The world is a place of magic with a population of magic haves and have-nots. The Magicians are the ruling class, the upper elite. The have-nots are “commons”. The religion of the world declares that anything mechanical or created to ease the burden of the commons is blasphemy and those that dabble in mechanicals are dabbling in the occult. One Magician, Jasper, is an inventor trying to better the miserable existence of the commons. However, he is foully murdered in his home by someone who has combined the occult with magic, a seemingly impossible task.

Romania is at her grandfather’s country home when she receives word that her great-uncle Jasper has died. As his last living relative, she must travel to Hazlett for his burial ceremony. During the journey, she comes across another murdered man and, as her special magic is Scrying, she detects a magic spell on an arrow embedded in his leg. She has never heard of such a thing, but the mystery only deepens when she reaches Hazlett and discovers her great-uncle has been murdered in the same fashion. She tries to enlist the aid of Delaney Codmonger, a magician of common ancestry. Although he refuses to believe her at first, she is determined to discover the murderer, and he finds himself swept along with her. The murders, however, prove to be just the surface of the deeper troubles and danger.

The Dragons of Hazlett is a delightful novel of intrigue, mystery and a world unlike any I’ve seen before. Romania is crippled with a bad hip, naïve and stubborn as the day is long. Delaney is more concerned with where he came from than where he is going. They grow individually and together into a formidable team, both putting aside their prejudices. The world they live in is stifling narrow but right on the cusp of great social and cultural change. The author does a terrific job bringing this world to life and exposing its warts and wrinkles without make it a cliché. This is Michelle Scott’s first novel and I have to say “well done!”

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Mundania Press LLC (April 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594262160
• ISBN-13: 978-1594262166

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