A war over water... in New Zealand. Internet technology kicked to the next level with implanted I/O sockets. A tourist attraction in the middle of England with more secrets than anyone knows. And a memorable cast of characters, who usually aren't what we think they are. To say Philippa Ballantine's book Digital Magic is subtextual is putting it mildly. And I absolutely loved it.
Readers of Ballantine's previous work, Chasing the Bard, will recognize one major character right away, even though he's not using the same name anymore. He's a thief now, and right away we see that this book is about seeing what lies below the surface as he finds an antique mask that has something different about it. Something that reminds him of home, the home he left at the end of Chasing the Bard.
I actually started reading this book before I'd even started Chasing the Bard. After about ten pages, though, I knew I had to get the backstory. Chasing the Bard is still available as a podcast novel, or as a regular-format book at Amazon.com. I think you'll still enjoy this book if you haven't read Chasing the Bard, but parts will make much more sense if you have. It may answer a question or two as well (it did for me). And of course, the ending is satisfying, while leaving open the possibility (demand?) for a sequel.
The book is a "near future" type of science fiction/fantasy novel — its setting is certainly in the future, but not so far in the future that it was totally unbelievable. There's plenty of magic in the book, but a fair amount of it is certainly digital magic — magic that's made by technology. And it's interesting to see some old familiar characters interact with that technology.
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