Drakeford rises to the occasion
Synopsis
A young warrior and his improbable band of allies face impossible odds as they seek to rescue his brother from the servants of the Fallen God.
Emrael Ire is a student of war with lofty ambitions, despite being so poor his boots are more hole than leather. He and his talented younger brother Ban work hard to build themselves a better life at the Citadel, a school that specializes in both infusori Crafting and military arts.
Their lives are upended when the power-hungry Lord Governor of the neighboring province invades the school with the help of a sinister sect of priests devoted to the newly awakened Fallen God of Glory. Many of the infusori Crafter students are captured―Including Ban.
Though Emrael stands little chance against the Lord Governor and his armies, he’s desperate to save his brother―even if that means accepting the help of allies with uncertain motives, or becoming a practitioner of a forbidden magic. There is nothing he won’t sacrifice to save his brother, but what happens when the cost of success is not his to pay?
Review
Rise of the Mages is a slice of old school classic fantasy that has at least three things going for it: the relentless pace and intensity of the storyline; the detailed mix of political and military fantasy with ancient magic and lore, and the brilliantly realised science-fantasy magic system that has more surprises in store than a jack-in-a-box convention. I could have read ten books like this – it’s the fantasy equivalent of a Bernard Cornwell series, keeps you wanting more – and let me state for the record how thoroughly ashamed I am that it’s taken me three years to get to this.
The story focuses around Emrael Ire, a young warrior in training. His grandfather was ruler of the proud nation of Iraea. Sadly, Iraea was defeated by a power hungry neighbouring province which now de facto rules the entire land under the dubious banner of the United Provinces, and Emrael’s simply a soldier studying at an academy, his family legacy in tatters. Things quickly go south when the power-hungry governor of the leading province allies with some marvelously creepy sorcerers from the ominously named Dark Nations to invade his mother’s secretive magic-filled homeland and Emrael must go on the run to rescue his captured brother, discovering as he does so that he’s more powerful than he realises and might be the key to saving them all.
The first thing to say is how fleshed out and detailed this world is. Drakeford apparently took a decade to plan this series and it shows. The history of rebellions and provinces, the court politics, the way the magic system is integrated into the land; worldbuilding wise this is immaculate. By the time the promise of an uprising threatens to comes true (calm yourselves, it’s not a spoiler – the word rise is literally in the title) you are emotionally behind the good guys thanks to the storied history that’s been provided thus far.
But it’s the magic system that is the real star here, the best I’ve read all year. It centres around the concept of infusori, best described as a kind of electromagnetic force that is drawn from wells and powers devices called craftings, made of metal coils, giving the book a pleasingly mechanical/engineering vibe not always seen in fantasy. But infusori also has a more spiritual side to it, as it can be used to heal through manipulating someone’s life force. In fact it proves to have a tonne of increasingly imaginative uses, and the concept of using it directly rather than through these craftings forms much of the intrigue as Emrael discovers just how powerful he can be. One of my favourite tropes in fantasy is the lost kingdom of magic and all the relics that are secretly stored across the land (you’ll find it in my books, sadly less effectively than here) and the combination of this with Drakeford’s more science-focused detail makes for a hell of a ride.
There’s also a breakneck sense of pace throughout; you’re never more than a hair’s breadth from another brilliantly choreographed brutal fight scene. Drakeford has that sense of balance between action and beats for character development that are needed in a military uprising fantasy like this; for every intense, compelling fight scene there’s development of the slowly growing found-family crew that accompany Emrael as he seeks to rescue his brother and stoke the flames of rebellion. Yes, there’s romance, but there’s a hell of a lot of bromance too.
Overall, this hurricane-paced political fantasy debut with a standout magic system is more addictive than cheese-flavoured morphine. Drakeford’s the real deal.
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