Anthony Brown

Yes, You want this book!

Reviewed: 07-06-24

The Legend of the Arch Magus is a gem in the fantasy genre, clearly penned by an author who not only devours this genre but also harbors a deep love for it. The book skillfully avoids many of the clichés that often plague fantasy novels. Gone are the illogical mistakes made by characters and the overdone struggle for power. There's no reluctant hero trope here. Instead, we are introduced to a protagonist who is both logical and admirable, facing intriguing challenges that are handled with finesse.

One of the standout features of this series is the writing style. It's refreshingly clean and to the point, free of the overly flowery prose that can sometimes bog down a story. This clarity makes the plot and character interactions more engaging and accessible. The characters themselves are endearing and well-crafted, adding depth and charm to the narrative.

Despite my overall enjoyment of the series, I do have a minor complaint. The books are relatively short, which initially deterred me from picking them up. I usually prefer audiobooks that are over 20 hours long, feeling they offer more value for my credits. I believe that if the first four books were combined into a single volume, it would attract more readers and the series' popularity would skyrocket.

In conclusion, The Legend of the Arch Magus is a highly recommended read for fantasy enthusiasts. Its logical protagonist, clean writing, and lovable characters make it a standout series that shouldn't be missed.

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I really enjoyed the characters and the pace of the action.

Reviewed: 02-06-24

A very solid fantasy series with a wonderful protagonist, well rounded and wonderfully flawed. The inciting incident works very well and gets the story off to a smooth start. Nothing overwhelmingly impressive. However, it’s a gorgeous and enjoyable ride.

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Love, Care, Humility and Patience

Reviewed: 04-17-23

This beautiful book series will probably go down as one of my all-time favorite book series. The author takes such love and care with each word and every chapter. He takes his time developing and flushing out the story, giving justice to each of our characters and each storyline. As you read through this final book, you get a sense that he is just being patient and allowing the story yo take its course. To me, it’s just solid beautiful writing. I cannot wait to see what other universes, stories, and characters this author gives us the privilege of the meeting. This was exquisite and a joy to read.

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It’s missing something and I know what it is…

Reviewed: 03-12-23

All in all I would say that this book is good. However, if we are to compare this to the masterpiece, that is Jake’s magical market, I will have to say that this story makes one crucial mistake. Without spoiling anything I can let you know what it is.

In Jake’s magical market, we are introduced to a protagonist that we care about. The abruptness of the initial inciting incident in combination with our ability to relate with the protagonist, makes every single interaction beyond that inciting event important. In the portal to nova rumor we have still some of the authors, excellent writing ability, inventive concepts, Sturdy, pacing and creativity. However, we are presented with a protagonist that we can’t care for. An artificial intelligence that becomes bored is not really a pro protagonist that a reader would be opt to root for. I think, if the author had kept the “son/brother” alive This would have had the same affect as his prior book.

However, hope remains! In this book, the author manages to give us characters we can authentically root for. Characters we can care about, and a story that is compelling us.

So, wow, I would agree that this book is not at the same level as Jake’s magical market. I have hope for the other books in the series.

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Pure Nostalgia!!! I need 50 more of these books!

Reviewed: 02-25-21

Wonderfully written, characters you care about, perfectly balanced drama, I just can’t wait to return to Valinor or Sevendor. Just great!

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The Niagra of LitRPG

Reviewed: 02-25-21

This is a joy of a series. All of the drama is natural and justified. You feel joy when the characters level up and sorrow when they lose. It’s just a great ride!

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Profound Emotional Engineering

Reviewed: 05-26-18

When researching what makes a great storytelling experience many will argue the Characters. This book does that and so much more!

I have always affirmed that an audience is willing to accept unrealistic situations, like dragons and magic, but they are not willing to accept unhuman (unrelatable) reactions to those situations. Now, whilst I think some older audiences (as I read some comments) will take some of the characters as cliche, I find the perspective of these books wonderfully refreshing. It's a worldview where people of different skin tones, shapes, sizes, sexualities exist. Nothing special. That's just the way it is. (The way it should be.)

Still, that's not where the true beauty of this series/story lies. The author doesn't take the bait of letting these issues be the driving conflict of the story. Instead, these differences are understood to be the norm. For me, the beauty of this story lies in the emotional engineering of each of the characters. As Estes takes on the POV style of writing, I was gently guided through the internal turmoil of each of the lead characters. The author shows such finesse in his diction and word selection that I, as a reader, felt every sensation each character was going through. His emotional engineering is truly profound. From the rush of emotions of a first kiss to the mundane comfort of a woolen blanket rubbing against bare toes. And, although I didn't agree with every character's choice, the justification was clear as I was allowed to investigate the character's thought process.

If I'm being nitpicky, I would draw attention to the slight lack of world building. From the point of view of the characters, the world seems very contained and although there is a major conflict across the four corners of the map. (And the author DOES point that out) I don't' get a real sense of the breadth of the world. However, this may be a choice of the author.

Bottom Line: If you're looking for Profound Emotional Engineering and a High Fantasy fit for the sensibilities of 21'st century, I strongly recommend this book.

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7 people found this helpful