The Starseekers: A Murder and Magic Novel
In Glover’s fourth episode of her alternate history fantasy series, the mystery-solving African American Rhodes family continue their generational saga. Readers met Hetty and Benjamin Rhodes in the Reconstruction era and then in post-Civil War Philadelphia. Book three jumped to pilot Velma Frye during Prohibition, and The Starseekers takes us to the space race in 1964, with arcane engineer, Cynthia (Cece) Rhodes. NASA has built a new magic-focused facility where Cece finds herself in hot water, despite her warning that the FS rocket fuel they have developed has been tampered with. She and childhood friend, rocket scientist and treasure hunter, Theo Danner, team up to discover the saboteur of the Circe Space programme.
Glover employs such a large cast that is hard to keep them straight as the older generations intermix with the new, all part of a very complex story. The highly inventive wizardry is the biggest draw – Cece creates powerful star sigils and Theo whips up ice to freeze a spell, to name a couple of things. Amongst various mishaps and close calls, readers dive for treasure, see museum Arcane artifacts disappear, muddle through magical space engineering theory, and visit a TV station where the duo hosts a magic education show. Cece rides a broomstick, a delightful addition, and when continents apart, she and Theo communicate with supernatural books through which they can “text” each other. Amusing dialogue, particularly between Cece and Theo, adds light to the dark and creates a little romance. Glover’s world-making is indeed enchanting.
All that said, the pace is slow and bogs down with too much information, holding the reader at arms’ length. This reviewer anticipated a similarly paced narrative to book three, The Improvisors. The last quarter of the novel is easier to engage with. The Starseekers doesn’t stand particularly well alone, and readers should perhaps start with the recommended earlier books before attempting this one.
