Revisionary (Magic Ex Libris, #4)

by Jim C. Hines

When Isaac Vainio helped to reveal magic to the world, he dreamed of a utopian future, a new millennium of magical prosperity. One year later, things aren't going quite as he'd hoped. An organization known as Vanguard, made up of magical creatures and ex-Porters, wants open war with the mundane world. Isaac's own government is incarcerating "potential supernatural enemies" in prisons and internment camps. And Isaac finds himself targeted by all sides. It's a war that will soon envelop the world, and the key to victory may lie with Isaac himself, as he struggles to incorporate everything he's learned into a new, more powerful form of libriomancy. Surrounded by betrayal and political intrigue, Isaac and a ragtag group of allies must evade pursuit both magical and mundane, expose a conspiracy by some of the most powerful people in the world, and find a path to a better future.

• ISBN10: 0756409705
• ISBN13: 9780756409708
• Publish Date: 2 February 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Daw Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

It’s over. My adventures with the coolest fictional librarian I’ve never known are over. Revisionary marks the end of the Magic Ex Libris series. No more pulling stuff out of books to save the World. Unless, of course, I find the time to re-read the series. And I hope I do. Because this series is just plain fun.

After finishing Unbound, I jumped right into Revisionary because I had to know how everything would all fall out. Issac was somewhat manic in the last book and I was concerned for his life. He’s did some crazy things in book 3 and it led to some pretty devastating consequences.

In the end, my copy of Revisionary is studded with post-it tabs. Eleven of them to be exact. This is a good sign that Jim had me feeling things and thinking deeply for most of the book.

Throughout the course of the book, Jim touches on human rights. He touches on what happens when your passion consumes you and how that affects other people in your life. He touches on our need to go at it alone whether that’s in our best interest or not. Overall, Revisionary is about change—the good and bad.

Revisionary is definitely an emotional book. The political aspects of the plot gets lost and muddled behind Issac’s drive to rescue and set things right. And while, I am an emotional reader, I do wish the political arguments would have been stronger because I can see a direct correlation between the conversations happening our real world about diversity, human rights and the current political climate. (I live in Iowa. The caucuses just finished up. Need I say more?)

My favorite thing about this series as a whole is the amazing growth of the characters. I look back at my review of Book 1 compared to how I feel now that I’ve read Book 4. These are characters I want to have in my life. I want Issac to dazzle me by pulling things out of books and pop culture references. I want to spar with Lena (and perhaps pig out on junk food with her, too). I want to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Nidhi. There is no question that these three have an amazing, unique relationship that no one questions. It just is. They depend on each other yet they are individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses. To me, they are real.

So who should read the Magic Ex Libris series? Fans of pop culture will definitely get a kick out it. Fans of magic and paranormal worlds will definitely feel a connection. Bookworms, in particular, should pay attention because books are magic. And in Issac’s world there is an amazing truth in that statement. If you have ever dreamed of having access to Lucy’s healing cordial to help a loved one or Dorothy’s silver slippers to skip your commute, the Magic Ex Libris series is definitely for you.


This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews