REVIEWED by Jay V.

TITLE: The Magician’s Apprentice

AUTHOR: J.A. Jaken

SERIES: Dragon Mage Chronicles Prequel

PUBLISHER: White Owl Publishing

LENGTH: 471 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2019

BLURB:

Jander Teregnan has never wanted anything more than to become a mage–to serve his king and defend his country as he explores his natural talent at commanding the strange power known as magic. Of course every apprentice needs a master, which comes with its own set of challenges…especially when the master he’s chosen for himself is none other than Andrei Teresh, personal advisor to the king and master mage of the city of Vallerin.

Andrei, however, has more pressing problems on his mind than dealing with the unsolicited advances of one untrained mage-apprentice. A fierce and merciless army of unknown intent is sweeping across the land, threatening the kingdom he has sworn to protect. Even worse, dragons–long thought to have withdrawn from the world of mankind–are emerging once again and spreading chaos in their wake. Somehow, Jander must find a way to help; not only to prove that he can be of use in the defense of his kingdom and become a mage, but also to secure his place at the side of the man he hopes to claim as master both of his magic and his heart.

 REVIEW:

Jander has never felt like he fit in to the small village he grew up in. What he feels is a small talent for magic and a strong feeling of needing a magician master to train him drives Jander to wander the countryside trying to find a good fit. He seems to be aiming towards the capital, Vallerin, and after a year, he needs to figure out what to do with his life. Helping save a young man from harm leads him to the castle, where he encounters Andrei, the mage to the king. Jander’s first attempts to become an apprentice are rebuffed and Jander works hard to prove himself worthy. The king sends them on an adventure since war seems to be looming and they must convince all to pick sides.

What starts out a bit slow becomes a fascinatingly unexpected story of both men trying to find themselves battling the psychological scars of their own terrible, personal histories while out helping save the world. Within that is the story of how Jander becomes the magician’s apprentice, overcomes a great many fears, and helps to do battle in a war.  This is fantasy, so it’s not always easy to pick an era but it feels somewhat more medieval without the terrible drawbacks of the uneducated.  Plus dragons!

You really get to feel for the struggles that Jander endures. And there are great characterizations of the the king and Jander’s new friend. You feel for each of them. The world building is wonderful and it’s easy to navigate the rules of the land. There’s a very grounded, practical sense of the magic that follows down the road of the usual lore. With a nice mix of good and bad people that populate this world, this is a good start to the story.  I’m not always a huge fantasy fan, but this hit all the marks for me.

The Magician’s Apprentice is considered a prequel to the Dragon Mage Chronicles and I thought I had somehow missed these wonderful stories that J.A. Jaken had spun, but much to my delight (and frustration), they are not yet released. I am anxiously looking forward to where the story leads as this has the foundations of an epic series that feels larger than the world, but still grounded in it.

RATING: 

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