The ABC of Spellcraft Review

Yes, yes, another review from me, this time for the still-running series “The ABC of Spellcraft”  by Jordan Castillo Price. I stumbled over the first book, “Quill Me Now,” by coincidence and found it both interesting and funny, so I got the other two, “Trouble in Taco Town” and “Something Stinks at the Spa,” as well. As all of the author’s books (I have by now also started the PsyCop series), the Spellcraft ones are relatively short, not really full-fledged novels which need a long time to read. They’re a quick and funny read and on some days that’s what you need.

It doesn’t hurt that the Spellcraft novels switch more or less regularly (the first one stays with one viewpoint for a bit, until the second main character really comes into the book) and allow for you to look into the minds of two very different people. Dixon, the first viewpoint character, is the younger of the two at almost thirty, and has a very positive outlook on the whole, even if his life is not all unicorns and rainbows. Yuri, the second viewpoint character, is the older of the two and has a more realistic/pessimistic outlook on the whole, since his life (as a gay man with forbidden magic in Russia) was anything but easy. Yet, over the course of the books, Dixon’s positive air and optimism rub off on Yuri as well.

Yuri is first introduced from Dixon’s point of view, at first glance merely the head of security of a local greeting card company (with his build and looks, Yuri certainly fits that role). It’s Dixon’s inability to let sleeping dogs lie which brings them into contact over and over again, as Yuri, who knows what’s really going on, tries to keep Dixon away from the company and its head, while Dixon first wants the promised job and then to find out what is going on there. Needless to say, Yuri fails spectacularly at scaring Dixon away - once Dixon has something in his head, he’s impossible to derail.

But what, you might wonder, is the magic mentioned above? Spellcraft is the art of working magic through words and a scrivener is the one who pens a few words, a sentence or a poem, to direct the magic in a certain way. Dixon was supposed to be a really good scrivener - he has a way with words and perfect penmanship, which is also a necessity - until his quilling ceremony (where he was supposed to get the feather needed for him to do his spellcraft work) failed and he had to look for a new job. There is, however, a second side to the spellcraft business - a seer needs to prepare the paper the scrivener uses by painting a little symbol or scene on it which serves to direct the spell. And despite his looks, Yuri is a very powerful seer who can paint the most intricate and beautiful miniatures on a slip of paper.

In the US, where the series is set, this kind of magic is legal, as long as it stays within certain perimeters (no names may be included in the wording, nobody may carry a piece of spellcraft around with them, and more). In Russia, where Yuri was born and secretly trained in his craft, it’s illegal (just as having a romantic and erotic relationship with another man). Yuri came to the US to be free to live as he wants - only to be caught in a spell and forced to work for a guy he’d rather kill than serve.

Even though “The ABC of Spellcraft” is a male/male erotica series, the actual sex is relatively understated (not because Price can’t write it - it’s a lot less tame in the PsyCop series) and the whole series is more geared towards the characters and the light-hearted stories they find themselves in - usually head over heels and completely tangled and struggling.

Once Yuri and Dixon are together, the stories take a new direction, so “Quill Me Now” serves as an origin story, whereas “Trouble in Taco Town” begins the main arc, which is finding Dixon’s uncle Fonzo who left right after the failed ceremony and worked with the bad guy from the first book on misusing spellcraft.

The focus of the series lies on Dixon and Yuri and their way through America, following the trail left behind by Uncle Fonzo’s postcards and weird, one-word spellcraft. Nevertheless, the series also introduces other characters, most prominently Dixon’s cousin Sabrina, Fonzo’s daughter. Dixon and Sabrina share the attic of Fonzo’s house while trying to get enough money together to pay off his debts, so Sabrina won’t lose her home after losing her father already. She’s Dixon’s closest confidante and best friend. His parents, on the other hand, are happy he’s found both a boyfriend and a partner in spellcraft in Yuri, surprising Yuri with their views.

Since the action is moving away from Dixon’s home in the second novel, characters stay very much one-time afterwards - the inhabitants of Taco Town will not feature in the third book and, presumably, the people from the spa in will not feature in the fourth one, either (once it’s out). Nevertheless, the characters are well-crafted and easy to imagine, making the weird happenings around them come to life.

As mentioned already, the series is not overly dramatic or dark in any way. Even Yuri’s troubles at the beginning - being forced to serve his employer because of a well-crafted and powerful spellcraft - are not used to darken the first book. Dixon’s positive outlook on life sets the tone for all three books and, over time, Yuri becomes less pessimistic as well, even improvising wellness programs and massage techniques in the third book, while pretending to be a Russian massage specialist.

The juxtapose positions of the two leads also lend themselves well to the stories - while Dixon is always prepared to assume that his uncle only meant well (and is usually proven right in the end), Yuri is always prepared to assume that the bad way the spells turned out was planned (and everyone with a disposition less sunny than Dixon’s will have to agree with him) until the big wonder happens and everything turns out well.

If you’re looking for a highly dramatic series with all the angst of not being desired by the other one, “The ABC of Spellcraft” is not for you. But if you want a nice, quick read with humour and fun characters, dive into the series and enjoy!