Another Foray Into The Realm of Magic

I’ve been a fan of Magic: The Gathering for several years now, but—as you probably know—I only recently started reading the Magic novels. I just finished my second one, Outlaw: Champions of Kamigawa . It’s a good book.

It’s a story that could stand on it’s own, even if all the Magic references were removed. It tells the stories of Princess Michiko and the thief Toshiro Umezawa. The princess is on a quest to discover why the kami have declared war on her father’s kingdom. Toshiro is on a quest to find out why the kami are after him. Eventually, the two of them meet up and discover the horrible secret of Lord Konda, the princess’ father.

There were a few things I didn’t like. One of the kami is referred to as shooting like a cannon despite the fact that the pseudo-feudal Japan world of Kamigawa doesn’t seem to have cannons. I also wasn’t entirely happy with the way some of Magic’s legendary creatures were portrayed. From his card, I’d expect Marrow-Gnawer to be a fairly brave creature, but in the book he’s a total pansy.

Over all, I’d have to say this book is good and I’d recommend it to you even if you aren’t a fan of Magic. I give Outlaw 4 yo-yos. Up next, I’ll write a review of Neil Gaiman’s Smoke and Mirrors. I’ve actually finished reading it, but I don’t have time to write up a review right now.