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The Morcyth Saga #2
Fires of Prophecy
Trapped within the City of Light when it fell to the Empire, James' young friend and companion Miko had been captured by the Empire's forces and is now being taken as a slave into the Empire. The last thing he'd told Miko before they were separated was: I'll find you.
Now James, with the help of some new found allies, travels into the Empire to rescue his friend. Acting as a caravan merchant from Cardri, he goes from city to city in his attempt to find his friend.
From the City of Light, to the slave markets of Korazan, even unto the Empire's capital itself, James continues in his search for his friend Miko, unwilling to leave him to his fate.
In this exciting second book of the epic fantasy series, The Morcyth Saga, Brian S. Pratt has continued to give us the heart pounding action that his readers so much enjoyed in the first novel.
Now James, with the help of some new found allies, travels into the Empire to rescue his friend. Acting as a caravan merchant from Cardri, he goes from city to city in his attempt to find his friend.
From the City of Light, to the slave markets of Korazan, even unto the Empire's capital itself, James continues in his search for his friend Miko, unwilling to leave him to his fate.
In this exciting second book of the epic fantasy series, The Morcyth Saga, Brian S. Pratt has continued to give us the heart pounding action that his readers so much enjoyed in the first novel.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
122 people are currently reading
341 people want to read
About the author
Brian S. Pratt
23 books160 followersBrian was born in Modesto, California. He graduated high school in 1985 and went straight into the Air Force where he was trained as an Avionic Specialist on the F-117A Stealth Fighter.
When his tour of duty was over, he joined Pizza Hut as a delivery driver where he quickly rose to become a General Manager of a delivery unit in Edmonds, WA.
Then after a short stint as a taxi driver, he spent two years as a driving instructor and now writes full time.
He currently lives in Boswell, OK and missing the three most wonderful children in the world: Joseph, Breanna, and Abigayle. They truly are the lights of his life.
When his tour of duty was over, he joined Pizza Hut as a delivery driver where he quickly rose to become a General Manager of a delivery unit in Edmonds, WA.
Then after a short stint as a taxi driver, he spent two years as a driving instructor and now writes full time.
He currently lives in Boswell, OK and missing the three most wonderful children in the world: Joseph, Breanna, and Abigayle. They truly are the lights of his life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 27, 2014
Don't waste your money on this book, it is just an expensive subplot!
The author, Brian S. Pratt, said he wrote this series because he hated stories with subplots. This book is one entire Subplot. You won’t get one centimeter closer to solving the mystery of “The Morcyth Sage” in the Fires of Prophecy book. Well, at least until you read the Epilog! I wasted $5.95 on a subplot that was entirely about trying to find Miko. Not to mention a very tedious process getting there. Constant obstacles, rabbit trails occurring to delay it so it consumes the entire book. If you enjoy the constant stress of being faced with overwhelming odds, and vivid depictions of killing, murdering (by slitting throats) scores of people in the process each time James extricates himself from these situations, you will enjoy this book. It’s a 7 book series, so there is no suspense….you KNOW James will survive everything. The ingenuity he displayed in the first book was severely lacking in this book. Just stupendous displays of magic followed by days of being incapacitated by it. If they were a reasonable price, I might try another one, but I won’t be spending $5.95 on another one. The author seems to be more interested in making a lot of money than delivering a satisfying story.
The author, Brian S. Pratt, said he wrote this series because he hated stories with subplots. This book is one entire Subplot. You won’t get one centimeter closer to solving the mystery of “The Morcyth Sage” in the Fires of Prophecy book. Well, at least until you read the Epilog! I wasted $5.95 on a subplot that was entirely about trying to find Miko. Not to mention a very tedious process getting there. Constant obstacles, rabbit trails occurring to delay it so it consumes the entire book. If you enjoy the constant stress of being faced with overwhelming odds, and vivid depictions of killing, murdering (by slitting throats) scores of people in the process each time James extricates himself from these situations, you will enjoy this book. It’s a 7 book series, so there is no suspense….you KNOW James will survive everything. The ingenuity he displayed in the first book was severely lacking in this book. Just stupendous displays of magic followed by days of being incapacitated by it. If they were a reasonable price, I might try another one, but I won’t be spending $5.95 on another one. The author seems to be more interested in making a lot of money than delivering a satisfying story.
