Review of Parabolic Magnetic Key

[Emily Astillberry]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Parabolic Magnetic Key" by Nicholas Wudtke.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Parabolic Magnetic Key is a charming fantasy romp that follows Mick Thraiker and Dave Ghrere, Freelance Freedom Fighters, as they journey through the lands of Garobansurov, fighting for their homeland and their people against the invading Molisians.

Mick and Dave are quintessential heroes. They have chosen to spend their lives travelling together and as they travel, they find ways to use their incredible fighting prowess and survival skills to help people in need. They meet and rescue various characters in different situations on their way to positioning themselves to be in the right place at the right time to lend their swords to the Garobansurovian army, led by The Black Bear, General Ulfenkerki, in their hour of need.

This book is a pleasant distraction from the real world; a dive into a world where life is simple and where nature is balanced and people fall neatly into the categories of good and evil. I enjoyed following the heroes and getting to know them and their friends and rescuees and the feeling of satisfaction and resolution when all of the supporting characters and subplots come together for the climactic conclusion.

However, I found the style of the writing to be unwieldy and awkward throughout and the dialogue, unrealistic and uninspiring. I wasn't even sure if Wudtke hadn't designed the prose to be deliberately clunky for comic effect. There are so many opportunities for an injection of emotion or passion but these opportunities are sadly missed, leaving the reader with two dimensional characters with little colour, light or shade.

Wudtke flips between calling the main characters Mick and Dave, Thraiker and Ghrere and Hawk and Leopard so often, sometimes even partway through a sentence that it can be tricky to keep up at times and it seemed to me that the only discernable difference between his fantasy universe and a historical period of our own is a lack of animals big enough for a human to ride. These and other similar flaws in the writing makes the book feel a little lazy to read. Wudtke had a great idea for characters and a story but was in too much of a hurry to tell it properly so failed to put the finishing touches into the style and feel of the tale.

By the end of the book, I had grown fond of various characters. Mick and Dave were really good men and I was routing for them to succeed but I never really felt a true sense of danger, an injection of which would have given the book a layer that was sadly lacking. The ending was a little too predictable but overall I found the tale to be simple, charming and easy to read and I have given it 3 stars out of 5.

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Parabolic Magnetic Key
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[Tomy Chandrafrost]

Quite interesting topic. I think this will be intriguing topic to read about. Reading your review make me eager to learn more about the book. Thanks for the writing