A Distant Magic

✍ Scribed by Putney, Mary Jo

• Publisher: Del Rey
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 256 KB
• Series: Guardian 3
• Category: Fiction
• ISBN: 0345476921

✦ Synopsis

From Publishers Weekly

Near the start of this diverting romantic fantasy set in 1753, the third Guardians novel from bestseller Putney (after 2005's Stolen Magic), Nikolai Gregorio, a handsome pirate captain operating in the Mediterranean, kidnaps pretty red-haired Jean Macrae, a member of the Scottish branch of the Guardians (humans with magical powers derived from nature), in revenge for a wrong he thinks her father did him 20 years earlier. A decent sort who possesses limited magical powers, Nikolai is dedicated to fighting the evil of slavery by freeing galley slaves. He even sets up an island refuge for them. After Adia Adams, a freed slave, travels back in time from 1787 London, the pirate and the fiery Scotswoman find themselves on a dangerous magical mission to strengthen the fledgling abolitionist movement. The mix of magic, time travel, history, adventure, romance and social consciousness will delight series fans, but may strike some readers as an incongruous blend. (July)
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From Booklist

When Nikolai Grigori is a homeless urchin in Malta, the visiting Macrae of Dunrath recognizes his magical powers and offers to foster him. But on the voyage to England they are attacked by pirates, and Macrae does nothing to stop them from taking Nikolai as a slave. Years later Nikolai exacts revenge by kidnapping the late Macrae's daughter. Jean, a Guardian, saves the day, first when their ship is attacked by pirates, and later when she adds her magic to Nikolai's to survive a horrifying storm. Adia, a woman from the future who survived the Middle Passage and went to England at the end of the American Revolution, turns up on Nikolai's private island, Santola, with the message that Jean and Nikolai must travel to the future to ensure the success of the abolition movement. As they travel through time, they use both African and Guardian magic and discover the synergistic effect of intimacy on their paranormal powers. Not the page-turning escapist fare readers usually expect from Putney, this tale features admirable characters and a fascinating approach to slavery and the abolition movement. Tixier Herald, Diana