June 26, 2014
Whew. I got through it.
The first book in the series, The Unsuspecting Mage, was awkwardly written in the present tense, but the plot was compelling enough to overlook it for the most part.
This book was originally written in present tense and then poorly converted to past tense. Why poorly? Well, once a chapter or so there would be a sentence or even half a sentence that was still in present tense. Super annoying.
Added to that, the plot was not at all interesting. I think James probably could have rescued Miko in the first 50 pages or so and gone on with his quest.
You did remember he had a quest, right? Because I had nearly forgotten.
Other complaints:
*Most of the characters are faceless minions - I couldn't keep track of any of them because they had no distinct personalities (or even physical descriptions!)
*POV would randomly switch from faceless character to faceless character mid-chapter. I was never sure exactly who was talking.
*Female characters do nothing but scream, while James constantly worried, "But what about the girls?". Give me a break.
*James constantly overexerts himself and loses consciousness. It gets old.
I will not be continuing the series.
The first book in the series, The Unsuspecting Mage, was awkwardly written in the present tense, but the plot was compelling enough to overlook it for the most part.
This book was originally written in present tense and then poorly converted to past tense. Why poorly? Well, once a chapter or so there would be a sentence or even half a sentence that was still in present tense. Super annoying.
Added to that, the plot was not at all interesting. I think James probably could have rescued Miko in the first 50 pages or so and gone on with his quest.
You did remember he had a quest, right? Because I had nearly forgotten.
Other complaints:
*Most of the characters are faceless minions - I couldn't keep track of any of them because they had no distinct personalities (or even physical descriptions!)
*POV would randomly switch from faceless character to faceless character mid-chapter. I was never sure exactly who was talking.
*Female characters do nothing but scream, while James constantly worried, "But what about the girls?". Give me a break.
*James constantly overexerts himself and loses consciousness. It gets old.
I will not be continuing the series.
April 30, 2015
As much as I loved Unsuspecting Mage, this book is just as good of a read. The addition of Jiron as a "main"/supporting character makes for a fun time, leaning about another from the region. Once again the plot is solid and progresses well. This book was extremely difficult to put down, making breaks at work take a little too long.
I also enjoyed the change in perspective from following James, to following the other characters when the need arises. It made for nice contrast.
I also enjoyed the change in perspective from following James, to following the other characters when the need arises. It made for nice contrast.
December 31, 2025
James is probably the most boring powered MC i have read in a while. While the first book was somewhat interesting, the format where the characters just trondle along is taken to a greater extent in this second book. The stakes do not seem very high because for whatever reason, James seems to be better than every mage he meets and ends up killing them with his wonderfully precise stone or slug shots. And he kills so many people without any moral qualms. Lets remember that James is an 18 year old who apparently has no issue accruing such a heavy death toll. I understand why the empire wants his head, he singlehandedly has managed to kill about 10 mages and not less than 400 or 500 soldiers without much effort in this book alone. He causes a volcanic eruption on an island killing who knows how many soldiers and innocents without thinking so much about it .There was a spell used in the first book where he puts some guards to sleep. And i have no idea why that spell never shows up again. It certainly appears that he has other ways of disabling opponents or rendering them unconscious. There appears to be no limits to his abilities other than stamina and as demonstrated in the first book, he can be versatile when he wants to be. Yet he resorts to killing everyone that crosses his path without a second thought, a choice that I cannot fathom at all.
