Magicians Impossible

by Brad Abraham

Bartender Jason Bishop's world is shattered when his estranged father Daniel seemingly commits suicide, but the greater shock comes when he learns his father was a secret agent in the employ of the Invisible Hand; an ancient society of spies wielding magic in a centuries-spanning war. Now the Golden Dawn; the shadowy cabal of witches and warlocks responsible for Daniel Bishop's murder, and the death of Jason's mother years before, have Jason in their sights. His survival will depend on mastering his own dormant magic abilities; provided he makes it through the training.

From New York, to Paris, to worlds between worlds, Jason's journey through the realm of magic will be fraught with peril. But with enemies and allies on both sides of this war, whom can he trust? The Invisible Hand, who've been more of a family than his own family ever was? The Golden Dawn, who may know the secrets behind his mysterious lineage? For Jason Bishop, only one thing is for certain; the magic he has slowly been mastering is telling him not to trust anybody.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Adventure

393 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2017

About the author

Writer of Magicians Impossible (Thomas Dunne Books, September, 2017), Mixtape, the movies Fresh Meat and Stonehenge Apocalypse, the TV miniseries Robocop: Prime Directives, and this bio.

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Q: ... tomorrow things get interesting. (c)
So, Harry Potter and James Bond seem to have met. And exchanged lessons, which is why JB is such a douche and HP a total dumbass. Both adorable disasters in progress, of course.

I admit that I almost chucked this one at sign but something stopped my hand. Like providence? ... Or maybe the fact that I was reading it on an e-reader which might not have survived the procedure.

Anyway, this volume hasn't escape my rating approach unscathed:
(1) star for the fugly cover. What's on it, a guy with a headful of smoke? I can see how that could fit a brainless MC. Anyway, one could have thought of something even more fitting and less gray.
(1) star for the bleak start of the book.
+1 star for the original magic scenery and +1 another whole star for the Athenaeum in particular. Athene must rule!
(1) star for the Mundanes vs inferiors discussion. Today, I'm not fond of magic-based arrogance.
(1) star for the Chosen thingy and Allegra's takedowns and everyone treading on poor Jason - and all the other plot vehicles that I couldn't just not find cheesy!
+1 star for some dialogues that I liked
+1 star for some cleverish ideas that I liked as well
(1) star for that harebrainedness, which feels to have been borrowed from comics. I hate comics. I like my characters to use their braincells.
(1) star for the doors, happening everywhere all the time. I've just realized I'm not too fond of them.
(1) star for the magic that evaporates overnight in the 'real' world without any effects whatsoever, other than death. I do get that its a nifty idea to get all the messes our characters keep amassing to clean up themselves. You don't need to clean up things, Obliviate anyone (or change memories), repair stuff, think about people who wake up and realize they rode dragons yesterday... And it's newish. And I can't imagine just how boring it must be for heroes to go around doing magic that would evaporate by tomorrow. Why bother at all?
(1) star for ageism and something like snobism. I think we all have met those winsome people that start buying their funeral shrowds at some age like 15, or maybe 21, or 22.5, since in a year they expect to become ancient and are bothered by this perspective. They keep expecting to become ancient all the time, they keep whining about it and panicking and inventing all kinds of 'clever' ideas of how to ward off time and its effects and everything. This way they manage to be simulateneously boring, exasperating and entertaining. They will tell everyone they meet, non-stop, just how horrible time is, how cruel its pace. They preach everyone their 'true' age, call everyone 'old' to their face and, frankly, step on many toes. Each year is a tragedy for them. They keep private cemeteries of years and spend all their waking (and quite possibly, dreaming) time metaphorically buring all kinds stuff there: possibilities lost, years past, etc, etc, etc. Well, our MC is like that: let's look at Jason and some of his ideas.

The MC, well, he's like James Bond that has skipped on becoming James Bond and became a bartender instead. His father is also a Mr. Bond but way better with cards (think cholling a person with cards, not even Tarot ones).

Some maudlinish stuff:
Q:
You never really forget the most important places and moments in your life no matter how much you sometimes wish to forge. But the memory remains, if you dig deep enough for it. (c)

Some nostalgia, perfectly warranted:
Q:
The summer after they graduated from high school, Jason, Owen, Carla, and Carla’s friend Ally took a trip to New York. They roamed the streets, got tossed out of Don Hill’s, and ended the day at the Empire State Building. As they stood there, gazing out over the glittering expanse, they all felt the endless possibilities before them in that magnificent landscape. (c)

That's quite a scene:
Q:
He told her everything. ...
Finally, she did speak.
“You need help,” she said.
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him toward her.
“You need help,” she said again.
“Tell me about it—”She squeezed him tight. “You need help.”
And she kept squeezing, tighter and tighter, her shoulder thrusting into his windpipe.
He gasped.
“Winnie—I can’t breathe—”...
“You need help. But it won’t come in time.”
She grasped him around the throat and tightened her grip. ... she flicked her wrist and the coffee table leapt through the air like a discarded newspaper caught in a gust. It slammed into the bay window, radiating fissures across it, and fell to the floor with a mighty crash. Wind screeched through the cracks in the glass, and the hard moonlight that fell through it bathed Winnie’s face, making her cruel smile a jagged nightmare.
“You should have listened to Carter Block,” she said. (c)

Mr. Potter. Welcome to the Athenaeum (love this term):
Q:
“This is the Athenaeum, the gateway into and out of the Citadel... “And yes, after all these years it still takes my breath away. I grew up in libraries; to me, every book on every shelf was a portal to another world. The shelves of the Athenaeum, however, do not hold books; they hold doors, and each door is a portal to a different place on this earth.” (c)

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to start by saying that I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book from NetGalley and Thomas Dunne Books in exchange for an honest review (thank you!). I am pointing this out because I feel like there are still some revisions to be made, and the content I am reviewing is subject to change prior to release.

