The Seat of Magic by J. Kathleen Cheney Also by this author: The Golden City, The Shores of Spain
Series: A Novel of the Golden City
Published by Penguin on July 1, 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Urban
Pages: 400
Format: eBook
ISBN: 0451417771
ASIN: B00GY9SJLI
Goodreads
Magical beings have been banned from the Golden City for decades, though many live there in secret. Now humans and nonhumans alike are in danger as evil stalks the streets, growing more powerful with every kill….
It’s been two weeks since Oriana Paredes was banished from the Golden City. Police consultant Duilio Ferreira, who himself has a talent he must keep secret, can’t escape the feeling that, though she’s supposedly returned home to her people, Oriana is in danger.
Adding to Duilio’s concerns is a string of recent murders in the city. Three victims have already been found, each without a mark upon her body. When a selkie under his brother’s protection goes missing, Duilio fears the killer is also targeting nonhuman prey.
To protect Oriana and uncover the truth, Duilio will have to risk revealing his own identity, put his trust in some unlikely allies, and consult a rare and malevolent text known as The Seat of Magic….
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The Seat of Magic by J. Kathleen Cheney is book two of her A Novel of Golden City series. This book picks up shortly after the first book ends, dealing with magic, sea folk (nonhumans) and the human inhabitants Portugal’s port city. At the end of book one Oriana, the sereai spy, had left under duress, both northern Portugal and her gentleman sleuth Duilio Ferreira. She promised him she would return, if she could. In her absence the gentleman sleuth is again embroiled in a murder mystery as he waits Oriana’s return. Someone is killing woman in the Golden City, woman who live on the fringes of the city’s society and won’t be missed.
In this book Cheney delves into the world of the Selkies, and the exile Sereia living in the Golden City. The reader is immersed into the politics and dark magic of the northern kingdom, which makes for a very interesting read. Joaquim Tavares’s back story is expanded along with those of the secondary characters introduced in book two. The members of the clandestine special police are still around with their own agenda. Duilio’s mother now that she regain her pelt is a force to be reckoned with. The plot deals with the mystery threads that Cheney left dangling from book one. She does a superb job of tying the majority of the loose ends up, and the plot is in forward momentum throughout the book.
The love story between Oriana and Duilio is one full of restrained passion and heartwarming moments. There are even giggle worthy times, that had me grinning. The physical intimacies the characters engage in are written off page, and the violence in the book included murder it is described in an after the fact way.
About J. Kathleen Cheney
J. Kathleen Cheney is nothing if not versatile in her story telling. But, weaving through her work is a common thread, that of the improbable heroine. From worlds set in humanity’s distant post-apocalyptic future to alternate worlds of today or of the near past, Kathleen’s heroines include a siren who with help from a gentleman of the city must stop a regicidal plot, the neglected daughter of an absent king coming to terms with her shapeshifting ancestors, a blind teenager who dreams of others’ deaths and who uses her gift of touch to find their killers, and the widow of a trainer who with a most unusual horse must save her farm and way of life. All use their unusual gifts and talents to overcome obstacles and find their place in the world.
In 2005 Kathleen decided to pursue writing as a full-time endeavor and has since enjoyed seeing her stories published in Shimmer, The Sword Review, and Baen’s Universe. Her novella “Iron Shoes” was a 2011 Nebula nominee. Kathleen twice attended the summer Writer’s Workshop at the Center for the Study of Science Fiction under the tutelage of James Gunn. She lists C. J. Cherryh, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Georgette Heyer among the writers who influenced her most–as well as Ansen Dibell, whose ghostly fingerprints can be seen all over her work.
Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Kathleen’s parents actually were rocket scientists (they worked at White Sands Missile Range), which made for interesting dinner-time conversations. After graduating with degrees in English and Marketing she worked as a menswear buyer for retail department store chains before changing careers to become a teacher, where she taught mathematics ranging from 7th Grade Arithmetic up to Calculus. Kathleen also served a brief stint as a Gifted and Talented Specialist. She coached the Academic Team and the Robotics Team and was the Chess Club sponsor.
When not writing, Kathleen likes to don a mask and get sweaty fencing, both foil and saber. Quieter hobbies include putting on her Wellingtons and getting her hands dirty in the garden. She also enjoys traveling and taking care of her dogs. Two large, hairy, dogs.
Her first novel, “The Golden City” came out from Ace Books, November 2013.
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