SFF

Oil and Dust

by Jami Fairleigh
Kitsune. (The Elemental Artist, Bk. 1). Sept. 2021. 512p. ISBN 978-1955428019. pap. $17.99. FANTASY
COPY ISBN
DEBUT Matthew Sugiyama is an Artist—one who has special magic to improve the real, physical world with his art. His world has seen the collapse and rebirth of communities without electronics or technology, and his skill means Matthew is in high demand in towns near and far. Matthew is on his own quest as well—to find the family who abandoned him as a young child. As he embarks on this journey, Matthew discovers new friends along the way, with certain clues that show there are some who do not want him to discover the truth about his past. The unique magical caste system creates gentle friction in this fantasy, and the character-driven story has a steady pace, plus it sets up questions for readers to explore in the next novel. Found family and self-discovery are strong themes.
VERDICT With a postapocalyptic setting and characters on their own personal quests, Fairleigh delivers a debut novel that will appeal to fans of Becky Chambers’s “Monk & Robot” series and Katherine Addison’s “Cemeteries of Amalo” books.
Reviewed by Kristi Chadwick , Jul 26, 2024
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