I do feel like there could be a four star read in here after some tweaking. The world building was pretty awesome. I loved the idea of the Citadel, the place that exists separate from the "mundane" or non-magical world. I loved Ingress, the hall of infinite doors that can connect a person to any place in the world. I liked how the explanation for magic use in the mundane world was explained by balance, and the hierarchy of mages was described, each with abilities that added on to the previous class.

I also enjoyed the characters. I loved that they all came from different backgrounds/countries and that we were given their backstories. Teo and Kel were wise cracking kids that made me smile in every scene they were in. Allegra was a tough as nails character with a fierce loyalty to her mentor. Jason was okay as far as heroes go, but compared to the myriad of other characters he seemed sort of average.

My main critique of this book is the plot. I felt like I had no idea what was going on most of the time. I still don't know which side is good and which side is bad. In Magician's Impossible, there are two factions: The Invisible Hand which stands for Order, and the Golden Dawn which stands for chaos. The Invisible Hand is comprised of actual mages, while the Golden Dawn is comprised of wizards, (non-magical humans who cast spells). I don't understand why anyone was chasing the Sphere of Destiny or what it's ultimate purpose was.

I don't want to spoil anything because each development/twist in the plot was what drove the book on, but I still have no idea which of the above mentioned factions is good and which is bad. I mean, I have an idea of which is which, but I don't know WHY the good faction is the good one and the bad one is the bad one. I don't know why the book ended the way it did. The last few chapters of the book were all very exciting in terms of action, but it was overshadowed by the fact that I had no idea why any of it was happening. I never understood the end game in this book, the conclusion it was working toward.

I'm a person who really needs to know the why. I like things to make sense and be justified. I think readers who are okay with gray area and ambiguity will really love this book. Both factions have their good points and their bad points I guess. Maybe it was left ambiguous on purpose. Maybe it just needs some revisions like I stated above.

I did enjoy some of the plot, as it kept me guessing. There was one plot "twist" that was really obvious and I saw coming right from the opening of the novel, but there were many others that I didn't see. They were a lot of fun to read, they were all cohesive and they all made sense.

Ultimately, I'm still on the fence about this one. I really wanted to love it. I loved the magic and the world building was solid, but I also read through the entire second half feeling like I was missing something. I would be interested to see if any of this ambiguity is tied up before the release or in future books.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going to go with a 3.5 star rating for this book, but I talked my way up to 4 stars, as I thought about it more. I believe that my rating indecision is based on the fact that I was disappointed with some aspects, and I felt that it was different from what the name implies. I was expecting more of a caper type book with a magical ensemble. It's actually about a young man who finds out that he is part of a magical world he had no idea existed, and how his father kept him out of this world to keep him safe. Now that the scales have fallen from his eyes, he is under threat and must learn to master the powers that he inherited from his father, and uncover secrets about the mother he never knew.

The Good:

*Very creative magical system and world-building. Magic is introduced as something that feels solid and foundational, with checks and balances, and the fact that most humans are unaware of it happening has a believable explanation.
*The lead character feels like an everyday late twenties man, but he felt like something was missing. It makes sense for his history but also resonates with readers who are experiencing some of that same confusion about what adulting means nowadays.
*Some stellar action sequences that seemed very cinematic.
*Ruthless bad guys and characters whose alignments kept me guessing.
*Thoughtful twists and turns in the storyline

The Not-So-Good:

*It was hard to keep up with what was going on at times. The story seems to jump from one scenes to others with very sharp edits.
*Many characters weren't that likable. I mostly liked the lead character, but most of the others, not so much.
*Very high body count. I think that a death in a book should matter. In life, people die so often that it makes me want fiction that is very thoughtful about when and how a character dies.
*As I mentioned earlier, I was expecting something very different than what this story delivers. I would still like my magical caper urban fantasy ensemble book. I hope someone somewhere is writing it for me.

Overall, this was enjoyable and it drew me in. The idea was very interesting and the author has a way of writing imagery in a way that stimulates vivid mental pictures. I could see this as a very good movie one day.

I would read more books in this series.

[Lisa Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hard-boiled thriller was a blast to read. It's like if Harry Potter had discovered he was a wizard at 30 and had to become an Auror, like, NOW. Fast-paced, twisty, and with an imaginative magic system that constantly had me impressed with its inventiveness, I loved it start to finish.

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/10/01/...

Brad Abraham’s Magicians Impossible is a fascinating debut that blends together many genres, reading much like a magic school story for adults wrapped in a part-urban fantasy, part-spy thriller package. The novel stars protagonist Jason Bishop, a 30-year-old bartender from small town New York who has always felt deep in his heart that he was meant for bigger things. For many, such desires are nothing more than a pipe dream, but unbeknownst to Jason, the potential in him has always been in his blood.

