Mage's Blood

The Moontide Quartet #1

by David Hair

The Moontide Bridge lies deep below the sea, but every 12 years the tides sink and the bridge is revealed, its gates open for trade. The Magi are hell-bent on ruling this world and have led armies across the bridge on crusades of conquest. Now the Moontide is almost here and the people of the East are ready to fight.

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Audiobook, Magic, Adult

671 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 2012

About the author

David Hair is the author of The Bone Tiki, winner of Best First Novel (Young Adult Fiction section) at the 2010 NZ Post Children's Book Awards. The Bone Tiki and its sequel The Taniwha's Tear are fantasy novels set in New Zealand. David is a New Zealander, who has worked primarily in financial services. He has a degree in History and Classical Studies. He has lived from 2007 to 2010 in New Delhi, India, but usually resides in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from writing, he is interested in folklore, history, and has a passion for football.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of Mage’s Blood challenged my patience, but the pay-off—and hopefully the rest of the series—in the second half was bloody rewarding.

Urte is divided into two continents; Yuros in the West, and Antiopia in the East. Both continents are separated by impassable seas, but once every twelve years, the Moontide makes the water sink and revealed the gigantic Leviathan Bridge that links both continents for two years long. The next Moontide is coming in a year, and The Rondian Emperor wants to use this time to rule both continents, but this time the people of Antiopia will be prepared. How many times have you heard this: “If you love Game of Thrones, you will love this,” and how many times have you actually find the books with that recommendation stamped on the front cover to be accurate? Based on my experience, extremely rare. Fortunately, Mage’s Blood, the first book in The Moontide Quartet by David Hair, seems to be rightfully living up to that claim. The Moontide Quartet is an epic fantasy series that’s highly recommended by one of my favorite booktubers—Kitty G—and it has been on my radar for years now, and it is thanks to her that I finally gave this series a go. The result? I overall enjoyed this one very much, and with some caveats, I recommend this to patient epic/historical fantasy readers.

“People do the worst evil when they do not have to take responsibility themselves but can blame others.”

Let’s get the cons out of the way first. If you haven’t started this series and you look to me to settle your decision to whether give this series a go or not, I strongly advise that you have to be patient with this novel. I noticed the average ratings of this book—on both Amazon and Goodreads—are relatively much lower compared to its sequels, although there’s always the fact that sequels tend to have higher ratings because those who continued are usually those who have enjoyed the previous installment, there are several valid reasons why Mage’s Blood is the lowest rated book in the quartet. I have a mixed feeling—mostly negative—towards the first half of the book; I won’t lie, if it weren’t because I own the entire quartet already, I think I would’ve DNFed this book. Similar to many starter installments to an epic fantasy series, Hair takes his time to introduce the world and many characters of the series first, and I usually love this; generally, slow-paced books always worked better for me. Why didn’t this one worked? Hair’s narrative relied a lot on info-dump during the first half of the novel, and it honestly hurt the pacing of the book so much; informations, to me, are harder to register in my head when they’re told in info-dump way.

Thankfully, the pacing issue persisted merely in the first half, and the first half wasn’t all bad because Hair’s characterizations for the cast of characters introduced here was incredible. Mage’s Blood is massive in scope, and it features a lot of characters, but the third-person multi-perspective narration mainly revolves around Alaron, Elena, and Ramita. These characters were incredibly well-fleshed out; they have distinctive voices, different struggles, and I found myself invested in their journey. I loved reading everyone’s POV, but what surprised me the most, though, was Ramita’s story. It was not the direction of the story per se but more like her storyline featured things that I don’t usually enjoy reading; forced arranged marriage which ended up causing a love triangle and abundance of descriptive sex scenes. However, it worked. Hair slowly builds the plot and the tension for every thread that leads towards a brutal climax sequence; the last quarter of Mage’s Blood was a 5-stars rating material.

“I’ve never believed that a man is good or evil. Deeds might be, but men are a summation of their actions and their intentions. Words and thoughts. I have always done what I thought was best.

The world-building of Urte is intricate and brimming with detailed history. Info-dump aside in the first half of the novel aside, I think readers will do themselves good knowing that the world of Urte doesn’t feel like a completely new world; it felt like reading historical fantasy to me. A lot of epic fantasy series have used real-life inspirations, culture, and history and implement them into their world-building, but they were able to twist them into something that felt distinctive like we’re diving into a completely new world. That feeling of escaping into a new world seemed to be missing. The terminologies and implications that Hair utilized were almost a direct copy of our world’s. Ahm from Islam, Shihad from Jihad, Hebusalim from Jerusalem, Shaitan from Satan, holy crusades, then there’s also Shiva, Ganesha, and Parvasi from Indian; these are only a few, there are still so many more like the months, seasons, and days; the list goes on. My point, although it worked well for the story it tells, it did feel to me like we’re reading an alternate historical fantasy that combines Western and Eastern influences effectively, with magic (gnosis) like elemental power, telepathy, and necromancy involved.

“Some enemies come bearing weapons and uttering blasphemies and so you know them. But worse are enemies who come with gifts and gracious deeds. You know them not as foes, until too late.”—Salim Kabarakhi II. Sultan of Kesh. 922

It certainly tested my patience for a while, but the immersive capability of the engaging writing and the superbly written characterizations in Mage’s Blood impressively pulled me into Urte. It’s enormous in scope, and it’s full of flawed-characters that I empathize with; by the end of the novel, I am seriously excited—and terrified—to know what will happen next to the characters of the series. Many bad things have happened, and it seems like their torturous fate has only just begun. I’m moving onto Scarlet Tides immediately.

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[Kitty G Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a little while since I read a book which is THIS GOOD and has so many ideas and strings which all pull together in a magnificent way. This is the first book in a Quartet which makes me so happy and excited because it means I still have three great, long books ahead of me. It's a story which involves various different influences of culture (both Eastern & Western), has fabulous male and female characters, has intricate, complicated, but interesting magic, and has a massive focus on Politics (without getting bogged down in the politics and losing sight of the actual story and character development). It's a classic example of a book which has been compared to Game of Thrones (as so many are these days) but I would actually go so far as to say that this is worthy of a comparison to Game of Thrones in terms of the politics and the characters and the world building. It's excellently written and there's so many intricacies and plot twists I didn't seem coming, but loved discovering all the same. An instant new favourite author!

So, what is the story all about?
The story focuses on a world where there's two continents. The Western continent is Yuros, the Eastern is Antiopia and they are separated by a sea and linked by a Bridge. The Bridge is special because it can only be traversed every Moontide (which is roughly 2 years in every 12) and so a lot of the time the two continents are not linked.
The bridge is the connection, but it's also a conduit for war and the way that this world functions revolves around planning for the Moontide and what will happen, the shifting of rulers and politics, and the continual maintenance of order, power and magic.

Who are the main characters?
We have three main characters that we focus on within the book. The first is Elena who is a notorious mercenary working for Gurvon Gyle (a very powerful man who is heavily involved in the manipulation of politics behind the scenes). Elena is in a position of power due to the post she's been holding for many years as a spy on the royal family, reporting back to Gurvon.
Elena is a solid character who is not only ruthless, filled with fury and an excellent assassin and fighter, but also very set in her ways. She would never betray the people she loves, but when her choice of lover and family changes she has to make some tough promises and choices if she wants to protect those she loves.
I found her to be a fascinating character with a great plotline where I was instantly hooked and constantly on my toes, wondering what would happen next. She's a very strong lady with some excellent skills, but she's up against the best too so she has to bring her A-game.

Next we have Ramita, a lowly market girl who lives with her family in the middle of nowhere really. She's the daughter of a fairly well of family, and from her early childhood she's been utterly in love with Kazim, the boy she's engaged to marry. THe two of them have always been utterly devted to one another and happy in each other's company, but one day an evil man comes to Ramita's father and gives him an offer he cannot refuse. This offer means that not only will Ramita be forced to leave everything she's ever known, but she'll have to do it alone.
Ramita's story was excellent also and another one where I fell into it easily and was drawn along word by word. She's a sweet girl and an honest chaarcter who has never wanted anything other than happiness. When her dreams are ripped away and she's forced to do things she never could have imagined she's tough and resourceful.
I found her story to be one of the most emotional in terms of ups and downs and making me worry for her safety and the safety of those around her. She's a caring and loving character and so she's easy to root for, but she's also not afraid to defend what she loves,

Finally we have Alaron who is a Mage-in-training at the Academy. He's a quarter-blood which means that he has a pretty good chance of passing his exams and helping to get his family out of the financial issues they have been having when he finishes his time there.
Alaron has two great friends, Cym and Ramon, who are also magically inclined. Ramon is his friend within the academy, Cym is a gypsy who Alaron teaches, and together they're the best of friends.
When something terrible happens to disrupt Alaron's chances at passing his exams and becoming a Mage he doesn't quite know how to react. He's surrounded by people who laugh at him and look down on him and he's in a rut. He soon decides on a new course of action and from that point on his story takes some very exciting turns.
Alaron is the character who took a little longer for me to like but that's because his story took a little longer to develop (all the characters, both main and sideline are fantastically well developed). I really liked that he's not your standard 'hero' character, he's actually friends with the others who are far 'better' at magic than he is, but seeing his pov and thoughts was great for the story and I learned, quickly, to like him and his story too.

We also have many other fabulous side characters such as Cera, Kazim, Gurvon, Cym, Ramon, Huyria, Lori and many more. They were all just as convincing and fleshed out as the main characters and I loved seeing how each of them was manipulated, used, dominated or took control themselves and stood up for things they believed in. They're a collection of devoted, sneaky, loving, friendly and harsh characters and they're all fab!!

What about the setting and atmosphere?
The setting it, as I said before, drawing on both Eastern and Western culture for each of the different continents and the various different ethnic groups within the populations. We see white and black people, people with accents and very rich people. People who are poor and rich and somewhere in between. People with power and people with nothing.
We also get to visually imagine the places our characters travel between because the descriptions of markets, castles, towers, spices and scents are all so well described and make you feel fully immersed.

And the magic?
The magic of this book is fairly complicated so I will not explain it all now, but suffice to say the amount of magic and power you can possess depends on your lineage and blood. If you are a pure-blood then you will have immense amounts of power. A half-blood will have a little less, a quarter-blood a little less again and so on, right down to a sixteenth. Any less than a sixteenth and you will not have any magic.
There's also a lot of different types of magic and all magic depends on Gnosis. There's 4 types; Thaumaturgy (to do with elements), Hermetic (concerns living things), Theurgy (concerns the intangible and the animate) and finally Sorcery (concerns to intangible and inanimate). All are powerful, all do different things, all have different facets and every Mage has an affinity with one of more of them.

Pacing?
This is a 650+ page book so it's not a fast read by any means but it is filled with action and intensity throughout. I would say it probably took me the first 100 or so pages to really get into this story, but after that I was utterly sucked in and all I wanted to do was follow the storylines of the characters and see what would happen next.
It's got some great descriptions, and the various political hierarchies are explained well which means that even though there's a big emphasis on manipulation of politics it's fairly easy to follow and keep everyone straight in your head.
I would say that once you're into the story the pages fly by and it's a fairly fast read overall (for a 650+ pg book anyway!)

In summary, if you've never heard of this or read it go and check it out because it was just wonderful and every element is perfect (remember what a mess Dinosaur Lords was - yeah, this is proof of what a GOOD fantasy should be!!) A solid 5* book and I am very, very happy that I have got the second book waiting for me to read it. This book might easily find itself on my top books of the whole year so far! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

[Mayim de Vries · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You need to think of the destination you want, and then work out the road.”

Here is what happened: In the Prologue, I thought that a lovely old lady is going to save a baby who is surely going to be a special mage upon whose frail shoulders the weight of the plot will be placed.

Could have I been more wrong?

In short: I love it when a writer sweeps me off my feet even before things start. This is definitely one of the most promising series I have read (both: this year and for a long time). And since I have +10 of them open at the moment, I think you can safely trust my words.

While I do believe that Mage’s Blood is a great entry to the series, brace yourselves for a slow beginning with a lot of exposition that you will just have to endure (and internalise!) in order to fully enjoy the story. This means an overwhelming abundance of names, facts, places, and histories that link them. All this is incredibly important but also requires a strong resolve to push through to the juicy part when the action kicks in. I promise you that this investment has a high interest rate.

The main epic arc is stretched between two polar opposites: Antonin Mairos and Sabele the Witch (you can also replace the “w” with the “b” and you’ll get the overall sense of this character). They are positively ancient and powerful, they lay their plans through centuries and work with proxies from behind the scenes. Meiros is a founder of an order devoted to bringing about and sustaining peace. Sybele is just devoted to destroying Meiros (and so for the most part of the book, you might actually think that the godmother of all evil is the Sainted Mater-Empress Lucia).

Mr Hair is a historian by education therefore it is not surprising that the world is roughly modelled after the late Antiquity. The story unfolds on two continents: Yuros (Europe) and Antiopia (Middle East and the Indian subcontinent) connected by a magical Leviathan Bridge that emerges from the waters of the ocean only once every ten years during the time called Moontide.

Needless to say, the third Moontide is coming and the tensions between different political designs are at a breaking point. This is even more evident, due to the fact that the timescale of the novel is essentially a countdown to the Moontide when (as Shaitarn put it), the excrement meets the rotating cool air device.

The worldbuilding is magnificent in its affluence of details and at the same cosy due to its familiarity: we have the Empire mirroring the Byzantine opulence and rigidity, Kore which is a perverted version of Christianity, crusades (although these are nothing like the real thing which was a defensive, not an offensive exercise in power - just to remind: the fist crusade happened 460 years after the first Christian city was overrun by Muslim armies, 443 years after Italy has been plundered, 427 after the first siege laid to the fair city of Constantinople, 380 years after the conquest of Span, 363 years after France has been attacked, and 249 after Rome has been sacked), Lakh (Indiana) that is India, and Amteh with its shihad substituting Islam, Silacia instead of Sicilia and so on and so forth.

The cultural, political, economic and societal vibrancy is further supported by an incredibly complex and well-thought-through magic system. Magic, called gnosis (meaning ‘secret knowledge’) is in-born here and depends on one’s lineage (you can be full-blood, half-blood and down to sixteenth, which is the weakest of the weak, sorry Alaron) while the chosen few can also achieve the status of an Ascendant. The inherent capabilities are coupled with personal affinities to one (or two) of the four classes: Thaumaturgy (Fire, Earth, Water, and Air), Hermetic magic of healing, morphism, animism and sylvanism, Theurgy (spiritualism, mysticism, mesmerism, and illusion) and Sorcery divided into wizardry, clairvoyance, divination, and necromancy. This is a stunning list and it gives you a flavour of all the fantastic and terrifying things magic-wielders are capable of. You will see a lot of these in action throughout the pages of this novel.

There are only three main plot lines, and although these are told from various points of view and move the action from place to place, all are easy to follow:

In Noros, Alaron Mercer a young adept of gnosis (Harry Potter fans will love the very Hogwart’s like chapter about end of the year exams) with two of his friends rather clumsily stumble upon a mystery greater than everything they ever dreamed (a proof of just how dangerous academic work can be!). Normally, I’d say that Alaron is the usual YA fix in contemporary fantasy, but somehow he is composed of such an authentic mix of insecurity and incompetence that I found him endearing rather than frustrating. I especially liked that he didn’t save the day in the end, but was rescued by his mother.

Across the ocean, in Javon, Elena Anborn, a ruthless assassin whose world of targets and weaknesses, and strategies of killing enemies and sacrificing friends undergoes a transformation from “head and coin” to “heart and body” and finds herself to be the last (and only!) bulwark against the schemes of her former lover. Elena is one tough lady: a formidable mage, cunning strategist, fierce warrior and a loyal ally. All in one. Her tale is never dull and full of action.

In neighbouring Northern Lakh, Ramita Ankesharan instead of having a comfortable life of love next (shabby) door, finds herself a commodity in family bargain and is traded away to a distant land in what is a rather humiliating marriage of convenience. Even though I enjoyed Alaron’s line the most, Ramita is without any doubt my favourite heroine in the whole story. An ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances showing her integrity and steadfastness does not sound like a very compelling MC but trust Ramita to win you over.

There are also auxiliary characters accompanying the main protagonists, including Ramoni (that is Roma) princess Cymbellea di Regia, or Ramita’s significant other, one Kazim Makani that play their part in the story. Slowly, as we read on, it becomes apparent what is happening in the grand scheme of things and how are all three arcs related to each other. What I liked the most about Mr Hair’s way of weaving the tale is that halfway through the book the intrigue becomes apparent and by chapter 31 I was able to spell the disaster(s) out very clearly (in caps-lock, really). The trick is that while we know what is going to happen as we accompany the schemers and contrivers, the main protagonists remain blissfully unaware and walk into the danger incognisant. The stress level in Elena’s line had me munching on sweets all the time (stock yourselves! a fair warning). Similarly, Ramita’s looming calamity had me all strung up. For me such level of emotional engagement is a sure sign of a great book. I think last time I was so anxious when reading Lies of Locke Lamora.

