Foundation for the Lost by Scott Rhine

Synopsis

No good deed goes unpunished. 

A Kabbalah magician, Aaron Walker has devoted the last hundred years of his life to his Foundation, a charity that helps widows, orphans, and the stranger in the land. It doesn't get much stranger than the Lost: male witches who don't have parents to train them in the arts. Now, corporate wizards are trying to kill him, and he has no idea why. 

With a handful of former students, he hops from one hidden enclave of cultural magic to another, hoping to survive long enough to contact the witches of New Salem. But the assassins don't scare Aaron as much as the price the witch Rose demands for her aid--to father a child. To keep his magic and save the world, he must remain a virgin. Merodak, the demon, offers a way out but he’s a pathological liar with a twisted sense of humor.

Review:

I think one of the more interesting things about fantasy books in general is they explore a lot of ideas that a lot of novels do not. In particular I always find it interesting when a novel decides to take on the subject of religion. Religion always has the ability to be a hot button topic, and when you put it in an urban fantasy setting, I think it has the ability to be even more of a hot button topic. But that being said almost every urban fantasy book I have read that touches on the subject of religion has always been well written, thought provoking, and respectful, and the same can be said for this book. 

A warning to those of you out there who don't like books that are on the longer spectrum of things, this book is a bit of read, and does take a little while to get through. It is a good book though, so if you like a longer book (like I do), then you will probably enjoy reading this one. 

Even though the book is on the longer side, it does not mean that it is slow in pace. The book maintains a pretty good pace throughout the entire thing, including the beginning (beginnings have been my biggest complaint lately so I wanted to mention that). 

I think part of the reason why the book has such a good pace to it, is that the plot is actually pretty complex. There is a lot for Aaron, the main character, to figure out as things go along. Nothing is really what it seems, and as he has never had a problem like this before, there is a lot of work going into resolving what is happening. An easy thing to do with a complicated story line is confuse the reader, most of the time by giving them too much information all at once and not letting the reader adjust to changes or new additions. I felt like the author skillfully avoided this, but giving the reader just enough information, and leaving the reader wanting to know more. 

While the book at times can be a bit on the heavy side subject matter wise, the author also added some enjoyable humor and romance to break up the heaviness, which I appreciated. I think this a good urban fantasy book, and to be honest I think more of my guy friends would be a fan of this book than my girls. But that doesn't mean girls can't enjoy it, after all I liked the book! So think about giving it a try!