It also appears that the more i read the less smart and inventive James gets in his magic usage with his two favourite spells being the slug shot and exploding the earth in the faces of everyone. He is able to remove impurities from water yet cannot do the same to poison swallowed by characters in the show? he is able to kill but has made no attempts at healing? he has seen numerous mages use shields yet somehow cannot set up a shield saving lives in the process? All the other characters are faceless jumbles in my head who serve no purpose and neither do they move the story forward in any way. We're interested to characters who get killed in ways that seem incomprehensible with james, a certified dungeon master merely bearing witness to events that happen around him. There are entirely preventable deaths in the story or meaningless deaths.
The empire mages seem comically weak, extremely uninventive and they all appear to shop from the same brown cloak department in the empire. The power scaling suggests that you can grow stronger with continued usage therefore the empire mages should be significantly stronger than james who has only been using magic for a few months. Yet we see no evidence of them even matching up to his strength nor do we have an accurate gauge of how strong James is since his strength is extremely inconsistent given the way he can summon storms and tornadoes which the empire mages seemingly cannot do. it boggles the mind how inconsistent the power scaling is and how old it gets to read how james keeps on killing characters with ease.
lets not forget that tinok and jiron, being pit fighters, are somewhow stronger than every foe they have faced including Parvati warriors who sole purpose is to fight. I mean, come on. It is clear the writer does not have a solid grasp of writing fighting scenes so the less said about these characters, the better.
In all, if you are looking for a book where characters basically go on a killing spree with magic and two knives followed by a band of faceless characters then this right here is a gold mine.
It also appears that the more i read the less smart and inventive James gets in his magic usage with his two favourite spells being the slug shot and exploding the earth in the faces of everyone. He is able to remove impurities from water yet cannot do the same to poison swallowed by characters in the show? he is able to kill but has made no attempts at healing? he has seen numerous mages use shields yet somehow cannot set up a shield saving lives in the process? All the other characters are faceless jumbles in my head who serve no purpose and neither do they move the story forward in any way. We're interested to characters who get killed in ways that seem incomprehensible with james, a certified dungeon master merely bearing witness to events that happen around him. There are entirely preventable deaths in the story or meaningless deaths.
The empire mages seem comically weak, extremely uninventive and they all appear to shop from the same brown cloak department in the empire. The power scaling suggests that you can grow stronger with continued usage therefore the empire mages should be significantly stronger than james who has only been using magic for a few months. Yet we see no evidence of them even matching up to his strength nor do we have an accurate gauge of how strong James is since his strength is extremely inconsistent given the way he can summon storms and tornadoes which the empire mages seemingly cannot do. it boggles the mind how inconsistent the power scaling is and how old it gets to read how james keeps on killing characters with ease.
lets not forget that tinok and jiron, being pit fighters, are somewhow stronger than every foe they have faced including Parvati warriors who sole purpose is to fight. I mean, come on. It is clear the writer does not have a solid grasp of writing fighting scenes so the less said about these characters, the better.
In all, if you are looking for a book where characters basically go on a killing spree with magic and two knives followed by a band of faceless characters then this right here is a gold mine.
December 16, 2021
Fascinating, intense, glad it's not real
This makes for a fantastic roller coaster of a read, lots of action, lots of fighting, lots of mayhem and explosions. This has the feel of a DnD adventure in novel form. If this were real life and depicted as such, it would he horrid and the characters would like be dealing with horror and crippling guilt concerning all the innocent lives disrupted--just because you are behind enemy lines doesn't make everyone the enemy.
Yet somehow the tale continues, gripping and plausible, with missing punctuation and the occasional incorrect verb tense. Characters are lightly but vividly sketched.
The author could stand to work on pacing; I found myself skimming the fight scenes and wondering why the mage keeps causing cataclysmic distractions instead of investigating illusions... but I suppose he hasn't had time to truly explore his magic; his learning has been driven by necessity.
As with the first book, a single intense story arc is resolved by the end of the book, but there's not much in the way of falling action. The next chapter in the adventure dawns even before we reach the last page.
In short, not a truly great novel, but a fascinating read nonetheless. Here's hoping the main character becomes less of a murderhoho going forward...
This makes for a fantastic roller coaster of a read, lots of action, lots of fighting, lots of mayhem and explosions. This has the feel of a DnD adventure in novel form. If this were real life and depicted as such, it would he horrid and the characters would like be dealing with horror and crippling guilt concerning all the innocent lives disrupted--just because you are behind enemy lines doesn't make everyone the enemy.
Yet somehow the tale continues, gripping and plausible, with missing punctuation and the occasional incorrect verb tense. Characters are lightly but vividly sketched.
The author could stand to work on pacing; I found myself skimming the fight scenes and wondering why the mage keeps causing cataclysmic distractions instead of investigating illusions... but I suppose he hasn't had time to truly explore his magic; his learning has been driven by necessity.
As with the first book, a single intense story arc is resolved by the end of the book, but there's not much in the way of falling action. The next chapter in the adventure dawns even before we reach the last page.
In short, not a truly great novel, but a fascinating read nonetheless. Here's hoping the main character becomes less of a murderhoho going forward...
September 25, 2017
James has become really powerful. A tornado? woa
December 25, 2011
Alors j'enchaîne immédiatement avec le second volume de la Morcyth Saga. Après ma deuxième lecture du premier volume je me faisais moins d'idée quant au talent de l'auteur et de sa capacité à développer un classique en son genre. Étant le deuxième livre je me disait que l'auteur allait surement déballer un peu plus de son monde et de son fameux génie, car les critiques sur Amazon.com semblait dire que cet homme avait ré-inventé le style fantasy. Je crois qu'il y a eu un peu d'auto-critique et de propagande dans ces critiques.
Je dis cela car ce livre n'est vraiment pas génial. J'ai lu des roman de Warhammer qui sonnait moins faux que cette suite. Faux, car je m'attendait a voir des choses des autres livre que j'ai lu, a voir des héros inspiré de héros déjà existant mais à la sauce de l'auteur, je m'attendait à une variété de quests de type medley qui me ferais revivre de grand classique mais par la plus d'un autre auteur. Mais non, ce n'est pas ce qui arrive dans ce livre.
Le héros va vers l'empire, rencontre des jeunes de 16 ans qui on fait du "pit fighting" soit l'équivalent d'une job de gladiateur. My god, à 16 ans tu es encore un enfant, tu peu pas avoir eu une carrière comme gladiateur. Même dans un roman fantastique sa fait faux. J'ai déjà lu dragonball et je trouvais que sa faisait plus vrai que d'avoir des jeunes de 16 ans qui ont survécu plusieurs années comme gladiateurs (écoutez la série TV spartacus pour comprendre). On parle pu de personnage puissant, mais sur humain. Aye tu dis, deux frère ont survécu dans des jeux de gladaiteurs quand ils était loin d'être des adultes et à leur plus fort. On parle de futur héros épiques les amis. Anyway, le héros devient leur amis assez facilement et ils décide de partir avec James pour libéré son ami Miko.
A la sortie de la ville, James cast un sort de destruction massive qui me donnait espoir que ses connaissances de la fantasy et des jeux de rôle pourrait faire de lui un personnage plus intéressant. Cette scène seule m'a raccroché suffisamment pour continuer à lire le livre. Chose qui m'a demander beaucoup de patience car de soupir en soupir j'ai passé au travers du long bout où l'auteur s'est évidement inspiré de Final Fantasy 7, car les héros de promène de ville en ville, meule tout ce qui bouge (he oui des garçon de 16 ans buttent des soldats, des vétéran, des gars avec des épées et même des mages, avec seulement 2 dagues) et passe à la prochaine ville. On a ben beau être dans un monde médiéval fantastique, deux pubaires avec deux couteaux peuvent pas faire ça et me donner l'impression de lire un oeuvre sérieuse. Oui dans le temps médiéval, à 16 ans on était un homme, du moins on le devenait. Ici on parle de gars qui se battent à du 10 contre 1 avec des couteau et s'en sorte sans blessure et en tuant tout le monde. Shit même à skyrim je suis pas capable de faire ça avec deux dagues. Le nombre fini par avoir raison. Oui ils ont un mage qui commence à faire des sorts un peu plus intéressant et qui les aide, mais pour un auteur qui a lu plein de classique, il aurait du faire un guérrier vétéran de ces deux personnages, des guerriers qui aurait pu paterniser James et qui aurait ajouter à l'histoire.
