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Godstone Mage
Liam and Orlagh Quinn are brother and sister puma changelings traveling from the Grand Lakes to the west coast to find a cure for a curse put on their Family by a dark mage. On their way back through the Arizona Territory, they befriend the family of Master Mage Heather Richards and her Master Tinker brother Fallon, who is the victim of another dark mage’s curse. When Heather and Fallon’s parents are murdered, their farm burned down, and their wealth in godstone stolen, Liam and Orlagh pledge to help the two track down the murderers to gain Justice and reclaim the magical godstone. The four set off in the chaos of the years after the Civil War, to find Justice western style in the age of steam, magic, and changelings. Starved for such quests after years of brother killing brother, the war-weary country extols the first successes of the four and those they encounter on their search for Justice. Before long, dime novels spread their fame to those they pursue. But those with power don’t like to be thwarted and the rails are closed to them. Then Heather combines her magery with Fallon’s tinkering and their railcar goes airborne beneath a balloon of foamed steam as they resume their search for just vengeance on murderers, thieves, and dark mages.
438 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 9, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 19, 2015
A magical steampunk western of good vs. evil
An imaginative tale of magic and alternative technology in an old west setting. I did have to abandon all expectations for suspension of disbelief in this fantastical steampunk saga. Anyone who enjoys magical stories will enjoy this book.
An imaginative tale of magic and alternative technology in an old west setting. I did have to abandon all expectations for suspension of disbelief in this fantastical steampunk saga. Anyone who enjoys magical stories will enjoy this book.
May 4, 2017
Liam (a cursed shape-shifter), Heather (a magician), and Fallon (a cursed tinkerer) are the main heroes. Liam's sister and the many people who join their quest combine to make a delightful mix of characters. The world-building is unique and impressive. Mullins creates an alternative post-Civil War history with magical meteorite godstone, sorcery, tinkered inventions, and shape-shifters. It’s good versus evil, with intriguing in-between characters. The connected adventures within a larger looming danger kept me turning the page. I loved the ending, too. Five stars!
August 16, 2015
**I received this novel as a gift. A review was not a condition of the gift**
I read somewhere that the relationship between older sisters and younger brothers are the most powerful of sibling relationships (please don't ask for sources because I don't remember). In his epic historical fiction/fantasy novel Godstone Mage, Rick Mullins capitalizes on siblings relationships to create a powerful and moving tale of justice, redemption, restoration, and and friendship.
A meteor containing godstone, a powerful mineral with protective and magical qualities, crashes to Earth. Meanwhile, a malevolent mage has put a curse on the Quinn family so that during the full moon, the males are pumas. The females are in puma form the rest of the month. This is to keep them from reproducing so the family will die out and the mage can acquire the Quinn's desirable island in the Great Lakes region. To add insult to injury, the mage makes it so that the "forced changes" (which start at puberty when the person is capable of reproduction), especially painful. The reader learns soon that the United States is populated by "changelings" who can change into various animal forms at will and are even given protection by Congress. Liam Quinn and his sister Orlagh (who spends most of the novel in puma form) go on a quest to find the mage who cursed them so they can force him to remove the curse. When the siblings lose their horse in a flash flood, they seek shelter with the Richards family, who has also been cursed by a different mage. It's not 100% clear what Heather's (the sister) curse is, but Fallon, the brother, is trapped in the mind of a child although he retains his ability to "tinker" (design and repair machinery). When Heather and Fallon's parents are murdered by Jack Easton, the brutal owner of a railroad company, the foursome set off on a quest for vengeance against him and the two mages who have cursed both families. Along the way, they are joined by a rag-tag group of help of varying abilities and and ages. They acquire a pair of writers who begin publishing the story of the "Sky Rangers" (so named because of the specialized balloon Fallon designed for them to travel in), and their fame spreads across the nation.
The plot is very detailed and clearly well-researched. Many of the machinery terms went over my head, but I can't fault the author because I made a D in physics. Mullins blends fantasy elements with history (the action takes place just after the Civil War and has a distinct "wild west" flavor") and aside from one use of the F-bomb (that I remember), the novel would also make a good choice as a young-adult action adventure. You can tell that Mullins put a lot of thought into this novel.
I especially liked the characters: Heather and Liam are as bad@$$ as they can be without being malevolent themselves, and one can sense a romance blossoming between the two. Fallon is amazing as the childlike Master Tinkerer who designs machinery and shows moments of extreme wisdom and intelligence. I would have liked to hear more from Orlagh's point of view, and I wish Mullins had taken advantage of a part when she was in human form to write a chapter from her perspective. The diversity of the foursome and their company is delightful. They range in ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and all prove to be useful to the expedition. Some of the characters sort of drop off in the middle of the book, but they are minor so it's not that big of a deal.
