Brenden Vetch is a gardener, a gardener chosen by the ancient wizard Od to go to her school. Little does he realize that his presence, and that of an illusionist by the name of Tyramin will stir up the fears of a king who controls the use of magic in the kingdom of Numis. Little does the king know that his own daughter practices forbidden magic, magic she was born with, and magic she must reveal before she can marry his most trusted adviser. When an illusion goes awry, Brenden flees in fear, and the king's daughter disappears, the king and Valoren, his adviser, fear the worst and seek to capture those who would endanger the kingdom. What they find at the end of this search is something neither man expected.
Impression: While the usual rich language seems toned down here, McKillip hasn't lost her ability to enchant a reader. She draws you into the kingdom of Numis and the lives of the characters there, and skillfully keeps the reader guessing as to what's truly going on until the end. It's a skill I've seen in all her books, where nothing is quite what it seems but all the threads are there, leading to an ending that is neither predictable nor surprising. You can't see it coming, but can see where it came from. With Od Magic, I actually did guess some of the truths of hidden identities, but it wasn't disappointing to do so because there's always another mystery to unravel.
I enjoyed how there was a feel of a mystery to it, a mystery in the story, a mystery in the characters. And I loved the theme of seeing beyond the boundaries of what's in front of us, being willing to explore the wild and unknown. As with many of McKillip's novels, there's so much depth here that the story will need to be read again and again to appreciate all the layers within it. It is a beautiful novel that I highly recommend.