70% de l'histoire tourne autour du sujet suivant: "James trouve une ville, l'empire l'habite, l'empire essaie de capturer les héros ou de les tuers, les héros meulent l'empire, les héros passe à la ville prochaine". Je peux pas croire qu'un auteur qui a lu un millier de roman ait pu tomber dans le piège de la répétition cyclique d'une quest de type rescousse d'un ami. Je crois que ça prouve que même si tu lis beaucoup, le talent sa s'acquière par la pratique et à la naissance. Tu l'à ou tu l'à pas.
Donc, ce qui sauve ce livre, c'est le final. Une belle bataille épique pour libéré un garçon de 10 ans. Quand on regarde le tout avec du recule, ça fait peur. James à tuer facilement une centaine de soldats, il a rasé ville, villages et campement. Il a inventer un sort qui fait une bombe H comme effet et tout ça pour sauver un jeune de 10 ans qu'il connaissait à peine. Hum... entéka, ça fait faut, si ce n'est pas autre chose que je ne traiterai pas dans ma critique.
Une fois le livre fini j'ai eu envi d'abandonner la série et de passer à autre chose. J'avais le 4 ième livre de Malazan qui me faisait des clin d'oeils. J'ai donc décider de déposer ce livre et d'attendre quelques jour pour savoir si j'allais persévérer ou non.
En attendant, vous êtes averti, ce livre manque d'imagination, il sonne faux comme ça n'a pas de bon sens et l'histoire est très répétitive (cependant si vous avez aimé final fantasy 7 vous devriez aimer plus que moi). Emprunter ce livre ou achetez le à bon marché.
Je dis cela car ce livre n'est vraiment pas génial. J'ai lu des roman de Warhammer qui sonnait moins faux que cette suite. Faux, car je m'attendait a voir des choses des autres livre que j'ai lu, a voir des héros inspiré de héros déjà existant mais à la sauce de l'auteur, je m'attendait à une variété de quests de type medley qui me ferais revivre de grand classique mais par la plus d'un autre auteur. Mais non, ce n'est pas ce qui arrive dans ce livre.
Le héros va vers l'empire, rencontre des jeunes de 16 ans qui on fait du "pit fighting" soit l'équivalent d'une job de gladiateur. My god, à 16 ans tu es encore un enfant, tu peu pas avoir eu une carrière comme gladiateur. Même dans un roman fantastique sa fait faux. J'ai déjà lu dragonball et je trouvais que sa faisait plus vrai que d'avoir des jeunes de 16 ans qui ont survécu plusieurs années comme gladiateurs (écoutez la série TV spartacus pour comprendre). On parle pu de personnage puissant, mais sur humain. Aye tu dis, deux frère ont survécu dans des jeux de gladaiteurs quand ils était loin d'être des adultes et à leur plus fort. On parle de futur héros épiques les amis. Anyway, le héros devient leur amis assez facilement et ils décide de partir avec James pour libéré son ami Miko.
A la sortie de la ville, James cast un sort de destruction massive qui me donnait espoir que ses connaissances de la fantasy et des jeux de rôle pourrait faire de lui un personnage plus intéressant. Cette scène seule m'a raccroché suffisamment pour continuer à lire le livre. Chose qui m'a demander beaucoup de patience car de soupir en soupir j'ai passé au travers du long bout où l'auteur s'est évidement inspiré de Final Fantasy 7, car les héros de promène de ville en ville, meule tout ce qui bouge (he oui des garçon de 16 ans buttent des soldats, des vétéran, des gars avec des épées et même des mages, avec seulement 2 dagues) et passe à la prochaine ville. On a ben beau être dans un monde médiéval fantastique, deux pubaires avec deux couteaux peuvent pas faire ça et me donner l'impression de lire un oeuvre sérieuse. Oui dans le temps médiéval, à 16 ans on était un homme, du moins on le devenait. Ici on parle de gars qui se battent à du 10 contre 1 avec des couteau et s'en sorte sans blessure et en tuant tout le monde. Shit même à skyrim je suis pas capable de faire ça avec deux dagues. Le nombre fini par avoir raison. Oui ils ont un mage qui commence à faire des sorts un peu plus intéressant et qui les aide, mais pour un auteur qui a lu plein de classique, il aurait du faire un guérrier vétéran de ces deux personnages, des guerriers qui aurait pu paterniser James et qui aurait ajouter à l'histoire.
