In a futuristic world where mages live beside cybernetically augmented humans, the DFZ is the planet’s most magical but also the most lawless metropolis. Minimum Wage Magic by Rachel Aaron introduces Opal Yong-ae, a Cleaner paid to clean out residential units when their owners die or are otherwise unable to make rent. After five months of bad luck, Opal is desperate to find 10,000 dollars by the end of the week to make a debt payment, desperate enough that when she finds nothing in the purchased unit but a dead man and a bunch of papers that could lead to a big stash, she decides to pursue it against the warnings of Sybil, her AI helper. I picked this novel up on a whim and found it surprisingly thrilling with a solid plot with many unexpected developments. Between all the other novels out there featuring larger-than-life heroes saving the world, it was refreshing to experience the more personal storyline of a young woman simply trying to survive as a financially independent person. As a main character, Opal does not disappoint. She’s cunning, brave, and determined to live her own life on her own terms while maintaining relatability. She’s far from able to do everything on her own and must seek help at times. Rachel Aaron breathes life into the DFZ—which is also a goddess with her own literal soul—by weaving in history lessons brief enough to avoid detracting from the plot but meaty enough to stoke curiosity, and showing the mundane aspects of Opal’s life like her self-driving rental truck that blares advertisements from sponsors and the buildings that sprout of the ground, shifting existing structures around to make room for the new growth. Each description of the DFZ was vibrant and meaningful. The DFZ is a capitalistic hellscape with few laws—what police exist are private-owned and charge for their services—and the culture seems somewhat like an extreme version of current capitalistic American culture, which is logical since the DFZ is built on the foundation of Detroit. Perhaps a version of the DFZ is what America is headed toward if capitalism does not go unchecked, though this reality’s version would unfortunately lack mages. Now onto the aspects that I liked less about this novel: the lack of good side characters. Opal receives help from several characters throughout the novel, a significant example being Nikolas Kos, another Cleaner with impressing fighting skills tagging along with Opal for a big cut of the winnings. Nik knows his way around the criminal world of the DFZ and serves as a bodyguard and local guide for Opal, who only moved to the DFZ a few years ago. Though at first their relationship is strictly business, the author teases a relationship between the two of them by the end, and while I wasn’t shocked, I was disappointed. At best, I found Nik’s addition to be necessary for the plot, but I don’t look forward to him returning for sequels. Though Opal eventually reveals to him her family background and the reason for her debt, Nik keeps himself a secret. We know almost nothing about him even when the novel ends, and neither does Opal. The tease first occurs when Opal catches herself staring at Nik’s muscles during one of the novel’s more relaxing scenes, and I don’t buy that anyone as smart and independent as Opal would fall for a man who she knows nothing about simply because of his muscles. Outside of Opal and Nik, the other characters are somewhat memorable, but none of them receive enough lines. The other human characters—including Opal’s old friend and roommate, Nik’s cybernetic body part installer, and a priest of a death god—all only appear for a maximum of ten minutes each. Sybil, Opal’s useful AI who spouts plenty of witty lines, is portrayed as more of a tool with a personality module installed than as a character. Minimum Wage Magic is a short book, perhaps about two-thirds of other books I’ve read, and I believe that if it were longer, more time could have been used to flesh out Nik or a third main character, or give a bit more detail about the world. Still, it is one of the better books that I’ve read these past few months, and I would recommend it to all readers wanting a quick but fun adventure into a magical future. Originally written 2020 March 10
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2020
Categories
All
|