Things I didn’t like include the fact that virtually every religious person is either a religious fanatic, flecking spittle of their lips and unable to behave rationally because of the inherent hatred and vile or a cynical manipulator. Yet, while no religion is safe from the wrath of the secular mind, the book is not devoid of quasi-religious preaching on many ideological issues deemed to be of importance by the author; the idea of the key magic artefact in the book which can effectively make something out of nothing defying the laws of logic (entirely unacceptable!); Kazim While there is not a single thing I don’t hate about Kazim, the majority of those are skilled character-building measures. To the contrary, the way he develops fighting skills surpassing trainees who start from a young age and then later gains gnosis because he is oh so natural, brought the worst memories from the Blue Sword. and the twist plot relying on Cera’s complicity and placing her trust in Gyle as opposed to trusting Elena. It made no sense considering that Elena proved herself as the family’s saviour while Gyle is the family arch enemy number one. The little passage about her “spying phase” was so out of character that I had an impression it was forced by an editor who might have shared my misgivings about the whole scheme. Why she would believe her enemy rather than somebody who saved her life is beyond me. but these are definitely outnumbered by the strong points.

I deem Mage’s Blood a book (and series) well worth your time and invested emotions where a vast and intricate landscape is coupled with characters full of vibrancy, embedded within their cultures, full of authenticity and nuances. It’s a book about power, friendship, and love (spurned and discovered). It tells a tale of good deeds that backfire in our faces, of good intentions that are just not good enough, and courage does not depend on skills. The ambiguity of various plans and desires, all with their own rationale and justifications, give the main impetus to the tale and (after the slow start) will likely keep you enthralled. The huge, truly epic scale is evident in this (a little-bit one sided) account of the clash of civilisations set in a fantasy milieu with elements of grim dark. There are good action sequences, not only when it comes to traditional fighting but also sorcery. The tremendous, heartbreaking ending with revelations and big promises for the next book is extremely rewarding.

Definitely not a book to be missed.

Also in the series:

2. The Scarlet Tides ★★★★☆
3. Unholy War ★☆☆☆☆
4. Ascendant’s Rite ★☆☆☆☆

[Mpauli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine a world with two continents seperated by a sea so rough that ships can't sail between them. But a powerful mage order was able to build a bridge between them. Every twelve years the waters are shallow enough for the bridge to be crossed for 2 years.
At first the continents of Yuros and Antiopia started trading, but eventually -as humans are- the nations of Yuros under the yoke of the Rondalian empire started crusades against the people of Antiopia.
We enter the story 1 year before the third of those crusades begins.

We have 4 main protagonists, with occassional povs of lesser import.

The first perspective is Alaron Mercer. He is a typical mage in training at a mage academy on Yuros, preparing for the exams. Of course he's bullied by pure-blood mage student, so his life isn't all rosy. His story is a more typical coming of age story.

Another familiar tropes is the girl who is married away against her will to a powerful and mysterious old man. Ramita Ankesharan is an Omali (think indian culture) from Antiopia. She is taken to the holy city of Hebusalim, also on the continent Antiopia.
Her true love Kazim was promised to her from childhood, but now has to let go of her. Of course, he is our third pov in his trials to win her back.

All of those characters are teenagers and you have the typical issues that you might expect from those heroes.

By far the most interesting character is Elena Anborn, one of the very powerful mages from Yuros. Only Yuros has mages, that's why they can dominate the continent of Antiopia.
Elena is a bodyguard on the court of Javon, which is also a nation on Antiopia (think persian culture), which has a special standing, cause their royal family are traditionally half-bloods, half Jhafi from Antiopia, half Rimoni (think italian culture) from Yuros.
But secretly she's an agent for the Yuros spymaster Gurvon Gyle. Cause as the third crusade seems inevitable, the nations of Antiopia believing in the god Ahm (think muslims) are about to declare shihad (you know what to think) on the heathens and Gyle tries to move Javon not to take part in this holy war.

As you can see, there are many nations, an impeding war/invasion and so you can expect intrigue and political maneuvering. And with 3 teenage protagonists there is also a lot of character development going on as we see the events of the world shape these 3 characters.
And although all these things are basically typical fantasy clishe-riden plots, they are presented rather well here. The protagonists are likeable and you wish that they succeed, but they are not annoyingly "good".
And in addition you get Elena, who is also Alaron's aunt, who is avery interesting character.

So despite all the clishe, this book is a 4-5 star read. What brought it down to 4 stars for me are the similarities to our own world. Noros, where Alaron lives is a medieval Germany, with a mountain range called The Alps. The Rimoni have all italian names, grow wine and olives and where the predominant empire, before the mages were created, just as the Romans.
The Omali are indians wearing sarees, bathing in holy rivers and praying to gods resembling elephants or multi-armed entities. The list goes on.
All those cultures are researched very well, but for my taste they are too close to home to be a great fantasy world filled with sense of wonder.
I don't know if the author (the series is planned for 4 books) maybe makes a connection to our world and this is some future version of our own, where the sea has risen, but for now there are no imminent signs for this.

So, long story short, if you're looking for something totally new, Mage's Blood won't be the book you're looking for, but if you like familiar tropes, characters and places that are done really well in addition to a solid plot with interesting twists, then I can recommend this book whole-heartedly.

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...

Books like Mage's Blood are extremely hard for me to review, and not least of all because the many comparisons of this to A Song of Ice and Fire are mostly appropriate; this first book of the Moontide Quartet is a sprawling epic indeed! Still, I'm of the mind that George R.R. Martin's epic series stands uniquely on its own...but then so does David Hair's. It would be impossible for me to go into every single thing I liked about this book without having to talk about why, because that would just lead to lengthy explanations into the details of the plot, and if I did that this review will end up being thirty pages long with half of it made up of spoilers. Obviously, we can't have that.

Suffice to say though, this book has it all: nations at war, clashing religions, political intrigue, mages and sorcery, multiple points of view. Yuros and Antiopia are two lands long separated by vast ocean. But every Moontide, the seas part to reveal the magnificent mage-crafted Leviathan Bridge, allowing trade and communication between the two continents. Unfortunately, the passage is also a source of much bitterness and conflict. The last two Moontides have involved crusades of conquest, thanks to the lofty ambitions of the Magi.

Now another Moontide is at hand. As the time draws nearer, the people on both sides prepare for war. Antonin Meiros, a mage of great renown (in fact, it was he who was the intellect behind the Leviathan Bridge) seeks a new wife, and travels to Lahk to wed Ramita. Ramita, however, is already betrothed to the hotheaded Kazim. In another part of the world, Elena Anborn has pledged her life to protect the royal family of Javon, fighting off the assassination attempts and conspiracies masterminded by her former lover Gurvon Gyle, who works for powerful political enemies. Meanwhile in Noros, Elena's nephew Alaron prepares for his mage finals. But during the presentation of his thesis, he unwittingly proposes a dangerous topic that could mean the end to his hopes and dreams.

Everything and everyone is connected in this massive and intricate web that David Hair has woven. The scale of both setting and story are vast. The continents involved here encompass various nations, many of which are described here with great thought and detail. Their populations, including their cultures, languages, religions, rituals and even food and styles of dress are given the same exacting care. This is a world where both magic and theology form a strong basis for society, and it is diverse.

At the same time, readers will find there is much that is familiar in this fantasy world of Urte. Most of the nations and cultures in this book bear marked resemblances to those in our reality -- even when it comes to religion and geography. The nature of this brought to mind a recent discussion I had with a friend, regarding settings in various epic fantasies and how he usually preferred fictional worlds that he can imagine as our own earth, whereas I tended to prefer the opposite. Needless to say, a book like Mage's Blood can appeal to both camps. As well, even I can admit that real-world historical and cultural influences in a fantasy setting can add a lot to a story, a prime example being Jacqueline Carey's original Kushiel's Universe trilogy which remains one of my favorite series of all time.

With a book so massive which features a cast so big, it was perhaps no surprise that the first quarter of Mage's Blood is the most demanding of the reader. The different characters and their story lines are cleanly organized and separated by chapters, which is why this is my favorite format for epic novels. Nevertheless, it makes for a slower start, when an author has to cycle through the perspectives while introducing all the main players, and the first couple hundred pages were dedicated to this task. Patience pays off though, as the book finishes setting the scene and gradually builds up momentum in the middle chapters. This is the meat of the story, and it is amazing how David Hair manages keep all the plates spinning at once, giving each character and plot thread the attention they deserve, while also meticulously bringing them all together so that they eventually form a much bigger picture.

