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A Distant Magic (Guardians (Del Rey)) | 
 enlarge | Author: Mary Jo Putney
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy New: $3.33
You Save: $3.66 (52%)
New (25) Used (14) from $2.83
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 53857
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0345476921
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345476920
ASIN: 0345476921
Publication Date: May 20, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: GREAT BUY!Brand New From US Distributor! WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER with OVER 3,500,000 BOOKS SOLD!!! OVER ~ 600,000 FEEDBACKS ~ POSTED!!!
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Product Description
Mary Jo Putney’s passionate, vivid characters and captivating stories have earned enthusiastic acclaim from reviewers and readers everywhere. Now the New York Times bestselling author weaves a new tale in the Guardian series–a dazzling romantic fantasy that takes readers not only from the elegant streets of London to a dangerously tempting Mediterranean island but across time.
Jean Macrae’s family is one of the most prominent clans of Guardians, humans whose magical powers come from nature, but Jean considers her skills modest at best. She has never been able to summon the intense, earth-altering ability that has marked the most talented Guardians, and she is content without the adventure that such skill brings . . . until the day she is confronted by a handsome stranger whose magic imprisons her on his pirate ship.
Captain Nikolai Gregorio is convinced that Jean’s father abandoned him, as a child, to slavers. Now he seeks vengeance against the Macraes, no matter the cost. But Jean soon finds his untrained magical gifts far more dangerous than his thirst for revenge, especially when they intensify her own powers to an unthinkable–and enticing–degree. And when Jean and Nikolai’s irresistible connection summons a woman from the future, they are charged with a formidable task: protect those who will oppose slavery’s evil and forever change the future of two nations. This quest will sweep Jean and Nikolai into the most fantastic of realms and try their powers beyond even what the Guardians themselves would dare. And when ultimate disaster threatens, they will stake everything on a shattering test of love that could secure the fate of generations . . . or destroy them and all they cherish.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 putney fan August 16, 2008
good, I like her work. I do not like her contemproary works as well. It is her great history research that I appreciate. I hope she keeps writing.
 Commits the Big Sin May 26, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
The child, Nikolai Gregorio, survived in the streets by stealing and using his untrained mage powers. Eventually he decided to rob the Macrae, who promptly recognizes him as a fledging Guardian and offers to take him back to England to raise him as a foster son. Unfortunately, on their way back to England, the ship is taken over by pirates and Nikolai is forced into slavery. The Macrae searches for him, but fails to find him and eventually gives up the search. Escaping slavery as he grew to adulthood, Nikolai vows two things - to end slavery by any means possible and to have vengence on the Macrae. Finding his way to England, Nikolai realizes that the Macrae is dead and decides to kidnap his daughter, Jean, in order to carry out his twisted revenge. Jean, herself a powerful Guardian, doesn't surrender meekly, but is stolen away regardless. During a tremendous storm at sea, Jean manages to save the ship and the lives of everyone on board. By this time, both Jean and Nikolai realize their strong feelings for each other and Jean joins Nikolai in his quest to hasten the end to slavery. Using their magical powers and aid from ancestors of Nikolai, Jean and Nikolai begin "time-hopping" in order to bring about events that would hasten the laws against slavery.
On her dedication page, Ms. Putney implores her friends who are authors to stop her if she should ever decide again to write about a social movement. My God, I hope they listen to her. I have read all of Mary Jo Putney's novels. While some are more entertaining than others, all of them have managed to hold my interest to some degree. This book commits the cardinal sin of being just flat out boring. I hate it when authors use their novels as platforms for their various beliefs and causes. (Christine Feehan is famous for this - writing about everything from strange dog breeds to hyping a real life bed and breakfast in California.) Instead of reading a romance, I feel like I am reading an Info-merical. Sure, slavery was pretty horrible, but if that was what I wanted to read about, I would read some real life works about the Underground Railroad or Harriet Beecher Stowe. As it was, I wasn't sure what was historical truth and what was fiction in this book. I know the romance certainly took a backseat to the slavery angle, and I became quite disgusted with the entire story about halfway through. I continued reading it, hoping the book would "right" itself, but it never happened. Don't waste your money on this yawner. Thank heavens I waited until paperback to buy it.
Reaches well beyond the romance genre January 12, 2008
I wish I could give this book four and a half stars. I can't give it five because of a middle section, dealing with initiation into the use of magic, that drags badly.
It is no snerk to say that the book is based upon a social movement -- namely, the growth of abolitionist sentiment in England from the mid 18th century into the first quarter of the 19th century. This book culminates in 1807 with the passage of the bill abolishing the slave trade by ships under the English flag.
The romance element (not the description of human love) is minimal. There is ample sexual tension, but very little sex. Putney really stretched her wings with this book and produced a result that is well beyond the conventions of the genre -- well beyond, in fact, even her earlier two books in the "Guardians" series.
Unfortunately, this may well result in her established readership not liking the book, while since it has been marketed as romance, the book is unlikely to reach a wider readership in the general fiction field.
Nevertheless, she is certainly to be congratulated for having taken the risk.
A fascinating attempt at a challenging goal September 29, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Mary Jo Putney, a wonderful writer of romance and fantasy, has set herself a challenging goal. In A DISTANT Magic she weaves together the romance and fantasy of her GUARDIAN SERIES with the history of the abolition of slavery plus a bit of time travel.
The Guardians series (A KISS OF FATE and STOLEN MAGIC) is set in the mid 1700's with main characters who are members of the British and Scottish aristocracy and whose families have, for centuries, wielded magical power drawn from nature. These families have banded together vowing to use their powers to help others rather than for personal gain.
While the prior books in the series did touch on particular historical events, they were first and foremost about romance. A DISTANT MAGIC is first and foremost about abolition but the story is told in a fascinating way through its framing within the Guardian world. It is a thought provoking tale and revels some things about this time in history which startled me.
In Marseilles Jean McCrae, a fiery Scottish Guardian, is kidnapped by Captain Nikolai Gregorio, a Maltese ship owner who seeks revenge against the McCrae family for a wrong he believes the MaCrae family did him. Nikolai, who was once captured by pirates and spent time as a galley slave, has dedicated himself to freeing as many galley slaves as he can, sailing the Mediterranean to find them. He is appalled to find an irresistible attraction to Jean. Through a fantastical set of circumstances, Nikolai and Jean join forces to travel through time supporting the key moments of the abolition movement.
While I typically read romance novels for escapist relaxation, I was fascinated by the concepts here: the parrallel worlds, the magical initiation, the importance of individual contributions to historical events, and especially the idea of like-minded people offering each other support across time and space.
I understand that those looking for uncluttered escapism may be disappointed with this book. And I rate it with four rather than five stars because it was impossible for Ms. Putney to fully develop her characters here as in past novels. However, she succeeds remarkably and produces a very satisfying and thought provoking book.
Guardian series gets more serious September 17, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The third book in the Guardian series has moved away from pure romantic fantasy with a touch of history to more historical romance with a touch of fantasy. If you expect more scottish castles and unicorns, you may be disappointed. I read this book first, and went back to read A Touch of Magic and Stolen Magic because I liked the author's style. A Distant Magic is my favorite because it is more complex. I also think time travel, when used well, is a great plot device. Very entertaining!
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