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The M Word: Theory of Magic Book 2
Magic is unleashed!
Or is it? More than two years have passed since the fateful night that magic was released, yet the world at large remains blissfully unaware. But the U.S. government knows more than it’s letting on. Both the FBI and the military are making calculated moves to utilize magic, preparing for a reality the public has yet to grasp. At Fermilab, a groundbreaking and mysterious announcement is on the horizon—one that could finally expose magic to the world.
Across Chicago, Detective Debra Kazdin is chasing a serial killer with seemingly supernatural abilities, and she’ll need the help of the enigmatic gnome Burbolbonomicus to track them down. Daniel and Sophia Fitzroy struggle to keep their son Tony’s life as normal as possible, despite his role in the return of magic and his emerging powers as a magi. Leo Schafer hosts a podcast on supernatural events, but his personal life is unraveling—he’s lost his job as a reporter and withdrawn from those who care about him, and no one knows why.
The Knights of the Stone are desperate to fulfill their purpose and are on the hunt for the source of magic, but Brian Cooke is on a mission to eliminate them before they succeed with the help from an unlikely source.
But even as these forces maneuver in the shadows, something far older and far more dangerous has arrived. An ancient supernatural entity is on a collision course with the Fitzroys and their allies, determined to destroy Tony and extinguish magic once and for all. To protect him, they will have to step beyond themselves, forge new alliances, and confront threats greater than they ever imagined. The battle for magic’s survival is about to begin.
Or is it? More than two years have passed since the fateful night that magic was released, yet the world at large remains blissfully unaware. But the U.S. government knows more than it’s letting on. Both the FBI and the military are making calculated moves to utilize magic, preparing for a reality the public has yet to grasp. At Fermilab, a groundbreaking and mysterious announcement is on the horizon—one that could finally expose magic to the world.
Across Chicago, Detective Debra Kazdin is chasing a serial killer with seemingly supernatural abilities, and she’ll need the help of the enigmatic gnome Burbolbonomicus to track them down. Daniel and Sophia Fitzroy struggle to keep their son Tony’s life as normal as possible, despite his role in the return of magic and his emerging powers as a magi. Leo Schafer hosts a podcast on supernatural events, but his personal life is unraveling—he’s lost his job as a reporter and withdrawn from those who care about him, and no one knows why.
The Knights of the Stone are desperate to fulfill their purpose and are on the hunt for the source of magic, but Brian Cooke is on a mission to eliminate them before they succeed with the help from an unlikely source.
But even as these forces maneuver in the shadows, something far older and far more dangerous has arrived. An ancient supernatural entity is on a collision course with the Fitzroys and their allies, determined to destroy Tony and extinguish magic once and for all. To protect him, they will have to step beyond themselves, forge new alliances, and confront threats greater than they ever imagined. The battle for magic’s survival is about to begin.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2025
About the author
Jeff McIntyre
3 books17 followersJeff McIntyre was introduced to science fiction and fantasy with a three book collection of A Wrinkle In Time, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe when he was eight, but his love of the genres took off in high school when he was introduced to The Foundation and The Hobbit. He has been an avid gamer his entire life. Video games, role playing games, and table-top wargaming. The list of games he’s played is very, very long. His day job is working in Telecommunications and The Garden Gnome is his first novel.
He currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska with his lovely wife Deb and 185 lbs of furry dork named Magni and Zeus. They’re Hovawarts… Look it up.
He currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska with his lovely wife Deb and 185 lbs of furry dork named Magni and Zeus. They’re Hovawarts… Look it up.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 14, 2025
My review of The M Word is published at Grimdark Magazine.
The M Word by Jeff McIntyre is the follow-up to his debut novel, The Garden Gnome, and the second installment in his Theory of Magic series, which explores the imminent return of magic to our modern world that has long been dominated by science and technology.
Although The M Word shifts among a wide range of perspectives, the main protagonist of the series is a young boy, Tony Fitzroy. When we first met Tony in The Garden Gnome, he was only ten years old and the target of bullying at his Chicago area school. Tony finds comfort in an enigmatic garden gnome friend known as Burbolbonomicus, or simply Bob for short. While Tony’s parents—history professor Daniel and businesswoman Sophia—believe that Bob is imaginary, the garden gnome proves to be all too real.
Jeff McIntyre masterfully blends science fiction into his low fantasy world with a breakthrough physics experiment at Fermilab, the U.S. Department of Energy’s national particle accelerator laboratory located in the outskirts of Chicago. The Fermilab plotline involves several other key characters, including Leo Schafer, a science and technology reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and Deb Kazdin, an FBI field agent with obsessive compulsive disorder. Leo and Deb are investigating Nadir, a group who opposes the experiments at Fermilab and might resort to violence or terrorism to achieve its aims.
In addition to Nadir, The M Word features a shadowy multinational group called Knights of the Stone. Drawing from Arthurian legend, the Knights are committed to suppressing magic by any means necessary. Across the Fermilab, Nadir, and the Knights of the Stone organizations, The M Word shines in its exploration of gray morality and the ethical dilemmas posed by the return of magic. Whereas some people see magic as an opportunity for good, others consider it to be a dire threat that must be stopped at all costs.
McIntyre’s prose is the perfect vehicle for delivering this fast-paced Crichtonesque thriller. I especially enjoyed the blend of fantasy and science fiction, which McIntyre overlays with plenty of personal and political intrigue worthy of a James Bond movie.
On the downside, The M Word suffers from having too many point-of-view characters. This didn’t feel like a problem in The Garden Gnome, but it seems more of an issue with this second book of the series. With so many perspectives, it takes too long to cycle back to the ones I care most about. That being said, the stakes are definitely higher in The M Word, which makes for an especially exhilarating second half of the novel.
