Mark Tompkins's debut novel, The Last Days of Magic, is a tightly wound adult fantasy epic, an engrossing thriller that doesn't skimp on historical detail. In the 14th century, the Catholic Church is consolidating its hold on Europe, and so it targets Ireland, one of the last realms where faeries, goddesses and demons wield political power. The faeries (known as Sidhe) and human Celts are splintered, and their only hope for unity is a girl named Aisling, the living incarnation of a Sidhe goddess.
The story plants one foot in the world of Celtic folklore and one in the world of human events, and both are meticulously researched. At times the historical flourishes slow the pacing, but by and large they are welcome details that enrich the story, which Tompkins is careful to keep hurtling forward. And while fantasy novels can tend toward the self-serious, Tompkins's wit surfaces in unexpected ways, as with the appearance of Geoffrey Chaucer in the role of shrewd politico. Tompkins clearly relishes his minor characters, and there are many. While there's enough worldbuilding here to support a whole series, Tompkins demonstrates you don't need a multivolume saga to achieve lifelike detail and epic scope.
There's substance in his mythmaking; it's telling that Tompkins's previously published nonfiction (Illuminations) deals with spirituality and empathy. The Last Days of Magic strikes the right note: adult but not gratuitous, densely plotted but nimble, and a pleasure to read. --Zak Nelson, writer and editorial consultant