What do you think?
Rate this book
Magic Ex Libris #0.5
Chupacabra's Song
In the Magic ex Libris series, Nicola Pallas is one of the most powerful magic-users in the world, able to overpower her enemies with little more than a whistle. She's also known for raising chupacabras in her barn.This 5000-word short story introduces Nicola as a young girl, new to magic and unfamiliar with her potential. A woman brings a strange creature to Nicola's father, the local veterinarian. That injured animal--Nicola's first encounter with a chupacabra--leads her into a larger world of magical poachers, supernatural creatures, and danger.It also offers the possibility of a life-changing friendship. Assuming Nicola survives.The story is set approximately twenty years before the events of Libriomancer.
20 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 22, 2015
11 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
About the author
Jim C. Hines
96 books2,373 followersJim C. Hines began his writing career with a trilogy about the irrepressible Jig the goblin, which actor and author Wil Wheaton described as "too f***ing cool for words." He went on to deconstruct fairy tales in his four-book Princess series, made all the world's literature a grimoire in the Magic ex Libris series, and explored the heroic side of spacecraft sanitation in his Janitors of the Post Apocalypse trilogy. His short fiction has appeared in more than fifty magazines and anthologies. Jim has been outspoken about topics like sexism and harassment, and was the editor of the Invisible series—three collections of personal essays about representation in sf/f. He received the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 2012. Jim currently lives in mid-Michigan.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 25, 2018
I love Jim C. Hines' Magic ex Libris series so,despite the fact I do not like reading short stories, I did try this one and it was great!
Just a little bit of history really showing us how Nichola Pallas discovered her own amazing magic and how she fell in love with Chupacabras. If you want to know what one of those is you must read the books. If you like books and you like magic then you will not be sorry.
Just a little bit of history really showing us how Nichola Pallas discovered her own amazing magic and how she fell in love with Chupacabras. If you want to know what one of those is you must read the books. If you like books and you like magic then you will not be sorry.
October 29, 2016
This is a story of Nicola and how she got a interest in her pets - Chupacabras. Its a rather interesting story about magic and gives more detail about Nicola.
December 30, 2015
I loved this story... Nicola loves the wild beauty of the beast that arrives at her Father's Veterinary office after hours... Her Father had barely started the exam when it woke up! Oh no! Using all of her magic she struggled to contain the situation. Nicola is special!!! I love the Libromancer Universe... This spinoff story is no exception... And best thing, you don't have to have read any of the other books to enjoy this... And bonus Chupacabras.
March 7, 2018
Chupacabra’s Song is a prequel in the Magic Ex Libris series by American author, Jim C. Hines. It is set twenty years before Libriomancer. Fourteen-year-old Nicola Pallas is helping out in her father’s vet surgery when Mrs Boucher brings in an injured animal. At first it looks like a Labrador, but then Nicola sees the spines, the narrow, flattened head and the long teeth. Not a dog. But whatever it was, it had Nicola’s magic singing.
Then Frank and Martin turned up, her father and Mrs B were unconscious, and they had the creature in their SUV. A Chupacabra, they said. Nicola went along. They were after the rest of the pack. But when she understood what they intended, her rage at their cruelty gave her magic a power she had never before experienced. This short story is an excellent introduction to Nicola’s magic and how she came to breed chupacabras.
Then Frank and Martin turned up, her father and Mrs B were unconscious, and they had the creature in their SUV. A Chupacabra, they said. Nicola went along. They were after the rest of the pack. But when she understood what they intended, her rage at their cruelty gave her magic a power she had never before experienced. This short story is an excellent introduction to Nicola’s magic and how she came to breed chupacabras.
August 25, 2018
What it's about: Young Nicolla helps out around her father's veterinarian clinic. One night, a strange creature is brought in, and Nicolla is captivated. When things with this creature go wrong, Nicolla uses the powers she's supposed to be hiding. But as things go further and further awry, Nicolla finds that she is not the only one with powers. She must figure out how to use her abilities on the fly, or everything she cares about may be taken from her.
What I thought: This was a very nicely done piece of backstory that helps illustrate an interesting side character from the series. And it's just about perfect in its scope and ambition. It provides a clear glimpse into how Nicolla Pallas's past, and just enough backstory to help readers see how she has risen to her position within the world of Isaac Vannio without getting bogged down in unnecessary recaps or paint-by-numbers storytelling that tries to get from an early origin to where we see her in her later life.
Why I rated it like I did: Throughout the Magic Ex Libris series, Nicolla Pallas has been an important and powerful figure. This story brings the reader into her world, showing a formative event in her life and helping to show just how powerful this magician is.
What I thought: This was a very nicely done piece of backstory that helps illustrate an interesting side character from the series. And it's just about perfect in its scope and ambition. It provides a clear glimpse into how Nicolla Pallas's past, and just enough backstory to help readers see how she has risen to her position within the world of Isaac Vannio without getting bogged down in unnecessary recaps or paint-by-numbers storytelling that tries to get from an early origin to where we see her in her later life.
Why I rated it like I did: Throughout the Magic Ex Libris series, Nicolla Pallas has been an important and powerful figure. This story brings the reader into her world, showing a formative event in her life and helping to show just how powerful this magician is.
April 4, 2016
An engaging short story set in Hines' Libromancer universe. I wish it had been longer; Nicola was a fascinating character, and what her father did and did not know about her magical gifts was uncertain.
I thought Hines did an excellent job of showing a combination of autism and gifts: Nicola is clearly autistic, and she is also magically gifted, and these are independent of each other- though each has both problems and blessings.
I thought Hines did an excellent job of showing a combination of autism and gifts: Nicola is clearly autistic, and she is also magically gifted, and these are independent of each other- though each has both problems and blessings.
September 20, 2018
A quick read that is nonetheless intriguing and offers up both answers and questions – we learn more about Nicola Pallas and how she came to know her magic, and similarly important, how she came to learn about magical creatures such as the chupacabra which she becomes so well-known for raising later.
Nicola has always been a strong character in the Magic ex Libris series, but here we really get a good look at her, how she works, what it is like inside her head. Her need for music, whether her internal auto-play adapting soundtrack or the music she feeds through her headphones, and her strong sensitivity to certain scents, leads me to think that she actually falls on the autism spectrum somewhere. And if that is the case, it adds yet another layer of wonderful diversity and depth to the characters Mr. Hines has populated this world with – they are just as human as the rest of us, just as real, though they can use magic that we can only dream of (so far – I’m still hoping that bibliomancy will become real and that I’ll be a bibliomancer instead of only contributing to the belief in books and characters and worlds that makes bibliomancy possible!). Hines never ceases to impress me with the depth and realism of his characters, their rich and nuanced personalities, and how there is a little of something for everyone in his books and stories.
Nicola’s story, her song, make a strong addition to building the Magic ex Libris world, and I am so glad that I picked it up and read it; it is worth every minute, every second, reading Hines.
Oh, and here’s an additional spoiler quote that gets to me:
Nicola has always been a strong character in the Magic ex Libris series, but here we really get a good look at her, how she works, what it is like inside her head. Her need for music, whether her internal auto-play adapting soundtrack or the music she feeds through her headphones, and her strong sensitivity to certain scents, leads me to think that she actually falls on the autism spectrum somewhere. And if that is the case, it adds yet another layer of wonderful diversity and depth to the characters Mr. Hines has populated this world with – they are just as human as the rest of us, just as real, though they can use magic that we can only dream of (so far – I’m still hoping that bibliomancy will become real and that I’ll be a bibliomancer instead of only contributing to the belief in books and characters and worlds that makes bibliomancy possible!). Hines never ceases to impress me with the depth and realism of his characters, their rich and nuanced personalities, and how there is a little of something for everyone in his books and stories.
Nicola’s story, her song, make a strong addition to building the Magic ex Libris world, and I am so glad that I picked it up and read it; it is worth every minute, every second, reading Hines.
Oh, and here’s an additional spoiler quote that gets to me:
October 26, 2018
Chupacabra's Song is a novelette from the Magic Ex Libris series written by Jim C. Hines, which is a short story centering on Nicola Pallas, Regional Master for the Porters, is one of the most powerful Libriomancers in the world, who is able to overpower her enemies with little more than a whistle. It takes place about two decades before Libriomancer, the first book of the series, but is best read after the core series.
Chupacabra's Song details the introduction of Nicola Pallas to her magic when she was young. Nicola Pallas is autistic and has a special relationship with both music and animals. She helps her father, who is a capable veterinarian, with his work. Then one day a woman brings in an injured animal that looks sort of like a dog, only not. When someone comes to fetch the animal and uses magic to do it, Nicola Pallas finds out that the animal is a chupacabra, something believed to be a myth. She will have to figure out how to use the talent for magic that she harbors in order to save the animal.
Chupacabra's Song is written rather well. It is good to read things from the perspective of Nicola Pallas and see things through her eyes. It is a wonderful backstory to Nicola Pallas, a story about her first encounter with magic and her beloved chupacabras. The characters are interesting, the story is engrossing, and it is a beautifully emotional book.
All in all, Chupacabra's Song is a well written short story about Nicola Pallas and her first introduction to magic and chupacabras that would one day become the powerful Regional Master for the Porters. It is also a worthy and wonderful addition to the Magic Ex Libris universe – enriching it just a tad more.
Chupacabra's Song details the introduction of Nicola Pallas to her magic when she was young. Nicola Pallas is autistic and has a special relationship with both music and animals. She helps her father, who is a capable veterinarian, with his work. Then one day a woman brings in an injured animal that looks sort of like a dog, only not. When someone comes to fetch the animal and uses magic to do it, Nicola Pallas finds out that the animal is a chupacabra, something believed to be a myth. She will have to figure out how to use the talent for magic that she harbors in order to save the animal.
Chupacabra's Song is written rather well. It is good to read things from the perspective of Nicola Pallas and see things through her eyes. It is a wonderful backstory to Nicola Pallas, a story about her first encounter with magic and her beloved chupacabras. The characters are interesting, the story is engrossing, and it is a beautifully emotional book.
All in all, Chupacabra's Song is a well written short story about Nicola Pallas and her first introduction to magic and chupacabras that would one day become the powerful Regional Master for the Porters. It is also a worthy and wonderful addition to the Magic Ex Libris universe – enriching it just a tad more.
June 27, 2017
The only way this could've been better was if it was longer. This is a gem of a short story that takes place about 14 years before "Libriomancer". It follows one of the side characters we know from the series, but when she is younger and more inexperienced. I love the fact that although she clearly has some form of autism, that isn't the whole point of her character, and I thought telling this story from her own POV was a smart choice and handled very respectfully. If you want a little appetizer of the Magic ex Libris world, this is a good place to start as I don't see how this could contain any spoilers for the rest of the series.
September 1, 2018
Prequel to series short story
I just started this series. I heard that there was a short story prequel and decided to read it before finishing the first book. I did enjoy the story but I feel that I would have enjoyed it more of I had waited to read it. The story really is for someone that is already familiar with the story and this character but wants to find out more of her past. So wait until you meet this character in the series and then read the one. If I had done it that way, I probably would have rated it higher.
I just started this series. I heard that there was a short story prequel and decided to read it before finishing the first book. I did enjoy the story but I feel that I would have enjoyed it more of I had waited to read it. The story really is for someone that is already familiar with the story and this character but wants to find out more of her past. So wait until you meet this character in the series and then read the one. If I had done it that way, I probably would have rated it higher.
May 2, 2018
Good supplemental short story to go with a good series by a good author. I'd probably have enjoyed it more if it were bundled with other short stories about other characters from the series. Features an autistic main character (a side character from the main series), which is refreshing.
May 17, 2017
I really wish Goodreads would use more than five stars. This book is a three and a half.
May 29, 2018
A short story in the Libriomancer universe. Worth your (short) reading time!
May 26, 2019
This is a fun short story, and a great portrait of autism as powerful. However, if you haven't read the core Magic Ex Libra series it will make no sense at all, as it isn't fully fleshed out.
November 19, 2019
An extraordinary short story packed with wonder, action, and fierce loyalty towards unusual animals. I was very impressed with my introduction to this author. Well worth your time and effort to read!
May 16, 2024
It's okay for a short story.
But it is not as gripping as the full novels.
But it is not as gripping as the full novels.
March 18, 2016
I find myself writing the same short story disclaimer with every short story I read – that I don’t generally like them and prefer if they add something to the overall series without being essential. I don’t think a series of books should require you to actually read every little e-short in the series. At the same time, a short story that’s just a random fluff tale without adding anything of substance to the larger series always leaves me thinking “well, why did I read this? What’s the point?”
Because I’m awkward like that
But this short story again shows how it can be excellently done – but using the book to tell some of the history and develop some insight into one of the regular side characters of the main plot:
Nicola was a very intriguing regular background character throughout the Libriomancer series and definitely one I wanted to know more about. Her magic, the magic of a bard, of music is definitely one I wanted to see expanded and explained in the same way that book magic was examined throughout the series.
I also loved Nicola herself. She’s autistic and that deeply informs her character, is a part of her character and personhood and very much part of her story, her interactions and her experiences. Yet at the same time she’s a person not just defined by her magic of being autistic. She’s also very powerful, very capable and you can see, even as a child, the core of the leader she becomes in the books.
Read More
Because I’m awkward like that
But this short story again shows how it can be excellently done – but using the book to tell some of the history and develop some insight into one of the regular side characters of the main plot:
Nicola was a very intriguing regular background character throughout the Libriomancer series and definitely one I wanted to know more about. Her magic, the magic of a bard, of music is definitely one I wanted to see expanded and explained in the same way that book magic was examined throughout the series.
I also loved Nicola herself. She’s autistic and that deeply informs her character, is a part of her character and personhood and very much part of her story, her interactions and her experiences. Yet at the same time she’s a person not just defined by her magic of being autistic. She’s also very powerful, very capable and you can see, even as a child, the core of the leader she becomes in the books.
Read More
January 5, 2016
Nicola is autistic and has a special relationship with both music and animals. In this story she helps her father, who’s a capable veterinarian, with his work. Then one day a woman brings in an injured animal that looks sort of like a dog, only not. When someone comes to fetch the animal and uses magic to do it, Nicola finds out that the animal is a chupacabra, something believed to be a myth. She’ll have to figure out how to use the talent for magic that she harbors in order to save the animal.
I’ve always enjoyed Nicola as a character, and it’s wonderful to get to see where she came from and how she found the world of magic (not to mention how she first encountered her beloved chupacabras). I can’t say more about the plot without spoiling too much of the story, but I will say that it’s very well-written. The characters are interesting, the story is engrossing, and I shed tears twice while reading it! If you’ve read any of the Magic Ex Libris books then I think you’ll enjoy this.
Original review posted on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2015/12/s...
I’ve always enjoyed Nicola as a character, and it’s wonderful to get to see where she came from and how she found the world of magic (not to mention how she first encountered her beloved chupacabras). I can’t say more about the plot without spoiling too much of the story, but I will say that it’s very well-written. The characters are interesting, the story is engrossing, and I shed tears twice while reading it! If you’ve read any of the Magic Ex Libris books then I think you’ll enjoy this.
Original review posted on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2015/12/s...
January 1, 2016
Jim Himes released this short Prequel story just in time to make it the first book I read of the new year.
I really liked this story, debated between the 4 and 5 stars 4.5?
This was a great look into the background and early story of Nicola as a young girl. The insight into Niccola and her special talents is fascinating, and a joy to read. Hines manages to portray both her struggles and her excellence.
The addition of the Chupacabras, is just icing on the cake, it also explains some things to readers of the series. This is definitely a Libromancer tie in, but could be enjoyed by anyone, as both an introduction to the Libromancer World, or as a stand alone story.
I really liked this story, debated between the 4 and 5 stars 4.5?
This was a great look into the background and early story of Nicola as a young girl. The insight into Niccola and her special talents is fascinating, and a joy to read. Hines manages to portray both her struggles and her excellence.
The addition of the Chupacabras, is just icing on the cake, it also explains some things to readers of the series. This is definitely a Libromancer tie in, but could be enjoyed by anyone, as both an introduction to the Libromancer World, or as a stand alone story.
March 26, 2016
I really enjoyed the chance to read Nicola Pallas' backstory. This tale is set twenty years prior to Libriomancer, book one in the Magic Ex Libris series. It deals with Nicola's introduction to libriomancy/magic.
I hope to read more stories about some of the other characters' origin stories in the future. Author Jim C. Hines has said that the series ends with the fourth book Revisionary (2016). But I think he has not ruled out doing some more short pieces in this world.
According to his blog, he is currently [2016] writing an sf trilogy. That's fine. A number of my favorite authors switch back and forth from sf to fantasy. At least he is still writing!
I hope to read more stories about some of the other characters' origin stories in the future. Author Jim C. Hines has said that the series ends with the fourth book Revisionary (2016). But I think he has not ruled out doing some more short pieces in this world.
According to his blog, he is currently [2016] writing an sf trilogy. That's fine. A number of my favorite authors switch back and forth from sf to fantasy. At least he is still writing!
March 11, 2016
WOO! A story about Nicola Pallas from the Libriomancer universe! I was always curious about her powers over magic, and this short story explores her youth and development of these special skills. I also appreciate that Nicola is autistic as it's rare to have protagonists of that type. If you love the Libriomancer world, and even just for lovers of urban fantasy, this is a fun short story for a buck!
January 10, 2016
Perhaps a tad too short to give it context outside of the Magic Ex Libris series, it's still a well told short tale about magic, song, and good and evil as told through a few characters on a small scale... but worth a life to an animal. Well done, Jim!
January 16, 2016
I am a big fan of Jim Hines' Libromancer series and his writing in general. This short story is a great addition to the Libriomancer world. I loved getting to see inside Nicola's head, witnessing the beginning of her love of chupacabras and seeing more of how her unique style of magic works.
June 24, 2016
I think I just had my expectations too high. I don't recall seeing that it was a short story when I picked it up; if I did, I really didn't expect it to be as short as it was/is. Not a bad or poorly done story, by any means. I just wanted much more from it.
August 9, 2016
Beautiful snack
Wish it was more of a story than the quick literary snack that it is. I hope the author gives us more glimpses into the universe.
Wish it was more of a story than the quick literary snack that it is. I hope the author gives us more glimpses into the universe.
April 21, 2016
A nice addition to the series. I like reading about the past of important characters from series. Nicola is 14 years old and just finding out about her magic abilities.
March 5, 2016
Enjoyable short story in the Libromancer series
March 1, 2016
Great addition
Jim adds to depth to his series. As with any good series, the secondary characters pull you in and make you want more. Jim does not disappoint.
Jim adds to depth to his series. As with any good series, the secondary characters pull you in and make you want more. Jim does not disappoint.
December 2, 2016
Too short, doesn't add much to the background of the character featured. Skip this even if you like the series
February 15, 2017
I read this later after the tragedy which makes me even more sad!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews