The Magic Journey

The Magic Journey is the second book in Nichols' New Mexico trilogy. This volume is about the town of Chamisaville and how it grows from being a small collection of subsistence farmers to a bustling tourist trap of 15,000 plus people in a generation. As in The Milagro Beanfield War (the first book in the trilogy), during the growth process the poorest people are cheated out of the land that has been in their families for generations and a handful of outsiders get richer and richer through many questionable or downright illegal actions.

This is a devastating novel and a masterpiece. If I hadn't been reading this at work during breaks I would have cried at the end over how badly human beings will hurt other human beings for money. So why show more did I only give it 4 stars? I had a couple of issues with it.

First and foremost, it lacked the humor of The Milagro Beanfield War. The characters in that novel were screwed over as badly as those in this one, but they dealt with everything life threw at them with unique senses of humor, and Nichols was still able to convey his very serious message in between humorous passages. There was some great humor in The Magic Journey, but it was few and far between. That leads to the second problem I had with this novel, which was that it was hard to read because it was so devastating. Some more humor would have softened the many harsh realities of the characters' lives, and I don't think it would have compromised the author's message (or at least not that much). There were also places towards the end of the book where I felt like it was dragging on too long. And finally, since many of the characters that died during the story came back later to interact with the living, I had trouble remembering who was dead and who wasn't. That was a minor issue, however, and probably due to the fact that I was reading for short amounts of time at work.

Despite a few faults, this novel is still a masterpiece. It's not necessary to read the trilogy in order, but I recommend starting with The Milagro Beanfield War because it's more enjoyable. If you're interested enough in the subject matter and themes of that one to keep reading, The Magic Journey is well worth the effort it takes to get through it. I'll be reading the third book in the trilogy, The Nirvana Blues, in the near future. show less

This is the second of John Nichols' trilogy of life in a small town in New Mexico. Although not as good as the first book in the trilogy, The Milagro Beanfield War, it is still full of Nichols' unique perspective and quirky good humor. Nichols' characters are bawdy, brave, despicable, and as full of contradictions as Coyote himself. In short, every one is interesting and worth knowing. The surprise ending rocks your world view and probably reflects Nichols' long involvement in New Mexico environmental causes and politics. Still, it is not a book without hope, and that's saying a great deal.