Solid fantasy in an alternate, magical universe.
925699
Solid fantasy in an alternate, magical universe. The protagonist is British, but the genii is the real star of the show. A reluctant servitor who has to obey whoever summons him correctly, he misunderstands as many orders as he can - sometimes.
1764574
An interesting introduction to a well thought out magical realm that includes new words, foods and customs and is a great start to a compelling new fantasy series.
1759330
I really enjoyed this book, though I felt as if I would have gotten even more out of it if I had a better knowledge of Polish history as this is pretty clearly an alternate history with magic being the significant variant.

After the first chapter, which was a bit unwieldy, the writing was smooth and the editing pretty good, only a few typos and grammatical errors.  I liked the characters, although they were a bit predictable, following the usual fantasy tropes of the well-meaning but misguided into evil mentor, the romantic triangle, and the initially uncertain but eventually confident heroine.  I particularly liked King Zelimir, who was a really well-developed supporting character and Kassia was nicely three-dimensional with her conflicts over where to spend her time and attention - with her child, her vocation, her duty, or her lover.

The world-building was interesting and had enough complexity to keep my attention and make me unwilling to put down the book.  The love story was a little thin, but there was a lot going on and I can forgive that.  Many of the supporting characters were flat and it was easy to lose track of who was who, but overall the book was well-written and engaging.

Worth reading more than once, but you can let the library store it for you.
3029841
Really solid storytelling, interesting characters, and a fascinating universe.
1444449
Surprisingly good, the synopsis doesn't really do it justice. The antagonists are a bit flat but the other characters make up for it. The setting is interesting and a refreshing deviation from the standard cookie cutter fantasy world.
4440902
Earthlings going to other worlds is a longtime fantasy trope that gets a great examination here. Dedra begins making trips back and forth as a toddler, and becomes enthralled with this perfect domain where music turned visible is the basis of all life and magic. But as she grows through her teens, events force her to look more closely at the serenity of her beloved Oolos. Add a fraught relationship with her parents, and a best friend who could be more, and you have a recipe for irresistible drama.

I enjoyed how the author drew out her fantasy world, making it detailed and complex, at the same time challenging the premise that another world is automatically better. My only hesitation is that Dedra is such a natural prodigy it becomes a bit much. Less picky readers might not even notice that.
3716451
This book was a breath of fresh air. It's not just that the setting isn't medieval Europe; I actually think it succeeds for the same reason that the very medieval "A Song of Ice and Fire" does--it completely transports you to this other place, with its own culture and rules and metaphysics that are all just similar enough to something in our own world that you can picture them. Very few fantasy books accomplish this so well, whatever their setting.

That setting is (mostly) Gujaareh, a city something like ancient Egypt, but instead of pyramids, a gas giant called the Dreaming Moon dominates the night sky, along with Gujaareh's culture and religion. In a lesser book, the Dreaming Moon would be a mere appendage to the setting, but in this it suffuses the writing, its appearance each night, the way its four-hued light shines on the city, the way those four colors parallel the culture's number system and magic system. That magic system is based on the four humors--blood, bile, ichor, and seed--but connected to the realm of dreams.

Two of the main characters are dream-magic assassins called Gatherers--the expert Ehiru and his apprentice Nijiri--who work for Gujaareh's religious authority. The other main character is Sunandi, a woman from a powerful Nubia-like civilization to the south, who's in town for diplomacy/spying. I liked all the characters, though the point-of-view gets muddled from switching to minor characters too often. The plot is a little predictable at times, and the inevitable supermagic threat to the world seemed pretty ad hoc, but both problems are par for the course in fantasy. Overall, the plot and characters work pretty well, but the main star is the setting. Jemisin's writing is vivid and intoxicating.
238496
Fresh world building and engaging characters. The story is central, the sex hot, well written but NOT overwhelming. It happens when it fits with the storyline, but the story is more than sex. Set at a school for younger magical beings struggling with power this is NOT a YA book. I hope for more stories about some of the other characters introduced here!
3960251
When reading the description of The Rogue Retrieval I saw portal fantasy and expected, well, fantasy. Magic and more magic and sword fighting. I think this is more of a Star Gate brand of portal fantasy than Narnia. There's a whole lot more technology than magic wands, which makes for a great mix. I've been missing Star Gate and here is a story that reminds me of it.

I found it fascinating to bring together a user of magic from Vegas who relies on tricks and illusion with the genuine fantasy magic user. Throw in some fantastic gizmos and the fake looks perfectly real.

Also I can't resist a book that imagines a whole world. It's new and fresh and full of possibilities. A fun read!
2589964
Uses an imaginative world that uniquely ties its world construction with its magical system. Despite the novelty of the system it takes a back seat to the character development, political intrigue, and story arc. Definitely worth the read.
1753408
The content of The Tethered Mage was just as enticing as I hoped and introduced an alluring new fantasy world and magic system.

This book starts off with action that throws you right into the basics of the current state of magic and politics in Eruvia. If you're confused, just hang on because all will be explained. Lady Amalia Cornaro, soon to inherit her mother's place in the all-powerful Council of Nine--rulers of the Raverran Empire--ends up unexpectedly attached to a previously unknown mage known as Zaira. The two end up in what is known as a Falcon/Falconer relationship in which an individual mage's magic is controlled by a non-mage, which is all the detail I'll give regarding the setup of this story (if you don't already know, I'm a firm believer in finding out the details for yourself--it's a much better experience that way).

As mentioned, we the readers are thrown right into the middle of the magical and political machinations of this world, and I found myself a bit lost in some of the beginning discussions among the Raverran elite. Fortunately, the most important information that you need to know for the plot is mentioned again later in a more elaborate and understandable manner.

Amalia herself is rather stubborn, but this seems to be a common trait among book protagonists and I didn't find it to be too overbearing for once. In the end, I came to appreciate Amalia's tenacity and willingness to do what she feels is right, whether or not it is what she is 'supposed' to do, despite her follow-the-rules personality. Zaira, unlike Amalia, is much more rebellious and is unafraid to speak her mind. Honestly, I didn't much like Zaira's character in the beginning, but she quickly grew on me and became one of my favorite characters. I also loved her dog. Amalia's mother is also one of those characters that you don't necessarily like, but she sort of grows on you by the end. Also, I found Prince Ruven to be a particularly intriguing character whom I look forward to reading more about in the second book.

The world-building of this new fantasy was well-done and has made me interested to continue the series and find out more about it. What intrigued me the most was the fact that individuals with magic are used as the 'army' and the those without magic are the ones in charge and able to control those without it. I found it to be quite a nice change from the situation of many other fantasy worlds in which the noble/elite usually have more of the magical power and abilities. I thought that Caruso did a good job portraying both sides of the scenario, with Amalia coming from the powerful side and Zaira coming from the magic end. This division allows the reader to see how Zaira viewed her position and felt as if she were forced to be a slave to the elite and is not pleased with being made to use her powers for their wishes, whereas Amalia has only ever known the opinion that this is a positive relationship for both mages and non-mages alike.  I appreciated this dichotomy and how it contributed to the overall storyline and development arc of the characters. It was also interest to read from a protagonist's view who doesn't have magical powers.

For those wondering, there is a small romantic subplot, but it isn't overdone nor does it take away from the plot.

Overall, I've given The Tethered Mage four stars! I had a great time reading it and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves some good fantasy.
1727465
Suitable for "young adult" readers, but by no means is its appeal limited to them. A comic fantasy with deals in a sophisticated way with some complex, very real-world problems. Lots of interesting characters with depth and a character arc. Never preachy, heavy-handed or guilty of sneaky axe-to-grind allegory. I hesitate to make the comparison to Pratchett, but in this case it's apt.

Fans of Ursula's works for mature audiences (some of which appear under the pen name "T. Kingfisher") will certainly enjoy this.
3922452
As high fantasy goes, The Eye of the World certainly follows the formula, and I won't fault it for that.  Pursued by a seemingly unstoppable evil and surrounded by prophecy and portent, our heroes are forced to leave their idyllic rural village to seek safety in the greatest stronghold of magic.  We see an increasingly wondrous, yet dangerous world slowly revealed to their young eyes.  Meanwhile, these local girls and boys begin to discover the enormous potential that lies within them.

As a whole, the story is quite a compelling and satisfying read.  It's a well-told story that's satisfyingly self-contained while promising plenty of adventure yet to come, and takes place in a mature, detailed world.  Though I can't vouch for the rest of the series, this book is definitely recommended reading.  However, it is not perfect.

First, though the detail of the world is excellent, the development of the characters is unsatisfying.  We learn some basic traits of the individuals and are teased with a few interesting interactions between them, but the characters lack flesh and their too-static relationships lack complexity.  In an excerpt from the next book, found in the back matter, a stranger sums up three of the heroes with one-word descriptions.  I'm afraid I can do little better after reading the entire novel.

Second, five young people with extraodinary qualities and/or potential are introduced in this book, and every one is from the same tiny farming community.  Even in a fantasy world governed more by grand design and destiny than by probability, this defies belief, yet it goes with little notice and no explanation.

Third, the peril of the characters drives our interest, but their circumstances are often so dire, the escapes so narrow and by such incredibly good fortune, that the reader will begin to wonder.  Perhaps the hole the author dug for his heroes was too deep, perhaps the resolution was too contrived, or perhaps it's a little too convenient that everyone comes out without a scratch time and time again.  Maybe it's a little of all three.

Finally, some minor issues are worth mention.  I'll never blame an author for abandoning grammar as long as it doesn't detract from the narrative, but sometimes the descriptive sentences (where's the verb?) resulted in backtracking and confusion.  Also, this paperback edition is not well bound: after a single quick reading, pages are falling out at the front.  The fact that the world map is at the front makes this problem even more annoying.  I've seen other reviews that mention the same problem, so beware of the quality of this edition.

Though many point out the flagging pace of this series after the first few books, this novel is a remarkable story, well worth reading even if you never touch another book in the series.  However, if you're a mature reader who's not sure that fantasy is the genre for you, some issues with this book might ruin the experience, and you may want to make another choice.
1357249
Not your conventional fantasy. This reminds me a little of Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, where you have riflemen inside the otherwise fantasy element. It still has a lot of sword and sorcery feel to it, but with rifles. Kind of like Lindsay Buroker's Emperor's Edge series. The intriguing part that Brian adds in is the magic element of gun powder as magic. The "Powder Mages" either digest or snort the gun powder to get a "high" and heightened senses with magical properties, including, like the movie where the people can "bend" the trajectory of the bullet, the "Powder Mage" rifleman, can literally make their bullet go wherever they want it to. The tale is fascinating for "Steampunk Fantasy" with rifles being added it.
2909978
A curious mixture of history and fantasy. The author gives credence to this fantastical alternative history by tweaking our partial memories of stories from school history, church liturgies and legacies of royalty in medieval times. I like the characters. They are clearly delineated while being allowed to have potential for the reader to find hidden depths that might affect the story. Simpler in storyline than the King Of Thrones series, it is not a soap opera hidden in an adventure. It is more of a well done young adult series. Straight forward but with depth of character. Enjoyable for those who like alternative history or magical fantasy.
4550285
A nicely, uniquely, and richly imagined world. A neat trick with so much of this genre out there right now.

The characters are a bit grey, or flat, but that is by design and it only adds to the book's narrative.

The story is fast paced and interesting throughout. And while at the end it seems to lose its way just a bit, it is nonetheless continues to be a good read.
3351826
Every fantasy author asks us to believe in a world created solely for the purpose of the story.  Magic, of course, is a must.  Then some number of magic workers and creatures - alchemists, vampires, elemental witches.  And, of course, there are a few heroic human types to leaven the bread.  Settings vary, but this time we find ourselves in San Francisco with a team of mages and warriors determined to root out those forms of magical creatures that consider humans as walking lunches.  They are an Opposition task force, whose headquarters are in Seattle, and whose enemies lair in San Diego.  All that saves us mundanes is a learned response to deny occult occurrences - what we won't see, can't hurt us - most of the time.

Suddenly San Francisco is the target of the vulture cult, a group that survives on human misery and anger and who will bring down the world if they can feed their god.  This is an unequal struggle.  Our team of eight consists of quirky individuals who argue and criticize as much as they coordinate.  And the forces they are taking on are numerous, and armed with hell creatures like thin dogs and zombies.  The odds definitely favor the end of life, as we know it.

For all their special abilities, the team works more like the A-Team than it does a magic circle, although their efforts at military precision often are more comic than effective.  They are as likely to shoot an enemy as bespell it, but more often than not what saves them is a strong ability to beat a hasty retreat and a knack for having the right spell for the wrong reason.  There is something vaudevillian about witches whose totem is a clam or houses that fly away when you press the panic button.

Zielinski keeps things going at the speed of a Chinese fire drill - there is no such thing as a time when someone isn't in dire need of help.  Attitude is the rule of the day, as are wisecracks in the face of doom.  What suffers in the flurry of action is character development, although all the star players are given enough initial depth to keep the reader in touch with them.  Zielinski has laid the groundwork for a series with an interesting premise and sequels may accomplish what one volume cannot.

On the whole an enjoyable book, one I'm glad I took the small risk of reading.  Perfect for the thrill seeker who thinks too many long incantations spoil the broth.