The wonderfully realistic atmosphere of the world, one of the most attractive factors within the novel Blood Magic by Dana Flores, is intrinsic within novels in general and fantasy novels in particular. This is not a fantasy book about lost cities and unnamed lands but it is a kind of simple—or rather, precisely—historical, folklorish, realistically based story and a story too much based on actual places. Even as Dana creates a magical world out of nothing, she uses the shadows of real places and adds a touch of mystery to them to create the effect of a delicate line between the real world and the legend.
What lies beneath, Westminster Abbey
In the early stages of the book Blood Magic, the reader gets acquainted with the tunnels lying below Westminster Abbey. These hidden tunnels in the novel are enroute to ancient vaults filled with scrolls with answers to questions of magical bloodlines, lost prophesies and hidden information. Although it may look like fantastic fiction, Westminster Abbey is quite real—this is why many centuries of the history of England are connected with its core.
There have been speculations of generations about concealed rooms, encrypted dungeons, and locked rooms under the stones of this one. The lesser-known history of the Abbey has been associated with monarchs, spies and secret societies. Dana Flores uses that notion of secrecy as that which lingers and is ideal in providing her magical universe.
The Volcanic Island and the Fire Stone Quest
Later in the story, Cass ventures to a volcanic island in search of the Fire Stone, a legendary artifact with elemental power. The island’s name is never directly stated, but the descriptions are steeped in Pacific Island mythology. Dana writes of an untouched land whose people guard ancient knowledge and carry unique DNA unlike any other on Earth.
This might sound like fiction, but islands like Palau and certain regions in the Philippines have long been home to isolated communities with rare genetic markers and deeply rooted mystical traditions. In Blood Magic, these echoes of truth make the journey feel not just possible, but plausible.
Ancient Scrolls: From Fact to Fantasy
The scrolls of magic in the novel are based upon the historical objects. The history of mysterious writing is not short, with such examples as the Dead Sea Scrolls and Gaelic manuscripts found in the corners of abbeys and distant monasteries. Sometimes these relics contain half-brained stories and untranslated fragments with unfamiliar symbols. Dana Flores picks up these pieces of reality and gives them a new exciting meaning in the world of Cass.
A World Discovered as New
That is what makes Blood Magic different from so many other fantasy novels, especially because it feels like Dana Flores is rediscovering the world rather than inventing it. The scenery is worn-in, the mythologies seem to be passed along oral traditions, and the mysteries seem to be within grasp. Almost, you feel, that you could have found the same reality as Cass by just tracking down a certain alleyway in some old city or by landing on an island never touched by man.
Have you ever felt that tingle of something in the depths under the surface of our world, walking through the old streets of Europe, or studying the old ruins, or gazing out over the ocean? If so, then you too will be right at home in Blood Magic, where centuries-old worlds become magical places once again.
