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The Road to Magic
The world that Glushanovsky paints is wonderfully-saturated with elements from all over the fantasy genre—though this is not simply a tale of sword and sorcery. These classical fantasy figures are well-executed and have the sensibility of a seasoned Russian fantasy novel, especially since this is part of a tetralogy previously published in Russia. Readers of George R.R. Martin, Raymond Feist and Stephen R. Donaldson will adore THE ROAD TO MAGIC.
There are exciting parallel narratives at work in THE ROAD TO MAGIC. On one level we have the handsome playboy Oleg Davidov as a modern-day college student; on another level we have Oleg the demon savior of the princess; and on another level, Oleg the monster hunter. Like Harry Potter, Oleg was once a normal boy until he is magnificently transformed into something supernatural, which is later used as a commentary/comic relief tool once Oleg is a demon. That’s what you get when you dabble in magic with a demoness. Rarely does Oleg ever approach the world of fantasy as an outsider—in fact he feels right at home in that world. After Oleg resolves the princess’s plight, he then takes off to learn magic at the university—but not before Oleg can slay some monsters in a few Herculean feats on his way to becoming a student of magic. Readers will also learn a lot about Russian pop-culture from reading THE ROAD TO MAGIC. The complex story, moving along at a brisk pace, presents an intelligent take on the nature of fantasy gods and the human relationship to both gods and monsters.
Glushanovsky expertly draws raw, compelling characters with depth and surprising twists. No one is more real than Oleg, the multi-dimensional main character who is one of the most original and engaging characters you’ll encounter. Glushanovsky's references to pop-culture gives the book a fascinating window into the youth of today. It's one of the many things about THE ROAD TO MAGIC that sets the book apart from all the Tolkein and Robert Jordan clones that have flooded the fantasy market. This, plus the strong character of Oleg, gives the book a delightful and engrossing feel, making it a totally unique work of fantasy.
There are exciting parallel narratives at work in THE ROAD TO MAGIC. On one level we have the handsome playboy Oleg Davidov as a modern-day college student; on another level we have Oleg the demon savior of the princess; and on another level, Oleg the monster hunter. Like Harry Potter, Oleg was once a normal boy until he is magnificently transformed into something supernatural, which is later used as a commentary/comic relief tool once Oleg is a demon. That’s what you get when you dabble in magic with a demoness. Rarely does Oleg ever approach the world of fantasy as an outsider—in fact he feels right at home in that world. After Oleg resolves the princess’s plight, he then takes off to learn magic at the university—but not before Oleg can slay some monsters in a few Herculean feats on his way to becoming a student of magic. Readers will also learn a lot about Russian pop-culture from reading THE ROAD TO MAGIC. The complex story, moving along at a brisk pace, presents an intelligent take on the nature of fantasy gods and the human relationship to both gods and monsters.
Glushanovsky expertly draws raw, compelling characters with depth and surprising twists. No one is more real than Oleg, the multi-dimensional main character who is one of the most original and engaging characters you’ll encounter. Glushanovsky's references to pop-culture gives the book a fascinating window into the youth of today. It's one of the many things about THE ROAD TO MAGIC that sets the book apart from all the Tolkein and Robert Jordan clones that have flooded the fantasy market. This, plus the strong character of Oleg, gives the book a delightful and engrossing feel, making it a totally unique work of fantasy.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 6, 2013
30 people are currently reading
951 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 2, 2014
The Road to Magic follows Oleg Davidov, a college student who likes to practice magic and gives up his human life to a powerful goddess named Clear Flame. She is touched by his sacrifice and reincarnates him in her realm into a new body. This body is the body of a great demon. Oleg becomes attracted to Clear Flame but is told that he cannot pursue her because he will be sacrificed by fire unless he can become powerful enough to resist the flames, or become a fully-fledged demon, which would make him immune to her flames. Oleg decides to try to become a powerful wizard to resist and returns to his old body which makes him a part-demon shapeshifter. He also answers to Albert who summons him to Fenrian, a world where magicians live,so that he can get the knowledge he needs to resist her flames. While in Fenrian Oleg helps Princess Ataletta try to escape the clutches of her evil uncle and take rule of her kingdom.
One of the strengths of this book is that it does not get boring. Oleg's sarcasm and wit along with the other interesting people he meets on his travels makes the book a good read and the writing is amusing. One of the weaknesses of the book is that it can get kind of confusing in some parts of the book. I can't wait for the next book to come out because the first book is so good. I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy, adventure, and action.
One of the strengths of this book is that it does not get boring. Oleg's sarcasm and wit along with the other interesting people he meets on his travels makes the book a good read and the writing is amusing. One of the weaknesses of the book is that it can get kind of confusing in some parts of the book. I can't wait for the next book to come out because the first book is so good. I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy, adventure, and action.
