This novella is an engaging read with really excellent worldbuilding. The way the magic is done is interesting (and often terrifying) and having a regular person, a servant, be caught up in the battles between lords of an old system of government and new is a great way to slowly expand the world. I want to stress that I enjoyed the read and quickly devoured it in one sitting.

It was, however, ultimately a little unsatisfying for me. There were two main reasons for this:

First, the narrative lens was kept at such a distance that it was hard to get into Fellian's head. We see a lot of what Fellian is doing, a small amount of what Fellian is thinking, and next to nothing of what Fellian is feeling (or we do see her feelings, we're told it rather than having it described or worked through the text). There's a lot of dialogue with no markers at all to show tone or mood. The result is that the camera is very pulled back from her and her internal life is often obscured. For example, there's a bit where the group's goals change to go try to rescue a baby instead of going closer to where Fellian wants to go. Fellian demands her pay and lets them go on without her, briefly thinks 'well it would be bad not to save a baby' and then catches up to them. We don't see the emotional journey she is going on, the conflict, the tension. I think it's around the 80% mark that the narrative really starts reflecting how she's feeling -- something happens there that causes her to shut down and it really resonates. And I really enjoyed feeling that, and wanting to see how that resolved for her.

Second, there's not quite enough meat on the bones of this novella to be a full story. (Note: I fully believe that 'I wanted more' isn't always a valid critique for novellas -- it's often used when someone wants more because they're enjoying the experience of reading it, even though the novella has told its whole story in its pages and has nothing more to say.) This novella feels like it ends somewhere in the middle of what it has to say. At the final line, I expected to turn the page and have 2-3 chapters left, but it was just over. Then I checked to see if it was listed as the planned book 1 of a series -- it wasn't. There's so much left unresolved that this almost feels like the prologue to something else, not just for the world as a whole but for Fellian's own story. If the text that existed had been filled out more so Fellian's narrative arc were more complete (due to us seeing her feelings more actively) it might have worked for me, or if the story span out further so we could get more resolution, it might have. But it's very open-ended and my first thought at the end was 'where's the rest?'

A representation note: I believe Invi is nonbinary or agender -- no gender pronouns are ever used for Invi in the story, and Invi is never described beyond 'old enough to be a teenager's parent and with a sun-weathered face but no silver hair'. That said -- but I do wish that there had been a choice to *get into* that. It could have been done in world (I don't mean we need to have a long talk about gender identities in world, I just mean that for example Fellian could recognize an additional gender, or something similar) or in the text (by assigning a pronoun that is neither 'he' or 'she' such as they, or a neopronoun, or something indicated in the in-world language). I mean, I'm nonbinary so I am pretty alert to the decision to not use pronouns, but I think this could easily be missed a lot of people, and I personally like my representation to not be represented in absence (of pronouns or other gendering terms) but in presence. Having a presence makes it harder for bad faith actors to use it as material *and* easier for people who might not be as aware of nonbinary genders to become more aware.

I'd recommend this book for sure -- but if you, like me, want more interiority and description when reading, I want to make sure you go in knowing that the narrative style doesn't really do that here.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fellian is a servant fire mage, living a life of bleak servitude. She was raised in an asylum, taught that her innate power was wicked and only good for lighting and warming the homes of her masters – but she remembers a happier time when she was younger, before the asylum, when her parents taught her about her magic. When a rogue group of Adepts recruits her into an illegal “Five-Arrow Quiver” - a group of mages from all five elements - Fellian goes along for the sake of freedom, but quickly finds herself part of a mission to save a very special child, and in so doing, give all mages a chance at freedom.

This novella is beautifully written. The worldbuilding in this story is excellent, and the world and magic system are set up in a way that is not too info-dumpy. The book is short, but the author manages to pack in rich details and character development nonetheless. My only complaint, really, is that it’s a novella. I would happily have read a much longer book set in this world.

Servant Mage
by Kate Elliott
Kate Elliot is a great author. She has the ability to create a vivid world of magic and dragons or is it demons this time. The story is of a young mage who is in servitude because of the political toplining of her mage ancestors. The world of slavery, and magic is wide open to the reader in this short story. It brings a vivid look at oppressions and misinformation that one group use against another. The idea of propaganda is not new, but I hope the readers of the book learn the warning. Characters are deep and have multiple motivations for their actions. The magic is phenomenal and inspiring.

Engaging read., finished it in one day. Liked the world building and subtle introductions to the the three cultures. Curious to see how Fellian’s journey progresses in the next book. Recommended.

A free NetGalley ebook in exchange for a review.

I truly hope this standalone gets a full book or series one day, there's something bittersweet in the end -not seeing a reunion between Grandmother (Ellibozia), Second Father (Miyar) and Fellian and the way from the very beginning she's wanted for her Lamps and the doors and ways they might illuminate that would otherwise be in the dark.

Magic is a thing untrusted the reason being demons or wraiths that infect peoples at birth or can later with a portal opening that changes them into rampaging creature, if infected at birth, they may be a mage of air, earth, water, fire or oracle like aether. A strange other realm element from demonland or aether realm and when a baby is suddenly born with all five elements, five souled the mission that Fellian takes up for a deal at freedom from indentured mage servitude takes on a rescue of a different and more dangerous sort.

I hope if more comes from Servant Mage, the dragon (the baby?) clinging to a lamp of the cover might be explored, because I don't think Felliam had seen the last of Lady Erlonvia and Lord Sheykar and their proposals.

Servant Mage by Kate Elliott

Pros: interesting politics, fascinating magic system, fun characters

Cons: too short

Fellian is rescued from her indentured servitude by a group of Monarchists who need her help as a Lamp - a fire mage. But are the Monarchists really any better than the liberationists that overthrew them years ago?

This is a novella so you’re not getting the in dept world-building you might be hoping for. It’s a bit of a shame as the world is interesting and I’d have loved to learn more about the politics and magic. I loved the idea that human magic is caused by demon-wraiths nesting in their bones. The politics were complicated and messy as expected when a revolution has recently occurred.

Fellian asks a lot of questions, annoying her companions but giving the reader vital information. She’s clever and resourceful. Her team is an interesting mix and I enjoyed their dynamic.

The book is fast paced and compelling.

This is a quick, enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me the opportunity of reading this gorgeous world!
I was saddened to read its ending, the book so full of flawed and intricately woven characters ended in a matter of hours. The world and magic system were so rich - in a way, it reminded me of the Airbender series but for an older audience. Of course, I'm not insinuating that novella is only meant for adults, but it does feel to be written as such.

Anyways, the storyline follows a young indentured servant, named Felian, who has the opportunity to escape the world led by Liberationists and other political groups and enter a life full of risks and intrigue with the Monarchists. The entire book was just simply amazing, I can't help but be happy to have added this book to my list of "2021 Likes". Overall, it was a fast read; with writing so well that I felt I was there. The only factor I didn't like was that it was a bit vague at points, lacking a bit of explanation in parts.

'Servant Mage' by Kate Elliott is an amazing adventure in a small package. 'Servant Mage' follows the story of Fellian, a lamplighter, an servant mage who is plucked out of her indentured life and thrusted into a quest that seems simple but quickly unfolds into an adventure that will change the political landscape.

The world building is incredible in this novel from the forms of government to how the magic is presented. It is elemental in nature like many fantasy stories before it but is written in a way that gives it a fresh take. This information is relayed as fast as the adventure begins. I found that it helped add to the tension within the story itself. It's a short novella and easily read in a couple of hours therefore I feel this was a necessity.

Fellian is not a typical heroine despite cues that might lead towards her falling into a trope of similar fantasy stories. I liked how her story ended in the novella. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised because I expected something typical or her character being swept away.

'Servant Mage' is a book that I will buy to add to my collection despite being gifted a e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Servant Mage" is an epic fantasy novella. Though a stand-alone, it reads like a prequel to a series. The author certainly spent a lot of time on complex world-building if it was only a setting for this story. Among the Monarchists, your birth defines your worth, though mages are allowed full training so they can work for the monarch's benefit. The group that defeated them says virtue defines your status. Mages are largely made into indentured servants with minimal training because they lack virtue. Indentured servant Fellion is offered a decent life among the Monarchist rebels in return for her service, but she's looked down on by both sides for things she had no control over (lowly birth or fire mage ability). She's upset with how the lower class is treated by both sides, but should she accept her chance to improve her status or choose the path her parents died following?

More time was spent on developing the culture and magic system than the individual characters. Still, the main characters were interesting, and I cared about what happened to them. Fellion cared about what happened to those who were helpless or had little power to protect themselves. She valued life to the point that she was willing to risk her own to help save others. There was suspense due to danger since they were on the run and fighting against a greater force. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable fantasy novella.

Servant Mage by Kate Elliott began slow, so slow that I had in mind to just drop it, but since NetGalley was so kind as to give an arc of it I didn’t, and I’m glad I didn’t.
There isn’t a way of giving a plot summary without giving some light spoilers, but I’ll tell you this: Servent Mage is a political fantasy story that will make you care about the main character. Fellian is a young woman who is trying to stay afloat, she dreams of a future in which she’ll be free. The journey that Fellian takes us, and is taken, is an emotional one.
It’s a short story so, at times, things can feel rushed and underdeveloped and I truly believe that this story would be better suited as a full-length book, rather than a short story.
Give Servant Mage a try, you won’t regret it.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy.

I will update Netgalley once I read & review a a physical ARC.

Set in a world where Liberationists have won in overthrowing the ruling class of Monarchy, creating an apparent fairer world for all. Where people born with aether attached to their souls, once revered and taught to become powerful adepts, are now kept in asylums and indentured as mages, taught that they are demon born. It is at this point in the world that we meet Fellian, a lamplighter who finds herself saved by a rebel group of monarchists and taken on an adventure across the land.
I thought the story started really well, being introduced to the history, politics, social hierarchy and magic within the first few pages and setting the tone for the rest of the book. It is well written and has so much potential - there are so many interesting elements to this world that I would have loved to explored more. I enjoyed the magic system - reminded me a lot of Avatar the Last Airbender.
Unfortunately I didn't feel invested in the characters and I felt the story was a bit rushed and would have been better if some of the ideas were fleshed out more.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Kate Elliot is one of those authors who I’ve heard a lot of good about but never got round to. I was pleased to get the chance to experience her work with this one, and even more pleased to say that I enjoyed this a lot!

This starts as a fairly simple quest structure, wherein a young mage is recruited to join a group of rebels who need her particular magical talents. The group is beset by a few complications and the quest quickly becomes more complicated than expected. What I particularly liked, though, is that this is the story of Fellian, a woman who has no particular allegiance to either side of the fight and is rather caught in the middle of the two opposing factions. There’s a sense that while the rebels can get Fellian out of her current situation and might be better for her personally in the long run, they might not be better for everyone, particularly those who aren’t useful to them, or otherwise aligned with their own interests.

The writing, world-building and magic system are solid, and the characters interesting. I’d definitely read more about them and was a little sad to leave them. I definitely felt that Fellian came across as a complex character throughout the story, though I’d have liked more of the other characters – especially Invi. That said, the story was the perfect length and didn’t need to be any longer – I just wouldn’t have minded more.

In all, I really enjoyed this – it was a fun fantasy read that I would have liked more of.

Friends, it has only been about week since I finished this book, and I had to go back to my Kindle highlights to remember anything about it. I didn’t retain the main character’s name. I didn’t retain any of the major plot beats. All I had was a mental image of a walled courtyard.

I’m not going to revise my rating because I have deliberately chosen a rating system that catalogues how I feel about a book when I finish it, rather than what I think about a book. What I think now is that Kate Elliott is such a strong writer that she can sell almost any story, even if the plot is wobbly and the ending is hanging on by a single rusted hinge. But I clearly felt like it was a good time, and that’s all the counts in these parts.

To the walled courtyard!

Since the revolution, Fellion’s country has regarded mages as a communal resource. The Liberationist Council government removes young magic users from their families, subjects them to horrific conditions in training camps, and then forces them to labor as “indentured servants” for various people and businesses. The justifying ideology is partially about using their powers for the common good, partially about controlling the symbiotic wraiths that give them their powers, but seems primarily to be a response to the high esteem they enjoyed under the Monarchist government.

