CodeSpell by Kelly McCullough

When the magical super computer that runs the whole world crashes – it’s up to Ravirn to fix it.

Title:  CodeSpell
Author: Kelly McCullough
Series: Webmage Book 03
Publish Date: May 27th 2008
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased

Publisher’s Description: In the twenty-first century magic has gone digital, and Ravirn, a direct descendant of one of the three Fates, is a talented sorcerer and computer hacker extraordinaire. So when Necessity, the sentient computer that runs the universe, catches a virus that crashes most of the magical Internet, Ravirn is tasked with fixing it. Whoever repairs Necessity will, for that moment, run the universe. Unfortunately for the sorcerer, some very dangerous beings have figured that out too.

Possible spoilers beyond this point.

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Kat Mandu says…

Necessity has caught a nasty virus. And although Ravirn has been tasked with removing it, he’s not the only one interested in getting a hold of Necessity. Because whoever fixes it, will temporarily gain control over the world…

Ravirn “Raven” is over his head. He’s got new powers and a new identity. He’s also got glowing eyes that won’t let him sleep. Necessity, the world’s supercomputer, has gone down and the gods all want him to fix it – or else. And he’s got a brand new enemy, Nemesis, gunning for him. On top of all the other bad guys he’s collected as rivals.

I wanted to give this one a five but there were a few things that kind of confused me. (Not including the detailed computer stuff I am still processing). I don’t like the calendar jumping. It goes from minute by minute details to two weeks later and sometimes, it’s a bit disorienting for the reader. Sometimes I can’t tell when he’s connected virtually with his athame link or when he’s in the real world. And there’s just a few confusing jumps in the scenes – one in particular where he was at Zeus’s party and suddenly he woke up and he was getting shot at. I didn’t know he fell asleep to begin with or what was going on. But those are my only complaints.

As for character development, it’s interesting to see Ravirn learn his way through chaos. I loved meeting his family near the beginning, especially knowing his mom disapproves of his leaving the House of Fate. Hearing from the other Fates was nice too, though I’m eager to see if more than just Clotho will ever return in the next two books.

And Zeus and Athena! Such an interesting take on those characters. I mean, the whole series is a very unique story line mixing both Greek mythology and technology together. I just love the idea. So original!

A little bit more romance for the Raven as well – such a slut, I love it! Now that Tisiphone is in the picture (or maybe not from that ending) and Cerice is still doing her weird thing, I’m betting this will become a very interesting love triangle for our slow-on-the-uptake Ravirn. Eager to see how that plays out.

Of course, gotta mention that cover. The whole series has been done by Christian McGrath. Out of the five, this is my second favorite. (I still have so much love for the cover of WebMage). I like how it shows Ravirn twice, giving him the chaotic Raven look – but also the dangerous mirrored look of the ultimate Nemesis.

Our reviews in this series…

• WebMage
• Cybermancy

Other reviews…

• Fresh Fiction
• Publishers Weekly

If you like this book…

…certainly check out the rest of the Webmage series. You might also try works by J. F. Lewis, Christopher Stasheff, or John Levitt.