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The Mage's Tomb
At the bottom of a crater, surrounded by steep cliffs, Edwin Hubbard was born in the lonely, isolated village of Chardwick, a place where outsiders aren't welcome and any mention of the supernatural is forbidden--and feared. Though Edwin may not stand out as the best looking or most charming fifteen-year-old boy in Chardwick, he has an unexplainable way of drawing unwanted attention to himself. Edwin would face dire consequences were anyone to discover that he has befriended a strange creature made of black smoke, or that he harbors dark secrets of sorcery. But Edwin isn't the only one with secrets. His best friend, Walt, has a few that will change the life of every person in the mysterious village of Chardwick. Walt is the key to unlocking Edwin's own great destiny... if Edwin can survive the encounter.
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 7, 2013
Not Just Another YA Read!
Man, I am just on full tilt hatin' on YA novels as of late.
Seriously, everyone and their freakin' mom are doing their dag-nabbetest (yes, that's a word `cuz I said so) to become the next J.K. Rowling that they forget the most important facets of writing a good book.
And that's just writing a good freakin' book!
J.T. Brister has done exactly that with The Mage's Tomb.
First and foremost, I find myself getting turned off not only by YA novels nowadays but also the idea of ANY book being the "first in a series" or HEAVEN FORBID "first in the Whatevertropperific Trilogy." Now while I have poked fun at J.T.'s choice of genre, I didn't let it discourage me from cracking open my smartphone and rubbing his words against my face.
And hooooo boy, what delicious words they were! I went in at a slightly tilted angle, ready to rip him a new one only to discover one of the finest examples of tense atmosphere I have yet to read in a book~! Seriously, I found myself absolutely delighted to keep reading in order to discover what the hell was just so WRONG about this town...I don't mean Silent Hill wrong (though he could've gone that way too!) but more like Twin Peaks wrong.
J.T. does a GREAT job in keeping you hooked, intent on figuring out the twisted backstory of this place and the system of magic presented in the book itself is an inventive one. That you're smack-dab in the middle of everything, having to learn as the main character himself does not only of his history but, in a way, his pre-history...yeah, I can only put it in the most basic terms that I know of.
Freakin' sweet!
Now, here's why I'm giving him 4/5 instead of an ERMAGERDPFFFTGBLARGLE 5/5: this is Ender's Game as done by Raymond E. Feist. That's a pretty good compliment in my opinion, but this is no Heinlein - there are the usual areas where a professional edit would polish it up and make it shine, plus the action is coming from the angle of a fantasy writer rather than a truly hardcore violence junkie.
BUT don't let my churlishness fool you - this is a great read, one worthy of your time and attention! His writing style goes down smooth and has a wonderful finish, as I'm sure you'll find out for yourself~!
I am Thomas Duder, Author of the Things, and I approve this review.
~Thomas Duder, Author of The Things
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorOfTheTh...
Man, I am just on full tilt hatin' on YA novels as of late.
Seriously, everyone and their freakin' mom are doing their dag-nabbetest (yes, that's a word `cuz I said so) to become the next J.K. Rowling that they forget the most important facets of writing a good book.
And that's just writing a good freakin' book!
J.T. Brister has done exactly that with The Mage's Tomb.
First and foremost, I find myself getting turned off not only by YA novels nowadays but also the idea of ANY book being the "first in a series" or HEAVEN FORBID "first in the Whatevertropperific Trilogy." Now while I have poked fun at J.T.'s choice of genre, I didn't let it discourage me from cracking open my smartphone and rubbing his words against my face.
And hooooo boy, what delicious words they were! I went in at a slightly tilted angle, ready to rip him a new one only to discover one of the finest examples of tense atmosphere I have yet to read in a book~! Seriously, I found myself absolutely delighted to keep reading in order to discover what the hell was just so WRONG about this town...I don't mean Silent Hill wrong (though he could've gone that way too!) but more like Twin Peaks wrong.
J.T. does a GREAT job in keeping you hooked, intent on figuring out the twisted backstory of this place and the system of magic presented in the book itself is an inventive one. That you're smack-dab in the middle of everything, having to learn as the main character himself does not only of his history but, in a way, his pre-history...yeah, I can only put it in the most basic terms that I know of.
Freakin' sweet!
Now, here's why I'm giving him 4/5 instead of an ERMAGERDPFFFTGBLARGLE 5/5: this is Ender's Game as done by Raymond E. Feist. That's a pretty good compliment in my opinion, but this is no Heinlein - there are the usual areas where a professional edit would polish it up and make it shine, plus the action is coming from the angle of a fantasy writer rather than a truly hardcore violence junkie.
