3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
In this seventh installment of the Magi Charter series, the science fiction element comes to the forefront. In a new futuristic setting, we get reacquainted with some old friends (and enemies) and meet some new ones. The Elf Directive continues to follow Santa and the Elves as they strive to carry out their mission - bringing hope to the world. Only this time their world has gotten a bit bigger.
It's now the 28th century. Humans have traveled the galaxy and found allies and enemies among the aliens. Earth is largely at peace, and humans have all they could desire. Thus, Santa is really no longer needed there. His mission hasn't ended, though; it had merely expanded to include less deserving races and more primitive civilizations. As such the base has been moved from the North Pole to an asteroid.
Things are going along quite well until a return of an old Elf named Emiko. Ever the enemy of Santa and his minions, she plans to have her revenge. In the process, she is determined to find the key stones they are hiding believing they will give her great power. She enlists the help of another former Elf named Mistletoe Green as he has his own reasons for retaliation. Will the two succeed in defeating Santa and the Elves once and for all?
There are multiple worlds, environments and aliens in this story. I was delighted to meet these new races including one whose brains are visible. The imagination of the author was amazing as well as his ability to keep everything separate and distinct. The world building in these books is one of the many highlights that keep me returning to the series.
The Elf Directive does build on previous books in this series, and I would advise that they be read in order. As such, I was delighted to see the return of certain beloved (and feared) characters. The author does well at keeping track of the traits of each character, so that each is seamless from one book to the next.
The pacing in this book could be considered somewhat slow as Mr. Jordan takes his time building to a climax. By the end I was ripping through the pages to solve the mysteries. Unfortunately as you might expect from a book that's 7 of 9, I was left with more questions than answers.
Now, I know most people don't like cliffhangers. Normally, I would be among those people, but… Like JK Rawling in Harry Potter, Mr. David is building to a stunning conclusion that I can't even begin to imagine. This leaves me with only a note to the author. Can't you write any faster Mr. David??
Sadly, this book was not exempt from some of the same editorial errors found in previous books. It's important to note that there were less than 50 total in a book with over 800 pages. So, while not off-putting, they were frequent enough to note. One of the most common was switching the homophones passed and past.
The merits of this book vast outweigh any negative aspects. I therefore rate The Elf Directive 3 out of 4 stars. I urge everyone to not let the minor grammatical issues keep you from picking up this book and, in fact, the whole series. I continue to be amazed by the talents of the author and find myself already dreading the end of this wonderful series.
******
The Elf Directive - Book Seven of the Magi Charter
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like kandscreeley's review? Post a comment saying so!
