The Innocent Mage
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4.2 • 75 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
"The Innocent Mage is come, and we stand at the beginning of the end of everything."
Being a fisherman like his father isn't a bad life, but it's not the one that Asher wants. Despite his humble roots, Asher has grand dreams. And they call him to Dorana, home of princes, beggars and the warrior mages who have protected the kingdom for generations.
Little does Asher know, however, that his arrival in the city is being closely watched by members of the Circle, people dedicated to preserving an ancient magic.
Asher might have come to the city to make his fortune, but he will find his destiny.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Miller, and Hachette's new mass market imprint Orbit, debuts with a solid epic that posits political intrigue, ethereal prophecies and a rags-to-riches hero against a vivid if familiar fantasy backdrop (sure to provoke d j vu in fans of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire). Fisherman's son Asher seeks his fortune in the capital city of Dorana, home to the royal family and the magic-using race called Doranen. After a chance encounter, Asher begins working in the palace as assistant/apprentice to Crown Prince Gar; meanwhile, an underground sect watches Asher and secretly guides his fate, believing him the key to an ancient, apocalyptic prophecy. The erudite Prince Gar, meanwhile, has concerns of his own: flagging popularity (over his decision to take lowly Asher under his wing) and his combative sister's inheritance, the weather-controlling magic that keeps their kingdom secure. Though Asher's cynical salt-of-the-earth act is overused, and characters can be frustratingly pouty, Miller's prose is earnest and engaging, and his complex story accelerates nicely toward a brutal cliffhanger finale. Hints of an epic confrontation to come will leave readers eager to find out, in forthcoming installments, where Asher's destiny leads.
Customer Reviews
Very nice
It was a good opening to the series that left me wanting more. I quickly went out and got the reattach of the books to finish the series.
A slow start, but...
...it was interesting to get to know each of the characters so well before the main conflict began. At first, it seemed that everything good came too easily to the main character, but in the last half of the book, it seems that aspect was more than made up for. Overall, a really good read with lovable characters you can't help but feel close to due to the time spent getting inside their heads before the real conflict began.
Incredible
Ever since I read Harry Potter I've been in love with fantasy. I've drifted through books looking for the next one that would capture my imagination, I read the Eragon series, which I felt should have been better edited but besides that was good... but not great. I read the Charlie Bone series, it was fantastic besides the total lack of originality. I found E.E. Knights books Dragon Champion and so on, which were works of art, I just couldn't connect with them, because I'm not a dragon I suppose. Then came The Legend of Drizzt, it is amazing, and the problem with most amazing books is that they only have 1 or 2 in the series, Drizzt has about 20-30 books. I was actually going to buy book 10 when I saw the Innocent Mage. I'm not gonna lie, I chose this book because of its cover, it turned out to be 100x better than I could have expected. I was just hoping to get another good fantasy read when I actually got what turned into one of the top 5 series I've ever read. Karen Miller is an amazing author and she really makes you understand the characters. I liked it so much that when I got to chapter 5 I went back to the store and bought the Awakened Mage and The Hammer of God. I realized that there were more books such as The Prodigal Mage, The Reluctant Mage, and A Blight of Mages that I still have yet to read. I plan to read those and the The Hammer of God, and then go back and read Empress and The Riven Kingdom. Karen Miller has quickly gone from an author I hadn't ever heard of, to one of my favorite authors ever. My top 5 are 1) Rowling 2) Tolkien 3) R.A. Salvatore 4) Karen Miller 5) Rick Riordan... The only reason that I have Salvatore in front of Miller is because of the time I have invested in his books and his incredible action scenes, so yes, in my mind Karen Miller is up there with Tolkien and Rowling, forgive me if it is blasphemous but that's how I really feel. And the Godspeaker Trilogy is what got her there, by far her best books yet. I can't wait to read more.