Review: Digital Magic by Phillipa Ballantine

Title: Digital Magic
Author: Phillipa Ballantine (Website,Twitter)
Genre: Fantasy/Cyberpunk
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Dragon Moon Press (August 1st 2008)
ISBN-10: 1896944884
ISBN-13: 9781896944883
Description:

The Fey are gone… and with them, magic. At least, that is how things seem at the conclusion of the award-nominated novel Chasing the Bard. ~ Lord what fools these mortals be. ~ Penherem is a quaint, sleepy English village where people go to escape the 21st Century. Hiding from the world of laptop computers, the Internet, and wireless communication, is Ella. A writer, now barren of ideas and drive, she resigns herself to a quiet life of solitude. Everything changes with the arrival of a shapeshifting thief. Suddenly, everyone begins to change–from the local librarian to the lady of the manor–revealing their true natures and dangerous secrets. Something in this sleepy English village is awakening… something that might be better left alone.

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I purchased this book on a whim. I read the synopsis on the author’s website and I was intrigued so much that I special ordered it. To my surprise, I discovered it was a Cyberpunk novel. I am happy to say, I’m thrilled that this was my first Cyberpunk experience!

Ella is a creative writer who escapes to the solitary and peacefulness found in the quaint, picturesque town of Penherem. The descriptions of this little town is written so well, I literally felt teleported right beside Ella; seeing, touching, and interacting with the wonderful townspeople along with her.

Things start to get very interesting upon the arrival of a thief who’d been around far longer than anyone’s great great grandparents can remember. I absolutely loved all of the characters in this book. I loved the story, I loved the romance, I loved the technology, I loved the magic, and I loved the surprising ending at the end. I could not put the book down and it left me feeling stunned and thoughtfully introspective for a long while afterwards.

I encourage readers to not only read this book, but also Chasing the Bard and, heck, anything else of Phillipa’s. If you didn’t already know by this review, I give this book Five Stars and I can’t wait to revisit it!!