The most fun book I’ve read in a long time! Mutant powers, wizard magic, a Tesla device, zombies, secret magical societies at war, a doomed romance, fantastic fight scenes, alternate histories, and a little girl’s revenge are just some of the devices that make this a page-turning literary indulgence so delightful.
Humans with supernatural abilities have been around for about 80 years, but in the current time-frame, 1930’s America, Actives are still regarded with suspicion by the Normals. The alternate history snippets, including Babe Ruth using his power to hit a 200th home run, Darwin’s Origin of Man and the Selection of Magical Abilities, and Hilter’s speech on the inequality of all men before God, enhance the reality of Correia’s world, cleverly showcasing the on-going struggle by borrowing from our own past.
Jake Sullivan is not your average Actively Magical person. Sure he’s a licensed private eye, war hero, ex-con, and can lift incredibly heavy objects with his ability to control gravity, but he’s just trying to make it through his parole by helping the Feds bring in a murdering bank robber Active. When is turns out the Active in question is an old girlfriend, Jake is pulled into a much larger battle between the do-good Grimnoir society and the evil Imperium.
This is pulp so well executed I can’t wait to read the sequels. Recommended for action, fantasy, and comic book fans ready for a good time.