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Kingmaker, Kingbreaker #0
De vloek van de magiër
In Dorana zijn maar twee dingen belangrijk: afkomst en magisch talent.
Barl Linden is een van de grootste magiërs die Dorana ooit heeft gekend, maar de erkenning die ze daarvoor verdient blijft uit. In haar strijd als gelijke te worden behandeld, komt Barl onder de aandacht van de almachtige Magiërsraad.
Morgan Danfey is de jongste magiër die ooit tot de Raad is toegelaten. Hij is trots en getalenteerd, en voelt dat er een vreselijk, onbekend gevaar dreigt voor Dorana... maar hij kan dat niet bewijzen.
Wanneer Barl en Morgan elkaars pad kruisen, slaat de vonk over, en wordt er een reeks gebeurtenissen in gang gezet die hun leven - en het lot van naties - voor altijd zal veranderen.
Barl Linden is een van de grootste magiërs die Dorana ooit heeft gekend, maar de erkenning die ze daarvoor verdient blijft uit. In haar strijd als gelijke te worden behandeld, komt Barl onder de aandacht van de almachtige Magiërsraad.
Morgan Danfey is de jongste magiër die ooit tot de Raad is toegelaten. Hij is trots en getalenteerd, en voelt dat er een vreselijk, onbekend gevaar dreigt voor Dorana... maar hij kan dat niet bewijzen.
Wanneer Barl en Morgan elkaars pad kruisen, slaat de vonk over, en wordt er een reeks gebeurtenissen in gang gezet die hun leven - en het lot van naties - voor altijd zal veranderen.
640 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2011
108 people are currently reading
3743 people want to read
About the author
Karen Miller
121 books1,145 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. Please see this thread for more details.
Also writes as "K.E. Mills"
Lord, do you really want to know?
Oh, all right.
I was born in Vancouver, Canada, and came to Australia with my parents when I was 2. I think. Dad’s an Aussie, Mum’s English, go figure. