It’s all been leading up to this. The Digital Mage, the fourth Lucky Devil novel, has been sitting in my Pile for a month or so now, waiting for its time to shine. And that is, of course, why I’ve been rereading the entire series, and not just ducking into Death and the Crone or Saint Code: Lost like I’ve often done. After all, there are a lot of tiny bits of information squirreled away in the preceding volumes. It’s not surprising, given the corporate espionage aspect. But it does mean that I wanted to have all of that fresh in my mind when reading The Digital Mage for the first time.
I have to say, Megan Mackie has become a better writer as time goes on. That’s true of most authors, but enough time has passed between The Finder of the Lucky Devil and The Digital Mage that you can actually see it.
Another improvement is the interior book design. This one has cute page headers and chapter titles reflecting the devil theme. It does make me wonder if the earlier volumes have been redone at all, since I now have books by four different publishers in the series. The writing world is apparently as insane as any industry and I honestly don’t need to know more about it.
After reading The Digital Mage I’ve come to an important conclusion: The Devil’s Day may end up being my least favorite book in the entire series. Not because it has a higher focus on backstory, but because Rune’s agency is taken from her in a way that feels like a step backwards. The entire series starts with Rune, as Anna Masterson, a broken soul whose will has been destroyed in a mere six months of imprisonment. She’s lucky that she didn’t suffer any lasting physical damage from the torture. She has no agency at all.
But getting out of prison is a big, scary thing for her, even though she’s got her beloved aunt and uncle’s support. So while she does recover and becomes more independent than she’d ever been before, she’s still hiding. Not just the fact that Rune Leveau and Anna Masterson are the same person, but the fact that Rune is a Talent. And a Magi, but that’s less important.
The Finder of the Lucky Devil and The Saint of Liars see Rune coming out of her shell and into her own. Learning how to use the magic she has beyond what’s always come instinctively. So the fact that The Devil’s Day has Rune dogged by Abraxas, looking to take her House for his own reasons, and then kidnapped, and finally compelled by the Devil’s Day ritual itself…it feels like what agency she’d gained was ripped away from her. True, the third novel also drops some hints about what the series foe actually is and the sort of confrontation that may come in the end, but it’s kind of not the most important thing going on. Rune has next to no downtime in that book too. All things that make it harder for me to read. I may skip the full reread next time I get a new Lucky Devil book.
The Digital Mage starts about two months after The Devil’s Day, and roughly a year after the start of the series (excluding prologues). Thanks to shenanigans with laws, corporations, and the Magic Guild, Rune is now employed by Corinthe Corporation, the business that Maxamillion owns. It’s also where St. Benedict works, although he’s been even odder around her lately. The bar isn’t an option for multiple reasons, including Abraxas, although he himself isn’t a factor anymore.
Rune may not love her life currently, but she’s definitely become much more competent when it comes to dealing with corporations, the people who run them, and even technology. Magic still makes tech go haywire, but if she’s careful about how much power she uses, she can do a great deal, including using a computer and cell phone. And even if stuff with the Magic Guild is weird right now, she’s still the Lady of her House. She may not have seen her people in two months, but that doesn’t make them any less hers.
However, there is St. Benedict. The man is clearly in love with her, but he has no idea what to do with this. He’s obsessed with keeping her safe, but his version of “safety” involves taking away all her options and agency so that she can only do as he allows. It’s abusive. And Rune has finally gotten to the point where she won’t stand for it any longer. She may have feelings for him, but she’s not someone who will allow herself to be trampled “for her own good”.
I will also say that Rune and St. Ben’s relationship over the past several books has put me in mind of “Earthwitch”, a Patricia Wrede short story. The situations aren’t identical, but there’s a lot in common between the two.
There’s also a huge reveal in The Digital Mage, one that impacts story and characters a lot more than Uncle Lucas’ history in The Devil’s Day. It’s one that has been toyed with since the beginning, but hoo boy. Saint of Liars indeed. And there’s still more mess to clean up.
Mackie says there’s another novel or two still to come in the series, which is appropriate. Rune was probably at her lowest during The Devil’s Day, but hasn’t had a chance to really rebuild her life as a whole since then. She’s only been able to work on herself, which isn’t a bad thing. But now she needs to rebuild her bar, her house, and her life as far as governing bodies are concerned. She’s got herself and her people. Well, most of them. And I’m quite sure that next book, it’s on.
There’s still questions to be answered, of course. Questions about Maxamillion, whom we finally got a bit of backstory for in The Digital Mage’s prologue. And questions about Kodiak and what’s really going on at the highest levels. The rest, well. That I have no doubt we’ll find out in the end.
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