My boys @ItsMikeandIke just got off the skypes with not just one but THREE Cenobites. Funny as hell http://t.co/JnESAkj4Lw #geekplanetonline
Title: Magic of Myths: Season one
Author: Corey Brotherson
Artist: Sergio Calvet
Publisher: Corey Brotherson (available at his blog)
Published: Out Now
RRP: £9.49 (print including P&P) £1.50 (digital pdf)
Eve is an English teacher with a troubled past and mundane present who finds herself being pulled into a fantasy realm where she is an armour-clad champion. Her only guide in this world is Tink, who tells her that she must complete five ordeals to prove herself to his masters. On this quest Eve faces tricksters, mythical creatures and a magician named V, but are Tink and those he serves all that they seem?
Think of your average chick flick heroine. A smart, modern woman with a history of bad relationships in a run-of-the-mill job who must overcome the obstacles between her and being with Mr. Right. If you remove the romantic plot and replace it with hitting goblins in the face you have Corey Brotherson's Magic of Myths.
It is this juxtaposition of character and setting that marks Magic of Myths out from the regular fantasy crowd. While the plot contains many familiar fantasy tropes (diminutive mentor who deals in cryptic double talk, evil wizards, riddles with deadly consequences) the fact that Eve is familiar with these tropes makes the story interesting.
Eve is a reluctant hero but not in a self-doubting way. She just doesn't understand how or why she is in this world and is completing her tasks because that is her only way to get home. As the story unfolds you begin to question why Eve wants to go home at all, as her life in the real world is less than happy. We see her traumatic childhood and disapproving father, her catalogue of romantic disappointments and the job she hates. It is this emotional baggage that she has to overcome in the fantasy realm as the tasks she faces become metaphors for her real life troubles.
While that might make the book sound depressing it's actually rather fun. Eve knows her pop culture and there are references that span from Peter Pan to Eddie Izzard. Sergio Calvet's artwork also helps to lighten things, managing to be cartoony enough to sell the fantasy but realistic enough that the emotional scenes hit home.
There is a lot to enjoy here and the ending is intriguing enough to generate interest for the next instalment. While the print price is understandably high as it is self published, the digital version at only £1.50 is well worth the purchase for a fun, enjoyable book that will leave you wanting more.
