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Platinum Magic
Elves, orcs, dwarves and other fantasy races are depicted in a modern society whose physics are based on magic spells. This world acts as the backdrop for this engaging and action packed series of Bruce Davis mysteries and procedurals, starting with book Platinum Magic .
When King’s Agents Simon Buckley and Haldron Stonebender raid a suburban farmhouse, they expect to find an illegal bomb factory full of Orc terrorists. Instead, they end up killing the sister of the current Elf ruler, turning a straightforward police raid into an international incident. Now, Simon and his team must battle terrorists, gangsters, and their own superiors to find the truth behind the High-Elf’s involvement and avert a war.
Accolades-
"What a page turner. Everything started off with a bang, pun intended, and the race to the finish never slowed down. Every chapter I read made me want to get into the next."- Adal McCloud
"Davis has done an excellent job with this world he's created. He's turned our world into a magic world – or perhaps a magic world into our world."- Theoden Humphry
About Bruce Davis- "I have always been a storyteller, even before I began writing seriously. I have written stories all my life, but didn’t begin to think in terms of writing for an audience until after I finished my medical training. As many people know, I am a General and Trauma surgeon and that gives me the privilege of observing people under extraordinary circumstances. Much of what I write tries to deal with some of those circumstances and how people respond to them. If there is an overall theme to my writing it’s the big question of what makes us human."
Excerpt "The thing by the hearth cocked its head at Simon’s command. It was squat and broad, like a full-sized man whose legs had been shoved up into his torso. Its long muscular arms reached almost to the floor. Its head was human in outline but flattened on top, as if the skull had been sheared off at the brow line. It was hairless, naked and sexless, the space between its short legs smooth and featureless. Simon cursed and fired two bolts as it growled and bared long, fang-like teeth. He dropped the bolt thrower and it swung down beside his left hip on its harness. He drew the Bonecleaver and shouted over his shoulder toward Hal, “Golem!” The creature rushed him, the two cold iron bolts from the pneumatic protruding from its chest. The bolts didn’t even slow it down. Simon swung his sword at the thing and the double-edged blade sliced deep into its left shoulder. It roared and spun to its right, nearly wrenching the sword out of his hand. He backpedaled away from the golem, bringing the Bonecleaver up to a high overhead ready position."
When King’s Agents Simon Buckley and Haldron Stonebender raid a suburban farmhouse, they expect to find an illegal bomb factory full of Orc terrorists. Instead, they end up killing the sister of the current Elf ruler, turning a straightforward police raid into an international incident. Now, Simon and his team must battle terrorists, gangsters, and their own superiors to find the truth behind the High-Elf’s involvement and avert a war.
Accolades-
"What a page turner. Everything started off with a bang, pun intended, and the race to the finish never slowed down. Every chapter I read made me want to get into the next."- Adal McCloud
"Davis has done an excellent job with this world he's created. He's turned our world into a magic world – or perhaps a magic world into our world."- Theoden Humphry
About Bruce Davis- "I have always been a storyteller, even before I began writing seriously. I have written stories all my life, but didn’t begin to think in terms of writing for an audience until after I finished my medical training. As many people know, I am a General and Trauma surgeon and that gives me the privilege of observing people under extraordinary circumstances. Much of what I write tries to deal with some of those circumstances and how people respond to them. If there is an overall theme to my writing it’s the big question of what makes us human."
Excerpt "The thing by the hearth cocked its head at Simon’s command. It was squat and broad, like a full-sized man whose legs had been shoved up into his torso. Its long muscular arms reached almost to the floor. Its head was human in outline but flattened on top, as if the skull had been sheared off at the brow line. It was hairless, naked and sexless, the space between its short legs smooth and featureless. Simon cursed and fired two bolts as it growled and bared long, fang-like teeth. He dropped the bolt thrower and it swung down beside his left hip on its harness. He drew the Bonecleaver and shouted over his shoulder toward Hal, “Golem!” The creature rushed him, the two cold iron bolts from the pneumatic protruding from its chest. The bolts didn’t even slow it down. Simon swung his sword at the thing and the double-edged blade sliced deep into its left shoulder. It roared and spun to its right, nearly wrenching the sword out of his hand. He backpedaled away from the golem, bringing the Bonecleaver up to a high overhead ready position."
- GenresFantasy
317 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2018
3 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Davis
68 books9 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 17, 2018
Platinum Magic is a fantastical police procedural set in a land where humans, elves, dwarfs and orcs interact in the Commonwealth. The plot opens with a raid on a supposed fire grenade factory that turned out to be more involved. There is cover-ups, crime, romance, and friendship in enough proportions to make up a good tale without loosing sight of telling a good story. It will be interesting to see what else Bruce Davis does with this series.
April 12, 2023
I picked this book a year ago from the author (signed copy, thank you!) at the Tucson book festival. It took me a year to get to it, my TBR pile is out of control, but I am so thrilled I finally read this.
A suspicious death of a high elf brings an investigation team out with all eyes watching their progress; not everyone wants this case solved. The world is brilliantly described throughout the book and it feels like a modern day earth, but with fantasy creatures. I was totally immersed in this crime drama and couldn’t wait for the next clue to come. The characters were well thought out; bad guys, good guys, and everyone in between.
I completely recommend this book.
A suspicious death of a high elf brings an investigation team out with all eyes watching their progress; not everyone wants this case solved. The world is brilliantly described throughout the book and it feels like a modern day earth, but with fantasy creatures. I was totally immersed in this crime drama and couldn’t wait for the next clue to come. The characters were well thought out; bad guys, good guys, and everyone in between.
I completely recommend this book.
March 25, 2018
I first chose to read this book because of the gorgeous cover. After reading the blurb on it, it reminded me of the movie Bright, which I've recently seen. The entire start of the book gave me the same feeling. Fantasy wrapped in sci-fi is a great combination and I absolutely loved this book. Can't wait for the next in the series!
I think the story can be read as a standalone as well, since it wraps most of the plots in the book quite nicely at the end.
I think the story can be read as a standalone as well, since it wraps most of the plots in the book quite nicely at the end.
June 21, 2022
A fun and interesting read. A different take on the fantasy genre that was a quick read.
May 28, 2018
Davis has done an excellent job with this world he's created. He's turned our world into a magic world – or perhaps a magic world into our world. The main characters are cops, investigating a murder case that has larger implications; and while those cops are dwarves and half-elves, and they use repeating crossbows rather than firearms, they still function like cops, in a world with precinct politics and public pressures and corruption and everything else that cops actually deal with. In some ways, this reads like a police procedural, just in a fantasy world. It reminded me quite a bit of Glen Cook's Garret, P.I., series, in that the familiar tropes are put into an unfamiliar situation, and bring those old cliches to new life by doing so.
And just like the Cook series, this book has deep roots: there are political implications to the case these cops are investigating, and the political tensions between races and nations are built on a long history which slowly unfolds over the course of the book, just as it would in a novel with a real-world setting; that was well done. Though I will say that this element was also the source of my one complaint: though I appreciated Davis's ability to avoid pages and pages of explication of his world's history and politics, I was also quite confused early on in the story, as there were references made to old political alliances and upheavals that had strong implications in the story's present, and I didn't know what the hell the characters were talking about, which was annoying for a while. But it did all become clear in the end, so it was only a temporary annoyance.
I liked the mystery, particularly the twist Davis puts on it – no spoilers, but the perpetrators were involved with interdimensional travel and smuggling, which allowed Davis to step outside his own world, and gave a great surprise in the final conflict – and I really liked the characters, especially the main two cops, Simon Buckley and Haldron Stonebender. I thought the romance was a little too pat, a little too cliché, but it was sweetly written, nonetheless; Davis makes a nice point about love between different races which I liked. And I loved the use of orcs in this as second-class citizens, despised by the more powerful races, treated with deep suspicion and contempt by the cops, forced into ghettoes and menial labor and crime. Davis does what good fantasy should do: make a point about our world through the use of a fantasy lens that focuses our attention in a way that a more familiar setting might not be able to. He does it well, without making his allegory too on-the-nose; he just writes a good story, with some themes that should ring true even to those of us who aren't part elven.
I would definitely recommend this book, and author.
And just like the Cook series, this book has deep roots: there are political implications to the case these cops are investigating, and the political tensions between races and nations are built on a long history which slowly unfolds over the course of the book, just as it would in a novel with a real-world setting; that was well done. Though I will say that this element was also the source of my one complaint: though I appreciated Davis's ability to avoid pages and pages of explication of his world's history and politics, I was also quite confused early on in the story, as there were references made to old political alliances and upheavals that had strong implications in the story's present, and I didn't know what the hell the characters were talking about, which was annoying for a while. But it did all become clear in the end, so it was only a temporary annoyance.
I liked the mystery, particularly the twist Davis puts on it – no spoilers, but the perpetrators were involved with interdimensional travel and smuggling, which allowed Davis to step outside his own world, and gave a great surprise in the final conflict – and I really liked the characters, especially the main two cops, Simon Buckley and Haldron Stonebender. I thought the romance was a little too pat, a little too cliché, but it was sweetly written, nonetheless; Davis makes a nice point about love between different races which I liked. And I loved the use of orcs in this as second-class citizens, despised by the more powerful races, treated with deep suspicion and contempt by the cops, forced into ghettoes and menial labor and crime. Davis does what good fantasy should do: make a point about our world through the use of a fantasy lens that focuses our attention in a way that a more familiar setting might not be able to. He does it well, without making his allegory too on-the-nose; he just writes a good story, with some themes that should ring true even to those of us who aren't part elven.