Fellion is indentured to a hotel. In addition to using her fire magic to provide warmth and light for the wealthy patrons, Fellion scrubs the outhouses on her hands and knees. Because the latter task is gross, she can usually depend on the courtyard around the outhouses to be empty while she’s supposed to be cleaning them, and Fellion uses those daily moments of privacy to teach other servants to read.

I wanted more of these lessons. Narratively, their purpose is to establish Fellion as someone who is willing to risk her safety and freedom to do what is right, and also to introduce her backstory. Fellion’s mother and “older father” (Three-parent families seem to be the norm in this world.) were executed by the Liberationists for writing and distributing seditious materials.

However, after half a lesson at the beginning of the book, Fellion’s students exit the narrative entirely. I wanted more of a payoff for them. Thematically, I think it would make sense for Fellion’s relationships with other servants to play a role in the resolution, but they’re really just there as setup.

Her first on-page lesson is interrupted by an air “Adept, a mage whose gift was not commonplace as most were but superior and thus laudable and demanding of the highest respect.” He offers to pay her well for a job whose parameters he refuses to define. A job Fellion immediately realizes must be illicit:

"Because you made me an offer. If you were working on the orders of the Liberationist Council you’d have marched in and handed a transfer license to my boss to take control of my indenture. So I’m guessing this is something you’re doing for yourself. Or maybe on hire for someone you can’t refuse."

However, Fellion’s desperate to escape indenture, and the Adept can not only pay her well but also provide her with a travel permit, so she accepts.

She and the Adept join up with three other mages: earth, water, and aether. Fellion’s a little scandalized. The Liberationist Council has banned “five arrow quivers” (groups of one of each kind of mage), though she doesn’t know why.

Fellion knows there are Monarchist rebels trapped beneath the Iron Hills. At first, the quiver seems to be headed in that direction. She surmises:

“… Maybe you’re out of oil and need Lamps to help guide people out. Folk are calling it the last stand of the Monarchists. But that fight was already lost … My grandmother used to say Monarchist rebels are a twitching corpse that hasn’t realized it’s dead. Even if they were to win, which they can’t, it’s over for them … No royal child of the dragon lineage has been born in the years since.”

The words are barely out of her mouth before the group gets word that a dragon-born child has “fallen into the world.” The group rushes off to try to save the child before the Liberationist Council can find and kill her.

Traveling with the Monarchist rebels, Fellion gradually learns everything she knows about magic and the history of the revolution is a deliberate lie crafted to support Liberationist rule. As a reader, I found myself reluctantly beginning to side with the Monarchists. They feed, bathe, and clothe Fellion more generously than she has been since she was stolen from her family as a child. They seem genuinely grieved by her trauma. They’re gentle with her, and when they realize they’re in immediate danger, they give her the option to set out on her own rather than face it with her.

Only it’s a false choice. Fellion is unlikely to survive extended travel on her own.

Worse, the Monarchists don’t seem to realize it’s a false choice. They think very highly of themselves for treating Fellion better than the Liberationists, but they still maintain a rigid class-based hierarchy. They treat Fellion almost as an equal on the road, but as soon as they get to a Monarchist settlement, she’s forced to eat and sleep apart from the noble members of her group. They expect her to be grateful for it.

This is reassuring, right? It’s 2021. We don’t need books that justify rule by birthright.

Unfortunately, even though it’s ethically the right decision, it made the ending less satisfying than it could have been. Fellion spends most of her journey with people who are somewhat kinder to her than the people she escaped from but still aren’t her friend, which means she isn’t able to develop any significant relationships. Not with her fellow servants, not with the rebels, and not with the family she might hopefully find again someday.

Which is not to say the ending is unsatisfying. Fellion’s arc is lovely. She really comes into her own and chooses a path that’s in harmony with her family’s values and her own lived experiences. In the final pages, I was filled with a sense of hope and excitement for what comes next. I did immediately rate it five stars, after all.

Unfortunately, right now it seems like what comes next is nothing. This feels like a really good prequel to a really great epic fantasy trilogy, but it’s a standalone. I can understand why that information might make someone choose to mark it down, but instead I’m going to choose to hope that enough positive reviews will inspire Tor to give Kate Elliott a three-book contract to continue the series.

Please?

A very interesting introduction to a new fantasy world. Elliott's writing is great, as expected, and the magic system is interesting -- the author shows us a fair bit of it, too, although doesn't get bogged down in explaining it all. An engaging story, but sometimes I felt it moved a bit too fast -- I would have liked to get to know the characters a bit better.

Ends on an intriguing note, and offers up the potential for a sequel of some kind (set either soon-after, or quite a bit after).

Recommended.

Note: 3.5/5

I really don’t know how to react about this book. I enjoyed reading it, especially because of the size (it’s really short, so will read it pretty fast), and the story is okay, but fantasy isn’t really my thing, so maybe that’s the reason I didn’t enjoyed this as much as I liked. Overall, the universe is really intriguing, but I do believe it deserved a bigger format for the author to explore more. The book feels very rushed, I wish I could know more about the universe, how the magic works, each magical ranks, and so forth. This would definitely work better as a novel. Overall, really liked the MC too, she’s really intelligent and I like that on my female MC’s.

Would recommend this for: people who are into fantasy (especially high-fantasy) but don’t have much time to read a 600-page fantasy book. It’s a quick and satisfying read, that will probably leave you waiting for more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with this advanced reader copy.

Kate Elliot's Servant Mage is a fantasy novella following Fellion, a young indentured lamplighter whose magical ability allows her to manipulate fire. Her magic is precisely the reason why she is indentured - enslaved, really - when the monarchist government is overthrown by the "Council of Liberationists" who insist that magical ability is a sign of demonic corruption. As a lamplighter, Fellion is pulled into a group of renegade Monarchists who need her flames to complete a representative group of magic users - adding her fire to their water, earth, air, and aether. These Monarchists want to rescue a rebel cell trapped in a network of mines, and they need enough light to actually do it without risking more lives.

And in order to manage this, they essentially kidnap Fellion, and then bribe her to cooperate - which is a tantalizing offer. Fellion will help them, if they let her go free, and forge her papers to get her back to her home village, in search of the remnants of her family who she was separated from by the Liberationists. Along the way, the Monarchists find out that a royal baby may have been born. Somewhat like the "Avatar" of Avatar: the Last Airbender, the royal family are those who are able to control all 5 elements, and seem to be dragon-souls of some kind. And the Liberationists are dead set on killing any baby who has given signs of being the next dragon-born royal. Here too, Fellion is taken along for the ride, caught up in a rescue mission for someone else's grand rebellion against the narrative that demonized her and her family.

Perhaps one of the best things about Servant Mage is that it takes Fellion's wariness of propaganda seriously, and that Elliot doesn't stray into an simplistic "good rebellion, bad dictators" dichotomy. Instead, the Monarchists are deeply complicated - just as eager to use Fellion's abilities for their own gain as the Liberationists who forced her into manual labor and magical ignorance. Their stories, their abilities and pride in being mages - make them complicated people, even ones worth sympathizing with. But Fellion's journey with these people, learning more about them, makes it *more* complex of a rebellion, not less. Fellion is offered a chance at continued personal gain among the Monarchists, who will train her magical abilities as best they can without another lamplighter on hand to do her teaching. Still, is it worth it to be a pawn in this rebellion? Can she actually trust these Monarchists are any better for the country than the oppressive Liberationists? Only seeing these rescue missions to the end will give her the insights into the other side of this conflict, and Fellion is a smart girl who has been deeply abused by the system - her loyalty doesn't come easily or unearned.

It took me a little bit to truly delve into this novella, and I will say I would be happy to read longer sequels to what feels like a Fellion prequel in this world. In a few places, I felt things could be a bit condensed, but having realized that this is a novella, and not a novel, I think the pacing choices and plot all hold up in that light. The world itself is rich and this is only a tantalizing glimpse of a much more massive world, with far more conflict. While Fellion is younger, it's definitely written like an adult fantasy, and doesn't carry the same approach as a YA novel might. In the end, I really enjoyed this book, but feel that Servant Mage might be a slower burn for some. Ultimately, Fellion's choices and bristling personality were deeply compelling for me, and I think that Elliot was careful to utilize a balance of both character and world in a way that made for a great ending that was both satisfying and open for later possibilities.

Kate Elliott created such a compelling and complex world in such a short story. I loved Fellian and her relationships and overall just interactions with the other characters held so much depth to them despite being very brief. It felt a little underdeveloped at times and I found myself wanting to know more, but that's often been my experience with novellas since it's nearly impossible to explain that much without bogging down the entire story. The political implications of this world felt very real although this world was chock full of magic. I really enjoyed this story in general, but think it could have benefitted a bit by being a few pages longer.

3.25 stars

I enjoyed this story, so it hurts me that I can’t give it a higher rating simply because it is too short. This is a 176 page novella and that’s just not enough room to give the plot in the backstory the space that it needs. There are a couple of world building info dumps, but they aren’t long enough to give the proper background for this world, and this novella is simply too short to allow any info dumps at all. This novella has five main characters, plus several side characters, plus with the varied magic systems to try and explain and the history of the world as it relates to the overthrow of the monarchy and the continued rebellion... this story really needed at least 200 more pages to give it room to breathe.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Servant Mage by Kate Elliott:

Servant Mage is the latest novella by Kate Elliott, one of my favorite scifi/fantasy authors. I will basically read anything new by Elliott at this point, and she has nearly always justified that decision - Elliott's books/novellas/short work features tremendous characters, really interesting themes and worlds that are highly imaginative and creative in very different ways.

Servant Mage, announced originally a while back as "Lamplighter" and as part of a new series of novellas, is yet another winner, and one that promises some really interesting stuff to come. It deals with some themes that are very familiar in Elliott's work - namely the theme of power, and how charismatic ambitious people of power may not really have the people's best interests at heart - as an indentured mage finds herself rescued by a man working to restore a monarchy, as part of a group of mages fighting for freedom. Some really interesting stuff both here, and in how this sets up a potential sequel.



Quick Plot Summary: Fellian is a Lamplighter, a fire mage of a kind most known for their ability to create magical lamps for illumination. She's also a Servant Mage, forced into an asylum at a young age and then indentured out for service to one willing to pay to use her limited skills. And with the Liberationist government in power, there is no chance of her getting free of her indenture. It is not a life Fellian enjoys, as she misses her long lost family, but she makes the most of it by covertly teaching poor commoners how to read and write.

But then Fellan is rescued from her indentured by an adept mage, a skilled and trained aether mage who supports the monarchist resistance, she finds herself part of a quiver of mages - fire, earth, water, air, and aether - embarking on a quest to save a child born with all five elements. But as Fellian is dragged along on this quest to save a mere baby, she sees that her would be rescuers don't quite understand her much better than the liberationists, and that her own destiny may lie upon a third path....if she can survive long enough to choose it..

Thoughts: That's a lot longer plot summary than I usually give novellas, but I couldn't find a way to explain this one without going deeper. So yeah, this is a really strong novella from Elliott, introducing a world where there was once a monarchist empire (whose rulers were children with magical powers of all elements) that, in a moment of weakness, was overthrown by a "liberationist" one that supposedly promised a freedom from corrupt nobility....which is just as corrupt an evil as the monarchists supposedly were.

And so you have Fellian, a really strong lead character, who understands that neither government is really good, or serves her interests, because neither wants to help the poor common people. Throughout this novella, as Fellian gets involved in the conflict unwillingly, she sees that her new rescuers have as little interest in helping people, or in how the common people have suffered, or even in avoiding causing more harm through their actions. They just blame it all on the other faction, even when they had the possibility of doing less harm. And so Fellian constantly refuses to stay silent, to stay her mouth from questioning her new "leader", and from making her own final decision.

It's a really imaginative world with very familiar but strong power dynamics, and Fellian is a terrific character to root for in it. And it ends up in a very interesting place that promises some real interesting events to come next, as Fellian makes a very different choice than many other characters would make, and I really look forward to seeing what becomes of her next.