Seeking Dr. Magic by Scott Spotson



     What would you do if you were endowed with the power to do anything you wanted? Now, what would you do if you were the only person on the planet with these abilities?

     I'm sure some of you just thought about the wealth you could amass; others may have thought about the good you could do for the world. Maybe some of you would be content with hiding in the shadows while the world passes you by, or maybe you'd want to be in the limelight. My story for this week, Seeking Dr. Magic by Scott Spotson, is a take on that very ordeal.

     The story opens up on a world that has been turned upside down for everyone. In cities all across the planet a strange figure is seen standing on the edge of some of the tallest buildings. All the stories confirm that the man then leaps from the various buildings, landing safely on the ground. Even more impressive the man jumps from the ground back to the top of the buildings in a single bound.

     While the world debates and searches for the strange men dressed in ninja suits a lone man, an ex-FBI agent, Tony Hetfield, sees something that others don't. He begins entertaining a theory about the phenomena being created by a single entity, This theory is tested once a second event occurs, this time a colorful group of super-human street runners blanket cities in a rainbow of multi-colored light.

     With no further leads, besides what he already discovered, Tony makes a grand gesture and even gives a name to the entity. Utilizing a sky-writing service, he has a message written to "Dr. Magic" that includes Tony's name and business number. The resulting tidal wave of phone calls forces his secretary into a mental break, but the elusive man finally appears to Tony.

     After a brief conversation Dr. Magic waves his hand and the two are transported from Chicago to New York, where the man puts Tony into a perilous situation dubbing him the unofficial liaison between the world and the elusive Dr. Magic. As the U.S. government pursues Tony he begins searching for the man based on incredibly vague clues. The world wonders what Dr. Magic wants, Tony wonders what Dr. Magic wants with him.

     Seeking Dr. Magic was unlike any book I have read, not just including the short time I've been officially reviewing. It's hard for me to lump it into one particular genre, but I think my pros/cons will give any potential reader a better idea. As always, I'll start off with the pros:

• The story flows very well. From a combination of writing style and great transitions its hard to put down once you get started. 
• The character of Dr. Magic feels real, and for me hit the nail on the head how a person with the amount of power he wields would possibly act. 
• The story, while being hard to place in a specific genre, is a light-hearted, fun read that fits the weekend read bill perfectly.

     There are a couple of cons that I feel merit a mention, though they are pretty minor:

• The character of Tony, though he was an ex star FBI agent, seems to be a little to much of a "super detective". While there is a mystery element to the story, Tony's deductions at time seem to be nothing short of clairvoyance. This ties directly into my other 'con'.
• One of the main sells for this book is the mystery aspect. There is an element of fun in trying to figure out who possibly Dr. Magic could be; however, as I mentioned above Tony's super detective skills pulls some of the fun out as his wild hunches and deductions hit home with little to go on. 

     Overall I'm going to give Seeking Dr. Magic by Scott Spotson a 7/10 based on:

     8/10 for readability - As I mentioned above the story flows very well, and Spotson's writing is easy on the eye. This, alone, makes for a great read and turns the story into a real page turner.

     7/10 for characters - I found myself a bit torn over exactly how to rate this particular category. On one hand you have a few weak ancillary characters, and a super detective whose personality is larger than life but whose detective abilities are almost supernatural. On the other hand you have Dr. Magic who is a wonderfully emotional character that pushes this category up a few notches by himself.

     7/10 for story - The story itself has its strong and weak points. The one thing I feel that it was missing, from this category in particular, was a little more detail. While a big selling point for the story is the fact that it is a great weekend read, a little more into Tony's hunt would have been beneficial.

     7/10 for Dr. Magic - The stories title character is, for me, what sets this story apart. I know I have a specific category for characters, but I feel as though Dr. Magic becomes so much more than just the physical young man he is. The emotion and realism that comes from him speaks of a young man that has grown up 'different' and alone. If you've ever felt alone in life I can tell you he will bring that feeling back in a real emotional response.

     A big thank you to Scott Spotson for reaching out to me, and allowing me to review Seeking Dr. Magic. It really was a great, well written read that I would recommend to anyone looking for something that is uniquely its own.

     If you'd like to pick up a copy of Seeking Dr. Magic click here.