70% de l'histoire tourne autour du sujet suivant: "James trouve une ville, l'empire l'habite, l'empire essaie de capturer les héros ou de les tuers, les héros meulent l'empire, les héros passe à la ville prochaine". Je peux pas croire qu'un auteur qui a lu un millier de roman ait pu tomber dans le piège de la répétition cyclique d'une quest de type rescousse d'un ami. Je crois que ça prouve que même si tu lis beaucoup, le talent sa s'acquière par la pratique et à la naissance. Tu l'à ou tu l'à pas.
Donc, ce qui sauve ce livre, c'est le final. Une belle bataille épique pour libéré un garçon de 10 ans. Quand on regarde le tout avec du recule, ça fait peur. James à tuer facilement une centaine de soldats, il a rasé ville, villages et campement. Il a inventer un sort qui fait une bombe H comme effet et tout ça pour sauver un jeune de 10 ans qu'il connaissait à peine. Hum... entéka, ça fait faut, si ce n'est pas autre chose que je ne traiterai pas dans ma critique.
Une fois le livre fini j'ai eu envi d'abandonner la série et de passer à autre chose. J'avais le 4 ième livre de Malazan qui me faisait des clin d'oeils. J'ai donc décider de déposer ce livre et d'attendre quelques jour pour savoir si j'allais persévérer ou non.
En attendant, vous êtes averti, ce livre manque d'imagination, il sonne faux comme ça n'a pas de bon sens et l'histoire est très répétitive (cependant si vous avez aimé final fantasy 7 vous devriez aimer plus que moi). Emprunter ce livre ou achetez le à bon marché.
June 15, 2025
I do not know why I bought this book. I did not like it at all.
September 20, 2012
I'm not sure why I read this 2nd book in the series, after the terrible first one. Probably because the main character has some powerful magical abilities, and a few people said this book was better than the first.
It was better...a little bit.
The main problem is a ton of unrealistic actions (even for a fantasy book). Just about every single guard the characters meet ends up fighting them, and then dying because of the party's awesome skills. Has the author never heard of lazy guards that don't really pay too much attention, or that are not able to identify some criminal they have never seen? I'm sure they existed (and still do).
Plus, the "Empire" dedicated thousands of soldiers to finding these few people wandering around inside their borders. I wouldn't think a nation at war could spare all these troops to search for a couple slightly annoying characters. I mean, at one point, just two of the travelers were surrounded by separate empirical armies on 3 sides (yes, the author misspelled "imperial" as "empirical" a few times in the book).
And lastly, the magic - ugh. There seem to be many obvious applications of magic that James does not think of, and ends up choosing the most inefficient method available to him. And sometimes a little magic makes him about ready to pass out, and sometimes a lot of magic just makes him a little dizzy.
Oh. And I won't talk about how James resists the idea of killing someone who wants to harm him, but ends up killing hundreds of slaves without much thought.
Hopefully the series will get better, since I may continue reading just because I can't find enough books about mages...
It was better...a little bit.
The main problem is a ton of unrealistic actions (even for a fantasy book). Just about every single guard the characters meet ends up fighting them, and then dying because of the party's awesome skills. Has the author never heard of lazy guards that don't really pay too much attention, or that are not able to identify some criminal they have never seen? I'm sure they existed (and still do).