Overall, The M Word is a lot of fun and highly recommended for readers looking for a fresh take on scifantasy. Grimdark readers will especially enjoy the story’s multi-layered gray morality and its escalating thrills.
The M Word by Jeff McIntyre is the follow-up to his debut novel, The Garden Gnome, and the second installment in his Theory of Magic series, which explores the imminent return of magic to our modern world that has long been dominated by science and technology.
Although The M Word shifts among a wide range of perspectives, the main protagonist of the series is a young boy, Tony Fitzroy. When we first met Tony in The Garden Gnome, he was only ten years old and the target of bullying at his Chicago area school. Tony finds comfort in an enigmatic garden gnome friend known as Burbolbonomicus, or simply Bob for short. While Tony’s parents—history professor Daniel and businesswoman Sophia—believe that Bob is imaginary, the garden gnome proves to be all too real.
Jeff McIntyre masterfully blends science fiction into his low fantasy world with a breakthrough physics experiment at Fermilab, the U.S. Department of Energy’s national particle accelerator laboratory located in the outskirts of Chicago. The Fermilab plotline involves several other key characters, including Leo Schafer, a science and technology reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and Deb Kazdin, an FBI field agent with obsessive compulsive disorder. Leo and Deb are investigating Nadir, a group who opposes the experiments at Fermilab and might resort to violence or terrorism to achieve its aims.
In addition to Nadir, The M Word features a shadowy multinational group called Knights of the Stone. Drawing from Arthurian legend, the Knights are committed to suppressing magic by any means necessary. Across the Fermilab, Nadir, and the Knights of the Stone organizations, The M Word shines in its exploration of gray morality and the ethical dilemmas posed by the return of magic. Whereas some people see magic as an opportunity for good, others consider it to be a dire threat that must be stopped at all costs.
McIntyre’s prose is the perfect vehicle for delivering this fast-paced Crichtonesque thriller. I especially enjoyed the blend of fantasy and science fiction, which McIntyre overlays with plenty of personal and political intrigue worthy of a James Bond movie.
On the downside, The M Word suffers from having too many point-of-view characters. This didn’t feel like a problem in The Garden Gnome, but it seems more of an issue with this second book of the series. With so many perspectives, it takes too long to cycle back to the ones I care most about. That being said, the stakes are definitely higher in The M Word, which makes for an especially exhilarating second half of the novel.
Overall, The M Word is a lot of fun and highly recommended for readers looking for a fresh take on scifantasy. Grimdark readers will especially enjoy the story’s multi-layered gray morality and its escalating thrills.
June 27, 2025
A really enjoyable follow up to The Garden Gnome. I continue to enjoy the combination of the modern setting with magic come to life, and figures from myth emerging and becoming important. The narrative was fast paced almost throughout (there were a few chapters of a character learning how to use magic that ground the narrative to a halt, however), and despite a very large cast of characters, I'm enjoying several of them. I'm definitely on board for future installments of the series!
May 26, 2025
Still a very fun and fast read, like the first book. I really enjoyed the lore with the Greek gods. It was a little darker than the first book, which is to be expected as the plot escalates. The gnome is still a fantastic character! I had a fantastic time. Only a month after finishing this book, i'm already thinking of rereading it.
August 10, 2025
Disclaimer: I served as a proofreader for this book - and I still loved it :)
This was a great second book - no sophmore, 2nd book sydrome here. I loved how it developed and improved from the first book.
Characters: 4/5 - I loved McIntyre's characters here, but sometimes the text written had me confused on who was speaking about who, which then caused me to possibly read them differently.
Atmosphere/Setting: 4/5 - Atmosphere and setting were good, and it makes sense why Coyote chose the place that he did, but I still wanted a little bit more from it. Rebecca's estate though was magical!
Writing Style: 4/5 - Based on the way I read it, I liked it but I would love it with some more edits. I had a lot of questions while reading it. But overall, I loved the writing style and balancing the fantasy with the science fiction - it was a great blend.
Plot: 5/5 - I loved how and where this plot developed! It was shocking and well written plot.
Intrigue: 5/5 - I was interested the entire time (even if I wasn't proofreading it, I would still be interested to keep reading).
Logic: 3/5 - I did have quite a few questions while reading it. Most of which can be cleared up with edits, word choices and placement mostly.
Enjoyment: 4.5/5 - I truly enjoyed this book and the series and can't wait to see where it goes from here.
Total: 29.5/7 = 4.2
This was a great second book - no sophmore, 2nd book sydrome here. I loved how it developed and improved from the first book.
Characters: 4/5 - I loved McIntyre's characters here, but sometimes the text written had me confused on who was speaking about who, which then caused me to possibly read them differently.
Atmosphere/Setting: 4/5 - Atmosphere and setting were good, and it makes sense why Coyote chose the place that he did, but I still wanted a little bit more from it. Rebecca's estate though was magical!
Writing Style: 4/5 - Based on the way I read it, I liked it but I would love it with some more edits. I had a lot of questions while reading it. But overall, I loved the writing style and balancing the fantasy with the science fiction - it was a great blend.
Plot: 5/5 - I loved how and where this plot developed! It was shocking and well written plot.
Intrigue: 5/5 - I was interested the entire time (even if I wasn't proofreading it, I would still be interested to keep reading).
Logic: 3/5 - I did have quite a few questions while reading it. Most of which can be cleared up with edits, word choices and placement mostly.
Enjoyment: 4.5/5 - I truly enjoyed this book and the series and can't wait to see where it goes from here.
Total: 29.5/7 = 4.2
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews