Get the audiobook on Audible đ (affiliate link)
Spell or High Water: Magic 2.0, Book 2 by Scott Meyer
Synopsis:
“The adventures of an American hacker in Medieval England continue as Martin Banks takes his next step on the journey toward mastering his reality-altering powers and fulfilling his destiny.
A month has passed since Martin helped to defeat the evil programmer Jimmy, and things couldnât be going better. Except for his love life, that is. Feeling distant and lost, Gwen has journeyed to Atlantis, a tolerant and benevolent kingdom governed by the Sorceresses, and a place known to be a safe haven to all female time-travelers.
Thankfully, Martin and Philip are invited to a summit in Atlantis for all of the leaders of the time-traveler colonies, and now Martin thinks this will be a chance to try again with Gwen. Of course, this is Martin Banks weâre talking about, so murder, mystery, and high intrigue all get in the way of a guy who just wants one more shot to get the girl.
The follow-up to the hilarious Off to Be the Wizard, Scott Meyerâs Spell or High Water proves that no matter what powers you have over time and space, you canât control rotten luck.” -Audible
~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link (click the button below) or support this blog in one of several ways! đ đ
I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. đ
Opening thoughts:
Iâm excited to read this book because the last one Off to Be the Wizard was so good. It has been a while but Iâm glad the beginning of this book has a short recap. I’m expecting this book to be just as enjoyable as the last one.
Key notes:
Chapter 1
- Martin met Roy, the newest wizard to appear in town
- Martin gave him a rundown of how this training works, why they do it, and the consequences of failing
- Roy had a bad attitude at first but understood he was outclassed
Chapter 2
- Jimmy visited Martinâs parents and was able to explain some of Martin’s situation to them in order to win their favor
Chapter 3
- Martin filled in Roy about the society of wizards, and how most people came there to run away from getting caught
- He thought it was strange that Roy didnât bring his computer, and was the person furthest in the past to come there, though he was the latest addition
Chapter 4
- Philip’s âbusyâ daily schedule consisted of making someone do busy work, then whatever else he wanted to do
Chapter 5
- Some other wizards surprised Martin with a friendly sneak attack, and then they all showed each other their new spells
Chapter 6
- Gwen sent them a message asking for Philip and Martin to come to a Wizard Council meeting in Atlantis
Chapter 7
- Jimmy was talking to federal treasury agents to explain the mysterious embezzlement and disappearance cases that have been happening over the years
Chapter 8
- Philip and Martin met Brit the Elder, who seemed to be happy to see them like old friends, even those theyâd never met before
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
- The guard Ampyx told them a bit about their society and culture
- Philip mentioned that something was suspicious about Brit the Elder
Chapter 11
- They started to mingle with other guests at the gathering
- Brit the Younger chatted with Philip about his free will theory and how what they do doesnât affect the future
- Then Brit tells him how her situation with Brit the Elder is strange because the Elderâs past did affect the Younger’s future
- Philip saved younger Brit from a falling statueÂ
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
- The parliamentary proceedings occurred and Martin barely stayed awake
- Then another statue fell on younger Brit but she was unharmed
Chapter 14
- Philip and Brit went to check out deep ocean wildlife until something happened to their pod and it collapsed
- Luckily they were able to escape
Chapter 15
- They all discussed what might be going on, who might be behind it, and if the two Brits were really connected
- They decided to go tell the older Brit
Chapter 16
- Jimmy and the agents took a boxcar train from Seattle to Los Angeles
Chapter 17
- Philip spoke with elder Brit about the situation but learned nothing
- She said she had to play the part of not intervening while her younger self solved the problem
Chapter 18
- They caught the fleeing assailant but discovered someone was using magic for these attempts
Chapter 19
- The agents were able to try out Jimmyâs plan to access the file remotely, but the file was password protected
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
- Agent Murphy visits Todd Douglas, one of the wizards that got expelled by Jimmy and was now in a secret federal prison facility in Florida
Chapter 22
- Martin and Gwen chatted about their dynamic a bit given they knew Philip and Brit were lovers now
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
- Philip and Brit had an argument about him flirting with elder BritÂ
Chapter 25
- Jimmy visited Tyler and tried to convince Tyler to help him
Chapter 26
- There was another assassination attempt on younger Brit, and she and Philip were mysteriously captured and taken away
Chapter 27
- Jimmy visited Gary and convinced Gary to not kill him so Jimmy could prove he was a changed man
Chapter 28
- Nik the servant gave Gwen advice to be less subtle and convey interest or else Martin will start losing his
Chapter 29
- Eddie was less than thrilled to see that Gary brought Jimmy to the castle
Chapter 30
- Ampyx came in and told Martin how he admired him for being a man of action, and how he should trust himself and not think so lowly of himself
Chapter 31
- Martin went to Gwen to convince her that Ida was still the prime suspect
Chapter 32
- They discovered that it was Idaâs dumb servant who was behind everything
Chapter 33
- Martin and Ampyx were fighting Neeloh in a town center
- Ida and Gwen were fighting but then called all the sorceresses to sort things out
Chapter 34
- Brit the Elder came and sorted everything out
- Philip and younger Brit were safe but they needed to be gone for things to unfold as they did in the Elderâs memory
Chapter 35
- Ampyx was rewarded by becoming Elder’s servant for his help
- Everything was resolved, and there was now a council of 3 which included a chairman who wasnât a magic user
- Philip and Martin said their goodbyes
Chapter 36
- Jimmy legitimately apologized by first manipulating everyone and then holding them all hostage
- This was to prove that he had no grudges against them and wouldn’t hurt them even though he had the ability to
- They eventually voted to allow him to stay under indefinite probation with limited powers/abilities until they deemed otherwise
Epilogue
Second Epilogue
- Eventually Brit the Younger went off to build Atlantis in the past by herself and Brit the Elder threw her a farewell party
Closing thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book and it was a great sequel to Off to Be The Wizard. I like how it picked up pretty much immediately after the last book and had a unique concept that didn’t feel too forced.
Like most books with a sequel, I’m glad that they did concise recaps of the previous book so that the reader can essentially jump right into this book.
One plot point that I feel like didn’t really have a payoff was Roy’s character in the beginning. His mere presence is an enigma, being the person furthest back in time to find his way to Camelot but also the most recent addition. It had the feeling of being set up for some sort of plot point or twist near the end but it didn’t go anywhere. Unless it happens to pick up in the next book, this was probably the only part I was a bit confused about.
Overall, a solid book and a solid sequel to the first one. I’m definitely going to pick up the next book in the series sometime this year.
Nutshell:
In Book 2, the wizards Martin and Philip find themselves in Atlantis trying to thwart an assassination plot against one of the sorceress leaders.
Similar books:
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
- Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer
- We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
- Lock In by John Scalzi
Rating:
3.5/5
Subscribe for More Summariesđ
Try Audible for audiobooks đđ§
Personal recommendation: For the last 8 years, I’ve used Audible to listen to all of my favorite books. It’s easy to use, cost-effective, and they have the best library of audiobooks.
If you use my affiliate links below, not only will you get a special offer, but it’ll help support the costs to maintain this blog! đđ
Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks
Please donate! đ
Please consider a small donation to help support my blog ^_^ I love providing free book notes and other content. Any donations help me maintain my website and create content consistently. Thanks everyone for the continued support!
$2.00
Marlo Yonocruz 