Shortly after the apparent suicide of his estranged father Daniel, Jason discovers that he is actually the son of two very power magicians. Daniel, whose real name was actually Damon King, was a secret agent for the Invisible Hand, a secret coven of mages involved in an ancient war against another shadowy society of magic users called the Golden Dawn. After Jason was born, Damon had concocted a cover story so that the boy would never suspect his parents’ true identities, and then he distanced himself, becoming an aloof and absent father in order to keep his son hidden from his enemies.

As a result, Jason grew up harboring a deep resentment for Damon, knowing nothing about his family’s origins. The existence of a magical secret world was a shock to him, when at his father’s funeral, a mysterious stranger representing the Invisible Hand named Carter Block appeared before him and revealed everything about their order. Carter also told Jason the heartbreaking truth: Damon King did not really commit suicide—he was murdered. Now the Invisible Hand needs Jason on their side to strike back against the Golden Dawn and to complete the work his father started, hunting down a powerful artifact that could help turn the tide of this magical war. But first, to prepare him for the battles ahead, Jason will have to undergo and complete his secret agent mage training—and he’s got a lot of catching up to do.

From the start, I was impressed with the presentation of Magicians Impossible and was struck by how incredibly cinematic it was. If you’ve ever wished for more action in your urban fantasy, then this is the book for you. Hints of what to expect are in the title’s reference, which practically screams the kind of dynamic excitement and edge-of-your-seat thrills typically found in Mission Impossible or James Bond movies. In keeping with the comparisons to Hollywood blockbusters, however, one should not expect to go in finding anything too original in the novel’s plot either, though to Brad Abraham’s credit, he does a good job casting his own brand of magic on familiar ideas by combining them with other elements or sprucing them up with new and wild twists.

The flow of the novel is also relentlessly driven and fun, though like many debuts, the pacing does encounter unevenness in some places. Many new authors tend to become too enthusiastic with their first novels, biting off more than they can chew by trying to do too much, and I sense a mild case of that here. Things start to drag as we move into the second half of the book, following Jason as he is inducted into the Invisible Hand. This section was weighed down by too much exposition into the smaller details while not providing enough of the background information needed to understand the bigger picture, leaving me a bit confused as to ultimate purpose of these magical societies and their much flaunted all-important war. Abraham’s ideas are certainly ambitious, but perhaps his attention was spread too thin trying to juggle them all at once.

That said though, if you were drawn to this book by the promise of explosive action and riveting spycraft, I seriously doubt any of these issues will bother you. The flaws are also relatively trivial in the greater scheme of things, especially in a novel like Magicians Impossible which makes no bones about its prime objective—to entertain the reader above all else. While the plot might not be all that extravagant and the twists might be on the predictable side, these weaknesses are offset by the delectable fantasy elements, family drama, magical espionage, adrenaline-pumping fight sequences, and globetrotting adventure. I had a good time with this novel and hopefully Brad Abraham has plans for a sequel in the works, because I wouldn’t mind a chance to return to this world.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magicians Impossible
By Brad Abraham
I found this book to be a real treat. The complex plot, characters, and magic system, along with the intrigue, suspense, action, fantastic magic, twists, and turns, made this ubook a terrific and fun book to read. Kept me on my toes, too. This is not your average magic novel!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2017/0...

3.5/5 Stars

Magicians Impossible is a fun and exciting adventure that introduces magic to our world. I think this book should do well with readers that are fans of The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It features an older protagonist than a typical coming into powers or magic school book, and with just one or two exceptions, he has been a loner for most of his life. After the death of his estranged father, Jason’s world turns upside down and he finds himself part of something quite unexpected.

I liked Jason’s character. He definitely has some flaws and has managed to create very few personal connections in his life, particularly for someone that seems likable. He is resentful of his absentee father (who just died), and through some flashbacks, we can see some of his disappointments as a child. He grew up believing magic was just simple slight of hand as opposed to actual magic.

After the death of his father, he learns there is such a thing as real magic as well as about the communities that are a part of that previously invisible and unknown part of the world. The Invisible Hand is a training institute that turns those found to have mage potential into magician spies. Instead of just a normal, boring Hogwarts type of academy that teaches young magically inclined individuals how to use their powers for good, or what not, The Invisible Hand teaches them how to use their skill to deceive and battle. It is definitely a fun twist and while reading I was wondered why it haven’t read a book like this before.

In addition to the The Invisible Hand, Jason also learns of a rival magical group, and as the two factions war with each other, Jason finds himself in the middle. He has to determine which side is honest, or at least who he should place the most trust in. Which is hard when he finds himself basically as a pawn each side is trying to maneuver.

I will say this is a fun action filled read. I also have to confess that for me, that’s just about all it was. There is nothing wrong with that, popcorn thrillers are fun for a reason, and this one fits that bill, but for readers that might want to delve a bit deeper, they may find themselves a little disappointed. It’s just a matter of setting expectations for what the book is: a really fun, fast paced book with some cool ideas. To expand some of the other areas, you will likely lose the fast pace that makes it fun. My largest concern with this aspect of the book is that since its so action and pace oriented, I found some solutions to be a bit … easy. Jason is definitely a character who has a quick rise in his abilities and sometimes it just felt like an convenient out. But that’s only the case if you stop to think about it. If you can read and just enjoy the ride without worrying so much about how or why it goes where it goes, well, then I think this is a minor enough element that you’ll find a really enjoyable read.

