Majestrum by Matthew Hughes. Review by Violet Kane

With his latest novel, Majestrum, Matthew Hughes proves that readers can trust him to provide a fantastic blend of magic, technology, humor and mystery, and all in tale that's both warmly traditional and brightly unique.

The star of this show is Henghis Hapthorn, a discriminator (that is, something of a P.I. in Hughes' far future Old Earth world) who unknowingly enters deep-sown political intrigues when he takes an apparently simple commission from an Old Earth aristocrat to investigate the young gentleman courting his daughter. As Hapthorn delves further into the case, he discovers that he must tangle both with magical books and plots against the highest levels of Old Earth society. And all the while, he must sort through the progressive changes inching into the world around him, most notably his integrator, an A.I. assistant device that has become progressively more mammalian and more intelligent.

Matthew Hughes is one of those new and innovative SFF writers who is simply not getting the attention he deserves, and it quite frankly surprises me. His deftness in combining genres into a truly integrated and fun story should be attracting audiences of science fiction, fantasy, humor and mystery. Well, certainly he is attracting these audiences, but I would expect he should be doing so in greater numbers. His quirky characters and concepts combined with his classic detective yarns tied up with politic sagas—all the while accentuated with Jack Vance-style intellectual humor—will appeal to a variety of readers and tastes.

If you're an SFF or mystery fan who is tied of the same old tired stories and characters, the foremost question on your mind should be: "Why aren't I reading Matthew Hughes?"

DISCUSS MAJESTRUM ON ARWZ.

Violet "Violanthe" Kane is the Webmaster and Founder of ARWZ.com. She is an editor of ARWZ Literary Zine and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Medieval studies.

Buy the Cover? (7/15)
07/15/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 12:55 pm Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book. Would you buy this book having looked... read more

Favorite Setting
07/07/2010

Author: SKS Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:09 pm Do you prefer stories that take place... in a city? In a rural area? On a beach? In a small town? In a foreign country? etc. etc? read more

Buy the Cover? (7/6)
07/06/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 4:01 pm Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book. Would you buy this book having looked... read more

The Price you Pay
06/23/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 4:20 pm How much is too much for a book or DVD? How much will you pay for your favorite author or show? read more

Buy the Cover? (6/23)
06/23/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 4:17 pm Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book. Would you buy this book having looked... read more

Do you go to your library?
06/22/2010

Author: SKS Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:26 pm Do you use your local library? How often? read more

Buy the Cover? (6/22)
06/22/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:23 pm Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book. Would you buy this book having looked... read more

Didn't sit well
06/17/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 3:29 pm Have you read or watched anything lately that just didn't sit well with you? Something that bothered you or kept you thinking? read more

Buy the Cover? (6/17)
06/17/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 3:26 pm Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book. Would you buy this book having looked... read more

Covers you Remember
06/14/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 12:59 pm What book covers stick out in your mind? Do you have a favorite book from the past whose cover you found particularly striking? Do you remember first seeing the cover of a now-favorite book as you first glimpsed it in the... read more

Buy the Cover? (6/14)
06/14/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 12:57 pm Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book. Would you buy this book having looked... read more

Author Nationality
06/14/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 12:55 pm Well, of course we are all bound to read more of authors who speak our own languages. It's harder to come across others who write in different languages simply because the middle man of translator is necessary. A book has to... read more

Politics in fiction
05/12/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 12:50 pm Do you like fiction with a political message, either blatant or underlying? read more

Multi-viewpoint stories
05/12/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 12:48 pm I don't know if they're rare, because I see them a lot, especially in fantasy, but maybe done well they are rare. I don't know that first person is that common either, but rather third person limited. I've gotten some flak... read more

Buy the Cover? (5/10)
05/10/2010

Author: Violanthe Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 1:02 pm Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book. Would you buy this book having looked... read more

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