Rec: Indri's In the Morning of the Magicians

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

I have just finished rereading Indri’s In the Morning of the Magicians. What a delightful story. It covers the time period where Ripper and Ethan meet, invoke Eyghon, get Randall killed, and break-up.

One of the first things I adore is that Ethan isn’t evil or even semi-evil here. He’s not particularly extroverted and has only a few friends, most of whom live in the same household, but he’s loyal to those friends. In fact, it’s the situation where Randall dies and the household breaks up that turns Ethan into the bastard we see on Buffy. He’s so very wounded by the situation that he thinks he doesn’t deserve and isn’t able to have friends.

Another awesome point is that both Ethan and Ripper were required to bring about invoking Eyghon. They each brought different information that allowed them to find the book and Ripper is actually the one who encouraged the group to invoke Eyghon.

And that brings up a third awesome point about this story. Ethan and his friends embrace their alternative lifestyle, it’s the life they have chosen. Ripper is not embracing it so much as running away from home. While Ripper is attracted to Ethan and ends up fucking him, Ripper is always thinking about being in a monogamous relationship with a woman. He expects that he will make up with the family someday and settle into a more conservative family life. I love that; I love that; I love that! I never would have thought of that and it is just so brilliant. In fact, Ripper wants to invoke Eyghon because he expects he won’t feel guilty while he’s high, which turns out to be true.

I highly recommend this story.