 | In the fantasy world of Fire Logic, by Laurie J. Marks, people are born with varying degrees of elemental magic. Three of the main characters have fire “logic” (giving them extraordinary powers of intuition and foresight), two possess air “logic” (analytical insight and truth-telling), and a third has earth “logic,” giving her remarkable healing abilities. The main character, Zanja, experiences truly harrowing ordeals. Her persistence and courage despite overwhelming odds are inspirational. A second point-of-view character, Emil, befriends Zanja in the second part of the story. He’s a good person caught in a bad situation. Karis the Metalsmith is the third POV character. Her transformation by the end of the novel drives the climax of the tale. |
Information about the world, Shaftal, is revealed organically, each nugget driving the plot forward and adding layers of complexity. Shaftal feels like a lived-in world: realistic yet magical. Much of the book takes place during an ongoing war, which creates a grimdark vibe--yet the novel never loses sight of hope for a better future.
There were a few passages I had to reread when I missed a bit of context or got confused about who was doing what to whom. One place in particular, where a point-of-view character is delirious, the disjointed writing was challenging to understand.
The primary characters in the book were three-dimensional, adding to the story’s depth.
The “villains” had valid perspectives, highlighting the flaws of the main characters and adding philosophical intricacy to the tale. The enemy’s behavior is also given context; by the end of the story the lines between enemies blurred.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was watching characters fall in love despite their precarious situations.The love relationships are between both same-gender and opposite-gender couples, and all are equally valid and celebrated in this story world.
I purchased a personal copy of the book and I’ve already ordered the sequels from my local library (I like to preview books before purchase).
Fire Logic is a thoroughly satisfying read.
There were a few passages I had to reread when I missed a bit of context or got confused about who was doing what to whom. One place in particular, where a point-of-view character is delirious, the disjointed writing was challenging to understand.
The primary characters in the book were three-dimensional, adding to the story’s depth.
The “villains” had valid perspectives, highlighting the flaws of the main characters and adding philosophical intricacy to the tale. The enemy’s behavior is also given context; by the end of the story the lines between enemies blurred.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was watching characters fall in love despite their precarious situations.The love relationships are between both same-gender and opposite-gender couples, and all are equally valid and celebrated in this story world.
I purchased a personal copy of the book and I’ve already ordered the sequels from my local library (I like to preview books before purchase).
Fire Logic is a thoroughly satisfying read.
Other books in the series: Earth Logic and Water Logic
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