published 1996, Warner

Nye's Magic Touch is a classic urban fantasy: the good guys are good, the bad guys dress in black, and the resolution depends on an awfully good magic gimmick. The main strength of this story is in its characters, which Nye draws crisp and clean: the protagonist, his hapless counterpart and a very few other people are depicted as having complex motivations. Everyone else might as well be wearing a label that says BAD or GOOD. This isn't much of a drawback, however, because urban fantasy demands a purely evil villain. And we can tell that these particular villains are dedicated to consummate evil because they make their minions wear black. Very nice. Makes it easy on the reader, too.

Ray the protagonist is a typical young urban dweller, depending on his close-knit family and his own career aspirations to keep him from the mistakes that his friends have made: Ray's the only boy on the block who hasn't yet joined a gang. Sensing his trouble with identity, his formidable grandmother Eustatia brings him with her to a meeting of the FGU -- the Fairy Godparent's Union. Ray quickly takes to the task of delivering wishes to children in need, but the union is having an identity crisis of its own. It is under pressure from some of its own members to merge with the local chapter of Djinni, Demons and Efreets.

These are the guys who wear black. The local chapter of Djinni has been infiltrated by a Bad Guy who spends his time recruiting gang members, imprisoning them in lamps, and forcing them to use their newfound djinni powers to steal for him. Did I mention he makes them wear black? The president of this union couldn't care less about making children happy; he's after the FGU's pool of accrued Brownie Points, which are something like stock options handed out for good deeds. And when the FGU refuses the merger, the Djinni Guild starts to kidnap its members and hold them for ransom, said ransom being their votes toward the merger. Eventually Ray is the only Fairy Godparent left.

The rescue of the FGU depends upon a plot contrivance which may pass by a little too quickly, making the end of the novel appear contrived. However, Nye's characters remain enjoyable and engaging throughout. Without making light of her character's difficulties -- Nye in no way sugar-coats the dangers of the inner-city setting -- she has written a cheerful fantasy with a happy ending for all concerned.

Review by Becky Parkhurst
Reviewed December 19, 1996

ISBN 0-446-60210-8

See other reviews of The Magic Touch at Amazon.com