"4.5 STARS. The action scenes are wonderfully bloody, ruthless and rough. The magic system differed nicely from others. It was great to read about necromancy, thaumaturgy, polymagic...the three schools of gnomish magic (Beakerheads, Technocrats and Neverminders) etc. Kenny Soward is an excellent storyteller and writes from his heart. In my opinion he"s an author to watch [and] I"m personally looking forward to reading the sequel, because ROUGH MAGICK is such an entertaining fantasy book!" -Seregil of Rhiminee, RisingShadow.net NIKSABELLA the gnome has tinkered in the shadows for years, developing an invention that might change the world-even if she doesn"t know it. She has few friends and even fewer allies in Hightower, where social and academic status is crucial. Her brother, NIKSELPIK, is an obstinate wizard who drinks heavily, sings dirty songs, and makes unmannerly passes at gnomestresses. A dark addiction consumes him, giving him increased power while also pushing him closer...