As Mage's Blood features an ensemble cast, obviously I had my favorites (the notable example being Ramita and her story with Antonin Meiros) while others were not as interesting to me. Each person has an important role to play though, and this was made clear by the climax and the ending, which is in a word incredible. It is a conclusion that is positively incendiary, leaving me wondering what else the author has in store. As the series name implies, Mage's Blood is only the first in what is meant to be series of four books, and as such there is much left wide open for huge things to come. However, at the same time David Hair has wrapped things up in a way that is straightforward and satisfying, without any abruptness. I think this is a far rarer skill than people realize.

I have a feeling a lot will be happening in The Scarlet Tides. Mage's Blood may have been encumbered by a lengthy introduction and a slow build-up to the story, which I honestly don't think could have been avoided. I suspect, however, that we will jump right into the action with the sequel. I'm excited, and can't wait to see where things will go.

[Scott Hitchcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantasy book with a lot of alternate historical fiction interwoven into the story line. Not in the case of characters but more time period. Elements of Europe, Middle Eastern and Northern African culture revolving around the Crusades. The corruption and colonization of an empire, the mythical 300 being the birth of mages, a magical bridge spanning what would be Gibraltar, flying carpets and ships all add to this culturally rich story.

The different story line all touch each other and yet their collisions will be in the future books of the series. I liked that not all the endings were happy and many are in limbo.

This was an audio book for me. The narrator is good.

I will continue the series. 3.75*

[Natalie Monroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Mage's Blood due to a buddy hate-read I'm doing with my boyfriend. He has to read the Shatter Me series and I have to read the Moontide Quartet, a series that, according to him, constantly rewrites the rules of its own world-building at convenience. BUT, he emphasized, the first book isn't all that bad.

Not all that bad, he said.



Its saving grace is that it got mildly entertaining in the last third and I was irrationally invested enough to keep reading for more than fifteen minutes a stretch. That's what the extra star is for.

The world-building is shit. It lifts entire cultures, countries, and prejudices from our world and pretends it's high fantasy simply because it goes by new names. Though new is an overstatement, given that Cym the beautiful gypsy girl is "Ramoni", which is basically a barely reworked spelling of Romani. Sometimes Hair doesn't even bother with new names. The words "namaste" and "si" appear. The man is too lazy to even invent a new language.

Fantasy languages are not that hard. Just mash your hand into the keyboard. Bvnbac. See? Now that means bread.

I'm not against real-life prejudices being portrayed in fantasy. In fact, it's to be encouraged because we see xenophobia and sexism in these high fantasy books and realize how silly it is that these things exist in our world. What I'm against is how brainlessly they're represented. People of color are discriminated against, homophobia is rampant (the word "cocksucker" was used with the subtlety of a toxic gamer), and the one intersex person that appears is treated as a vile, pitiable thing. In A Game of Thrones, the wildlings are very obviously an allegory for fear of immigrants. The word immigrant is never mentioned and the wildlings are not predominantly people of color, yet readers can easily deduce what this plot point is referring to in terms of real-world inspiration. Hair lacks that creativity and subtlety. Why write high fantasy if you're just going to copy and paste everything? Just go urban fantasy. That way you can still work in gnosis, Hair's magic system which is functional enough, but completely typical.

Don't forget the coincidences. This character is about to die, but she conveniently knows the one spell that will save her! Oh no, I've written myself into a corner BUTT WEIGHT the character with all the answers conveniently shows up at the protagonist's house.

I also found it rather misogynist that Huriya and Vedya, women who have a high sex drive, are cast as villains. Other things set them apart as villains, of course. They're vain, selfish, and bloodthirsty. But my question is, why add sexual hunger to the mix? Is it to make them seem more villainous, which would then imply that female sexuality is bad and is something to be controlled. Ramita's biggest crime, you'll remember, is fucking her ex-fiance. I hate Kazim with a vengence and thought she was a moron for betraying Meiros, but I find it interesting that her entire character arc hinges on her controlling her passion for Kazim. Elena goes over to the good side once she breaks it off with her lover and boss Gyle. It's an uncomfortable theme that runs throughout the book.

Not exactly looking forward to the next book if this was my boyfriend's definition of "not that bad." Plus he only has to read the original Shatter Me trilogy. This series has four books.

[Rusty's Ghost Engine (also known as.......... Jinky Spring) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was quite an interesting novel that introduced many different cultures and politics as well as a set of unique and flawed characters. I will say thought the things I found most interesting were the Moontide bridge and the close orbit of the moon … which makes the sea so rough it’s impassable by ship. Not much was said on how the moon came to be this way only that the bridge was created to connect two continents. It was made for a good cause but the only thing it did cause was war.

There is definitely a Game of Thrones feel to this book (after all my copy had a sticker on it saying “If you love Game of Thrones, you’ll want to read this!”) with a lot of violence, swearing and mature content but that for me makes a book all the more better. The writing was well structured but the characters I felt could have been given more depth and personality as they didn’t feel completely real. The story itself was often slow in parts making me lose interest from time to time. But I’ve read worse and now I’m glad I read to the end….

The full review can be found here: https://edwardsghostengine.wordpress....

[Ang the Last Book Blogger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow... I picked this up based on the interesting premise and I'm so glad I did. Despite being 700 pages, I flew through it and that was down to the excellent pacing, as I never once felt bored.

In short we follow three main characters - A training mage, a mercenary hired to spy on the royal family and a market girl greeted by an unusual man. (Definitely read the synopsis though, as that's what hooked me)

These 3 main story arcs are each unique, having their own twist and turns and various intrigue. The way they slowly start to interweave with each other is beautifully crafted and doesn't feel at all forced.

There's 4 types of magic (or 'gnosis') in this world, each split up into 4 sub categories. As the book continued the magic system continued to get more and more interesting. While being slightly confusing at first, I quickly got a grasp of the capabilities of each type of gnosis and how some mages naturally suit certain types better.

This is also the first Epic Fantasy I have read, where there are huge influences from both eastern and western cultures from our world. It was so interesting how the conflict was created, using these cultural differences in a fantasy setting, through this diverse cast of characters.

I recommend this book to any Epic Fantasy lover or even for people looking to get into the genre, as it certainly got me back into reading Epic Fantasy. On to book 2! :D

[Algernon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was supposed to be my glorious return to epic fantasy on a big canvas: adventure, exploration, new cultures to discover, engaging characters, interesting magic systems and all that jazz.
Instead it put me in a months long reading funk just as I got conscripted inside my own apartment for my own health. I got to the point where I would do anything instead of picking up the book to read another chapter (I think I finished ten other novels while I read this one). What the heck happened? I still consider myself a speculative fiction fan, with most of my reading list each year filled with good books in the genre. And I usually find something good to say even about the most commercial and safely traditional epics that are making it to my reading list.

It’s probably a case of my expectations being too high from the high ratings and from several glowing reviews that I only skimmed over. On paper, the first installment of this new fantasy blockbuster hits all the right spots with setting, huge cast of characters and magic battles. In practice, I have rarely tried something more bland, more lazily researched and more bloated with unnecessary detail. It’s quite telling that I had less than a handful of bookmarks out of 700 pages, one of which was an enumeration of magical categories that it turns out I didn’t care about, one about religion that was probably borrowed from another author and three of Romanian language words that were used to describe one of the subcultures in the Western continent.

Nothing really stands out in this paint by numbers generic setting with its very poorly disguised nations of Western imperialism, Muslim religious intolerance and Hindu colourful poverty. The author thinks that by changing a letter or two in the names of places and rituals he has come with something new and fresh. He also believes that including lengthy and boring quotes of pseudo-history at the start of each chapter will be enough to disguise his lack of originality.

The plot is similarly predictable : apocalyptic war with magic weapons is about to start, so half the book is about political positioning, spies, assassinations and moving players from one corner of the map to another. If all else fails, throw in school for magicians, a lost artifact of immense power and as many scenes of explicit sex as the plot can carry. More than one such example of generic fantasy has been saved in the past by pacing, by ingenious magic systems or by a sense of ridicule that allows the author some tongue-in-cheek humourous banter: all of which were missing in action for me. When a moment of real fast-paced, intense action comes along (maybe three or four times in the whole book) it was preceded and followed by several chapters of worldbuilding filler or by secondary characters moving about waiting for something to happen. And the magic system might sound cool in concept, with four major schools, each with four specialties and four elemental affinities, but in practice this is the sort of snap the fingers to launch firebombs or do whatever else the wizard/mage/warlock/witch wants just by his or her focus and willpower.

I know I sound bitter, and I would like to apologize to the many true fans of these books, but they truly missed the mark in my case. I probably should have given up after the first hundred pages or so, when the shallowness of the worldbuilding and the thinness of characterization became apparent, but it’s been several years since I left a book unfinished, and I didn’t want the first one to be one of my fantasy trips. Who knows, if the quarantine goes on for another year or two, I might even become desperate enough to pick the second volume.

