Wow, amazing effort for first book. Loved the folklore and mythological take on history and Irish spoken word stories. Took my back to being a little girl, hanging on every word my Gran spoke. May be a bit long in places for people who don't know the place and stories handed down through generations. ( )

THE LAST DAY OF MAGIC is Mark Tompkins debut book. Myth and history are mixed together into a wonderful magic story. The book starts off in the present time, but then quickly moves back in time to the year 1387 where Aisling and Anya are about to celebrate their fourteenth birthday, which is also their coronation day when they will become one Goddess. But danger threatens. There are those who would do anything to stop the ceremony from taking place.

READ THE WHOLE REVIEW OVER AT Fresh Fiction! ( )

Boring characters and boring plot. I got halfway through and purposefully left the book in a shopping cart. ( )

Imagine if Richard II had made a deal with the Vatican to work together to invade Ireland, which was the font of magic in the world, in an effort to stamp out that last bastion of un-Christian magic in the world.

Further, imagine that this isn't fiction, but instead what really happened, but was covered up when the Bible was put together, and covered up again when the Dead Sea Scrolls threatened to expose the truth.

I'm not sure that cover up aspect of the plot, which sort of bookends the story, was really necessary, but it is a highly entertaining story either way. It's a little slow to get rolling, so don't bail on it. The payoff is worth it. ( )

Offering a fascinating blend of history, myth, religion and research, Mark Tompkins’ The Last Days of Magic combines a brief present-day mystery with the long-buried past. In an Ireland of fairy powers, Celtic alliances, and Roman oppression, political machinations (some real, some imagined) combine with witchly perseverance (seriously anti-Catholic) and mythical powers, while half a goddess (Celtic, maybe Druidic) struggles to save her world. There are lots of twists and turns, unexpected allusions to the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient words, and plenty of cynicism toward the powers and beliefs of Catholicism. But the combination is truly fascinating, the story is absorbing, and the mystic realm is offered with cruelly enticing conviction. Rights and wrongs are found on all sides (and there are many sides) in a tale that confuses, delights, and ultimately satisfies, offering a long, truly intriguing read.

Disclosure: The anti-Catholic stance was a bit grating at times, but I enjoyed the novel. ( )