Rise of the Mages by Scott DrakefordMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Here is a story that was ten (10) years in the making … and the effort is clearly on display. Everything from the depth of the world building to the development of the characters fit together seamlessly. Even more impressive, is that the author was able to resist dumping all of the information on the reader all at once, content to slowly reveal details that hint of even deeper details that make the whole world more realistic. In other words, everything works well together and I rocked through the 400 pages in about 2 days.
The world building appears to center on a magic concept called infusori (which roughly corresponds to the life force of everything within the world. The magic system is primarily based upon crafting devices that use this magic for various desired effects. There are myths about mages that were able to manipulated this force directly, but they are to be feared if they are discovered.
The story takes place following a war of unification, with an uneasy acceptance between many of the ethnic peoples and the current governors; the main character appears to have a nominal claim to one of the conquered ‘provinces’ and this powers much of the political intrigue early in the story. There is also the typically ‘evil empire’ that pays a huge rule in how the story unfolds, and they seemed well developed and quite mysterious when these Malithii were encountered.
Behind all of these events, there are legends surrounding a trinity of deities known as the Fallen Glory and the Absent Sisters (Justice and Mercy). I must admit to being really curious about how this mythology will develop and that would be reason enough to add a star. For a debut novel … this was an awesome start.
I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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