[Luke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Easily the worst fantasy novel I've ever read. There are no redeeming qualities to this book.

First of all - a complete and utter lack of imagination. Most fantasy novels incorporate things like motifs or political structures that exist in real life. Hair has taken that a step further. Basically he's taken already existent places, religions and cultures and given them a slight spelling change (ie Europe is "Yuros", Jesus Christ is " Johan Corin" and so on.) His representation of middle eastern culture strikes me as just as shallow. I can only see 2 good reasons for him doing this 1) He truly does not have an imagination or 2) he does not trust the reader to understand what he's trying to get across. I think it's reason #2 because of the next complaint.

There's no sense of mystery, nothing that really "unfolds." Everything about every concept and character is pretty much explained at the moment of introduction. Not only that, but Hair seems the need to beat you over the head with all these complex concepts. Character development is pretty much non existent, everyone seems to act purely on the shallowest motives, which telegraphs all the "plot twists" from a mile away.

Now deliver all this predictable, unimaginative drivel in writing so flat it would give Stephanie Meyer a run for her money, and you've got Mages Blood in a nutshell. This made me feel insulted as a reader.

Dear David Hair;
Please grow an imagination.
PS - have a little more respect for your readers, we're not all that dumb.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Executive Summary: I found this book very uneven. There were parts I enjoyed, but many parts I didn't, and by the end I just wanted to be done with it. 2.5 stars.

Audio book: This is my first audio book read by Nick Podehl. I've heard mixed, though mostly positive things about him as a narrator, especially for the Kingkiller series.

I thought he was excellent here, and really helped me get through the unenjoyable parts of this book. I think if I was reading this rather than listening, I might have quit the book without finishing.

I look forward to listening to other books read by him in the future, just not the other books in this series.

Full Review
I prefer character driven stories, and this is definitely that. So why didn't I enjoy it? The answer for me at least is the characters. I found most of them unenjoyable. If I have no one to really root for, the story has to be that much better or I'll be bored.

Don't get me wrong, there are things to like about Alaron and Elena, but there is a lot not to like. I don't need perfect characters who fall into the chosen one trope, but something about their faults really just rubbed me the wrong way and I often found them frustrating and unlikable.

The best character in the book was Alaron's friend Ramon, who while he was basically a walking trope, was brought excellently to life by Mr. Podehl's narration and added some nice comic relief to the story.

Most of the other characters are flat, or too trope heavy. We have some mustache twirling bad guys, and the helpless Ramita who seems to merely be there to drive the plot as a goal/pawn for the other characters in the book.

The world building here was alright, but seems to borrow too heavily from actual cultures (in particular the Middle East, and religion of Islam) that it didn't feel much like being transported to another world apart from the magic.

And that was another issue I have. I guess Brandon Sanderson spoiled me for poorly developed magic systems, but it all felt just a bit too hand wavy to me.

Overall this book was just too uneven. There were some parts I really enjoyed, and there are questions I'd like to keep reading to get the answers too, but it's just not worth it for me. There is too many other things I'd rather be reading.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished Mage's Blood by David Hair; the book itself - action, characters, portrayal of the cultures (Western, Islamic and Indian in barely veiled disguise) and their clash well done with nuanced characters, good and bad guys and girls on both sides - the Sainted Mater-Empress Lucia takes top prize for pure evilness, though it degenerates into cartoonish stuff on occasion - but I had two structural issues that at least for now stops the series from being a top-top level one:

The world itself or at least the known continents are just a shrunken version of Europe and Asia and that makes it feel a little like a small sandbox rather than a real world and second the cultures described have been in isolation one from another for untold millenniums before a few hundred years ago when the appearance of magic in the world allowed the West to get to the East so to speak (that would be a third flaw in a way, why not do it the other way, with the East getting the magic and getting to the west first) and I just cannot believe the unitary nature of the cultures as despite surface differences there is a fundamental similarity between the Western, Islamic and Indian cultures in our world and in the world of the novel, which of course is not surprising in our world considering how they interacted and influenced each other forever so to speak (compare to the pre-Columbian Maya, Inca, Mexica or even the North American Native cultures and see what I mean), but it stretches the disbelief thingy in the novel

Still a gripping read, lots of twists and intriguing characters so I am in for the duration; a full FBc rv with Mihir in a few days and I will either c/p my part here or post the link; also a very good ending with a TBC sign but no real cliffhangers and revelations and big promises for the next volume



FBC Rv

INTRODUCTION: "Most of the time the Moontide Bridge lies deep below the sea, but every 12 years the tides sink and the bridge is revealed, its gates open for trade.

The Magi are hell-bent on ruling this new world, and for the last two Moontides they have led armies across the bridge on 'crusades' of conquest.

Now the third Moontide is almost here and, this time, the people of the East are ready for a fight ... but it is three seemingly ordinary people that will decide the fate of the world"

Intriguing blurb, great sample so a novel that became a must read on publication, Mage's Blood is David Hair's first foray into adult fantasy.

ANALYSIS: (Liviu) The setup of the series is as follows: the world of Urthe where the irregular orbit of the Moon creates huge tidal differences on a 12 year cycle while making sea navigation all but impossible outside locally coastal; for many centuries, the two main continents in which the action takes place, Yuros and Antiopia/Ahmedhassa have been in complete ignorance one from another despite being separated only by 300 miles of water and developing a Western like civilization in Yuros and Islamic (Ahm) and Indian (Lakh) - like cultures in Ahmedhassa.

However some 500 years before the start of the novel in 927, magic - gnosis - comes to the West when the 1000 followers of a hippie-like prophet, Corineus, are touched by supernatural power in a terrible and unforgettable night. Some few hundred die, including Corineus, some few hundred are unchanged, but some few hundred become extremely powerful magicians called Ascendants whose gnosis gets transmitted linearly by blood - child of mage and non-mage gets 1/2 power and so it goes up to 1/16 mage blood which is lowest where gnosis manifests - with the caveat that mage with mage couples have very few children overall so "pure bloods" remain relatively rare, while mixed bloods abound.

The original Ascendants split into factions - a militant one that forms a mighty empire in Yuros that rules to the present day and a peaceful one led by Antonin Meiros that retreats to the ends of Yuros in Pontus and sets up Ordo Costruo dedicated to improving the lives of people by magic; among other things, gnosis allows magical flying machines to work, so Anthiopia is discovered by air some 300 years ago and limited trade and visitations occur.

Meiros - still living in 927, as Ascendants are very long lived - and his followers want to do good, so some 100 years ago he built a tremendous bridge appropriately called Leviathan Bridge, 300 miles long, connecting Pontus with the nation of Dhassa whose capital Hebusalim is the Holy City of the Ahm religion. The bridge opens for two years, every 12 years due to the tides - we learn more details later from Meiros himself. Trade and some colonization ensue and everyone prospers for about 100 years, but the leading imperial families are not happy as in the words of the evil-supremo of the series to date, Sainted Mater-Empress Lucia:

"‘But Meiros, an Ascendant too craven to join the liberation of Yuros from the Rimoni yoke, left the fellowship of the Three Hundred and built that cursed Bridge, and from that Bridge do all of our woes come! I wonder, does Antonin Meiros even know what he has done?’

He seemed perfectly aware of it last time I saw him, reflected Gyle. He wondered whether Lucia Fasterius truly believed the bigoted dogma she spoke. She seemed intelligent, learned – kindly, even. But in her eyes something fanatic lurked, like a venomous snake.

Lucia came to a halt behind her chair and gripped the wooden back tightly. ‘For a century we have seen the Bridge open every twelve years, when the tides drop to levels that permit traverse. We have seen the merchants pour across then return with all manner of addictive Eastern goods – opium and hashish, coffee and tea, even the silks and other luxuries that entrance our people. They can virtually name their prices on return. The bankers extend credit to merchants whilst squeezing the nobility, the magi-protectors who made Rondelmar what it is.

Who are the richest men in Rondelmar? The merchants and bankers! Fat obsequious slime like Jean Benoit and his merchant cabal. And what have they bought with their ill-gotten gains? Our homes – our belongings – our art, and worse: they have purchased our sons and daughters, our Blood!’ Lucia was shouting now, spittle flecking her lips. ‘Those scum are buying our children and taking them to wife or husband, so that their misbegotten offspring will have everything, both gold and gnosis, and as a result, we are seeing a new breed, the mage-merchant, nasty, grasping half-breeds."

So in an act of treachery, the Imperial legions attack over the bridge in 904 and take Hebusalim in an orgy of blood and destruction while Meiros chooses non-interference rather than breaking his famed bridge and open war with the Empire, so he ensures hatred from both sides...

The Antiopian armies retake Hebusalim once the bridge submerges under the tide as air support from Yuros is not enough, so another round of massacres ensue, while in the second Crusade of 916, the Empire strikes back with ever more force and holds Hebusalim since. In the meantime, the hardships due to the Crusade led to a revolt in a southern province of the Empire, Noros, which while defeated is still shrouded in some mystery today and now in 927, one year before the next opening of the bridge, the Empire prepares the "Crusade to end all crusades", while the Antiopians have declares holy shihad to defeat the invaders...

The main characters of the novel are: Elena Anborn, Norosian half-blood mage and former feared guerrilla fighter in the revolt under the (in)famous Gurvon Gyle who appears in the quote above as an intimate of the ruling Empress Mater as he was pardoned years after the revolt on condition to do the Empire's dirty work from then on.

Ostensibly working as bodyguard for the Nesti ruling family of Javon which is an Antiopian kingdom which was partly settled from Yuros during the peaceful era and is unique in the normal - though tense of course - cohabitation of the two races, Elena is actually under Gyle's orders and unfortunately for everyone living there, Javon is very important strategically for both Empire and the Sultan.

Alaron Mercer, Norosian quarter blood mage and nephew of Elena who is preparing to graduate the college of magic and get his accreditation. His story is in large part the typical coming-of-age one from fantasy, but in a nice twist, Alaron is still a quarter blood mage so not quite the usually powerful "boy of destiny", but he compensates with his agile mind and intense curiosity...

Ramita Ankesharan from a Lakh family in an obscure city but whose father, Ispal, gets an offer he cannot refuse, so Amita's expected life is turned upside down and she will travel far away to a destiny we only start to glimpse for now...

Kazim Makani, Ramita's fiancee, son of an Amteh warrior who became blood-brother with Ispal in Hebusalim during the terrible 904 - as in our history, Lakh is ruled by an Amteh emperor with the majority locals coexisting uneasily with the Amteh invaders and converts. When Ramita is taken away, Kazim goes berserk and later joins the shihad but of course things are not quite as they seem. The time of trials for all is approaching!

Mage's Blood has great action and memorable characters; the portrayal of the cultures and their clash is extremely well done with nuanced characters, good and bad guys and girls on both side.

On the negative side I had two structural issues: the world itself or at least the known continents to date are just a shrunken version of Europe and Asia and that makes it feel a little like a small sandbox rather than a real world.

Then the cultures described have been in isolation one from another for untold centuries before the gnosis and the airships when the appearance of magic in the world allowed the West to get to the East so to speak - that would be a third flaw in a way, why not do it the other way, with the East getting the magic and getting to the West first - and I just cannot believe the unitary nature of the cultures as despite surface differences there is a fundamental similarity between the Western, Islamic and Indian cultures in our world and in the world of the novel.

This of course is not surprising in our world considering how they interacted and influenced each other forever so to speak (compare to the pre-Columbian Maya, Inca, Mexica or even the North American Native cultures and see what I mean), but it stretches somewhat the suspension of disbelief in the novel
With a very good ending with a TBC sign but no real cliffhangers, while having revelations and big promises for the next volume, Mage's Blood is a gripping read with lots of twists and intriguing characters so I am in for the duration.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mage’s Blood by David Hair propelled itself to the top of my TBR pile after hearing several promising reviews from some of my most trusted fantasy bloggers. The story was described as a bloody crusade between two sides set in a dark medieval world with heavy hints of Arabic culture, and even a comparison to R. Scott Bakker’s Prince of Nothing saga was made. “Crusade, dark, bloody, medieval, clash of nations” okay fine, here’s my money. Sounded like it was right up my alley and for the most part I enjoyed the first book in the Moontide Quartet, but unfortunately these dark themes demand mature characters, and the worst thing about Mage’s Blood is the undeniable young adult vibe found within.

Many other people have complained about a slow start and while I can see where they are coming from, the first few hundred pages were the best for me. The book lacks a character glossary, (something that I think is going to be essential for book 2) so I had to resort to the old school method of writing down the character names and what their role in the story was. I think I had over 40 characters within the first hundred pages. This isn’t a book that can lie around for a few weeks and then be picked back up again; you might find yourself a bit lost.

The West clash with the East after a magical bridge is constructed that connects two separate continents of Yuros (west) and Antiopia (east). This magical bridge is known as the “Moontide Bridge” and it only surfaces once every twelve years. Two crusades have already happened in the past and the third is about to take place. The nation of Yuros has been plagued with civil war but is still considered the stronger of the two nations due to the fact that they caused significant damage during the previous campaigns.

On the western side of the world (Yuros) we get multiple POV characters and also get an inside view into the political decisions that surround the upcoming crusade. Alaron Mercer is studying to become a Mage and we get to see his final months of study at the famed Mage’s school. After stumbling across an old man who has lost his memory, Alaron and his two friends attempt to unravel the man’s mysterious past, only to find that they have set in motion events that cannot be stopped. Also on the western front we get to meet Gurvon Gyle a Magister of great power. His POV chapters were some of the best but unfortunately his chapters get the least amount of screen time.

Over on the eastern side of the world we get a slew of characters and this is where David Hair excelled in his world building. Combining elements of Indian, Arabic, and even a bit of Chinese culture we get a glimpse into a very rich world. Camels, vast desserts, traveling caravans, and mysterious assassins are aplenty here. If you enjoy a touch of exotic flair in your fantasy then there is a lot to appreciate here.

The first character we get to meet in Antiopia is Elena Anborn, a female mage. Oftentimes the argument of gender tends to come up within the fantasy literature community, and David Hair gives us a great female lead in Elena Anborn. Other than a stereotypical love triangle situation, her story was very refreshing and I feel confident in saying that she has been the best female POV character I’ve read since Arya from Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Ramita Ankesharan is a lowborn citizen from the southern desserts of Antiopa. She is destined to marry a young man named Kazim Makani, who lives in the same village as her. Ramita is set to marry Kazim and live happily ever after until one day a mysterious Mage comes to claim her as a wife. The Mage entices Ramita’s father with riches beyond his imagination. Ramita’s father decides to break off the marriage between his daughter and Kazim, much to Kazim’s dismay. The storyline here is Kazim trying to get Ramita back, and Ramita eventually falling in love with her mysterious husband.

This being David Hair’s first foray into “adult fantasy” he succeeds on multiple levels, but unfortunately the majority of characters are young adults and with that comes whiney teenage angst. Alaron’s storyline turns into a Hardy Boys novel, and Ramita and Kazim’s storyline is something stolen from an ABC family teen sitcom. Another issue I had was the unnecessary changes to modern words for no apparent reason other than this being a fantasy novel. Fucking becomes rukking, Satan becomes shaitan, etc. The magic system here is cool at times, but ultimately disappointing due to the fact that the mages have limitless power. A good magic system needs to be grounded in rules, and these mage’s seem to have no limitations.

I went into this novel thinking it could be the next great “Grimdark” fantasy series, but instead it falls short but it does fit nicely into most epic fantasy. Fans of Brandon Sanderson, and Peter V. Brett should find A LOT to love about this book, but if you’re looking for the next Steven Erikson or R. Scott Bakker keep looking, and let me know when you find it! The novel stands at about 686 pages. (US hardcover edition)

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed. I love great worldbuilding. I do not mind if you borrow from cultures in our world, just by the gods, change some things at least!

This world has the Mafia in Sicily and they even speak Italian there.
There are the roaming Romani.
There is Jerusalem, and trust me, it's not like it's a place call Ach*meh*otu and I just guessed it. No, it's called Hebusalim. Like with the Romani and mafia it's so freaking obvious.
There is the West, and the East and the East is so our East and they have declared Jihad there. There are Emirs, there are camels, there is even the India place with Kama Sutra.
There is a Jesus like guy. There is the Roman empire.

The planet is called Urth *groans*

Fine, could the characters have saved it?
Half and half. Aleron was pretty interesting (even though he was stupid). His aunt Elena was pretty interesting.

That guy following the girl he loves was NOT interesting. I skimmed his parts. The story if the girl he loved and her new man, was NOT interesting. I skimmed her parts.

The only reason I am giving this a 2 is cos of Aleron and Elena. The rest was bad. No originality at all.

[Paul Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mage's blood starts off a little slowly, however once you get a feel for the cultures, the politics, the magic and the lay of the land it jumps in excitement into an excellent story
Magi are born of Mage’s Blood and the purer the blood the stronger the mage, Elena is a powerful mage and a skilled fighter in the pay of her former lover, Gurvon Gyle, tasked to protect the Javon monarch and his family. She grows close to those she is protecting and starts to believe that she has found a home. When the order comes for the assassination of the monarchy she rebels and thwarts Gyle's plans and effectively brings a death sentence on her head.
Alaron is a quarter blood. He has enough power to wield the Gnosis but he can never be as strong as the pure bloods that bully him through college. Thankfully it is nearly exam time and he will soon be free from college and a true mage in his own right, provided he gets through this first of many trials.
Every twelve years the Leviathan Bridge opens joining two lands and two cultures. Antonin Meiros and his allies created the bridge in the time of the first crusade and his actions doomed a nation. Now, seventeen years since the revolt, the third crusade is within sight. The months count down at an ever increasing pace, the Moontide approaches and the world’s fate rests on three unlikely heroes.
The story is told from the viewpoint of three main protagonists and several other key characters, all are excellent but it is the detail and depth of the story that captures the imagination. Building up to a tense finale, the author has left the story at a perfect point where you feel the strong desire to see how the story threads progress and how the main characters overcome their current predicaments.
This novel has a wonderful Epic scale and I for one look forward to the next instalment.

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic [plus analysis by Liviu]

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: I hadn’t heard of David Hair before I found out about this one. Since it was a release from Jo Fletcher books, I was interested in it purely based on the blurb details as well as the recent excellent and diverse releases Jo Fletcher books had so far. This book had a blurb that promised a war that occurs every twelve years due to a specific tidal event and featured a world that bears a close resemblance to certain areas and historical aspects of our own.

The story focuses on various nations on the continents of Yuros and Antiopia/Ahmedhassa. Yuros is the western landmass hosting various nations that have a magical aspect to their theology and chief among the nations are the Rondians who form the empire to rule over the entire continent. Antiopia or Ahemedhassa is the eastern continent that’s connected to its western half by means of a geographical bridge that was constructed by a mage.

The eastern continent has many nations which bear a striking similarity to certain middle Eastern cultures as well a region that is culturally, theologically and geographically very very similar to the Indian subcontinent. The story focuses on various characters strewn across these dual continents and many nations. Ranging from long lived mages/witches to teenage girls to aspiring mages and many more, the POV characters come from varied cultures and backgrounds to give the reader a panoramic view into the world developed by the author.

Justin from Staffer’s Musing’s blog had compared it to the Prince of Nothing trilogy but one that was more accessible to readers. This is a very astute observation; I would modify it to a certain extent and say that the author has tried to present a clash of civilizations, this time occurring literally between east and the west while also shining a close light on some of the cultures existing in the Indian subcontinent as well as the Middle East. This series sets up a conflict that has been years in the making and will occur at a great cost to both sides but before it can begin, the political machinations have already been initiated.

Beginning with the ascension rites across various regions to the beatification of an empress, there is a lot that happens in the first 150-200 pages. The reader might be definitely be bamboozled by the various POV characters, side character cast as well the different plot threads being introduced. There are a few maps present in the start and they will be extremely handy in tracking the various locales mentioned and details occurring in them.

I frequently referred to them as the action went from place to place and they were very helpful. The character cast is a vast one and it can be confusing sometimes plus there are no character appendices provided so it was very cumbersome to keep track of who’s who and related to whom and located where.

The story is set on a timescale leading up to the complete recession of the moon tide that leads the story on a very twisted landscape and slowly the readers realize as to what all is truly happening. The end two hundred pages are choc-a-bloc with action, political intrigue, character treachery and much more happening on a grand stage.

The author has showcased a world that’s violent, dark and as possibly as ambiguous as ours. There are no truly clear-cut characters as most of them have shades of good or bad but the good ones do end up doing things that aren’t entirely befitting their natures and the evil ones do things that cannot be construed as completely evil. Of course there are a couple of ones that are just plain old evil/megalomaniacal and they provide impetus to the political & magical twists to the main plot.

This book has the best parts of the epic fantasy genre and adding to that also has a conflict that promises to be epic but is also grounded in moral ambiguity that is prevalent so much in the current geo-political scenarios of our world. There’s also the multivariate character cast that will keep the readers occupied with their antics and actions that enthrall and keep the readers hooked on to their chapters.

The author has managed to bring about a mirror to the complex and fascinating historical conflicts that occurred during the middle ages and gives it a drastic mystical kick to stir up a hornet’s nest. This is the first volume in a tremendously exciting series and one, which I’ll be following with great interest in the next few years.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy Review Barn

When was the last time I read a starting entry of a series that strives so far for that true ‘epic’ feel, let alone one that succeeds? Hey, this is not a commentary on the state of fantasy today, I am loving the trend of shorter books with a tight cast; a fantasy that takes place in a city can show a lot more depth than some of the sprawling messes I have read. But occasionally I feel the need to read a brick of a book, one with a large cast, huge landmasses, and so much going on a map is needed. I have just found the last few entries I have read that tried not to have worked for me. A world can be built, religions and orders and other little details can be set, hell an appendix can even be tacked on to the back; none of it matters if this info doesn’t actually affect the story.

Hair has taken a formula in Mage’s Blood that isn’t new, nor does it really seem to be trying to be, but he does do an excellent job of making it his own. Obvious East/West parallels, this book doesn’t run from our world but rather borrows heavily from it, and then twists slightly give it a new feel. Jihads and Crusades, romantic languages with only slight variations, even a Christ-like figure that is twisted in a delightful way are present. This is not our earth in an alternate reality, but rather the influences are borrowed and used in a well-built secondary world that grows into its own as the book goes on. At first this style grated on me, I even made a small list of real world comparisons, but as the story moved I became much more forgiving until I stopped caring at all.

There is an obvious comparison to be made between Hair’s debut and The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker; and not in the least because of the use of Gnosis as the basis of the magic. Both deal with the build up to an epic war (each including an allegory to the peasant’s crusade within) and both stick with a fairly small cast of main characters and a more complex cast of secondary one. But while Bakker’s books have a legion of loyal fans it turned off just as many with its heavy philosophizing and incredibly dense structure, Mage’s Blood is the opposite; it is a quick moving, easy to read (which doesn’t mean simple), more focused ride with similar qualities. It is a tradeoff of sorts, less of the imagery, but better ease into the story.

Early on I ran into a PoV character that I just plain didn’t enjoy, something that continued for half the book and messed with my early enjoyment. A strange feeling; several adult characters with story lines that felt important from the start mixed in with one very YA feeling storyline dealing with a couple of students in a school of magic. And I will admit, the dislike of this particular character arc never went away even once it left the school; from there the young man went on a, well let’s call it a treasure hunt, that seemed to improbable and full of convenience for my liking.

Luckily that one character arc makes up my biggest complaint; I adored the rest of this book. The storyline involving a young female regent and her female body guard was a particular favorite; I especially liked bodyguard Elena’s resourcefulness in taking down magic uses with more power than her. (A note on the magic: The mage’s blood of the title involves actual bloodlines; decedents of the original mages have progressively less power through the generations, an interesting dynamic). The spy master was suitably cunning yet even early on showed flaws and weaknesses; a chess master but not invincible. The various plot lines were brought together well. No, not everyone ends up in the same place, but rather their pieces of the puzzle makes the big picture a little more clear, and the set up for the next book interesting indeed.

I am glad to see a new epic series that I am excited about. I am glad to see all the little details the author worked so hard to build actually matter (and will leave the debate on whether using so much of our world to build his secondary world is cheating or not for another day). And I will gladly read The Scarlet Tides, book two of the series, as soon as I can get my hands on it.

4 Stars

[Lundos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex, multifaceted, multi-pov story, where the story arks touch each other in many ways, and while the story seems simple enough on the surface, it is actually very deep and well thought out. The culture and plot lines keeps expanding and deepen as does the characters - though a lot also die.

This series should be on every fantasy fan to-read list - yes it's that good overall.

EDIT: The character arks of Alaron, Ramita, Cym, Sensini, Ella, Cera and Kazim er so different but in their own way unique and excellent. The way the highest levels of power are portrayed are also excellent and while the series as a whole sometimes follow trope lines, they are rare and well done.

I don't mind the constant referrals to Earth (Urte) or that religion, cities or ethnicities are in some cases copied from the real world, but if you don't like this you should stay away from this series.

The terrors of war are obvious and the critique making war is too much at points.

Don't read this if you are very religious.

[Shelby M. (Read and Find Out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars! Will need to think some before reviewing.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Stars
This epic fantasy started out enjoyable, but slowly lost me along the way. The narrative had a lot of info dumping, which I can normally forgive  but it didn't make for the strongest storytelling. I had two main issues that held me back from loving this one. First, the world building felt lazy, where everything was clearly based on our real world with slight name changes. Second, the characters felt quite flat with some poorly explained motivations. I thought I would love this book, but unfortunately I did not and will not be continuing on with the series.

