From Publishers Weekly
Television writer Zicree teams with fantasy and SF bestselling Hambly (Knight of the Demon Queen, numerous Star Wars and Star Trek novels) on a story straight out of the Hollywood mold for vintage sci-fi disaster films. A government experiment so secret even the president doesn't know about it produces strange energy flows that wreak havoc with the space-time continuum, resurrecting skeletal prairie wolves and disturbing ancient Indian burial grounds. Despite his misgivings, Dr. Fred Wishart continues the questionable experiments, only to blast the United States with a force so destructive all electricity and communications are knocked out nationwide. The bulk of the book concerns various characters' attempts to adjust to the chaos left in the wake of the catastrophe one made still more dangerous by the frightening mutations it produces in the population. Cal Griffin, a young New York City lawyer, finds his vibrant teenage sister turning into a near-translucent ghost of herself. Meanwhile, Cal's boss is transformed into a demonic, reptilian killer who stalks Cal as he tries to lead his sister and a hodgepodge of friends safely out of the city. Zicree's TV experience he's written for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Sliders, among others is obvious in the swift, episodic pacing; unfortunately, that doesn't give Hambly's usual gift for characterization much to work with. Like the pilot for a new television series, this effort promises much and delivers only hints of bigger things. (Dec. 4)Forecast: Before the World Trade Center attack, this would have been a natural candidate for screen adaptation. Chances are the public will now have less of a taste for fictional disasters set in New York City.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
When a top-secret government experiment goes wrong, a burst of energy nullifies the effects of technology and reawakens magical forces that transform some individuals into monsters with supernatural powers. To save his sister from a similar fate, New York lawyer Cal Griffin sets out on a difficult and dangerous trek across a devastated landscape in search of the cause of the transformation. Screenwriter Zicree collaborates with veteran sf and fantasy author Hambly (Knight of the Demon Queen) in this series opener that features a modern world suddenly infused with magic. Complex and unusual characters support a tale of personal heroism and self-sacrifice. A good choice for most fantasy collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Zicree and Hambly set a postapocalyptic stage for the quest of a man who begins as a junior lawyer but grows into something more. The scene-setting great disaster is the opening of the Source, which allows magic to work and makes modern technology fail miserably. Without electricity, cars, telephones, and other conveniences, New York, as well as everywhere else, becomes a mob-filled madhouse. Some people turn into fairy-tale creatures, not all from pleasant fairy tales. Hero Cal Griffin, now an ex-lawyer, determines to find the cause of the chaos and destroy it in order to save his sister, who has been transformed. Others, Griffin's fellow travelers, have been similarly affected. Of course, this book launches a series and thus concludes with plenty of loose ends. Still, if one's reading goal is sheer entertainment, this book is a rousing success. If that goal is some kind of epiphany, perhaps there are better choices. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

This first collaboration between talented writers Marc Scott Zicree and Barbara Hambly is the beginning of an innovative fantasy series. An enthralling and entertaining read, Magic Time mixes supernatural forces and elements of classic epic-quest fantasy with modern technology and contemporary themes in a fascinating "What if?" scenario that presents a world where science is turned on its head as magical forces -- and strange new creatures -- blossom in its place. Zicree and Hambly discuss the inspiration behind their first novel together in our exclusive author essay.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For rising young lawyer Cal Griffin, it's just another day in the Big City -- until the lights go off ... for good. Suddenly packs of pale crouched figures are stalking the darkened subways, monsters prowl Times Square, and the people all around Cal are ... changing. Similar weirdness is happening everywhere, from the dank, cold heart of a West Virginia coal mine to a remote lab in South Dakota -- where a team of government scientists has unwittingly invited something catastrophic into the world -- to the highest levels of power in Washington, D.C. And Cal Griffin is not the only one struggling to comprehend the surreal, devouring chaos surrounding him -- nor the only one who will be forced to accept a new role in this brave new world of nightmare and wonder. For the forces bled from the stilled machines are fueling a consciousness both newly born and ancient -- and more than one unlikely hero will be needed for the titanic battle between the darkness and the light.

FROM THE CRITICS

Booklist

If one's reading goal is sheer entertainment, this book is a rousing success.

Cinescape

Even though MAGIC TIME was written well before September 11, its depiction of Americans facing a global threat is relevant and uplifting. If, as Joseph Campbell indicated, myths help us to process the world, then MAGIC TIME may help readers explore the aftermath of the tragedies.

Publishers Weekly

Television writer Zicree teams with fantasy and SF bestselling Hambly (Knight of the Demon Queen, numerous Star Wars and Star Trek novels) on a story straight out of the Hollywood mold for vintage sci-fi disaster films. A government experiment so secret even the president doesn't know about it produces strange energy flows that wreak havoc with the space-time continuum, resurrecting skeletal prairie wolves and disturbing ancient Indian burial grounds. Despite his misgivings, Dr. Fred Wishart continues the questionable experiments, only to blast the United States with a force so destructive all electricity and communications are knocked out nationwide. The bulk of the book concerns various characters' attempts to adjust to the chaos left in the wake of the catastrophe one made still more dangerous by the frightening mutations it produces in the population. Cal Griffin, a young New York City lawyer, finds his vibrant teenage sister turning into a near-translucent ghost of herself. Meanwhile, Cal's boss is transformed into a demonic, reptilian killer who stalks Cal as he tries to lead his sister and a hodgepodge of friends safely out of the city. Zicree's TV experience he's written for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Sliders, among others is obvious in the swift, episodic pacing; unfortunately, that doesn't give Hambly's usual gift for characterization much to work with. Like the pilot for a new television series, this effort promises much and delivers only hints of bigger things. (Dec. 4) Forecast: Before the World Trade Center attack, this would have been a natural candidate for screen adaptation. Chances are the public will now have less of a taste for fictional disasters set in NewYork City. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

When a top-secret government experiment goes wrong, a burst of energy nullifies the effects of technology and reawakens magical forces that transform some individuals into monsters with supernatural powers. To save his sister from a similar fate, New York lawyer Cal Griffin sets out on a difficult and dangerous trek across a devastated landscape in search of the cause of the transformation. Screenwriter Zicree collaborates with veteran sf and fantasy author Hambly (Knight of the Demon Queen) in this series opener that features a modern world suddenly infused with magic. Complex and unusual characters support a tale of personal heroism and self-sacrifice. A good choice for most fantasy collections. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews