Jennifer Mandula

The Geomagician is a debut historical fantasy novel from Jennifer Mandula, combining magic, mystery and a touch of romance.

When a landslide reveals not only the fossilised remains of a Pterodactyl but also an egg that miraculously hatches in her hands, Mary Anning sees it as an answer to her prayers. The discovery of the skeleton and the living specimen, which she names Ajax, will forestall imminent bankruptcy, and should finally grant her membership of the Geomagical Society of London. show more Access to the Society is everything Mary has ever wanted, but she quickly discovers the price may be too high when its secrets are revealed.

There were lots of aspects of The Geomagician’s unique premise that I really liked.

Mandala’s main character is inspired by the real historical figure of Mary Anning, an English palaeontologist and shares much of her background, including being struck by lightning as an infant. In the book Mary is ambitious, hungry for recognition and financial stability, and a little self centred, but not unlikeable. Her closest relationships are with her mentor, Buckland, and with childhood friends Lucy and Edgar. The discovery of the Pterodactyl also reunites Mary with Henry, her childhood sweetheart.

Though it requires overlooking the occasional anachronism, the Victorian England setting feels familiar. The Industrial Revolution provides a rich backdrop for the themes the author explores, including misogyny, suffrage, the tension between religion and science, and the exploitation of the working class.

The best feature of The Geomagician is the unique magic system where reliq’s, ideally bones and fossils, are a storage medium for the ‘intentional’ magic every person generates but cannot access without them as an intermediary. They are ‘charged’ by being worn, and once at capacity the reliq’s drain at different rates depending on their use. There is a market for reliq’s that unsurprisingly exploits the poorer members of society. There are two other kinds of magic in The Geomagician though both are uncommon within society. Witches do not require a reliq to perform magic but are few in number as they were once the subject of a purge, and then there is Sorcerery, which utilises spells and blood, whose use is strictly forbidden having been labelled by the church as heresy.

I did have some minor issues with the story. At times, I felt the narrative edges uncomfortably close to evangelical proselytising, the relationship between Mary and Ajax was lacking, and in general, the pacing feels uneven.

Ultimately though the main issue I had with the novel is something that is difficult to articulate. Despite my appreciation for The Geomagician’s unique premise, interesting themes, and creative magic system, I didn’t find the narrative as a whole immersive and so the story fell disappointingly flat.

I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading The Geomagician if the premise appeals but sadly it wasn’t the experience I’d hoped for. show less

While this is neither so meticulous as an HG Parry novel nor so romantic and voicey as Heather Fawcett's Emily Wilde books (to which it owes a fair bit), it is far more charming than it has any right to be, in this age of cozy romantasy. And it does start out cozy, but by the end we realize that this is leaning into the fantasy worldbuilding, the magic system details, and the mechanism of alternate history much more than the actual romance, so don't let the pretty cover fool you: there's a show more lot going on here.

That's not to say this is a perfect book or even a great one; other authors have tackled historical fantasy with more deftness and real detail. Mandula effectively pulls one person from her historical position and shapes a new world around her, which sometimes makes for uneven pacing and unfocused characterization. But honestly, you don't realize any of that whilst you are reading because, for heaven's sake, DINOSAURS. Fans of Marie Brennan's Lady Trent or the aforementioned Emily Wilde will find much to adore here. show less

I received an advance copy from NetGalley.

This fun read uses the real history of Victorian women who are fossil hunters and layers in innovative magic. Since childhood, Mary has staved off absolute poverty by searching for fossils. She has a real knack and a reputation for it, and yearns for recognition as a geomagician, something only deemed appropriate for men. But when she finds a pterodactyl egg--and it comes to life in her hands--her life changes. In London with her mentor and a show more childhood sweetheart, she confronts the harsh politics and expectations of her time.

This was a great read. It's steampunk-tinged, but the emphasis is much more on the magic. I like that the author understood that the magic of this world meant a different approach to Christianity, too. show less

A historical fiction book with an intriguing magic system and familiar gender politics. Having fossils come back to life was very cool. The story was interesting, and at times very exciting and propulsive.

I really enjoy a historical fiction book that's firmly set in history—I like feeling like I've learned something real, if not through the book itself, then from all the wikipedia pages I end up reading about the fictionalized characters and events. But other than Mary Anning herself, the show more characters here were almost entirely fictional. I didn't really understand the point of using one real person, but making everything else up from whole cloth. show less