SHAIYA (shaiya) reviewed An interesting story... on 2/11/2009 + 41 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

...although a little disjointed. The book begins from one perspective, and moves onto another, and another, in different times and places, and towards the end of this volume, brings them mostly together. I did not care much for the writing style, as it seemed forcedly descriptive most of the time, though a few of the chapters seemed to spontaneously flow incredibly easily. I honestly would not have finished this book save for the intriguing storyline.

A baby prince is born without magic-also known as Life in the world of this series. As such, he is condemned as Dead by society, and therefore condemned to death. He is the first of many babies who suddenly are born Dead; without magic. The law of the land is that the Dead may not be suffered to live, or else they might procreate and in time, be the downfall of all magic through their breeding. However, some parents refuse to give up their children to the deathwatch, and instead flee with or hide them, thereby breaking the law, for which punishment is severe. A prophecy given to the Church, a major power in the world, cryptically warns each new Bishop that something dead, brought to life, will bring the end of the world. The story revolves around multiple main characters; the Bishop, the Catalyst (a priest born with a rare magic that can enhance the magic of others and who posesses a keen knack for mathematics), and the Dead (a young boy whose mother fled from the Church with her baby, who was born without magic). Through a series of events, the characters are brought into play in a plot that does not seem originally to be related to itself, but somehow twists into something larger than all of them.

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