July 23, 2016
This book reads like a fan-translated Japanese light novel. For most English readers, this will mean it is incredibly difficult to follow, for a couple reasons:
1. These books tends to be very, very exposition heavy. There is very little showing and a whole lot of telling. Basically one giant summary.
2. Translation issues lead to all sorts of fun grammatical nuances.
3. Poor translation also leads to what little dialogue there is feeling very fake and contrived. The way characters speak will change radically from page to page and feel extremely random.
Rather than taking a leap of faith into this oddball genre, I suggest you look up the book on Amazon and read its sample chapters to see if you can handle the obtuse nature of these kinds of translated works. You may like it. You may not.
1. These books tends to be very, very exposition heavy. There is very little showing and a whole lot of telling. Basically one giant summary.
2. Translation issues lead to all sorts of fun grammatical nuances.
3. Poor translation also leads to what little dialogue there is feeling very fake and contrived. The way characters speak will change radically from page to page and feel extremely random.
Rather than taking a leap of faith into this oddball genre, I suggest you look up the book on Amazon and read its sample chapters to see if you can handle the obtuse nature of these kinds of translated works. You may like it. You may not.
August 1, 2015
Amazing book! I loved how its not black and white like a lot of American fantasy. The only downside is that it needs to be translated from Russian, and due to a lack of revenue from the first book, the translation agency Trident Media hasn't translated any of the other books. So, if you want to read the next books in the series, email Trident Media at info@tridentmediagroup.com, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TridentMedia....
December 3, 2017
I don't know why this was in my reading list, but I gave it a chance and couldn't get past page 30. It has some issues about how women are described (poorly), plus the translation left some sentences very clunky. Not worth the time.
March 18, 2013
I think some things might have been lost in the translation from the original Russian, but still a fun read.
November 5, 2024
Adventure book with a funny way of storytelling
July 12, 2016
WTH? This is utter nonsense. Even if I ignore the error written* text, the writing is sophomoric and disjointed. Story-detail dumping in dialogue is prevalent. It is rare that I do not finish a book but a few chapters in and I couldn't STAND it anymore.
*It's been a long time, but I think I got error written from the story itself.
*It's been a long time, but I think I got error written from the story itself.
January 10, 2020
One of my top books
This is one of my top ten books. Shame that a sequel was never translated in English. Worth a read
This is one of my top ten books. Shame that a sequel was never translated in English. Worth a read
February 19, 2018
Fun lighthearted riveting OP fun
If you like fun interesting times with an OP main character who is a bit of an anti hero, snarky fun humor, some romance, some adult fun, and aren't fond of much drama, stress, or suspense. Then like me you'll love this book, I'm impatient for the next, I hope it becomes an audible book, I'm sure I'll read it many more times and get it on audible if it gets narrated. 😄 oh and the description sort of makes it sound like you get multiple views, it's not, it's just a solid straight story from the main character transitioning from one thing to the next as this and that happens. To me this book is reminiscent of the Daniel black series and death creator - a flesh golem's ascension series, also like the demons of astlan series.
If you like fun interesting times with an OP main character who is a bit of an anti hero, snarky fun humor, some romance, some adult fun, and aren't fond of much drama, stress, or suspense. Then like me you'll love this book, I'm impatient for the next, I hope it becomes an audible book, I'm sure I'll read it many more times and get it on audible if it gets narrated. 😄 oh and the description sort of makes it sound like you get multiple views, it's not, it's just a solid straight story from the main character transitioning from one thing to the next as this and that happens. To me this book is reminiscent of the Daniel black series and death creator - a flesh golem's ascension series, also like the demons of astlan series.
June 2, 2017
Веселенькая, легкая сказочка про типа-попаданца который все умеет и супер-крут. Мозги отключать при прочтении настоятельно рекомендуется, но читается быстро и легко.
А еще аффтар конкретно начитался фантастики и наигрался компьютерных игр, поэтому приличная часть имен и названий кривоватая калька с английского (империя Дарк, ага)
А еще аффтар конкретно начитался фантастики и наигрался компьютерных игр, поэтому приличная часть имен и названий кривоватая калька с английского (империя Дарк, ага)
May 18, 2017
A fun read
A fun story about a magical demon with a conscience, a princess needing saving, and various undead and disembodied characters. Hopefully there are more books in the series being translated into English.
A fun story about a magical demon with a conscience, a princess needing saving, and various undead and disembodied characters. Hopefully there are more books in the series being translated into English.
August 4, 2017
Good book
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
September 30, 2017
Fun
A variety of themes are present in this. Somehow the author melds them together in such a way that it fits. Good read.
A variety of themes are present in this. Somehow the author melds them together in such a way that it fits. Good read.
February 27, 2017
A great book!
I purchased this on a whim a d was happily surprised with how good it is. I could barely put it down and less than halfway through was already checking to see if a second book was written yet. I very much look forward to the next book in the series and would be interested in anything else the author writes as well!
I purchased this on a whim a d was happily surprised with how good it is. I could barely put it down and less than halfway through was already checking to see if a second book was written yet. I very much look forward to the next book in the series and would be interested in anything else the author writes as well!
August 18, 2015
I loved the book,i really did,but the english translation was a poor made effort. I think the "translator" had just basic elementary knowledge of the russian language to work with.
If this project was an amateur effort, i must applaud a work well done, and the tenacity of the aspiring translator.
But if this was a professional, i can just say shame on him/her!
P.S:i know my english skills are lacking, but i never took english as my second or third language in all my years of study. My meager skill are self taught,i can read/listen/talk very well(i lived in the us for some years now), but my writing skill needs a LOT of improving! Sorry if my comment was unclear or difficult to decipher!|
If this project was an amateur effort, i must applaud a work well done, and the tenacity of the aspiring translator.
But if this was a professional, i can just say shame on him/her!
P.S:i know my english skills are lacking, but i never took english as my second or third language in all my years of study. My meager skill are self taught,i can read/listen/talk very well(i lived in the us for some years now), but my writing skill needs a LOT of improving! Sorry if my comment was unclear or difficult to decipher!|
October 4, 2014
I like it.
It has a strong MC who uses magic.
In this book he is traveling a lot and the reader gets to learn quite a lot about the world he wanders.
Through the story is quite ordinary I still got hooked and read it in one go, to bad the second book isn't out yet.
Update:
Too bad, it seems the rest of the series is published (up to 5 books?!) but won't get translated with that in consideration I only give it 3 instead of the full 5 stars
It has a strong MC who uses magic.
In this book he is traveling a lot and the reader gets to learn quite a lot about the world he wanders.
Through the story is quite ordinary I still got hooked and read it in one go, to bad the second book isn't out yet.
Update:
Too bad, it seems the rest of the series is published (up to 5 books?!) but won't get translated with that in consideration I only give it 3 instead of the full 5 stars
August 15, 2014
It was a very entertaining book. I can see where some of the other reviewing the book are coming from about the strange phasing. However, it was not a very large issue for me. I was still able to follow the book. The story was funny, and had lots of good action scenes. So it was a 5 out of 5 for me!
July 14, 2015
It was a bit frustrating to read this book as the story was written in a very 'official' manner. Short sentences and a certain feeling as if reading a report of some sorts. I am not sure if it is a translation that needs to be blamed or if it is a way of the author. Nevertheless, the story has couple of twists but on the baseline is still quite predictable.
January 12, 2015
It was kind of slow or hard to follow at first, but really picked up about 30% into the book. And turned into a very enjoyable read.
Since this is a translation it was hard to follow some of the cultural references, but is still a enjoyable book overall and I look forward to the next.
Since this is a translation it was hard to follow some of the cultural references, but is still a enjoyable book overall and I look forward to the next.
November 22, 2015
Good book
Was good reading. I liked the MC who did not whine about what happened to him. He set out to grow stronger and made it believable. He started to learn magic as soon as he could, doing it in a good timeframe, making the story flow smoothly.
Was good reading. I liked the MC who did not whine about what happened to him. He set out to grow stronger and made it believable. He started to learn magic as soon as he could, doing it in a good timeframe, making the story flow smoothly.
July 28, 2013
Perhaps it is a translation issue - but I just couldn't get into this story.
July 25, 2013
Enjoyed this fantasy book. interesting characters, humorous, adventure.
July 28, 2013
Couldn't get into the book. Jumped a bit and didn't make alot of sense. Couldn't follow story which maybe I didn't understand the translation.
September 13, 2013
Fun, fast-paced, reminded me of Robert Lynn Asprin's books.
January 9, 2014
Couldn't put it down, witty and humorous, and just a great read in general.
May 4, 2015
This story was awesome. I think it should at least be given a try. Hopefully the next book gets translated. It sucks when you like a story you will never be able to finish.
June 19, 2014
One of the best books I've read. Terrible shame that the publisher is digging its heel's to publish the rest in the series in english.
November 6, 2014
Great history, but the relationship with the godness is weird, and hate the "backstab" at the end, hope he is a little smarter about it.
July 16, 2017
Wow...very good, I love these books that really explore the dark side.
February 14, 2016
Good book. Shame the rest of the series will never be translated to English.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews