Name: The Last Days of Magic
Rating: 2.428571428571428 (7 reviews)
ISBN: 9780525429531

Mark Tompkins

Negotiating a fragile peace among the warring clans of the human and faerie worlds, the goddess Aisling is confronted by the forces of the Vatican and England, who have directed a clandestine student of forbidden magic to lead a war to drive all magical forces from the world.

The Last Days of Magic

“Fantastic . . . an honest, beautifully detailed book and an entertaining read.” —DIANA GABALDON, THE WASHINGTON POST "A fantastical treat." —PEOPLE “Simultaneously sweeping and intricate . . . Tompkins’s amazing debut novel conjures an epic battle for the soul of Ireland. Filled with papal machination and royal intrigue, magic and mayhem, faeries, Vikings, legates, kings and queens, angels and goddesses, this is one wild and breathless ride.” —KAREN JOY FOWLER “Plundering the treasure chest of human myths, from mysterious biblical giants to ferocious Celtic faeries, Tompkins has created a fantasy adventure with the shifting perspectives of dreamscape. A novel rich and strange.” —GERALDINE BROOKS What became of magic in the world? Who needed to do away with it, and for what reasons? Drawing on myth, legend, fairy tales, and Biblical mysteries, The Last Days of Magic brilliantly imagines answers to these questions, sweeping us back to a world where humans and magical beings co-exist as they had for centuries. Aisling, a goddess in human form, was born to rule both domains and—with her twin, Anya—unite the Celts with the powerful faeries of the Middle Kingdom. But within medieval Ireland interests are divided, and far from its shores greater forces are mustering. Both England and Rome have a stake in driving magic from the Emerald Isle. Jordan, the Vatican commander tasked with vanquishing the remnants of otherworldly creatures from a disenchanted Europe, has built a career on such plots. But increasingly he finds himself torn between duty and his desire to understand the magic that has been forbidden. As kings prepare, exorcists gather, and divisions widen between the warring clans of Ireland, Aisling and Jordan must come to terms with powers given and withheld, while a world that can still foster magic hangs in the balance. Loyalties are tested, betrayals sown, and the coming war will have repercussions that ripple centuries later, in today’s world—and in particular for a young graduate student named Sara Hill. The Last Days of Magic introduces us to unforgettable characters who grapple with quests for power, human frailty, and the longing for knowledge that has been made taboo. Mark Tompkins has crafted a remarkable tale—a feat of world-building that poses astonishing and resonant answers to epic questions.

A Novel

Sheila

This was...not a fun read. The author clearly did a lot of research before writing this book but he really wanted you to know that at every. single. sentence. This book was overburdened by mountains of unnecessary details, ridiculous infodumps, and a somewhat incoherent bouncing of the story between the 14th century and modern day. I've had history lectures 10x more fun than this book, and that's just unacceptable.

Nickie Mohler

For centuries, Ireland has awaited the return of the Morrigna, twins that can unite the Sidhe clans. When Ashling and Anya are tested at birth, it is confirmed that the Morrigna has returned at last. Trained their whole lives for this role, and protected at all times, no one foresaw the attack that would part the Morrigna and leave Ireland vulnerable to the English. This is a great story, filled with magic, rich in historical fantasy, and I hope to read more!! I received this book at the Goodreads Lovers of Paranormal group for free in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank You LOP and Mark Tompkins! This book was worth the wait.

Judy Hudgins

I had seen several rave reviews on it and our library had it in large print, so I borrowed it. And Diana Gabaldon liked it. (And if you don't know who she is, stop reading now!)

Anyway...

I waded through the first half and then skimmed the rest. Not a favorite of mine.

I think my problem with the book was the mish-mash of Judeo-Christian lore (fallen angels and the like) with Celtic mythology, thrown in with Chaucer and the Roman Catholic Church. 

It starts as a mystery in the present day, quickly reverts to medieval times and only at the end returns to the original mystery.

Now, in the back of my mind, I truly believe there are elves and fairies and brownies and the like. Fallen angels, check. Lilith and all her trouble making, double check. I also feel the reason they aren't around anymore is the old trope 'magic is failing because we don't believe in it anymore'. 

It was OK and while I won't say, don't read it, just put it at the bottom of the stack.

The Last Days of Magic

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