[Maciel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This really was a very good book xD I enjoyed it from start to end. But what I loved the most was how it portrayed the absolute nonsense and cruelty of all the religions :D I can't wait to start with The Scarlet Tides! damn exams!

[Timelord Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit infodumpy to start, but quickly picked up pace... very nerve-wracking story, if you care about the characters... glad I'm not taking long breaks between books...

[Lennie Wynker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did I not read this sooner?! It was a fantastic book. I loved all the POV, except for Aladair. His storyline was a bit more YA. However, it's his personality I couldn't stand. It's like he could never think before acting. Always getting angry. I got tired of this and started skipping his chapters.

It's interesting to me all fantasy books I've liked this year were older ones. I haven't enjoyed anything published this year. I felt like authors have lost their inspiration or something.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book.

[Solseit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book genuinely caught my interest and I felt like writing a short review about it.
Let me know your thoughts!

https://todaysdecameron.wordpress.com...

[Patremagne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Fastest I've read a 700 pager in a long time.
http://abitterdraft.com/2013/09/mages...

The folks at Jo Fletcher don’t seem to be capable of disappointing. I’ve yet to read a book I wasn’t pleased with from them.

What first drew me to Mage’s Blood was the clash of civilizations. East versus West. Religion versus religion. Crusades. These are all fairly standard ideas/tropes in fantasy. They’re done often. No matter how often I read about them, I still find the aspect of different peoples clashing, especially different religions, incredibly compelling – exploring why they’re fighting and so on. For more on religion in fantasy, check out Teresa Frohock’s post from not too long ago. Opinions vary, some love it and some don’t – it depends on how well the author portrays the various religions. David Hair does very well.

The beginning to Mage’s Blood has been described as slow by several people. I love some good action, and in fact I probably prefer books with action in them. Hair starts us off with vivid detail in every sense of the word – very little action occurs. The people, cultures, and landscape, and world are the focal points of the first hundred or so pages. What I’m also a big fan of is detail when it comes to the world. The map printed on the inside cover was a fantastic tool to have throughout the story. At the beginning of every chapter is a short paragraph on some part of the history of the world – what happened at this place, how this form of magic works, and so on – add this to the strongly balanced worldbuilding that expands as the story unfolds and you have the means to an excellent work of literature. The novel really hits its stride, though, at around the 200 page mark (it’s not a struggle to read the first 200 though).


Every dozen years, the Leviathan Bridge rises above sea level and becomes traversable – known as the Moontide. For the past two Moontides, the people on both sides of the Bridge have clashed in crusades and shihads – holy wars. The people of the Rondian Empire to the west, on the continent of Yuros, are given magic – gnosis – in their theology, and Hair describes it in detail throughout the story and their religion strongly resembles European Christianity. The people of the eastern continent, Antiopia, are comprised of followers of Ahm, similar to Arabic culture and Islam, and people of Lakh, seen as Indian in culture and theology. The holy city where all the religious strife is centered is even named Hebusalim – sound familiar? So while the cultures and places themselves are not completely unique and original, they are presented in a very engaging way, making this 700 page epic breeze right along.

Mage’s Blood is told from the perspective of three primary characters as well as many other minor characters. I was genuinely surprised that Hair was able to juggle so many characters with a deft hand. Alaran Mercer is a quarter-blood mage, meaning that he can wield the magic, the gnosis, but is not all-powerful like a pureblood or Ascendant might be. Alaron’s initial arc is fairly standard and tropey – a young man going to a school to learn magic – but it turns into a much more compelling story and his is probably the one I am most looking forward to in the sequel. Elena Anborn, Alaron’s aunt, is a half-blood warrior-mage in service of Gurvon Gyle, a sort of spymaster for the Rondian throne. She is tasked to guard the Nesti royal family, who rule Javon, a region in northern Antiopia. She grows fond of the family she is tasked to protect and when her orders come, she has a difficult decision to make. Elena is a great character who has had so much happen to her, and the story as we know it is just beginning – she becomes very easy to empathize with. Ramita Ankesharan is the final ‘main’ character. She’s a young Lakh girl who gets thrown into a world that’s way over her head due to her father’s greed. Alongside these three there are several others, including Gyle himself, a princess, a particularly foul-mouthed saint, and more. Sometimes you’ll have a story from one character that ends up connecting with the past of another, and that is pretty awesome.

Possibly the strongest aspect of Mage’s Blood is its cultural diversity. While the continent of Yuros is fairly standard and European, Antiopia is brimming with diversity. Throughout the story the people of Yuros and Antopia are seen wearing cultural garb, be they turbans, burkas, or many other forms of clothing and jewelry. Not only is the clothing diverse, there are terms and phrases of various origins, Italian, Spanish, Indian, Arabic and more – most of which I had to look up. This isn’t a bad thing – I like to learn while I read. It seemed to me upon reading the definitions that they were used correctly, but then again I’m no expert in any of said cultures. From the cities to the people inhabiting them, the world of Urte felt very real.

Magic. With a title like Mage’s Blood, you know there will be magic of some sort – but how in-dept will it be? Will it be a simple fireball-style system that can be cast at will or will it be a detailed Sanderson-esque system where everything comes at a cost? Hair gives us the latter. There are different schools of the gnosis that is explained very well in both the story and the chapter headers. The best part? Hair writes magic duels to rival Sanderson. Mages can do more or less anything – shapeshift, create magical shields that redirect or block magic, bring the dead back to life, heal, and more. The system is well thought out and detailed – you’ll feel the fire scorch the earth around you.

Mage’s Blood is true epic fantasy. It has everything a fan could want – detailed magic, good characters and evil characters (of both genders) and some in between, a compelling plot, and twists aplenty. At first glance, it seems like, at nearly 700 pages, that some things could be cut out to trim it to a more feasible size. I don’t think that’s the case for Mage’s Blood. It felt like every word was more or less in its place and necessary, and the plot moved quickly to boot. I cannot wait to read the sequel, The Scarlet Tides, and will likely read it as soon as it arrives. It’s nice to see newer fantasy stories set in places that aren’t strictly medieval Europe. With Elizabeth Bear’s Eternal Sky set in the steppes of Mongolia, The Chronicles of Sword and Sand from Howard Andrew Jones set in Baghdad, and several others, this is a trend I would gladly see continue in the future.

[M.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,6
A solid start to a high fantasy series with multiple POV's. In the world of Urte, the continents of Yuros and Antiopia are united only every few years via the manmade Leviathan Bridge, which emerges from the sea when the tide is at its lowest point. This event marks the political intrigues for power and conquest between the states, where different social standards and theological beliefs clash.
The series draws heavily from reality, bringing in its fantasy world elements from Asia, especially India.

[David Firmage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of political manoeuvring and plotting throughout the book, almost certainly going to kick off in the next books of the quartet as “the event” starts in the depths of the epilogue. The major fight sequences are beautifully described.

The direct lifts from life, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Roman. Arabian, Norse and Celt. Middle East against Europe, mafia and other references are going to be divisive. For myself it played into the world building. Some parts are slow but overall enjoyable.

[Solseit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still kick myself for having started so late on this series. Great story lines, good characters (some more interesting and relatable than others), intrigue and inspired by crusades.
The best companion for a long flight. Absolutely impressive.

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

A significantly flawed book, but one with an intriguing ending. Why? I love a good villain, and I like it when authors aren’t afraid to make some of the important characters suffer a lot. I think there’s at least one interesting villain here. And there are some ruthless fates that befell certain characters that I like in this book.

Having said that, I think there are some undeniably major flaws from this book. One major flaw is the verbatim copying of the elements of our own historical Crusades and the arguments between fundamental Christianity vs Islam.

Additionally, the cultures of the two continents that exist in this world are carbon copy of actual cultures here on Earth. Obviously, Yuros is copied from Europe and the other continent is copied from Asia, especially Arab and India. The author doesn’t seem to change any of the habits, cultures, beliefs from those places that are the basis of his “inspiration”. As a result, the two continents just don’t feel authentic to me.

Furthermore, the author likes to just alter one or two alphabets from the stuff that he draws his “inspiration” from. One blatant example is Shihad. It just makes his writing appear lazy.

I was going to give up this series, because I was just so underwhelmed by the factors I mentioned above, and the lack of character developments (plus, a few annoyingly stupid characters). However,the final two chapters finally, and thankfully, provide some pretty good twists and challenges for the good guys. I just wonder why it took 650 pages before the exciting development to finally appear. Sigh.

2.5 Star. 2 Star for the 650 grueling pages, and 0.5 Star for the ending.