Industrial Magic

Industrial Magic

Time Warner (UK) cover art
Author Kelley Armstrong
Cover artist Dominic Harman
Country United States
Language English
Series Women of the Otherworld
Genre Fantasy novel
Publisher Viking Press
Publication date
 2004
Media type Print (Hardcover & Paperback) & Audio Book (Cassette)
Pages 528 pp (paperback edition)
ISBN 1-84149-340-6 (paperback edition)
OCLC 56650029
Preceded by Dime Store Magic
Followed by Haunted

Industrial Magic, the fourth in the Women of the Otherworld series, is a fantasy novel written by Canadian author Kelley Armstrong. It features the witch Paige Winterbourne.

Plot introduction

Having been ousted as leader of the American Coven of Witches, Paige is reluctant to do anything more than hide under her duvet for a few months. However, a murderer with superhuman skills and a grudge against the supernatural community is on the loose and targeting children. With her own ward, Savannah, a potential target; she and her lover, sorcerer Lucas Cortez, attempt to track down the killer. In the process Paige finds herself in a world of sorcerers, necromancers, druid gods and vampires.

Plot summary

The story starts with the attack upon Dana MacArthur, daughter of a Cabal employee. Dismayed by her inability to persuade other witches to form a new coven because of their disapproval of her relationship with Lucas Cortez, Paige Winterbourne is not entirely happy to find his father - Benicio Cortez - on her doorstep with news of the new case.

Lucas and Paige decide to travel to Miami to visit his father and introduce Paige to the family, as well as to hear further details about the attack. They discover that Dana's is only one of a series of similar attacks upon the children of Cabal employees. That night another child, the son of Benicio's bodyguard is killed. The father, Griffin, asks Paige and Lucas to investigate.

Concerned about Savannah, they arrange for her to stay with the werewolf Pack. They then arrange to meet up with Jaime Vegas, a necromancer. Jaime manages to contact Dana, who is believed to be in a coma, getting what details she can from her about the attack. In the process she discovers the girl is dead.

Investigation leads them to the home of Everett Weber. They are unable to find him, but do find a lot of encrypted computer files. Paige breaks the code to reveal a list of the children of Cabal employees. They track down Weber, but before they can persuade him to come with him peacefully, a Cabal SWAT team cause a hostage situation. Paige is injured and Everett taken into custody.

The trial results in Weber's swift execution, but almost immediately another child is killed - the grandson of Thomas Nast.

Jaime, Lucas and Paige go out to the swamp where Weber would be buried to contact him. They meet Esus. He gives them details about the man who hired Weber. When they continue to investigate, they start to be plagued by a ghost, but Jaime struggles to contact it. Eventually, they discover that the ghost is that of a vampire.

Their search leads them to the home of Edward and Natasha, two immortality-quester vampires. Natasha has been killed, she is the ghost, and Edward is looking for revenge. They set a trap, but it backfires. Lucas is shot, and both he and Paige find themselves in the land of the dead. There Paige meets Savannah's mother, Eve, who guides her. The Fates offer them a choice, and their decision returns them to the land of the living, where they find the werewolves have begun to search for them.

A trap is set for Edward at a charity ball, but it goes wrong. Jaime is kidnapped and Benicio ignores the plan in order to save his son. Jeremy, Savannah and Paige help to save everyone. Benicio executes Edward.

Characters in "Industrial Magic"

Major Characters

Members of the Cortez Cabal

Other Characters

Death Toll

Allusions/references to other works

Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

"Until last month, the Nasts' New York office was in the World Trade Center."
"Did they lose-?"
"Twenty-seven people, out of a staff of thirty-five..."

Awards and nominations

Sources, references, external links, quotations

References

  1. ↑ White, Claire E. (January–February 2005), A Conversation With Kelley Armstrong, Writers Write, Inc.
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