BUT don't let my churlishness fool you - this is a great read, one worthy of your time and attention! His writing style goes down smooth and has a wonderful finish, as I'm sure you'll find out for yourself~!
I am Thomas Duder, Author of the Things, and I approve this review.
~Thomas Duder, Author of The Things
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorOfTheTh...
November 7, 2015
This is Edwin’s story, a boy with a mysterious past and with strange gifts that sets every inhabitant of the town of Chardwick on edge. Throw in witches and spirits and creatures, a menacing mine, an abandoned Keep on the cliffs and weird traditions, and you have a story you cannot put down!
The Mage’s Tomb possesses brilliant characterisation, real imagination, many clever twists, as well as great writing and plot. Well done to the author! The Mage’s Tomb definitely deserves five stars!
The Mage’s Tomb possesses brilliant characterisation, real imagination, many clever twists, as well as great writing and plot. Well done to the author! The Mage’s Tomb definitely deserves five stars!
January 2, 2018
I enjoyed this book.
March 30, 2013
I chose to get the Mage's Tomb when it was offered as a free promotion on Amazon. I was drawn to it mostly because of the cover. It looked very professional to me. Then I read the blurb and was definitely drawn in. Just as a precaution, I also glanced at the Look Inside sample. That really sealed the deal for me. I had to read it. Here are my honest thoughts on the book.
Things that I liked:
The writing was definitely very good...for most of the book anyway. What I find that I liked most about it was the witches. They were creepy, well thought out, evil and manipulative. They were definitely my favorite part of the book, hands down. The other thing that I liked was the magi. It was an interesting twist to the concept of magic using and I really liked the idea of using magic equals a price that has to be paid. The village of Chardwick was also well thought out and their way of life descriptive enough to suck me into the story. I loved their hatred for the magi and the fact that they deemed themsleves protectors of a sort. The thing that I really thought the author excelled at was character development and dialogue. It all felt very real and natural, unlike some books I've read where they seemed fake or forced. There were other aspects to this book that I enjoyed, but those are the big ones.
Things that I didn't like:
One of the biggest things that I found I disliked was the author's tendency to skip out on a few details. For example, the MC gets on a boat by himself. Then, it jumps ahead to a different POV, the witches', and somehow they are on the boat with the MC. It took several more paragraphs for me to learn that they were invisible and the MC didn't know they were there. I found several instances of this throughout the book. Also, there were more than a few grammatical errors, typos, wrong words or even words that were missing that were supposed to be there. Overall, it was infrequent, but towards the end of the book, they started getting more common. Another thing that I wasn't overly fond of was the pace of the book. I felt that the beginning was excellent. Then it got slow. Then slower. Then it finally started picking up again. Then it was getting even better with lots of action. Then it started to die down again. Finally, at the end, the book's pace was more locked in and natural.
Overall, I really wished I could give it a Four star rating, but there were issues I couldn't overlook. If I could, however, I would give it something like a 3.5 rating. I think the book is better than a three star (especially with some more editing), but for me it didn't quite reach four. I would like to read the next book in the series, however. The story is interesting and I'd like to see what comes next.
**UPDATE**
The author has made revisions to this novel and I think that it deserves four stars instead of three. I really did enjoy the book and if you are a fan of fantasy and magic, this is definitely a good book to read!
Things that I liked:
The writing was definitely very good...for most of the book anyway. What I find that I liked most about it was the witches. They were creepy, well thought out, evil and manipulative. They were definitely my favorite part of the book, hands down. The other thing that I liked was the magi. It was an interesting twist to the concept of magic using and I really liked the idea of using magic equals a price that has to be paid. The village of Chardwick was also well thought out and their way of life descriptive enough to suck me into the story. I loved their hatred for the magi and the fact that they deemed themsleves protectors of a sort. The thing that I really thought the author excelled at was character development and dialogue. It all felt very real and natural, unlike some books I've read where they seemed fake or forced. There were other aspects to this book that I enjoyed, but those are the big ones.
Things that I didn't like:
One of the biggest things that I found I disliked was the author's tendency to skip out on a few details. For example, the MC gets on a boat by himself. Then, it jumps ahead to a different POV, the witches', and somehow they are on the boat with the MC. It took several more paragraphs for me to learn that they were invisible and the MC didn't know they were there. I found several instances of this throughout the book. Also, there were more than a few grammatical errors, typos, wrong words or even words that were missing that were supposed to be there. Overall, it was infrequent, but towards the end of the book, they started getting more common. Another thing that I wasn't overly fond of was the pace of the book. I felt that the beginning was excellent. Then it got slow. Then slower. Then it finally started picking up again. Then it was getting even better with lots of action. Then it started to die down again. Finally, at the end, the book's pace was more locked in and natural.
Overall, I really wished I could give it a Four star rating, but there were issues I couldn't overlook. If I could, however, I would give it something like a 3.5 rating. I think the book is better than a three star (especially with some more editing), but for me it didn't quite reach four. I would like to read the next book in the series, however. The story is interesting and I'd like to see what comes next.
**UPDATE**
The author has made revisions to this novel and I think that it deserves four stars instead of three. I really did enjoy the book and if you are a fan of fantasy and magic, this is definitely a good book to read!
May 30, 2013
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions below are entirely my own. Taken from my Amazon.com review.
I find this book very difficult to discuss without minor spoilers. For those who desire to stay entirely spoiler-free, please skip to my "bottom line" section, labeled as such.
In the opening chapters, this book establishes itself as not one for the faint of heart. There is violence, death, but darkest and perhaps more importantly of all, the moral dilemma of needing to kill to survive. This book explores a unique premise of the lonely boy who grows up to be a wizard in a world where that is absolutely terrible news - juggling his appearance of being normal with the abuses of the spirit that haunts him creates a fascinating dichotomy.
The cast of characters is decidedly small, as a very well-developed core cast takes away from side characters, to the story's detriment - there were many very interesting-looking characters I would have wished to see more of or learn more about. Most are quite likable, even those not allied with the protagonist, and the ones that aren't are so by design.
The plot generally moved at a medium pace, with some scenes lagging on, and others feeling entirely unnecessary, though these were few and far between. The witches, the only clear "baddies" in the book, seemed flat in their characterization and because it felt like all five of them seemed to need to get a word in, their scenes felt dragged out the most.
As far as fictional worlds go, this was a small one. It was kept to one small town, which is a dangerous move on the author's part; too much of one place makes the location feel stale and uninteresting to the reader. Fortunately, this was by and large avoided, as what it lacked in world-building it made up for in character. There are no grand landscapes, but small, disenchanting buildings are brought to life by vibrant interaction.
(SPOILER FREE ZONE) The bottom line: A generally strong cast and unique premise makes up for a quiet setting and an occasionally-slogging plot. Gore-less violence and moral ambiguity abounds, so while this is aimed at teenagers, parents ought to judge for themselves - I'd say it's PG-13, but I'm 22 and not a parent, so what do I know? Anyway, a solid read, and I'm looking forward to later works!
With questions or comments, please feel free to leave a comment below or to contact me SeanOnAmazon@gmail.com.
I find this book very difficult to discuss without minor spoilers. For those who desire to stay entirely spoiler-free, please skip to my "bottom line" section, labeled as such.
In the opening chapters, this book establishes itself as not one for the faint of heart. There is violence, death, but darkest and perhaps more importantly of all, the moral dilemma of needing to kill to survive. This book explores a unique premise of the lonely boy who grows up to be a wizard in a world where that is absolutely terrible news - juggling his appearance of being normal with the abuses of the spirit that haunts him creates a fascinating dichotomy.
The cast of characters is decidedly small, as a very well-developed core cast takes away from side characters, to the story's detriment - there were many very interesting-looking characters I would have wished to see more of or learn more about. Most are quite likable, even those not allied with the protagonist, and the ones that aren't are so by design.
The plot generally moved at a medium pace, with some scenes lagging on, and others feeling entirely unnecessary, though these were few and far between. The witches, the only clear "baddies" in the book, seemed flat in their characterization and because it felt like all five of them seemed to need to get a word in, their scenes felt dragged out the most.
As far as fictional worlds go, this was a small one. It was kept to one small town, which is a dangerous move on the author's part; too much of one place makes the location feel stale and uninteresting to the reader. Fortunately, this was by and large avoided, as what it lacked in world-building it made up for in character. There are no grand landscapes, but small, disenchanting buildings are brought to life by vibrant interaction.
(SPOILER FREE ZONE) The bottom line: A generally strong cast and unique premise makes up for a quiet setting and an occasionally-slogging plot. Gore-less violence and moral ambiguity abounds, so while this is aimed at teenagers, parents ought to judge for themselves - I'd say it's PG-13, but I'm 22 and not a parent, so what do I know? Anyway, a solid read, and I'm looking forward to later works!
With questions or comments, please feel free to leave a comment below or to contact me SeanOnAmazon@gmail.com.
August 5, 2013
Review: The Mage’s Tomb by JT Bristler: Aw. Poor Edwin. All he wanted was for someone to like him for him and to be normal. And he is so cute. He needs a good hug. Even after all he’s been though, he has such good morels. And he was so happy when Walt became his friend. Sigh. I would have to say, that I was totally gobsmacked with that whole little turn of events with Sam and Walt. Yep, if I were in charge of choosing the good forks from the bad, we would have died quite early on in the story. The villages were certainly a crazy bunch, and so brain washed, allowing themselves to be basically mass hypnotized with the Fury. How did that make them any better than the Magi or even the witches for that matter? Speaking of which – sorry no pun intended! – those witches really were ruthless. I wonder how many people they killed over the very, very long lives? I was a little sad that Herald got left in his watery grave though. I love books, and it seemed like such a waste, and Herald, for all his surliness, really is a great book. I loved the story, and never got board once. Edwin’s (What was his real name?) struggle to be good is endearing, and his need to just fit in is touching. The book was well written and J T Bristler paints a morbid picture with his words of a very dreary town drowning in its own importance. Poor Edwin never stood a chance there. His spirit…I still don’t know how I feel about it. It just had Edwin’s best wishes at heart all the time, but still. The jury is still out on him…it? I would love to read book two when it becomes available. I must say, I don’t like the sound of the cage they are in…but then again, I got the whole Sam Walt thing wrong so who knows?
This is an honest review given in exchange for reading the book.
This is an honest review given in exchange for reading the book.
May 26, 2013
This is another book I picked up either for free or for .99. Let me start by saying I think Mr. Brister could develop into a decent writer. He isn't there yet, but he has interesting ideas, a sense of fun, and a fairly decent grasp of writing from a teenager's PoV.
For most of the book, about 85% of it, I felt he really just needed a good editor to go through, fix a few errors and guide him into adding some details here and there. The last 15% of the story was where things really got out of hand. Whole chunks of information seemed to be missing. For example, when our hero gets into a boat to cross a lake, the four evil ladies following, and two other boys get into the boat, and yet the last we the reader's had heard about them, they had been falling asleep in an area only passible by magi. Apparently, they were invisible, wearing magic masks, but this wasn't made clear, so I assumed the were visible and didn't understand how they got in the boat without the hero noticing them. There is also a huge info dump scene at the end when the evil ladies are trying to kill the hero. This information could have been imparted throughout the story, perhaps as part of the boy's lessons, or even in flashbacks or discussions by the witches.
There is supposed to be a sequel coming. I would suggest that Mr. Brister go back through and clean up the first book before putting the second one out. It has promise, but still needs some work.
My score is 2.5 (we need more stars to better fine tune our ratings). If it weren't for the serious flaws of the last part of the book, I would rate it higher - maybe even 3.5.
For most of the book, about 85% of it, I felt he really just needed a good editor to go through, fix a few errors and guide him into adding some details here and there. The last 15% of the story was where things really got out of hand. Whole chunks of information seemed to be missing. For example, when our hero gets into a boat to cross a lake, the four evil ladies following, and two other boys get into the boat, and yet the last we the reader's had heard about them, they had been falling asleep in an area only passible by magi. Apparently, they were invisible, wearing magic masks, but this wasn't made clear, so I assumed the were visible and didn't understand how they got in the boat without the hero noticing them. There is also a huge info dump scene at the end when the evil ladies are trying to kill the hero. This information could have been imparted throughout the story, perhaps as part of the boy's lessons, or even in flashbacks or discussions by the witches.
There is supposed to be a sequel coming. I would suggest that Mr. Brister go back through and clean up the first book before putting the second one out. It has promise, but still needs some work.
My score is 2.5 (we need more stars to better fine tune our ratings). If it weren't for the serious flaws of the last part of the book, I would rate it higher - maybe even 3.5.
April 10, 2013
I read many books in this genre and find that after a while it is a lot of the same thing. Yes this book had some basics that followed the same kind of theme of a Magical Magi who discovers that he is something more then he thought. What they thought was normal is not. That they must keep themselves hidden from the outside world. And yet this story also brings in many new elements that kept it very interesting and carried the story until the end. The story was full of detail and you could envision walking the streets with Edwin as he makes his way to the fair or Walt's house. You can feel when the spirit encircles his body and enters him so they can bond as one. The only negative I found was the book was just dark the whole way through. Not that it needed to be anything but what it was, but there really is no positive in the whole book. Everyone has an agenda against Edwin and you are left feeling that the world sucks for this poor kid and he can never catch a break. Filled with twists in the end it sets up the story to go into Book 2 which I am looking forward to reading to see where the author goes from here. Definitely a good read for YA of all ages if you like the darker elements of the magical world.
July 4, 2013
The Mage's Tomb was a very interesting book, like nothing I've read before. Edwin knew he was adopted, and thought his parents cared about him until one night. Sneaking out of the house, following his spirit who's been with him since birth, one of his parents follows him and finds out why he snuck out. What happens next will change his life forever!
This was a unique book. It was a slow read for me, not a page turner, but intense enough to keep me coming back and reading to find out what happens. I really enjoyed the story, if I could do partial stars, I'd do 3.75 stars, so I'm rounding up, as that's not even the average right now. I am excited and hopeful that I will be able to read the next one!
This was a unique book. It was a slow read for me, not a page turner, but intense enough to keep me coming back and reading to find out what happens. I really enjoyed the story, if I could do partial stars, I'd do 3.75 stars, so I'm rounding up, as that's not even the average right now. I am excited and hopeful that I will be able to read the next one!
May 26, 2013
This book just wasn't for me. It follows a kid who is constantly harassed by a dark spirit, forced to do things or people he knows will be hurt, kept from having any meaningful relations due to said spirit, forced to do spells which cause him physical damage, etc. It is just way too dark for my liking.
In the opening chapters he kills a cat, and then later his village religious figure murders two innocent women in the public square. Right before that there is a body just sitting in the square that nobody seems to care about. At that point I just stopped reading. It really isn't very enjoyable for me and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel.
In the opening chapters he kills a cat, and then later his village religious figure murders two innocent women in the public square. Right before that there is a body just sitting in the square that nobody seems to care about. At that point I just stopped reading. It really isn't very enjoyable for me and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel.
June 4, 2013
I received this book thru the author for an honest review. If you like dark fantasy this book is for you. There were lots of twists and turns and J T made you want to know more. I didn't want to stop reading to find out what happens. This story is about a boy who is trying to be normal in a magical world. This book overall was a good read. I enjoyed all the characters and wished to know more about them as well maybe in the next book.
June 5, 2013
This is a most enjoyable first novel and the storytelling kept me turning those pages! Though billed as YA I really enjoyed it.
Set against the backdrop of a fantasy town, clinging to the past in an effort to make the future better, inside an orphanage for displaced children, Edwin's life becomes entwined with his friend Walt, his sister Sam and their unusual family.
It is dark but who wants to read 'nice' all the time?
Set against the backdrop of a fantasy town, clinging to the past in an effort to make the future better, inside an orphanage for displaced children, Edwin's life becomes entwined with his friend Walt, his sister Sam and their unusual family.
It is dark but who wants to read 'nice' all the time?
June 17, 2013
I had received this book for an honest review.I felt that overall this book was good. Though the starting was a bit of a drag and the plot took time to take pace it was a decent read.
It deals with a 15 year old boy in a magical world where he tries to appear like everyone else.It had lots of twists and turns to grip your attention and the characterization was good.
P.S. you would not like this book if you cant stand dark and depressing plots.
It deals with a 15 year old boy in a magical world where he tries to appear like everyone else.It had lots of twists and turns to grip your attention and the characterization was good.
P.S. you would not like this book if you cant stand dark and depressing plots.
January 2, 2013
I finished reading The Mage's Tomb last night. I found it to be a very enjoyable fantasy read. It kept my interest and I liked the characters in the book.
I can tell though that spell check was used but there there are words that were wrong. Ex: hall vs haul. However, not enough to irritate me or prevent me from continuing to read the story.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
I can tell though that spell check was used but there there are words that were wrong. Ex: hall vs haul. However, not enough to irritate me or prevent me from continuing to read the story.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
May 18, 2013
I really liked this and the ending had a twist I did not expect.
The action was face paced and the confusion and fear of Edwin as he progressed through the book was very well done.
I liked the concept of the magic and the 'Mages Tomb' and the scary village of anti magic users. In places the story was disturbing but exciting.
The action was face paced and the confusion and fear of Edwin as he progressed through the book was very well done.
I liked the concept of the magic and the 'Mages Tomb' and the scary village of anti magic users. In places the story was disturbing but exciting.
February 8, 2014
Enjoyable, if slight, fantasy, the first book of a planned trilogy. It's a cross between Rowling's Harry Potter and Pullman's His Dark Materials, although it's not nearly at the level of those two wonderful series. The book starts out slow, but picks up speed at the halfway point. I didn't really connect with the 15-year-old hero Edwin, but the story does have plenty of mystery and suspense.
June 8, 2014
There is actually nothing wrong with this book, but I cannot seem to pick it up again, and when I make myself I find it a chore. The story line is good and the characters are believable. It is just lacking something for me. I do hope to go back to it when I feel more like it.
March 28, 2013
I love fantasy and I thought this was a great book. It had a few cool new twists on old themes. The writing was great and the end surprised me.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews