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A review by willrefuge
Battlemage by Stephen Aryan
4.0
Battlemage by Stephen Aryan
The Age of Darkness Book 1
3.5 / 5.0 stars.
I’ve read Battlemage twice, and here are my best impressions of it: 1) It’s pretty easy to read, but 2) pretty hard to get really into. Lemme explain that.
The characters and world-building are what make Battlemage good. But even as they build it up, they also let it down. Let’s start with the good. Early on, a cast of interesting and relatable characters are introduced. The first chapter is a gem—and the world is vibrant and colorful, filled with very human characters, very real situations, and a lovely, if simple, magic system. But further on the overarching plot slows, as do the individual storylines. I found them somewhat repetitive too, if I’m honest. And while the world appeared deep and vibrant from without, it turns out to be only skin-deep. It’s not terrible, so long as you know what’s coming. It’s like a painting of a beautiful woman (or man)—they’re beautiful on the surface, just don’t expect any depth of character.
Actually… yeah. Battlemage is quite like a beautiful painting.
Where it suffers most from a lack of character development, something that the remaining two entries in tAoD work hard to correct (and do, to be fair). It’s typically difficult in a debut novel, set in a new world, to get and keep readers interested. The complaint a lot of my friends have with fantasy books is that they don’t move fast enough. Such is the norm nowadays to lead with a hook then introduce the cast of characters (in brief), moving the story along to keep the reader’s interest. Then, slow the pace in the middle a bit, enough to sprinkle in the history of the world and its’ characters (usually via flashbacks).
Battlemage does this, at least in part.
It starts with a hook: an impending war, led by a dark and powerful mage and a mad and vicious king. Then a cast of characters: Balfruss—a battlemage, sworn to use his magic to stand against the coming darkness; Vargus—a common soldier with a not-so-common secret, fights the war in the trenches, on the front line; Talandra—princess and spymaster, reluctant leader; Gunder—a spy posing as a spice merchant in an already occupied nation. Then, as the plot slows in the heart of the book, the past—really never emerges. Okay, okay, there are a few brief glimpses, but mostly just Balfruss and never anything important.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a good read. But it suffers in the middle, once you realize the person that is Battlemage is only 2D. It’s something that the following two entries correct quite nicely. It is a decent start to a rather good trilogy, one that improves with each subsequent sequel.
The Age of Darkness Book 1
3.5 / 5.0 stars.
I’ve read Battlemage twice, and here are my best impressions of it: 1) It’s pretty easy to read, but 2) pretty hard to get really into. Lemme explain that.
The characters and world-building are what make Battlemage good. But even as they build it up, they also let it down. Let’s start with the good. Early on, a cast of interesting and relatable characters are introduced. The first chapter is a gem—and the world is vibrant and colorful, filled with very human characters, very real situations, and a lovely, if simple, magic system. But further on the overarching plot slows, as do the individual storylines. I found them somewhat repetitive too, if I’m honest. And while the world appeared deep and vibrant from without, it turns out to be only skin-deep. It’s not terrible, so long as you know what’s coming. It’s like a painting of a beautiful woman (or man)—they’re beautiful on the surface, just don’t expect any depth of character.
Actually… yeah. Battlemage is quite like a beautiful painting.
Where it suffers most from a lack of character development, something that the remaining two entries in tAoD work hard to correct (and do, to be fair). It’s typically difficult in a debut novel, set in a new world, to get and keep readers interested. The complaint a lot of my friends have with fantasy books is that they don’t move fast enough. Such is the norm nowadays to lead with a hook then introduce the cast of characters (in brief), moving the story along to keep the reader’s interest. Then, slow the pace in the middle a bit, enough to sprinkle in the history of the world and its’ characters (usually via flashbacks).
Battlemage does this, at least in part.
It starts with a hook: an impending war, led by a dark and powerful mage and a mad and vicious king. Then a cast of characters: Balfruss—a battlemage, sworn to use his magic to stand against the coming darkness; Vargus—a common soldier with a not-so-common secret, fights the war in the trenches, on the front line; Talandra—princess and spymaster, reluctant leader; Gunder—a spy posing as a spice merchant in an already occupied nation. Then, as the plot slows in the heart of the book, the past—really never emerges. Okay, okay, there are a few brief glimpses, but mostly just Balfruss and never anything important.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a good read. But it suffers in the middle, once you realize the person that is Battlemage is only 2D. It’s something that the following two entries correct quite nicely. It is a decent start to a rather good trilogy, one that improves with each subsequent sequel.