Sword & Sorcery

Review: Nature Mage by Duncan Pile

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Nature Mage by Duncan Pile

Title: Nature Mage
Author: Duncan Pile
Genre: Swords and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: New Generation Publishing (7th September 2011)
Blurb:

Gaspi is an ordinary boy, living in the mountain village of Aemon’s Reach, but life, for Gaspi, is forever changed the day magic erupts in him. He discovers he has a powerful gift – he is a Nature Mage, able to control natural forces and creatures and bend them to his will. It is a rare gift, and no-one has been born with it in centuries, but Gaspi’s powers also have a dark side, and without training they will kill him. He is forced to leave his home and travel to the distant city of Helioport, where the Archmages of the College of Collective Magicks will teach him how to use his powers.

Accompanied by his guardian and his best friends, Gaspi sets off on the long journey to Helioport. The journey is fraught with danger, and Gaspi and his friends discover that there are demonic creatures abroad, intent on finding and killing anyone with magical ability.

As Gaspi begins his magical studies, a shadow hangs over him and over the city of magicians. Gaspi’s story of a demonic attack is not an isolated incident. As these stories multiply, Hephistole, the Chancellor of the college, is growing increasingly certain that someone or something is directing the demonic forces, but who, and to what end? As things unfold, Gaspi finds himself in the middle of dark and terrible times, and can only hope that his powerful gift will develop in time to make a difference when the time comes

Rating:**** (4 stars)

Review:

Nature Mage is the first book of a trilogy, Duncan Pile has recently finished (I believe) writing the second book in the trilogy. It is about a boy who lives in an isolated village who one day discovers that he has magick.

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Review: The Rogue by Trudi Canavan

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Book Two of the Traitor Spy Trilogy

The Rogue by Trudi Canavan, UK edition cover.

Title: The Rogue (Book Two of the Traitor Spy Trilogy)

Author:  Trudi Canavan

Genre: Sword and Sorcery

Publisher:  Orbit (5th May 2011)

Blurb:

Living among the Sachakan rebels, Lorkin does his best to learn about them and their unique magic. But the Traitors are reluctant to trade their secrets for the Healing they so desperately want and, while Lorkin assumes they fear revealing their existence to the world, there are hints they have bigger plans.

Meanwhile, Sonea searches for the rogue, knowing that Cery cannot avoid assassination for ever, but the rogue’s influence over the city’s underworld is far greater than she feared. His only weakness is the loss of his mother, now locked away in the Lookout.

In Sachaka, Lord Dannyl has lost the respect of the Sachakan elite for allowing Lorkin to join the Traitors. The Ashaki’s attention shifted, instead, to the new Elyne Ambassador – a man Dannyl knows all too well.

And in the University, two female novices are about the remind the Guild that sometimes their greatest enemy is found within . . .

Rating:*** (3 stars)

Review:

The Rogue is the second book in Trudi Canavan’s Traitor Spy Trilogy, which is sent twenty years after the events of her Black Magician Trilogy. This means that there are plenty of familiar faces and places, for those who have read Canavan’s previous works, but we are also introduced to some new ones in this book.

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Review: Mastiff by Tamora Pierce

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Beka Cooper Book 3

Mastiff by Tamora Pierce

Title: Mastiff (Beka Cooper Book Three)
Author:  Tamora Pierce
Genre: Young Adult, Sword & Sorcery
Publisher: Random House (25th October 2011)
Blurb:

The Hunt is on!

Three years have passed since Beka Cooper almost died in the sewers of Port Caynn, and she is now a respected member of the Provost’s Guards. But her life takes an unexpected turn when her fiancé is killed on a slave raid. Beka is faced with a mixture of emotions as, unbeknownst to many, she was about to call the engagement off.

It is as Beka is facing these feelings that Lord Gershom appears ar her door. Within hours, Beka; her partner, Tunstall; her scent hound, Achoo; and an unusual but powerful mage are working on an extremely secretive case that threatens the future of the Tortallan royal family, and therefore the entire Tortallan government. As Beka delves deeper into the motivations of the criminals she now Hunts, she learns of deep-seated political dissatisfaction, betrayal, and corruption. These are people with power, money, and influence. They are able to hire the most skilled mages, well versed in the darkest forms of magic. And they are nearly impossible to identify.

This case – a Hunt that will take her to place she’s never been – will challenge Beka’s tracking skills beyond the city walls, as well as her ability to judge exactly whom she can trust with her life and her country’s future.


Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

Mastiff is the third and final book in Tamora Pierce’s brilliant Beka Cooper trilogy. It is also the fifth series set in the Tortall ‘verse, although it is set before any of the other books in the ‘verse. As such it allows the reader a peek into a time before the world they are familiar with from The Song of the Lioness Quartet or Protector of the Small Quartet. Mastiff shows the work of the Provost’s Guard, as by this point Beka has completed her training, which is similar to the modern-day police.

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Review: Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

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Inheritnace Cycle Book 4

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Title: Inheritance (Inheritance Book Four)
Author: Christopher Paolini
Genre:Fantasy,  Sword and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Doubleday Childrens (8th November 2011)
Blurb:

It began with Eragon . . .

It ends with Inheritance . . .

Not so very long ago, Eragon – Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider – was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now, the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they most confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chance.

The Riders and his dragon have come father than anyone dared to imagine. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the spellbinding conclusion to Christopher Paolini’s worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

Inheritance brings to a conclusion Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, a series that was originally conceived as a trilogy. It is always sad to see the end of the series, to say goodbye to the characters you’ve grown to know and love. This book is no exception.

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Review: The Necromancer by Michael Scott

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Book 4 of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Necromancer by Michael Scott, UK edition cover.

Title: The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
Author: Michael Scott
Genre: Young Adult (YA), Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: 5th August 2010

Blurb:

Trust no one . . .

Josh and Sophie Newman have finally made it home – but San Francisco is no longer a safe haven for the twins. They have not yet mastered the magics they desperately need for protection against the Dark Elders, and Dr. John Dee is still hunting them down. Worse still, they are no longer sure if they can trust Nicholas Flamel – or anyone.

Perenelle has escaped from Alcatraz and must now fight with Nicholas to protect Josh and Sophie. But she was not the only powerful weapon hidden on the island – an army of monsters is about to be unleashed on San Francisco. With their powers weakening by the hour, the Flamels know that this battle may kill them both.

Having failed to retrieve the missing pages of the Codex for the Elders, Dee is now an outlaw – and the new prey of all the creatures formerly sent to hunt down Nicholas Flamel. But Dee has a plan – to raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. To achieve this, he must train a necromancer. And the twins of legend will make the perfect pupils . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

Let me preface this review by saying that I am a fan of the series, and have been following it for a while. This is the fourth book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. It continues the story-arc from The Sorceress and brings the end of the world ever closer. In this book, perhaps more than in any other in the series, there is a definite sense of battle looming in the background – it feels like the Apocalypse will occur within days of the events of the book. There is a very definite sense that the events of this book will set the stage for what is to come.

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