Review of 'May Contain Traces of Magic'

May Contain Traces of Magic by Tom Holt

may_contain_traces_of_magic.jpg Chris Popham is a salesman. He sells magical devices to people that have little idea of what they do…mind you, he has little idea either. One day he realizes he has been talking to his “SatNav” (car navigation device) and not only that, it has been talking back to him. He soon discovers that the device is inhabited by a demon and there are other demons who seem determined to kill him…or at least flush him down a toilet. The last thing he needs is a favourite of the boss tagging along on his sales rounds but when she seems to have a go and taking his own life it gets even weirder. The story does meander quite a bit and I often found it quite tedious. The complexity of the plot also confused me and slowed me down from enjoying it.

I can't say I was a particular fan of any of the main characters which is a bit of a problem when you have to live with them for the whole book. Chris' disregard and insensitivity towards his wife does not a sympathetic character make.

Supposedly this is a humorous book but I found the humour few and far between with me often looking forward to the next chuckle to relieve the, sorry to say, boredom. To be fair, it is an interesting world that Holt presents to the reader and the resolution of the underlying mystery quite ingenious but other than that…Not so good.

Holt is a good writer but here things are too confused for my liking and not enough humour or things to actually keep my attention. I always am optimistic that the next Holt I read will convert me over to one of his loyal following yet each time I am disappointed. Oh dear.

Rating: “Not great, but not the worse”

Review Date: 2015-08-24


Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Orbit

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 9781841495057


Other reviewed books by Tom Holt: