User:Staraice/The Laws of Magic

The Laws of Magic

(Spoilers Included)

The Laws of Magic is a six book, young-adult fantasy series written by Australian author Michael Pryor. The first book, Blaze of Glory was published by Random House in 2006. Set in an alternative Edwardian period, the series follows the adventures of Aubrey Fitzwilliam - son of the Albion Prime Minister - and his companions.

Currently, the sixth – and final – book of the series is slated for release in May 2011.

Books

Blaze of Glory (2006)

Heart of Gold (2007)

Word of Honour (2008)

Time of Trial (2009)

Moment of Truth (2010)

Hour of Need (To be released 2011)

Characters

Aubrey Fitzwilliam – Son of Sir Darius and Lady Rose Fitzwilliam, Aubrey is seventeen at the opening of Blaze of Glory. He is an extremely talented magician, a natural inventor, and an aspiring politician. Trouble seems to find him everywhere. He is slightly above average height, slim. Just before the main events of Blaze of Glory, Aubrey enacted a disastrous magical experiment which separated his body from his soul. As a result, he is constantly balanced on the edge of death and often at a physical and magical disadvantage at inconvenient times.

George Doyle – Aubrey’s best friend. George’s father served with Sir Darius in the military, and the boys have known each other from a very young age. George is an affable ladies man, and always there to back Aubrey up and protect him, even from himself. George is a tall burly fellow, and retains the friendly country charm that was instilled in him on his parent’s farm.

Caroline Hepworth – Daughter of Sir Lionel and Lady Ophelia Hepworth (renowned magical theoretician and artist, respectively), Caroline is a thoroughly modern woman – committed to women’s rights and the suffragette cause. She is well versed in hand-to-hand combat, history, art, biology and holds many other surprising talents. She is a beautiful young lady, and constantly leaves Aubrey tongue-tied.

Dr Mordecai Tremaine (major spoilers) – Ex-Sorcerer Royal for the kingdom of Albion, is Aubrey’s nemesis and sometimes role model. Ruthless, calculating and undeniably brilliant in the fields of magic and manipulation, it is Tremaine’s goal to escalate hostilities between Albion and Holmland into full-scale war in order to enact his own sacrificial ritual and gain immortality.

Other important characters include and are not limited to: Sir Darius Fitzwilliam, Lady Rose Fitzwilliam, Lady Ophelia Hepworth, Prince Albert, Hugo Von Stralick.

Setting

The Laws of Magic is set in a world very much like our own in the years leading up to the First World War. Much like many of books classified as steampunk, the series takes the romanticism of old-world manners and social rules and juxtaposes it with the emerging steam and electric technologies of the era. In Albion (and the wider world of The Laws of Magic) however, magic is also as big a part of life as these emerging sciences. Magic is an innate talent but has rules and constraints much the same as any other science in Pryor’s work. It is an art as much as a science and takes dedicated study to understand and master.

References

Blaze of Glory - Michael Pryor 2006, Heart of Gold - Michael Pryor 2007, Word of Honour - Michael Pryor 2008, Time of Trial - Michael Pryor 2009, Moment of Truth - Michael Pryor 2010

http://www.michaelpryor.com.au/

http://www.randomhouse.com.au/Author/Pryor,%20Michael