They Left Magic in Their Wake

by Marilyn Peake

At the end of the world, there will be magic.

Earth has been decimated by climate change. Humanity has fractured into isolated tribes. A child born in the southwestern desert of the United States appears to have magical powers, a strict taboo in his part of the world. In four other locations, people discover magical items. No one knows how they work or where they’re from. Although these strange objects capture the imagination, using them is risky and dangerous.

The five tribes at the heart of this novel:

Southwestern Desert Tribe: Zadie and Nora have fled their tribe where human reproduction is so rare, pregnant women are burned at the stake as witches. Zadie gives birth to triplets, only one born alive. The surviving infant shows signs of having magical powers, another punishable taboo.

Northeastern Mountain Tribe: Finley is a young boy too curious for his own good. Meddling with strange technology he finds in a cave, he eventually boards a flying ship that takes him far away from the only world he’s ever known.

Tribe in Akihabara, Japan: Exploring post-apocalyptic Tokyo, Emiko, Katsuki, Rin and Ko discover ancient manga and D&D items, as well as glowing cubes they mistake for dice. When the long-dead neon lights of Tokyo begin to flicker, the teenagers get caught up in the most intense adventure of their lives.

McMurdo Station Tribe—Located in the Land of Magical Ice, Formerly Antarctica: Settlers at the abandoned McMurdo Station practice a form of mysticism, their ancestors having fled religious persecution as well as the droughts and fires of Australia. Arthur Campbell and Harrison Clark are researchers studying the strange technology that runs the place.

Vostok Station Tribe—Located in the Land of Magical Ice, Formerly Antarctica: The original settlers of the abandoned Vostok Station fled the extreme heat, fires and droughts of Brazil. Years later, giant squid and a spaceship emerge from Lake Vostok as the ice begins to melt. Salvador Siqueira and his crew leave their station to investigate.

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 15, 2024

About the author

USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Marilyn Peake writes Science Fiction and Fantasy. She's one of the contributing authors in Book: The Sequel, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at The Daily Beast. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor for a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and on the literary blog, Glass Cases.

AWARDS: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, Finalist placement in the 2015 National Indie Excellence Book Awards, Winner of "Best Horror" in the eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards, two Semi-Finalist placements in the Young Adult category of the Kindle Book Awards, and Gold Award in the Fantasy / Science Fiction category of the eLit Book Awards.

Reviews

[Keri M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world is not a safe place for people with magic. We get the point of view of many different places in the same strange world. The world has changed due to the fault of humans, can magic save them? The story was interesting, the characters brought many different perspectives.

[Maria Fledgling Author Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy for Real Life

There is a solid gold reason Marilyn Peake is one of my favorite authors; she fairly oozes magic into everything she writes. I first came across her Shade series and gobbled them up greedily. Because of her ability to transport the reader so completely into a fantastical world, I would rank her among the fantasy greats such as Anne McCaffrey and Marion Zimmer Bradley.

However, They Left Magic in Their Wake, the first in a Young Adult Science-Fantasy series is jaw-droppingly astounding. Marilyn Peake has written the perfect novel to provide our generation facing the depression and hopelessness of Climate Change, overcrowding, and rapidly progressing pollution of our planet with the beginnings of encouragement for survival.

Using eminently likable characters such as young Japanese Dungeons and Dragons players, the story links survivor communities from such far-flung places as the McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica, Tokyo's Fukushima Prefecture, and the American Southwestern Desert into a semi-cohesive group.

A mother giving birth in a cave on the run from her tribe opens the story. She delivers triplets; something she knows would have gotten her burned for a witch if she had stayed with her tribe.
Unfortunately, two of her children are dead at birth due to her state of malnourishment.

Zachary, her surviving son, turns out to be very special. However, the implications of his role in the survival of the Earth are not revealed until much later. Zachary, his mother, and Nora, her friend, are led by a 'crazy man' to a place he claims is a paradise of green gardens of food and flowing water covered by glass. What they find there is life-changing.

Many of the other tribes and groups of people also find their way to different Conclaves of safety, each under different circumstances with unique rules. However, they all share one goal: the effort to prevent the destruction of the Earth.

I adored the ending and the obstacle it raised which most likely could prevent the rescue of the Earth. They Left Magic in Their Wake is a practical book, yet delightfully quirky and entertaining. The most important thing about it is that it addresses real problems facing Young Adults today and provides creative solutions. I highly recommend this book. I also can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The depth and detail of Marilyn Peake’s character development and world building makes the story come alive on the pages. The book centers around five tribes. Some of the people are imbued with magic, some not. Some are alien, some are not. The groups do not interact…until…they are chosen.

We open with Zadie, and I am immediately engrossed in her world. I cannot imagine going through what she does, and doing it alone…until her friend Nora shows up. It is rare to have a friend as loyal and giving as Nora.

Marilyn Peak has wrapped the apocalyptic/dystopian chaos in magic and science fiction. Us humans have wreaked death and destruction on Earth. I love books that bring the real world into fiction, making me wonder…What would I do in their place?

“You guys really messed up your home turf, didn’t you? What’s the expression? You shit where you eat.”

Marilyn Peake has laid a solid foundation for the series and I am excited to see where she takes it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of They Left Magic In Their Wake by Marilyn Peake.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com

[Nancy Foster]

I am one of the judges of team Space Girls for the SPSFC4 contest. This review is my personal opinion. Officially, it is still in the running for the contest, pending any official team announcements.

Status: Cut
Read: 31%

This book starts with a strong note, which could ignite trigger warnings for readers regarding stillbirth. After running away from her village, a 24 year old woman named Zadie just gave birth in a cave all alone. She's mourning the loss of two stillborn babies, confused, hungry, scared, and above everything else, determined to keep her surviving triplet named Zander alive at all costs.

Returning home is not an option. For unexplained reasons, there is something (possibly pollution?) that has plummeted fertility in her town. This book was really giving strong Children of Men vibes. Like, it is so bad that people murder pregnant women. Which I felt could have been explained better because Zadie is still very young and it seems odd that her mother wasn't murdered.

For a while, I assumed there is a disease as the culprit for a massive drop in intelligence like in Planet of the apes. Mostly because it seems odd a village needing people to till the fields and raise livestock would both shun making new children and not steal teenagers from neighboring towns. We later discover Zadie can read books perfectly fine, so that theory might be moot. It would have made perfect sense she was shunned for having twins, and even more because the father was an outsider.

Maybe the book explains this a bit further later on. What I do know is I found her POV chapters to be really fun to read. Zadie's decisions seem believable, and her sense of superstition where unusual things happen made me wonder if this book was really Incensepunk with a Christian Fantasy overtone. This wouldn't be the first book I have read where a child has otherworldly gifts representing a religious prophet role.

Things change in tone when we enter different POVs. There's other towns scattered around the world, including a more hospitable Antartica. Children as expected are a common sight and everyone has forgotten how to use most technology, which once again makes me continue to wonder if we've got a worldwide intelligence affliction of some sort.

The chapters set in Tokyo were pretty interesting because I have been to that city several times. It was quite odd to see the book describing Akihabara as a nature infused village. Out of all the parts of the city I have ventured, Akihabara stood out the most in the concrete department with zero trees. It was also quite odd the villagers living in the ruins have zero knowledge of technology given they know how to free dive the flooded sea without oxygen tanks. Finding lost tech wouldn't take great effort unless there was a massive volcanic explosion leaving huge chunks of the city like Pompeii. It was fun to see the chapter with the kids visiting Sensoji temple since I went there around 10 years ago. Nice temple, but the biggest memories of that day trip were not the temple oddly enough, but the pastries I bought in a bakery a few blocks away. I can still remember how much I enjoyed those sweet pastries so many years later.

Setting aside the Tokyo scenery, I did feel the vast majority of POVs were quite the same and thus prone to confusion. All of them feature kids between the age of approximately 6 to around 13, they live sheltered lives and have plenty of free time to enjoy adventures. This did seem unusual because Zadie's story is full-fledged Post Apocalyptic Dystopia aimed at an adult reader. It felt like reading two entirely different books where one is aimed at an adult audience, whereas the remaining 8 POVs (Yes, there's a LOT of them so far!) are all lighthearted kid adventures aimed at an older Middle Grade audience.

The way we get hints the kids seem to have something otherworldly that teeters between Magical Realism, Sci-Fi and Incensepunk will certainly prove pivotal in the story later on. I assume these children will realize they can communicate with each other. Or perhaps an alien will show up and pick em up. Plenty of things could happen. Certainly from the positive reviews, this looks like a book where there will be a nice reward for the reader's patience.

