Minimum Wage Magic is the first novel in Rachel Aaron’s new series, titled DFZ, a recognisable place for fans of her Heartstrikers books. As I hadn’t read any of the Heartstrikers series I was worried that I may be lost jumping into an established world, but in a note at the start Aaron reassures readers that the previous series is not required reading in order to enjoy this one. Good news for me! With that said I was straight into Minimum Wage Magic to see what wonders Aaron has in store…
The DFZ, the metropolis formerly known as Detroit, is the world’s most magical city with a population of nine million and zero public safety laws. That’s a lot of mages, cybernetically enhanced chrome heads, and mythical beasties who die, get into debt, and otherwise fail to pay their rent. When they can’t pay their bills, their stuff gets sold to the highest bidder to cover the tab.
That’s when they call me. My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m a Cleaner: a freelance mage with an art history degree who’s employed by the DFZ to sort through the mountains of magical junk people leave behind. It’s not a pretty job, or a safe one—there’s a reason I wear bite-proof gloves—but when you’re deep in debt in a lawless city where gods are real, dragons are traffic hazards, and buildings move around on their own, you don’t get to be picky about where your money comes from. You just have to make it work, even when the only thing of value in your latest repossessed apartment is the dead body of the mage who used to live there.
Opal Yong-ae is a young mage trying to make her way in the DFZ, the Detroit Free Zone, by taking on jobs as a cleaner. Essentially, she bids on apartments left after the occupier dies in order to get ownership of everything inside, all in the hopes of turning a profit by selling the contents. Down on her luck and desperately trying to make enough money to pay her debts with an impending deadline, Opal ends up with an apartment that seems to hold more secrets than meets the eye. Discovering a journal with some impressive spell-work that points to a rare ritual capable of generating items worth a lot of money, Opal starts down a road that brings danger to her door, an unlikely partnership, and a trek all across the DFZ and its many strange places and inhabitants.
Minimum Wage Magic starts as it means to go on, strong and confident with a slightly unsure protagonist in Opal. She’s by no means weak, but the situation she finds herself in and the debt she desperately needs to pay makes her a relatable and flawed character. I liked Opal almost straight away and her narration put me at ease and made me comfortable, which in turn made me want to read more and find out the answers to all the questions I had. While told from her point of view, Opal isn’t the only character that gets prominent page time here. We have Sibyl, Opal’s AI and font of all knowledge, and the interactions they have adds a nice layer to the story, basically allowing Opal to talk – and argue – with someone that’s with her 24/7. And then there’s Nik, another cleaner that initially comes across as a brute without a personality. Suffice to say that this isn’t the case and Aaron slowly reveals more about him, making him a firm favourite come the end of the book.
The world Aaron has created here is also a starring point. Set in a near future where magic, gods, and assorted mythical creatures have returned to the world is fascinating, and even more so when it goes hand-in-hand with technology. The way that cybernetics are built into the story scratches my SF itch, while magical protections and spells tick the Urban Fantasy boxes all across the board. It’s a combination that Aaron flawlessly uses to the benefit of the story, and it makes me wonder just what else she has in store using these ideas.
The only real criticism I have is to do with this being set in the same world as a previous series: I felt I was missing things here and there because I hadn’t read those books. It wasn’t often, and wasn’t much, but it was there. If nothing else, it’s made me want to read the Heartstrikers books to find out more.
I listened to the audio version of Minimum Wage Magic and the narrator, Emily Woo Zeller, was absolutely perfect for this book. She embodied the character of Opal and did a fantastic job throughout, with her voice acting for other characters equally solid. This is definitely one of those times where narrator and story are made for each other and make it an effortless listen.
Ultimately, Minimum Wage Magic is a fun and highly enjoyable read with some great characters and a fantastic setting, both of which beg for further exploration. I can’t wait to read more of Opal’s exploits in future DFZ books.
Publisher: Audible
Author: http://rachelaaron.net
Narrator: https://emilywoozeller.com/
January 2019, 9 hrs, 45 mins
Audiobook, ASIN: B07MBHS7DP
Review from purchased copy
© 2019 Mark Chitty | @chitman13
