Touched by Magic

Reandn is a respected guard in the king's service with a lovely wife and an adopted son. When little boys started disappearing around the castle, Reandn was put in charge of the investigation. Then his son disappeared, followed soon after by his wife. When he finally found out the cause of the disappearances, he was suddenly transported to a far end of the kingdom, by magic. But magic doesn't exist anymore. The unicorns left and took the magic with them when Reandn was just a child. As Reandn tries to make his way back home, he comes across a young woman who believes that the unicorns are going to bring magic back into the world, and she needs to help them. But Reandn knows that magic is harmful and will do whatever he can to stop magic from returning.Doranna Durgin does not waste a lot of time creating a fantasy world. She dives right into the story, bringing the characters alive and developing the plot. She uses the traditional fantasy world, the medieval type world, and adds magic to it, and then takes it away by removing the unicorns. Durgin's books are not long, and are not exceedingly involved or complicated. She keeps her books simple, and they make for an easy, enjoyable read.

I found this book exciting, and one of the best I've read in some time. It's an intriguing novel and I found the characters delightful and full of fun. The book kept me hooked until I finished, one I will definitely read again. A wonderful novel, and I hope to read more that this author has to offer.

Reandn's a Wolf, one of the elite group of trackers/soldiers/patrollers, who's put in charge of an investigation concerning the disappearances of two young boys in a time when magic has left the world--or so everyone thinks. Then Reandn's adopted son, Kavan, vanishes, and Reandn's wife Adela is destroyed by the same magic that killed the boys. Reandn, transported to a far distant land by the wizard who killed Adela, Kavan, and the other boys for power, swears revenge on the wizard who destroyed his life. Then he finds out that the very magic that killed his wife and son is going to be brought back into the world...TOUCHED BY MAGIC is a well-written, tightly crafted novel with fresh, engaging characters and a terrific plot. The author deserves to be placed among such fantasy greats as Mercedes Lackey and David Eddings.

Doranna Durgin is a mid-list author who deserves much better and if there is any justice at all in the writing world, she'll get it. Keland is a land where the magic has disappeared, taken away by the unicorns when the main character, Reandn, was a mere lad. Now, years later, Reandn is a Wolf, one of the kings guards, and he is investigating the mysterious disappearance of a young boy from the King's Keep. Reandn doesn't find anything but, while he is searching, he is hit my a roaring in his head that leaves him disoriented. It is later found out that the roaring in his head is an allergy to magic. Someone in Keland has found magic again.As the story progresses, another boy disappears. Then Travan, the magicians apprentice and Reandn's and Adela's (Reandn's wife) adopted son, disappears. Adela's best friend, Elyn, disappears. Finally, Adela herself disappears. Each time there was a disappearance, Reandn had one of his mysterious bouts of roaring in his head.When his wife disappears, Reandn finds the evil that is behind the disappearances. Before he can act, he is transported by magic to the far outskirts of Keland where he is left for dead. Magic was supposed to be dead. Reandn meets up with the one woman who believes his story fully, Rethia, who holds the key to the return of magic. But Reandn will do anything to prevent the return of magic to Keland, magic that destroyed his life.Doranna Durgin is a bright star on the edge of the fantasy universe that deserves all the attention she is going to get.

The book held my interest. I enjoyed most of the characters, with the exception of Tanager. He should have apologized for eavesdropping. To some Native Americans, Wolf is seen as a teacher. He travels silently and often sees and hears what others do not. When returning to the pact, Wolf often becomes the teacher, imparting his knowledge to his pack. Reandn might learn, in his travels, how to control body and mind to resist the impact of magic. He could become a shaman/warrior: a teacher and protector of his (extended) pack - his fellow countrymen...and then have more to offer and share with Kacey.