However, at 30% of the book, it feels like outside of Zadie's POV, the reader could have skipped every other chapter with only minimal loss of understanding the story. While so far it is a book that explores interesting themes and takes huge creative risks by blending various genres, I do feel the book is a tad bit too meandering at the 1/3 point. Therefore, it is a cut for me.

[whataimeereads_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marilyn Peake's They Left Magic in Their Wake is an utterly addictive blend of fantasy and science fiction, set in a post-apocalyptic world that feels both eerily familiar and breathtakingly original. From the first page, Peake captivates the reader with a richly imagined setting where remnants of our present-day society have become myth and legend, shaping the beliefs and survival of future generations.

One of the most thought-provoking aspects of the novel is how the characters perceive what we consider modern technology—neon signs, computers, and airplanes as relics of an ancient time. It was strange yet fascinating to read about their awe and misunderstanding of these artifacts, and it made me wonder if one day, people will look back at our present world with the same sense of longing and nostalgia, wishing to be part of a past that has been lost to time.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the novel is its unique narrative structure. While most of the story unfolds through a third-person perspective, allowing for a broad and immersive view of this transformed world, one tribal element is written in the first person. This creative decision adds depth and immediacy, providing an intimate look at one group's experiences in a way that feels fresh and engaging. It’s a technique I haven’t seen before in a novel, and it worked brilliantly, enhancing the emotional pull of the story.

The world-building is exceptional, immersing the reader in each tribe’s way of life and the struggles they face. Peake crafts a setting that is both fantastical and scientifically plausible, blending elements of magic with remnants of lost technology. As the characters navigate this landscape, encountering phenomena that seem supernatural yet hold the echoes of forgotten science, the novel raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of progress, knowledge, and belief. The contrast between what the characters perceive as mystical and what we, as readers, recognize as the remnants of our present world, adds an extra layer of depth and wonder to the reading experience.

Beyond its immersive world, the novel also delivers on emotional depth. The characters are compelling, each with their own struggles, hopes, and determination to carve out a life in this strange new reality. Their journeys—filled with discovery, danger, and moments of profound revelation—kept me turning the pages late into the night. The relationships between them and their interactions bring warmth and humanity to a world that could otherwise feel bleak. Zadie and Nora stood out as my favorite characters; their strength and willpower were incredible, making their storylines particularly moving and inspiring. Their perseverance in the face of overwhelming challenges was nothing short of remarkable, and I found myself deeply invested in their fates.

It’s important to note that the novel contains themes of child and infant death, which may be triggering for some readers. These moments are deeply emotional and handled with sensitivity, adding to the novel’s overall poignancy and weight.

As I reached the final pages, I found myself yearning for more. The ending is thought-provoking. I really want a part two to this book (I'm hoping there is) because the ending left so many unanswered questions and I felt like it could have been extended a little longer. There are many elements of the world that beg to be explored further.

Overall, They Left Magic in Their Wake is a fascinating, beautifully written novel that defies genre conventions and delivers a gripping, imaginative tale. It’s a must-read for fans of both fantasy and science fiction, especially those who love unique storytelling techniques, and narratives that linger in the mind long after the final page.

[Terrible Timy]

They Left Magic in Their Wake was one of the books in my SPFBO 10 batch that I cut at the 20% mark.

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of dystopian fiction in general, but the good thing about SPFBO is that it forces you to keep an open mind and try books you might not have picked up otherwise. And that’s the case with They Left Magic in Their Wake, too. Turns out, my biggest issue wasn’t it being dystopian at all, so hey, there still might be hope for me. Actually, the setting was probably the only thing I found interesting.

So in this world, humanity lives in tribes after Mother Nature decided to give the finger to humanity (or probably a double middle finger at that, if she (it?) had any hands, to begin with. Anyway.) in the form of weather-related catastrophes that destroyed a good portion of the world. Different tribes deal with the consequences differently, but they are usually close-knit communities. The first 20% of the book hops between different characters based in different parts of the world. Most of them are teenagers, and what’s common in their POVs is that they are a bit of adventurers, finding long-forgotten places. And then there is Zadie, who is in her early twenties, and just gave birth to a baby and has to run away from her tribe, because they believe that humanity has become infertile and anyone who gets pregnant is treated kind of like a witch. Found that a bit weird, because if humanity is slowly dying out, you *surely* need babies, no matter how few you get.

So, as I didn’t get very far into the book, and because there were a couple of POVs (more than I’d like, personally), I couldn’t form a clear idea of what the main plot was going to be. And I think it was also one of the reasons why it lost my interest early on. When a series of characters are introduced in quick succession, I tend to lose focus. And the POVs (except for Zadie) were quite similar too, making it hard to sort them out in my head. It also made it hard for me to build any kind of connection to any of the characters. Even so, these POVs were still more interesting to me than Zadie’s, who I think is the MC of this story. I’m also not sure who the audience of this book is. Most of the POV characters are young, in their teens and those chapters have a YA adventure feel to them, and then there is Zadie, who is clearly older and a mother at that. As I’m a nearly 40-year-old adult myself, I find it hard to connect with kids, but I’m not a mother, so that didn’t help me with Zadie either. All in all, probably I’m just not the right audience for this book.

I know 20% doesn’t seem much to make these kinds of decisions, but I tend to know fairly early on if a book grabs me or not. They Left Magic in Their Wake did not, and so I decided to cut it from the competition.

[Andrew Hindle · Rating 4 out of 5]

They Left Magic In Their Wake is an extraordinarily imaginative and vivid look at a post-apocalyptic sci-fi / fantasy world where we get some of my favourite things. Namely (and not to spoil too much), a crossover of fae / magic and aliens / tech. They left magic in their wake? Boy howdy, they sure did!

Essentially, this story follows the threads of several groups of people living in an Earth of the future, where humanity has basically destroyed itself in some cataclysmic combination of war, climate fuckery, disease and whatever else. There are a variety of settings, from the hopeless wasteland of the US to the colourfully agrarian landscapes of Japan to the gorgeously bizarre place Antarctica has become. The characters attempt to make their way through these fractured landscapes and eventually come together in a very unexpected manner.

And if the Japanese scenes leaned a bit heavily in the rice and manga direction, and almost slipped into a whole separate story about a bunch of kids rediscovering D&D and starting a campaign? So be it. I enjoyed it and loved the kids' enthusiasm. And if the tones clashed dramatically, with witch-burnings and dead babies in one thread and wacky glowing cubes in the next? Good. This is the sort of uncompromising dedication to genre fluidity I want to read. This is why indie books exist.

Sex-o-meter

Not much. The Japanese teens aren't very horny and the assorted Antarctic base-dwellers were mostly well-behaved. To be honest the USian lady with her baby was the only real hint that a sex may have happened at some point, unless I'm already forgetting some. One travelling junk merchant out of a possible travelling sex jamboree for this book.

Gore-o-meter

I mentioned the dead babies and the dried-placenta-eating, right? What's that? I didn't mention the dried-placenta-eating? Well, there was that. But it wasn't really gory. All in all I would say there was typical post-apocalyptic hard-times levels of violence and horror, but it wasn't too bloody. Two and a half gobbets out of five.

WTF-o-meter

What the heck was going on in Antarctica? The fire wall, the cubes, the weather events, all of it. This story is brimming with high-grade WTF and I love it. And that's before we reach the final act and we start meeting some of the real weirdos of the world Peake has constructed for us. A Gundam out of a possible Wyndham for They Left Magic in Their Wake.

My Final Verdict

I laughed at the Burning Man reference. The consistent misnaming of the aurora australis as "aurora borealis" (if you're in Antarctica you're in the southern hemisphere, get it right) was mildly annoying but it was really my only complaint. Four stars!

[Alex Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
Post apocalyptic fantasy following the story of five tribes fighting for survival who discover various forms of re-emerging magic. 

The story opens in a bleak post apocalyptic world. Peake immediately draws you into the struggle for survival, bringing rich details, sensory notes, and internal thoughts behind her decisions. You can feel the desperation, grief, and fear of each - backlit by hope and determination. A story of where the world has been and where it's going. 

Each of the five tribes has varying levels of resources remaining after the end of the world, providing dynamic variety in each of the remaining cultures. Though the characters remain aware of technology and modern comforts, as they fail, they're forced to resort to more ancient forms of survival. These small details bring life to the story in a captivating and unique way. Solid worldbuilding, great character work, and interesting use of magic-technology. Great for fans of the time of N.K. Jemisin's Fifth Season, or even post apocalyptic sci-fi work. 

TW: Child death, birth trauma

[Vesselin Bakov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool and creative, easy to read. My only complaint is that I'm confused whether it ends on a cliffhanger or it actually ends satisfactorily. All in all, will check other books by the author.