title: Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass
author:  Erica Kirov 
description: Grade 5-8As the son of a third-rate stage magician, Nick is familiar with theatrical illusions. On his 13th birthday, however, he discovers that magic is real. He learns that he is one of the ancient Magickeepers, charged with finding and guarding arcane artifacts from the evil Shadowkeepers. Apprenticed to Las Vegas star magicianand chief MagickeeperDamian, Nick moves into the clan's palatial casino headquarters to begin his training. Although he is impressed by their opulent lifestyle, he feels a bit cramped by the family's almost obsessive devotion to their tsarist Russian heritageformal dress, caviar crepes instead of cheeseburgers, and no TV or video games. Nick's talent as a Gazer enables him to see into the past. Rasputin, their most powerful enemy, has spent nearly a century hunting the secret to the Eternal Hourglass, a mystical relic with the power to stop time. Now they find that the mad monk and his Shadowkeepers are in Vegas, and he knows that Nick has the key. As the first in a projected series, the book devotes considerable space to background about the Magickeepers and their nefarious rivals. While these passages occasionally slow the pacing, the action is generally suspenseful and the historical references add to the atmosphere. Nick's efforts to introduce the family to American-style food and activities add a touch of humor to the proceedings.<i>Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL</i> <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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  ![9780062458001_Cover.jpg](../images/9780062458001_Cover.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## [Map](9780062458001_Contents.xhtml#r_idParaDest-1)
  
  
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  ## [Dedication](9780062458001_Contents.xhtml#r_idParaDest-2)
  
  
  For Meg
  
  
  My magic, who transformed me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  ## [Chapter One](9780062458001_Contents.xhtml#r_idParaDest-3)
  
  
  ![author](../images/ch.jpg)
  
  
  RAYNA WAS CONFIDENTLY LEADING THEM IN THE wrong direction. Anders hurried
  through the crowd after her, ducking as a woman nearly sideswiped him with a
  basket of glistening fish. The stink washed over him like a cloud, and then he
  swerved away, leaving it behind as they ran through a stone arch.
  
  
  “Rayna, we’re—”
  
  
  She was already turning the corner and running out across Helstustrat, nipping
  in front of a pair of chestnut ponies that were hauling a wagon full of
  barrels over the cobblestones. Anders jogged from one f