My only other observation with this book may sound a little silly. There is one setting that, as much as I tried not to, I just kept picturing Monsters, Inc. There is a place that is filled with doors that act as portals to places around the world, and I can’t help it, every I encountered that setting in the book, I pictured an animated Sully and the little girl with pigtails. Probably not at all what the author was going for. I would have preferred to not think of Monsters, Inc while reading this, but the concept is important to this book, and I guess I just have a very strong association of doors like that to Monsters, Inc. Ooops? Not really a fault of the book by any means, but there just didn’t seem to be enough details or description of the place to overpower my reaction.

Anyway, I would definitely recommend the book if you are in the mood for a fast paced thriller with spies and a magical warring underground community. It is a fun and fast read and I really enjoyed the slightly different type of magic school, with the added conspiracy twist thrown in as well.

[Mark]

This is a book I bought due to the continued absence of a certain Harry Dresden and looked promising with a title that referred to a bland between Mission Impossible and some great magic adventures.

However the book never lived up to its promise and a kinda found better books to read and left this one behind in the wake of far better books.

The story left me kinda not interested and bored, not a great quality when one reads a book. Sadly not finished and hence no rating.

[Daniel Withrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Are you a thirty-something white dude stuck in a dead-end job, with a girlfriend about to break up with you, and no real plans to make things better? Maybe you're not a loser after all. Maybe nobody aPREESHiates you because you're secretly a super-powerful WIZARD! And maybe people who've trained to be wizards will say, "Wow, how are you so good at being a wizard, man?" when they see you in action!

Christ, the wish-fulfillment dripping off this book makes me want to scrub.

But that's not the worst part. Early in the book there's an admittedly cool scene where a wizard blasts a bunch of mooks with a deck of cards. Blood "mingle[s] with the gurgling screams of dying men," which, okay, doesn't make sense, because liquids and sounds can't mingle, but whatever. Thing is, the next sentence says that they went down, "bleeding out as silent as a smile." YOU JUST TOLD ME THERE WERE GURGLING SCREAMS, BRAD! You can't tell me that and then say they were bleeding out silently!

But that's not the worst part. On the previous page, the wizard took a new deck of cards, "peeled off and discarded the cellophane, bent the cards, and began to shuffle." When the deck explodes, "All fifty-two cards sprayed the room like shrapnel." I have opened many decks of cards in my life. There are never 52 cards in a new deck. WHERE ARE THE JOKERS, BRAD?

But that's not the worst part. A few pages later a dead mook reanimates, "one with a Joker Damon had failed to retrieve before still lodged in his carotid." Apparently the jokers were included in those 52 cards. WHICH CARDS WERE MISSING FROM THE BRAND-NEW DECK, BRAD?

The idea of a bunch of sooper secret wizards who kill people with card tricks may be a Deadlands homage, but it's just cool enough to earn the book a second star. However, if you're gonna open your book with this scene, you really really need to take the time to familiarize yourself with a deck of playing cards.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magicians Impossible by Brad Abraham is a lot of fun and has a lot of potential, but all of its potential is never quite realized. The best way I can describe it is Harry Potter and Harry Dresden meets James Bond, and that's enough to hook me right there. The opening scene of the story is really cool, but fair warning it's pretty bloody. The main part of the book follows Jason as his life takes a dramatic turn. After his father's death, he learns that his father was a mage, an evil group of wizards is after him, and that he needs to develop his natural (if latent) magical talent if he wants to stay alive. My favorite scenes of this book are definitely those training scenes where the mages at the Citadel, a location that's hidden from normal people for mages to train and possibly live safely, as we get to see what type of magic he specializes in. My favorite character was definitely the mage named Allegra. I really wish we got to see a little more of her, but her interactions with Jason are great. This novel also deals with the chose one trope, Jason thinks that's what he is and while Allegra assures him that he isn't, he kind of actually is a special snowflake. Not my favorite way it could have been handled, but it was still fun getting there. My other issue was with the two factions - The Invisible Hand, the good side, and The Golden Dawn, the evil - I couldn't quite figure out their differences and what their ultimate goals were regarding the Sphere. Even though I had some issues with this story, I still had a lot of fun listening to this fast-paced, action-packed, and well produced audiobook.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

If we hadn't been told early on that the protagonist was 30 I would have totally thought this was a YA novel. It had all the classic YA fantasy tropes: parents dead, lead character who finds out that they are suddenly super special, magic school, etc.

This book didn't work for me, and looking back, I think it was the lack of process. I felt like the author wanted to drop the reader into a world-changing battle, but didn't really want to deal with the lead up. So the protagonist finds out he's a mage, ends up at the mage school, and then easily moves through all the levels without anyone teaching him anything, which made me wonder why there even is a school. There was definitely something missing. For me as a reader, it would have worked better had we skipped over all the school/society stuff, and had the guy discover he was a mage and be thrust right into the battle.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nitty-gritty: Fast and furious, violent and action-packed, this story will make you wish you had magical powers!

Brad Abraham’s debut is being billed as “ Harry Potter meets James Bond” and after reading Magicians Impossible I have to say that’s a pretty good description. I had several Harry Potter flashback moments while reading this, and I could almost hear the James Bond theme song playing in the background during some of the more thrilling action scenes. Abraham’s debut is fast-paced, and if you love stories about warring factions in the magical world, then you will really enjoy this book.

Jason Bishop is your average thirty-year-old. His year-long relationship with his girlfriend Winnie is starting to show cracks, but he’s mostly happy--except for that nagging feeling he’s always had that he’s destined for something much bigger than his small, ordinary life. He just doesn’t know what that is.

Jason has escaped his childhood hometown of Cold Spring, but when his estranged father suddenly commits suicide, Jason finds himself back there for the funeral. Trying to imagine his father jumping off a highrise is hard enough, but a run-in after the funeral with a strange man named Carter Block changes Jason’s life in a flash. Carter belongs to a group of magicians known as the Invisible Hand, and he’s come to deliver the news that Jason is in danger from a rival group of magicians known as the Golden Dawn. Before you can say “Abracadabra,” Jason is literally running for his life, swept up in a hidden world of magic and mages.  He finds himself in a strange fortress called the Citadel, where mages of all levels live and train, readying themselves for the ultimate showdown with the Golden Dawn.

As Jason’s powers grow, he makes some startling discoveries about his past--specifically his absentee father Dan who he’s resented his entire life. And when the Invisible Hand gets wind of a powerful magical artifact, it’s up to Jason to lead his new friends on a quest to find it, before the Golden Dawn can claim it for their own.

From the exciting and shockingly violent opening chapter, Abraham gives us a world where magic is real but is hidden from the “mundanes.” I really enjoyed the world-building, especially when Jason moves into the Citadel, an immense structure that seems to exist out of time, and contains not only a training school-like setting, but a hallway filled with thousands of doors, each one leading to a different place. It created an interesting (although maybe too convenient) way for mages to quickly get from one place to another. I also liked the different powers that mages wield. I won’t go into all the details here, but each level of magic has a particular skill set, and mages can do anything from manipulating objects through space to even flying. One of my favorite details in the story was that Jason adopts his weapon of choice from his father: a deck of playing cards that become lethal in his hands.

I didn’t really connect with all the characters, but there was one in particular who quickly became my favorite, and I wouldn’t mind an entire story that revolved around her. Allegra is a mage with a terribly sad back-story, and I loved every scene she was in. I think the fact that the author gave her so much rich history is the reason I loved her character, and I wish there had been more like Allegra.

I’ll admit I almost gave this book a three-and-a half star rating, but Jason’s emotional journey pushed it up to four stars. Abraham does a great job of delving into Jason’s past and tying together one particular event that not only explains why he’s a Mage, but creates a strong emotional connection to his father. I’m always looking for characters with layers, and despite some of Jason’s less than appealing traits, these flashbacks added a great deal to his character.

Although I had a great time with Magicians Impossible , it wasn’t a perfect book, and it definitely has the feel of a debut. Abraham’s writing is a little rough around the edges in places, and could have used a bit more editing in my opinion. I also found the story confusing at times, especially the relationship between the Invisible Hand and the Golden Dawn. Magicians Impossible is one of those stories where the characters pretend to be one thing but end up as something else entirely, and the almost constant shifting from good to bad and back again made my head spin.

My other issue had to do with the ease of Jason’s introduction into the hidden world of magic. Ironically, Jason himself says something along the lines of “I’m definitely not a special snowflake,” but then Abraham proceeds to make him just that. Amazingly, Jason climbs the ladder of types of magicians with dizzying speed, proving that he is indeed an ultra special mage, the likes of which no one has seen before. Within minutes of entering the Citadel and beginning his training, he’s mastered the first few levels of magic and stunned his instructors. I can only think that the author did this to hurry things along, because there is actually a lot going on in this story, and he clearly wanted to get past the basics and into the main action. This is a big story, and the page count almost felt too small to contain it.

But despite those issues, I had a blast with this book. I read the last page with a grin on my face, and I can't help but wonder what Brad Abraham will think of next.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy

[Maryam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating : 3.5

Review to come!

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like Magicians Impossible, I really, really did.

But I didn't like it, I really, really didn't.

For a book devoted to magicians and magic and nefarious, mysterious factions and bloodthirsty leaders, I had a hard time focusing and ended up putting the book down more than once to do random things, like fold laundry and watch SpongeBob.

I can't quite put a finger on why I didn't like it.

At first, I thought it was the writing that bugged me. The writing was fine but I felt it kind of...draggged. Readers are given a lot to digest; action packed scenes and tons of exposition and world building and magical relics and yet the prose felt dry, stilted.

I was bored.

Secondly, I didn't like Jason Bishop. I thought he was a schlub.

A cliche, a chump who suddenly discovers he has all these amazing, magical powers and is destined for soooo many amazing things.

He’s like a YA character, a loser and an orphan who is suddenly thrust into this incredible world, and, of course, he comes into his powers and is adept at so many so quickly because the Citadel enhances his abilities and he's so talented...yadda yadda yadda.

Basically, Jason Bishop is the Bella Swan of this menagerie of magical misfits.

Third, the twists (if you want to go so far as to call them that and can you call them that when you figure them out by the third chapter?) is so very, very corny and predictable. I found myself rolling my eyes just one too many times.

The Red Queen is his (yep!) and his dad isn't really (nope!) and he's being played by the very person he's supposed to trust (what a surprise! NOT!) and his friends become foes (duh!) and then they're friends again? (jury's still out) and Jason is the chosen one (his real name is Neo).

There's some decent world building, tons of terms being thrown about; Adept, Archmage, Sleepy, Dopey and Grumpy.

