The Adventures of Benjamin Skyhammer by: Nicole Sheldrake

Benjamin Skyhammer has more than his fair share of problems. He’s a magic-less outcast, he’s hiding a terrible secret from his best friend and the valuable Relic he found has been stolen. Just when he thinks things couldn’t get any worse, he discovers that the human species believes he’s a sorcerer bent on destroying their magic powers and they want him dead.

The Adventures of Benjamin Skyhammer  is a book I never would have picked up had I not been approached by the author to review it. It is one of those “Don’t judge a book by its cover” books. I am glad that I did read it.

The novel centers around a man named Skyhammer who lives in a world where every human, with exception of Skyhammer and one other character we never meet, possess magic. He is an outcast  from society for this very reason. Skyhammer is a relic hunter who along with Higgins (his partner who is a powerful magic worker), o travel the globe finding artifacts and selling them to the highest bidder.  Skyhammer is blamed for a plot that appears to be attempting to wipe out magic altogether and spends most of the book on the run in search of the real perpetrator, not to mention his discovery of  a far greater conspiracy that does in fact threaten all magic-as well as the existence of several of the planet’s intelligent races/species.

This is the second time recently I have done this, but I must say that Sheldrake has put as much thought into her world as Tolkien did. To me that it is the best part of any book. When I can open a page and “see” the world that is described on the pages the author has done their job.

There are a couple of issues I have with the book, but nothing that would stop me from reading it again. In fact a second read my answer some of my questions.

Rita’s Recommendation:

I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in Sci-Fi. It would be suitable for teens but I would say not for those under 15.