It started simple enough. A tempting woman with a trifle of a problem needed a bus ticket. Luckily, sometime photographer Michelangelo "Mage" Magistrale is there to help her out. In exchange for his kindness, she gives him the key to her apartment.
However this key is about to unlock an adventure of a different kind. It is no ordinary key; it unlocks any door and leads those who seek it out of greed directly to Mage. The thought of power like that can drive mortals to extremes but the mortal world quickly becomes the least of Mage's problems. On the run and under constant attack by ninja assassins, Yakuza thugs, and the most fearsome and loathsome otherworldly creations Japanese mythology can muster, Mage's only hope is to conquer the key and its power. He must master the art of arrow cutting in order to unleash his own magical power before the forces of darkness force him into oblivion.
In a place where all the doors lead to fantasy, mythology and a terrifying reality, where do you run?
Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Agreeable but aimless, Michelangelo Magistrale has a photographer's eye for form and detail and a knack with women. It hardly seems out of the ordinary when penniless Amanda Sharmon asks him for bus fare and gives him a room key in return. After Amanda catches a bus west, Magistrale becomes the focus of incomprehensible attacks and nightmarish supernatural manifestations. Luckily, he happens to bunk with sometime-stuntman-ninja Charles Takumo at a youth hostel, and Magistrale's weird experiences engage Takumo's interest. What is the key really for? Where is Amanda Sharmon? Why was she so skittish and sad? Who is behind the attacks, and what is their purpose? Egged on by Takumo and pressured by his unknown and ubiquitous pursuers, Magistrale applies himself to figuring out how he, the strange key, and Amanda are connected.
Stephen Dedman's first novel is one long, suspenseful chase scene. It's reminiscent of Tim Powers's work, but without Powers's sprawl. Dedman's characters are suitably charming (or menacing), and the mythic and contemporary Japanese details are entertainingly skewed in fantastical Hong Kong cinema style: everything is just a little exaggerated, just larger than life. The structure is filmlike, too--tightly paced and without unnecessary digressions. Plan to put your feet up and read this book all in one sitting!
From Library Journal
Always set in the present, Dedman's short sf lays the groundwork for his first novel, a realistic fantasy pitting itinerant photographer Michelangelo Mageo Magistrale (Mage) against a reclusive wealthy and powerful Japanese American businessman with ancient magical powers. To clear himself of a murder charge, Mage searches for the real killer while learning to use and control the magic. Dedman skillfully blends realism, Japanese magic, organized crime, mystery, and memorable characters, heightening belief that the magical acts could actually happen. Recommended for fantasy collections.