Codex Born—Magic Runs Amok

Codex Born by Jim C. Hines

Codex Born, by Jim C. Hines, is the second in the Magic Ex Libris series. Libriomancy, the primary magic in the book, is still thrilling. What reader doesn’t love the idea of being able to reach into a book a pull something out?

1—Fast Paced

The plot kicks off quickly and doesn’t let up. We get to see Isaac in a little bit of downtime but not much before he’s whisked off to investigate the murder of a wendigo. This in turn leads to a madman with an army of nigh-unstoppable metal bugs and a secret society that’s been hiding from the Porters for centuries.

2—So Much Fun

There’s so much to talk about I don’t know where to begin. There’s more vampires, and we get to know more about Lena Greenwood, Isaac’s dryad girlfriend. We get to meet Jeneta, a young libriomancer who can pull things out of her e-reader, which was thought impossible. Isaac gets to fight a metal dragon. And then of course, there’s that secret society I mentioned, but saying anything more about them would spoil the surprise.

Conclusion

Codex Born ends on a bit of a cliffhanger so have the next one, Unbound, ready to go. I do get the feeling that Mr. Hines is going somewhere specific though, so I’m willing to go for the ride.