. I read the book in a few days as it drew me in so well and I just had to buy the next book in the series! You will not regret reading this book but you'll miss out if you don't.
I really enjoyed this book - the author effortlessly took me on an intriguing and extremely well written journey into the fascinating world of the magi I want to learn more about. I see great potential in the author's work and would love to see this on screen one day. I read the book in a few days as it drew me in so well and I just had to buy the next book in the series! You will not regret reading this book but you'll miss out if you don't.
March 12, 2017
Reading and reviewing books
This was a good book. Very fast paced and lots of excitement. It had a different twist about modern magic. I liked it.
This was a good book. Very fast paced and lots of excitement. It had a different twist about modern magic. I liked it.
March 19, 2014
I am a sci-fi genre fan. In my experience, there are few books that capture your attention right from the start. FRACTURE is one of those books. From the first chapter right up until the end, Allyn and the story of the Families was interesting and engaging. You *wanted* to know what was going to happen. In my opinion, the best part of reading this book was the imagery. Characters, locations, and the interactions could be imagined with ease; that made the story much more enjoyable - I felt like I was part of it all.
Definitely a solid read. And I look forward to the next installment of the series.
Definitely a solid read. And I look forward to the next installment of the series.
May 15, 2015
I am picky about the fantasy/Science fiction books that I read.
Craig Andrews you have caught my interest with this book The Machinist #1 and Splinter #2 in the series. Keep up the great writing. Can't wait for #3.
Craig Andrews you have caught my interest with this book The Machinist #1 and Splinter #2 in the series. Keep up the great writing. Can't wait for #3.
November 17, 2015
Too Slow
Around and around going nowhere. I finally gave up a little over half way through. Not good enough to waste any more time with.
Around and around going nowhere. I finally gave up a little over half way through. Not good enough to waste any more time with.
November 5, 2016
Freaking awesome!
I loved this book! Totally new and a nice change from the usual magic in fantasy that is normally seen!
I loved this book! Totally new and a nice change from the usual magic in fantasy that is normally seen!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews