Magic and Loss: A Novel of Golgotham

After Left Hand Magic I was looking forward to see how the plot would develop in Magic and Loss. Although urban fantasy tends to be rather trite romance with nonthreatening supernatural things happening to spice things up, Nancy A Collins came up with a genuinely entertaining political plot to engage the brains of readers. There was also sex so, at the beginning of this book, Tate Eresby is pregnant and the supernatural folk of Golgotham are girding their loins for the baby shower.

As is required, there has to be danger to mother and child, the father must be wounded but eventually recover to his full glory, and both sets of parents must be reconciled. Unfortunately, this book reverts to type and instead of there being constructive development in the magical skills department and a real sense of danger, we get a tedious exploration of the parent’s families, how they came to get married, and why they don’t get along as well as they should. The couple gets all emotional. She runs back to her parents. It’s all romance by the numbers and anything likely to represent excitement is corralled in the end set-piece – after which they all live happily ever after.