Mullins does an excellent job of presenting moral and social themes-justice, courtesy, family, community, and friendship among others-in a way that doesn't come across as self-righteous. I love it when a writer can do that. He also writes a lot of the dialogue on local vernacular, which gives it a neat dash of originality. A few of favorite scenes: the one where Heather torments one of her enemies with her dead mother's cursed, severed hand, the final showdown between Liam and the mage who cursed him, and the "restaurant" scene where the team acquires (among others) the twins who serve as reporters for the group and help spread the word about their adventures. This book is a time commitment, but it is worth the wait for some awesome scenes.
The 'errors' in this book are few and far between, and are entirely forgivable so I see no need to deduct points. Five stars all the way. Great job!
I read somewhere that the relationship between older sisters and younger brothers are the most powerful of sibling relationships (please don't ask for sources because I don't remember). In his epic historical fiction/fantasy novel Godstone Mage, Rick Mullins capitalizes on siblings relationships to create a powerful and moving tale of justice, redemption, restoration, and and friendship.
A meteor containing godstone, a powerful mineral with protective and magical qualities, crashes to Earth. Meanwhile, a malevolent mage has put a curse on the Quinn family so that during the full moon, the males are pumas. The females are in puma form the rest of the month. This is to keep them from reproducing so the family will die out and the mage can acquire the Quinn's desirable island in the Great Lakes region. To add insult to injury, the mage makes it so that the "forced changes" (which start at puberty when the person is capable of reproduction), especially painful. The reader learns soon that the United States is populated by "changelings" who can change into various animal forms at will and are even given protection by Congress. Liam Quinn and his sister Orlagh (who spends most of the novel in puma form) go on a quest to find the mage who cursed them so they can force him to remove the curse. When the siblings lose their horse in a flash flood, they seek shelter with the Richards family, who has also been cursed by a different mage. It's not 100% clear what Heather's (the sister) curse is, but Fallon, the brother, is trapped in the mind of a child although he retains his ability to "tinker" (design and repair machinery). When Heather and Fallon's parents are murdered by Jack Easton, the brutal owner of a railroad company, the foursome set off on a quest for vengeance against him and the two mages who have cursed both families. Along the way, they are joined by a rag-tag group of help of varying abilities and and ages. They acquire a pair of writers who begin publishing the story of the "Sky Rangers" (so named because of the specialized balloon Fallon designed for them to travel in), and their fame spreads across the nation.
The plot is very detailed and clearly well-researched. Many of the machinery terms went over my head, but I can't fault the author because I made a D in physics. Mullins blends fantasy elements with history (the action takes place just after the Civil War and has a distinct "wild west" flavor") and aside from one use of the F-bomb (that I remember), the novel would also make a good choice as a young-adult action adventure. You can tell that Mullins put a lot of thought into this novel.
I especially liked the characters: Heather and Liam are as bad@$$ as they can be without being malevolent themselves, and one can sense a romance blossoming between the two. Fallon is amazing as the childlike Master Tinkerer who designs machinery and shows moments of extreme wisdom and intelligence. I would have liked to hear more from Orlagh's point of view, and I wish Mullins had taken advantage of a part when she was in human form to write a chapter from her perspective. The diversity of the foursome and their company is delightful. They range in ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and all prove to be useful to the expedition. Some of the characters sort of drop off in the middle of the book, but they are minor so it's not that big of a deal.
Mullins does an excellent job of presenting moral and social themes-justice, courtesy, family, community, and friendship among others-in a way that doesn't come across as self-righteous. I love it when a writer can do that. He also writes a lot of the dialogue on local vernacular, which gives it a neat dash of originality. A few of favorite scenes: the one where Heather torments one of her enemies with her dead mother's cursed, severed hand, the final showdown between Liam and the mage who cursed him, and the "restaurant" scene where the team acquires (among others) the twins who serve as reporters for the group and help spread the word about their adventures. This book is a time commitment, but it is worth the wait for some awesome scenes.
The 'errors' in this book are few and far between, and are entirely forgivable so I see no need to deduct points. Five stars all the way. Great job!
August 9, 2016
Occasionally, I come across a book that's just fun to read. And as a reader, you get the sense that it was fun to write. Godstone Mage, by Rick A. Mullins is just that kind of story. The story takes place in post-Civil War America, and carries the reader cross country in a flying railroad car. From the title you know there's some magic involved. Good guys and bad guys, mages and changelings. Magical steam. Trials and testing. The story line is for you to find out, but Godstone Mage is a thumping good time. The characters are well developed, as is the relationship the author creates. This is a story begging for a series. I enjoyed it a lot.
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