Rise of the Mages is a fun fantasy story about an exiled prince doing whatever it takes to save his brother from certain doom and coming to terms with the costs involved to friends, family, and himself.

The overthrowing of the Ire family and the fall of their rule in the prologue sets the stage for Emrael Ire and his brother Ban, who both essentially live in obscurity from the country's politics as they attend the Citadel learning different applications of infusori - the fuel for the story's magic system. An attack on the Citadel that leads to Ban being captured and separated from Emrael begins a journey where Emrael seeks to rescue his brother and exact revenge on the people who betrayed him and his family, all while rallying the people who once believed in the Ire name to fight alongside him. It's a story packed with action and danger, and I think its release is timely considering the adaptation of WoT, which I would consider similar in tone. Rise of the Mages is a fun adventure for people who love reading traditional fantasy.

There were so many good moments in the book I don't want to spoil, with an ending that is both climactic and heart wrenching. All I'll say is there is no shortage of intensity and the journey is costly for certain characters. There's also excellent setup for the sequel and I'm very excited to see the appearance of a certain fallen god.

Rise of the Mages by Scott Drakeford. A fairly well written book that sadly didn't work for me. I tried to enjoy it and failed to do so. I do think others will enjoy it. Thank you for giving me a chance with it.

Scott Drakeford's RISE OF THE MAGES is a solid epic fantasy that counts among its attributes a highly inventive magic system and some fascinating world-building. As I was reading it I couldn't help but think of the similarity in feel to the stories of Kel Kade and Sam Hawke, whom I love so much. I definitely got some of those same vibes while immersing myself in this book. Part of that similarity also lies in the fact that RotM is rife with court and military intrigue, and it is so fabulously well done in my opinion.

By the author's own admission, his debut fantasy novel has been roughly a decade in the making, and it is pretty obvious when you read the wonderfully polished prose and interesting storyline. The opening chapters hooked me immediately as little nuggets of past event are hinted at that have led to the current situation among kingdoms and the people who occupy them. We realize pretty early on that a war took place some time ago called the Unification War. It's also clear that although labelled nicely enough, a distinct tension remains and there are those in the upper echelons of power who would like nothing more than to destroy whatever tentative peace holds all of the various factions at bay.

There are also those who are seen as undesirables following this war, partially represented by the main character Emrael and his brother Ban. The discrimination that they and their people face on a daily basis is something that I found hard to stomach and as the story progresses, Emrael's tolerance in particular is severely tested. When rumors begin to spread that the governor Corrande might be plotting to consolidate an alliance between church and state in an effort to rekindle the war and fulfill his visions of conquest, it becomes incumbent on Emrael and his allies to find a way to fight back and stop that from happening. To do this he must attempt to rally a fairly large contingent of those who have been scorned and spat upon for far too long.

This book had so many things that I enjoy in a cracking fantasy read. One aspect that I really love in a story is when the antagonists are truly sickening and evil to their core. It really ups the investment for me bigtime. And the 'bad guys" in RotM made me so spitting angry to the point where I truly wanted to see the forces of good prevail in a very complete and convincing way. Do they prevail? Well, you'll have to read RISE OF THE MAGES and find out for yourself because I'm not telling.

In the end, I was thoroughly impressed with this book and I am really looking forward to seeing where the rest of the Age of Ire series goes from here. Drakeford has certainly laid the groundwork for a truly captivating epic fantasy series that should entertain and excite the vast majority of SFF readers. Hopefully we won't have too long to wait for the sequel. My final read of 2021 did not disappoint and I look forward to carrying that momentum into the new year!

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 reading all at once, content to slowing reveal details that point to hidden, deeper details that make to whole world more realistic. In other words, everything works well together.
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.
#RiseoftheMages #NetGalley.

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.