American Magic

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

America in the 1900's is a world of magic and industry, of science and sorcery side by side. But all is not equal. Magic is being replaced by automation, and the magical, older races are being discriminated and marginalized. As always, the magical community looks to the Maierson family for salvation, but they are facing their own crisis of leadership. Will their own internal issues bring down more than just their company, or can they thwart a plot to destroy not just their home, but all of magic in America?

This is an original work that I'm writing, currently in the first draft phase. I've also posted this on AO3.

I'm adding to this as I go, please comment with suggestions or feedback.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: Bulbus

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 9
Views: 6,385

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(5)

BoptodatopRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
WOW THIS IS UNDERRATED FOR THE LEVEL OF EFFORT PUT INT-oh hey caps lock, we're going back to caps l-O IT GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME HOW IS THIS RATED AT FOUR GOD DAMN STARS???
With that out of the way, let's get to the review proper! Right out of the gates, this feels very, very Harry Potter-esque to me, despite having literally almost nothing similar to that work to begin with. Not so much the actual opening of Harry Potter, but of his initial introduction to the wizarding world, in which it's a storm of chaos that simply can't be ignored. An enthralling, I don't quite want to say masterpiece because there were bits of the story that irked at me which are difficult to put into words (but I'll try my best give me a second)... but certainly of high quality.
Style is definitely on that aforementioned bits that irk me list. Like, most prominently in the first paragraph so far, it feels a little... I wanna say stilted? I'm less of a conscious thinker when it comes to the meaning of a word, when it's proper it just kind of rings in my head for me as the one I should use and 9/10 times ends up being right, so I'm gonna go ahead and say stilted. It's not to a degree where it makes the story unreadable, or, even near it to be frank, but that eerie sense of the story feeling just a little... off kilter in terms of how it's written to begin with gives me a, not quite "uncanny valley", but an uncanny valley while reading it. If you get what I mean.
Grammar is flawless as far as I saw, though I did see a SINGLE typo and it brought me unfathomable rage that must be taken out upon this review. The unfathomable part of it being that it doesn't exist.
The story within the first two chapters, as previously mentioned, is a storm. More than a storm, it's a raging tornado that sucks you into it. It gives you almost no information, no safety gear, throws you in the ring with Prime Iron Mike and tells you to roll with the punches. And somehow, you roll with the punches. I can't really describe
LeviSingerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Anyone who is looking for a magic-punk kind of world, with strong themes of social unrest due to class divide and ongoing industrial revolution, pick this book up and give it a read!
The novel is set in an extremely interesting world which feels alive and well though out. Mysteries and points of interest are quickly created and emphasized, providing plenty of food for thought.
My main criticisms with the story are largely personal. If you’re interested in exactly what those are, read through the rest of the (lengthy) review (Minor Spoiler Warning for the Rest of the Review). Objectively, I think this is a very strong work that you should pick up and give a go.
Is spelling consistently correct?
Yes! I don’t remember if I found any incorrectly spelled words, so I’m going to assume there weren’t any.
5/5
Are words used sensibly and appropriately? - The correct homonyms are used (there, their, they’re | then, than | etc.) - Word choices make sense within sentence/paragraph context - There are no typos
Yep! I don’t think there were many typos, a few throughout, but not enough to care about.
5/5
Punctuation is used correctly. - No run on sentences - No (confusing) sentence fragments - Punctuation used in line with their grammatical purpose
Most of the punctuation is good. I’ve rarely seen semi-colons used correctly on RoyalRoad. Nice job!
However, there are a lot of run-on sentences. That’s really my only complaint.
4.5/5
The structure of the writing is both correct and good. - Paragraphs flow well - It’s easy to understand sentences - Reading is generally seamless - Don’t have to go back and confirm things - Don’t get confused until reading further
Generally the sentence structure is very strong. Where it’s lacking, it’s always due to a run-on sentence. I won’t be docking any points for that here since it’s a simple fix with very small punctuation-based restructuring.
5/5
The tone is intentionally set and works well with the story.
The tone of a story is the perspective
Noah QuinnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The first chapter sets up an intriguing narrative with a strong, unique premise. It combines elements of historical fiction, medical drama, and fantasy in a way that promises an engaging story.While the initial tension is gripping, the chapter could benefit from tighter pacing. Some scenes, like the detailed description of Paicus' appearance and the interactions before the emergency, might feel overly extended, potentially slowing down the narrative momentum.
ThrillianRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Every now and then you read something on this site that feels like it should be sitting on the front shelves of Barnes & Noble.
This is one such work.
"American Magic" is set in an alternate turn of the century America, where fantasy is the norm.
The story is extremely well-written, with vibrant description of both the early 20th century setting as well as the vibrant of fantasy creatures who populate the city. The tides of the industrial realization are clearly felt, as are the age-old patterns of marginalization and discrimination.
The book feels equally well-served in regards to an urban fantasy novel . . . and as work of historical fiction. Each chapter is an immersive step into this world.
The web fiction is extremely well-written and well-edited. The interesting cast of characters, ranging for cyclops to goblins, are all realized as fun, three-dimensional characters with plenty of quirk and charm.
If there's one issue, it's that the chapters are pretty darn long. This adds to the immersive nature of the narrative, but it might turn off some readers who are used to shorter works.
Overall, though, it's a very well-written and fun fantasy offering a very different take.
God of LiesRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
A first chapter review! Doctor Paicus (good name) is a monster. Literally. An interesting blend of genres we have here - a hospital drama mixed with monster fantasy. I don't think I've seen that before - and that alone is something special.
Style is good - lots of dialogue to keep things moving, and I greatly enjoyed the bait and switch in the opening (I won't spoil it, but you'll know it soon enough!).
For my personal taste, there perhaps weren't quite enough hooks to keep me reading into chapter 2, I wasn't quite invested enough in the doctor MC by the end of it, despite him definitely having his problems. This is probably just me - as I am rarely engaged in Doctor stories, TV shows etc. Not into House or Grey's or any of them. However, if you DO love doctor series, and fantasy, you are, I think in for a real treat here!