There's plenty of action and lots of 'borrowing' from more accomplished and talented magical series like the incomparable Harry Potter such as calling non-magical folks "mundanes."

Seriously. No fooling.

Okay, I laughed really hard at that. Really, really hard.

Look, I didn't like Jason.

He annoyed me in that irritating way in that you can't understand why he's the hero.

He's not particularly bright or witty or interesting. I didn't like or care about anyone, much less empathize or want to know more about them.

It's safe to say I won't continue to read this series.

I'll be working on my card tricks instead.

Abracadabra!

[Therin Knite · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started this book, I wasn't sure what to expect, but from the blurb, I thought it had a lot of potential. And by the end of the book, I still thought it had a lot of potential -- in other words, I thought it could have used a bit of improvement. There was an incredible foundation upon which to build an excellent novel, but the execution didn't quite live up to the promise.

Starting with the things I DID like about the book:

The world-building was fantastic: The concept of the Golden Dawn and the Invisible Hand as opposing magical forces, the Citadel as the otherworldly safe haven of the Invisible Hand, filled with doors to every location on Earth, the different methods of accessing magic powers, the different skill sets and abilities demonstrated throughout the book...Every aspect of the world of Magicians Impossible was interesting and imaginative, and I would have loved to see these ideas live up to their potential.

The large cast of diverse characters: The author did a great job showcasing that the magicians come from all over the world. There were a lot of characters with vastly different backgrounds, and they all played pretty interesting roles in the story.

Now, onto what I did NOT like:

1) The Plot: Here lies my big issue with the book. The plot is, for lack of a better description, a bit of a convoluted mess. Quite frankly, I'm shocked this is all one novel, because the sheer amount of information, twists and turns, and action pieces could very easily have been split into two installments, and both would have been of equal caliber.

Instead, what I got was a book with a moderately paced first half that read fairly well, and a second half that was so fast-paced, so overstuffed with twists and turns, that it honestly became hard to follow what was happening.

That large cast of characters I liked so much at the beginning became unwieldy as the story headed toward the climax, with the characters traveling to numerous locations every few pages, splitting up into various groups that were hard to keep track of, a dozen plus fights happening in rapid succession, and at least that many plot twists unraveling at the same time.

When I got to the last 20% of the story, I was mentally exhausted from trying to keep track of what was happening. There was just too much of EVERYTHING jammed into the second half of a book that was not particularly long, and it really wore on my ability to enjoy the story.

If the plot had been trimmed down into a simpler narrative that really let the world-building shine, it would have been a much stronger book, in my opinion.

2) The lack of character development: Following from the plot issue, my enjoyment of those diverse characters was limited to their introductions, and for some, brief backstories.

Because the plot was moving so fast throughout the second half, very few of the characters got the kind of development they deserved, and as a result, it was hard to care when someone got injured, or died, or ended up in a dangerous situation. I didn't get a chance to come to know many of the characters well, and I was pretty upset by that, because all of them seemed interesting at the surface level.

If the plot had simply slowed down instead of rushing forward to its convoluted conclusion, there would have been more space to develop these characters, and to make their fates in the climactic sequence more impactful. So I really feel that this great cast ended up a wasted opportunity, and that was very disappointing.

____

So, overall, I think Magicians Impossible is an "okay" read. The fantastic world-building manages to hold up the overwrought plot just enough to make the story enjoyable. But its weaknesses are pretty obvious, and if you go into it with your expectations too high, I think you'll be disappointed.

[NOTE: I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]

[Hope Sloper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great, fast paced, easily read, action packed story. It was very interesting and worth the read.
However, upon reading the last paragraph of this book, I won't deny that it left me a bit undecided on how to review it. I loved it, yet at the same time, I was disappointed. It took me a few days to realize that the disappointment wasn't the way the novel ended, but that the ending felt premature.
The world within Magicians Impossible is enthralling and fascinating, but it's paired with a simple, to a point of it seeming convenient plot. I felt like there was more story to read, but there were no more words. The ending gave me no resolution whatsoever because the entire story read in a very run of the mill way.
Which really sucked because the characters are awesome; all the supporting characters and foes (there are many) are all terrific.
The world is fantastic and imaginative.
Jason's story is wonderful and engaging.
If the book was thicker, if there were more details on the magical world that was created, I would have totally given this novel five stars. I really, really want to.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has great pacing but too many flaws to be recommendable. The plot is predictable, seriously after the first chapter you can easily see where this is all going. There is also very loose editing. Using awkward words like bulwark is fine but not several times within a couple pages. The dialogue is frequently expositional. There are a lot of flavors from popular YA lit as well...mundanes etc. the main character is able to advance through mage levels in a day, truly a chosen one. Ugh there's more but typing on a tablet is tedious. I suspect the author could produce something better in the future. There are hints of fun and creativity here, so not all bad.

[Verushka · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is this about: Jason Bishop discovers he has magic in the worst circumstances ever. And then just when he didn't think things could get worse, they kind of sort of do. But there's also magic....

What else is this about?: Family, the ones you make and the ones you are born into and how they mess with your head entirely.

When I first found out about this book, I saw a review or an early tagline equate it to James Bond, except with magic. From that point on, I was determined to listen to this book in audio form, but much to my horror Audible Australia and the publisher did not come through for me. However, the author, Brad Abraham did, and he was kind enough to send me an audiobook of Magicians Impossible.

Whew. What a ride this was.

Magic, stellar worldbuidling and some seriously good characterisation, enough that I am busting for book two like you would not believe. Abraham has created a rich world, and in particular, an avenue with which to explore themes of family that I am looking forward to immensely.

Now what is this book actually about?

Jason Bishop is coasting through life when he is confronted by the death of his father and is forced to reconsider his choices. This is what death does, it makes you think about things differently, but in Jason’s case it’s how his induction to the world of magic begins. Carter, an old friend of his father’s, comes to tell him the truth about his heritage and his father, Damon. Not Daniel.

Because, yes Damon is a secret agent mage fighting the good fight, and hiding Jason away in a sleepy town with adoptive parents, who loved him, and who he loved in return. However, that relationship didn’t soften the harshness of having Damon flit into and out of his life, and years later, Jason now knows why when he’s inducted into the same organisation where he learns about magic, and in particular his magic.

And then poop really does hit the fan.

Because Abraham gleefully plays with your assumptions and conventions in this book, and I promise where you started this book will be different to where you are when it ends. Abraham skilfully maintains some brilliant worldbuilding, while essentially forcing readers to rethink their assumptions about Jason and this world he now inhabits.

Characterisation is wonderfully drawn here, because this book is  filled with action, magic fights and escapes and throughout it all you need to be engaged with a wealth of characters -- and Abraham hands down had me on the edge of my seat. Jason becomes part of a chase for a sphere that could change everything for two warring factions within this magic world. But here's the thing: who is to be believed in this war? 

There’s travel to Paris and Mumbai through magic, and a captivating scene in the Louvre that had me transfixed. It’s something else to hear these descriptions fill your head, and it occurred me that the author is a visual writer, drawing his scenes with words and sentences that matter – everything is there for a reason, and I think in an action-packed book like this it maintains the tension so well.

This is Jason’s book – and I say this because it’s for us to get to know him, before we get to know everyone else properly through him. His evolution from someone who doesn’t know what to do with his life, to someone who accepts what his life has become and the death that might come with it, tells me how much he wants to belong somewhere in a time in his life where he realises he has very little – his adoptive father has dementia, and his best friend’s widow, who he cared for deeply is moving away – there are no closer ties in his world than that. So fighting for something, alongside others is important to him and he takes to it with courage and determination.

By the end, he is ready for the next phase of this journey, but with a different awareness about himself and this new (old) world of his that makes me excited for book 2.

I didn't expect this book to twist me around, and mess with my expectations so, but I think that's the best thing about this -- if a book can make you excited about a genre, it's a keeper! 

Interview with Brad Abraham: http://editingeverything.com/blog/201...

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooh, I really loved this adventure, most likely because I just drove over Storm King Mountain the day before reading it! I adore settings close to home and the author did a fantastic job of characterizing the various settings to deepen the story. This book would make a highly entertaining movie, with plenty of action, twists and turns, and gorgeous (often gory) magic. Highly recommended!

[Tim Hicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abraham has experience in other media, and it shows. There's a lot of slam-bang action that felt as if it had started as a comic/graphic novel. Or maybe it's meant to be the basis of a screenplay.

Potter-Bond? Nah. More like Tom Cruise in a Dan Brown novel.

If you don't like Chosen One stories with a Magic McGuffin, run away. Of course, as required, the Magic McGuffin turns out to be a real nothingburger.

And if you don't like Marty Stu lead characters, stop reading now and go get another book. This is the guy who watched two holes of mini-golf, then borrowed some clubs and shot a 66 on the US Open course.

Jason's 30 but this reads like a YA and has that level of logic and plot. Or is it a travelogue, showing off where the author has been?

It has storms appearing and disappearing as if they were music, apparently just to ramp up the drama.

It has giant magical battles that smash up the Louvre and animate the statues - except that when it's all done and neither side one, The Balance makes it all didn't happen. WHAT IS The Balance and HOW DOES IT WORK?

We got a fight at the end with wizards throwing doors at each other, and Jason sky-surfing on a flying door. OK, now we're past graphic novels and right into cartoons.

We got another fight at the end with like six pages of "I've got the Sphere!" -- "aha, no you haven't!" -- "sez you, I got it back!" -- "oh yeah? take THAT" -- that one was straight-up Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

There's some bad Latin. Tsk.

And plot twists just for the sake of plot twists. A good twist should leave the reader with "Oh, wow, of COURSE!" and these just don't.

And two GIANT unexplained bits: Sofia's dead and has sold out to A Bad One - who?, and
Damon's dead, no he isn't, yes he is, no he isn't -- and worst of all we are left in the end with Damon all smirking and "heh, I got this, these wankers are doing exactly as I planned."

Hey, if you like Marvel Universe and Doctor Strange and all that, this is probably for you. I don't much care for a series of endlessly-powerful entities banging away at each other.

A final warning - lots of killing here, some of it messy. If you don't care for that, avoid.

Summary: I finished this book, and I pushed.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really had a mixed experience with this book, and it is a bit of an odd mash-up between a Harry Potter type universe and a secret agent/James Bond type plot. The first half was really intriguing, but the second half just fell flat for me - motivations didn't make sense, reasons for why these two factions are fighting weren't really clear, and it just got muddled.

It wasn't terrible, and I did finish it, but at the same time, I wasn't left with a huge desire to come back for future books. Really, it's a lot like my feelings about the recent Bond movie Spectre. It had some pretty stuff, some okay fight sequences, but the plot was so muddled that the movie went down as meh in my book.

[Billie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an enjoyable read, but there's not really anything here I haven't read before.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magicians Impossible is an action packed story that takes place in a complex world of magic. At the surface, the author presents the story of a young man discovering his magical family legacy. He then further develops this concept building up a world of classes of magicians and warring magical gangs. Very creative and interesting world building. This book provides good material that would make a really good movie. It's saturated in cinematic action sequences. Unfortunately, I felt like it had too much going on at times. I had a hard time keeping track of all the minor characters and twists. It wasn't clear to me what the main character's ultimate end game was in terms of the Good versus Evil concept. Needed a little less distraction. Overall, very inventive, action-packed take on a world of magicians.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Bound to be a series
An awesome read. This is the tale of a war, eons long, between two magical factions. Our hero is new to the ways of magic but plays an important role in the battle. Block out plenty of time for this one, you won't want to stop. I'm busy making a mental list of every one I know that NEEDS to read this book. While unfamiliar with the rest of his work, I believe Mr. Abraham has won another devotee.

[Asta S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I liked the fast-paced opening and the deck of card tricks, what I really appreciated about this book was when Jason had a chance to think back on his life and better understand why his dad was "traveling" all the time for business. It's tough to re-think your world from someone else's eyes. In this case, Jason finally understood that his dad was a magician and didn't go home often because he didn't want anyone to find out that he had a son. I also liked as Jason recalled those instances from his childhood when something slightly... odd happened that he couldn't quite explain, and could now understand that it was his latent magical abilities. I liked that he had the ability to open a door and it be in a different part of the world - reminded me of The Matrix! I got wrapped up in the story and I have to admit, I put off my family for an hour to finish this book and find out what happened next! Would definitely suggest Magicians Impossible for someone who grew up reading Harry Potter. Imagine Harry going through life only to find out about his abilities in his 20s and then getting a Neo-in-The-Matrix crash course in magic. Would absolutely recommend for anyone looking for a page-turning adventure.

[3 no 7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brad Abraham will be speaking at The Book Carnival in Orange, CA on September 27 at 7 PM. Abraham describes “Magician’s Impossible” as “Harry potter meets James Bond,” and I found that to be true. It starts with an intriguing magic card trick and continues from there.

Jason Bishop has his life interrupted when his father commits suicide. The circumstances become more unusual when he discovers that his father was a secret agent for a super-spy group, The Invisible Hand, which has been employing magic for centuries in an ongoing war with The Golden Dawn. Even more startling, both his mother and father met their untimely demises as the result of this relationship. Now “they” are coming for him. He is plunged into an unfamiliar world-between-worlds, and encounters both enemies and allies. The problem he does not really know who fits into which category.

It is an engaging fantasy with many twists. Just when readers start to settle into the story, the “smoke and mirrors” aspect turns things around. The clues are there, but many are “missed” the first time.

I received a copy of “Magician’s Impossible” from Brad Abraham, St. Martin’s Press, and Net Galley. I am not a big reader of magic mystery genre, so I had a mixed experience with this book. I am not sure exactly how to rate it, but I enjoyed reading it, and I think readers of magic mystery will love it. There was a lot of background and introduction to characters that leads me to think that there will be more magic to come. I cannot wait to talk to Brad Abraham at The Book Carnival in Orange, CA on September 27 at 7 PM to find out more about it.

[Helena Corsekova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure Magic! It's like Harry Potter grew up into Jason Bourne.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A 31 year old Bartender could possibly save the world. Jason Bishop is adrift in the world, afraid of forming relationships because of the early death of his mother, and his presumes abandonment by his father. Little did he know that his father was a member of something Big, and now he is dead. Jason is then thrown into the world of Magic. He learns fast--maybe a little too fast to be believeable, but then he is his father's son. The plot of Good vs Evil becomes murky, more about Balance and then more about Good becoming Evil. Where does Jason fit into this? The people he thought were Good were pawns in a hidden agenda, and the people he thought were Evil...were not really. The end really leaves you hanging, there's no true resolution or even a decent cliffhanger. But the book was just good enough to leave me wanting more. Very entertaining.

[elaynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too bad this book isn't the first in a series; I'd definitely read them.

As a bartending 30 yo, Jason Bishop seems to be stuck. His mother died a few days after he was born and after attending to the suicide death of his father, his girlfriend attempted to kill him. After failing to choke him to death, she broke the window of her high-rise condo and pushed him out! It was after he was rescued mid-fall that he found out that his father was actually murdered because he was an agent of the Secret Hand, a society of mages that was in a war against the Golden Dawn who were mundanes with magical abilities. In the weeks that followed his father's death, he found out several things he never knew about himself, beginning with the fact that he had "exceptional" magical abilities.

While I really enjoyed this book, it really left some things hanging and I still have some questions

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two magician factions The Invisible Hand and the Golden Dawn are at war and in the middle is Jason Bishop. After his father commits suicide Jason discovers he is much more important than he thought. His father was an agent for the Hand and was murdered by the Dawn, but secrets are revealed, sides are taken, and the battles rage on. This book was so much fun! It pulled me in relatively quickly and the action descriptions were wonderful! Sometimes in battle scenes I can get pretty bored. Hope this continues as a series....