Plus, the "Empire" dedicated thousands of soldiers to finding these few people wandering around inside their borders. I wouldn't think a nation at war could spare all these troops to search for a couple slightly annoying characters. I mean, at one point, just two of the travelers were surrounded by separate empirical armies on 3 sides (yes, the author misspelled "imperial" as "empirical" a few times in the book).
And lastly, the magic - ugh. There seem to be many obvious applications of magic that James does not think of, and ends up choosing the most inefficient method available to him. And sometimes a little magic makes him about ready to pass out, and sometimes a lot of magic just makes him a little dizzy.
Oh. And I won't talk about how James resists the idea of killing someone who wants to harm him, but ends up killing hundreds of slaves without much thought.
Hopefully the series will get better, since I may continue reading just because I can't find enough books about mages...
April 12, 2016
Book two of the Morcyth Saga was filled with considerably more action than the first novel. I loved the way James gained allies on his journey to rescue Miko. The presence of his newly gained companions served to provide an "ordinary" basis of comparison for James and highlighted all of his strengths to the reader whilst somewhat detracting from his character's perceptible shortcomings. Besides, who does not enjoy watching secondary characters marvel over the prowess of the main protagonist and viewing the surprise/fear that the antagonists inevitably feel when confronted with such might?
James magic (if you can imagine it) becomes even more creative. The author's descriptions of his thought processes for formulating new "spells" remains airtight. In addition, to the misfortune of all, the progress of the story-line has an air of slow, languid inevitability. It quickly becomes obvious to the reader that Miko will be found by James (though the manner in which he will be found and the state that Miko will be in are unknown) but the author drags out the conclusion. It eventually is enough to make the reader want to wildly gesticulate in anger and refuse to continue reading or to perhaps scream their impotent rage and skip a large chunk of the plot to get at the eagerly anticipated ending.
James magic (if you can imagine it) becomes even more creative. The author's descriptions of his thought processes for formulating new "spells" remains airtight. In addition, to the misfortune of all, the progress of the story-line has an air of slow, languid inevitability. It quickly becomes obvious to the reader that Miko will be found by James (though the manner in which he will be found and the state that Miko will be in are unknown) but the author drags out the conclusion. It eventually is enough to make the reader want to wildly gesticulate in anger and refuse to continue reading or to perhaps scream their impotent rage and skip a large chunk of the plot to get at the eagerly anticipated ending.
July 30, 2011
Good read if you like fantasy sagas or if you are a role-playing fanatic. Writing style improved over the 1st book in the saga. The book is still more in role-playing mode and less in character development. You feel like you are inside a role-playing computer site. That is not necessarily bad but you'll get more enjoyment out of the game if you enjoy role-playing games. This series does one thing well, I think. It explains what it must be like for a person to learn how to do magic. It starts with doing tiny bits of magic and developing skills to lead to bigger, more powerful spells. There is little in the way of remorse/ feelings about all the violence and killing that is done in these books. If that were explored more deeply, it would make these books better reads for those of us that are not into RPGs.
September 9, 2015
Great story
The story itself is great and I enjoyed it. Lots of action etc. The main issue is that whoever put it into e-book format (I'm assuming it wasn't written that way after reading the first one and having little to no issues) really screwed up a lot. There are a lot of misspelled words and improper tense/word choices. It was night and day from the first. The story was exciting and kept me hooked but the mistakes were so frequent, at times it was hard to look past without it detracting from the story - it would some times literally change the meaning of the sentence and you'd have to re-read it and figure it out. Hence the four, instead of five, stars.
The story itself is great and I enjoyed it. Lots of action etc. The main issue is that whoever put it into e-book format (I'm assuming it wasn't written that way after reading the first one and having little to no issues) really screwed up a lot. There are a lot of misspelled words and improper tense/word choices. It was night and day from the first. The story was exciting and kept me hooked but the mistakes were so frequent, at times it was hard to look past without it detracting from the story - it would some times literally change the meaning of the sentence and you'd have to re-read it and figure it out. Hence the four, instead of five, stars.
March 26, 2010
The seemingly endless adventure continues as James searches for his friend Miko. While on the next part of his adventure he encounters new friends and new enemies. He also continues to learn about himself and the magic gift he has been given for some yet unknown reason. This book is an enjoyable read and those who love fantasy adventure, role play gaming, and just plain good story telling will like this second book in the Morcyth Saga. And the adventures continue...
August 20, 2011
This was a pretty good 2nd book in the series. I liked the first better as there seemed to be more discovery in it, than this one, which was much more "rescue from slavery" story.
Still a good book and in the same vein as the last a sword and sorcery, MMO, RPG Module novelized... If you D&D you'll probably really enjoy this book/series
Still a good book and in the same vein as the last a sword and sorcery, MMO, RPG Module novelized... If you D&D you'll probably really enjoy this book/series
October 5, 2012
The "fish out of water" element of the first novel seems to have gotten watered down a bit now that the main character, James, has come into his power. We get a little explanation, a backdrop for the "big bad" and a big quest that it takes the whole novel to accomplish. Sometimes it felt like a D&D campaign and this book was spent leveling party members.
November 20, 2014
I don't know how you get away with such terrible writing, yet I'm a little hooked too Brian. You tell a great story, however awful the grammar might be and the present tense style sometimes annoying. However people like to relax and read - with your books you can do just that. Not sure whether to say well done or not. I choose well done.
April 6, 2015
Storyline is good but not great.
The constant killing is becoming boring. The tense useage is extremely Inaccurate creating a staccato reading experience. The characters are realistic and interesting. This story looks as if no one proofread it. Someone should have because the blatant grammatical mistakes rob it of being a good read. Overpriced.
The constant killing is becoming boring. The tense useage is extremely Inaccurate creating a staccato reading experience. The characters are realistic and interesting. This story looks as if no one proofread it. Someone should have because the blatant grammatical mistakes rob it of being a good read. Overpriced.
March 9, 2016
strangely comfortable in a strange land
James has found little more about the medallion he bears but he has discovered that the limits of his magical abilities can be stretched according to the vast imagination he draws on. he has gotten used to the magical place in which he now resides, including the pizza.
James has found little more about the medallion he bears but he has discovered that the limits of his magical abilities can be stretched according to the vast imagination he draws on. he has gotten used to the magical place in which he now resides, including the pizza.
March 16, 2016
Great story, weak writing. This is the case throughout the whole series.
"Then we do stood a chance," he said with a grin.This quote, lifted from the third book is only one of many examples. I read the series anyway and enjoyed it. The writing did set my teeth on edge at times.
December 23, 2010
Excellent read! Read the first one free from B&N and had to continue on with the story. I am now onto the third book in the series and it does not disappoint.
Looking forward to diving into the fourth book in the series.
Looking forward to diving into the fourth book in the series.
April 23, 2012
Well, it didn't really pick up much in book 2. Much more drawn out than book one. It was really hard for me to stay interested. I still like the series though and believe it to be a read all and all. Hoping the 3rd book will be a faster pace. And have more interest content.
January 26, 2014
Even better than the first book. Exciting. But the number of close calls and escapes are almost unbelievable. But the message is clear. Treat people well and you will have loyal friends who will help you out in a tight spot.
Read
October 9, 2010The writing style isn't my favorite, but I like the story line and especially the characters
February 9, 2011
Once again, a fun read. This is meant for young adults and should be reviewed with that in mind. If you want to escape into another world Fires of Prophecy will certainly meet the need.
September 18, 2011
Awesome. As soon as I finished the book, without any hesitation bought the next book in the series and started reading it.
January 5, 2012
Can I just say the writing definitely improved from that of book 1. I'm totally hooked on the series! Great read!
June 5, 2012
another great adventure await for James and Miko.
Read
April 22, 2013great book
June 10, 2013
I really loved this book, the sequel to the Unsuspected Mage - I can't wait to see where the story leads.
Definitely will recommend to others to read.
Definitely will recommend to others to read.
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