I would definitely recommend this book, and author.
February 10, 2018
**FTC DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED AN E-ARC FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. RECEIPT OF THIS BOOK IN THIS MANNER DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW.**
King’s Agents Simon Buckley and Haldron Stonebender raid a suburban farmhouse expecting to find an illegal bomb factory full of Orc terrorists. Instead, they end up killing the sister of the current Elf Ruler, taking what should have been a straightforward police raid and turning it into an international incident. Now, Simon and his team must battle terrorists, gangsters, and their own superiors as they try to find out the truth behind the High Elf’s involvement and avoid a war.
This was an incredibly imaginative, well written story. It combines mythical species but doesn’t have them interacting the way other Fantasy series have in the past. It manages to tackle issues like racism and prejudice without being preachy. All of the characters are really well written and I particularly enjoyed how Simon’s team interacted with each other. I enjoyed the crime novel feel to the storyline, as well, while bringing in the fantasy creatures. And the action kept me guessing all the way through. I’m definitely hoping that a sequel is in the works because it would be wrong to put this much work into character development and creating worlds just to let it end . I also found the multiple worlds theory to be quite interesting. And that, alone, opens things up for more books, so I’ll be waiting, as patiently as I can...
King’s Agents Simon Buckley and Haldron Stonebender raid a suburban farmhouse expecting to find an illegal bomb factory full of Orc terrorists. Instead, they end up killing the sister of the current Elf Ruler, taking what should have been a straightforward police raid and turning it into an international incident. Now, Simon and his team must battle terrorists, gangsters, and their own superiors as they try to find out the truth behind the High Elf’s involvement and avoid a war.
This was an incredibly imaginative, well written story. It combines mythical species but doesn’t have them interacting the way other Fantasy series have in the past. It manages to tackle issues like racism and prejudice without being preachy. All of the characters are really well written and I particularly enjoyed how Simon’s team interacted with each other. I enjoyed the crime novel feel to the storyline, as well, while bringing in the fantasy creatures. And the action kept me guessing all the way through. I’m definitely hoping that a sequel is in the works because it would be wrong to put this much work into character development and creating worlds just to let it end . I also found the multiple worlds theory to be quite interesting. And that, alone, opens things up for more books, so I’ll be waiting, as patiently as I can...
October 5, 2019
I picked up this book when I went to the L.A Times Festival Of Books event earlier this year, I met the author he was very kind (I paid for the book myself). My personal review of the book is as follows:
If you're a fan of D&D type characters and magic system and also enjoy "crime drama" TV shows and you're interested in seeing how the two would mix. I highly recommend giving this book a chance, I personally think that it would make a good base for a series on sci-fi.
I think that a lot of issues I personally had with trying to visualize in my mind the action scenes wouldn't have been an issue with TV visual effects. I enjoyed the characters(I wish that I could've seen a bit more personality from them). Overall I personally rate this book a 5 out of 10.
If you're a fan of D&D type characters and magic system and also enjoy "crime drama" TV shows and you're interested in seeing how the two would mix. I highly recommend giving this book a chance, I personally think that it would make a good base for a series on sci-fi.
I think that a lot of issues I personally had with trying to visualize in my mind the action scenes wouldn't have been an issue with TV visual effects. I enjoyed the characters(I wish that I could've seen a bit more personality from them). Overall I personally rate this book a 5 out of 10.
March 29, 2021
This book was an interesting mix of fantasy and police mystery. The main characters are police officers, but they work in a world of Orcs, Elves, and humans; and instead of using guns, they use crossbows. Magic is commonplace and interwoven into everyday life. I liked the story, but it was a bit violent. I found the the tie in at the end amusing. The villain in the story was trying to get things from another dimension and turns out she took a gun from the TSA room of confiscated objects in Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2018
I first chose to read this book because of the gorgeous cover. After reading the blurb on it, it reminded me of the movie Bright, which I've recently seen. The entire start of the book gave me the same feeling. Fantasy wrapped in sci-fi is a great combination and I absolutely loved this book. Can't wait for the next in the series!
I think the story can be read as a standalone as well, since it wraps most of the plots in the book quite nicely at the end.
I think the story can be read as a standalone as well, since it wraps most of the plots in the book quite nicely at the end.
August 27, 2018
Overall I very much enjoyed the book. There was one piece at the end I felt was unnecessary, but it didn't take away from the story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews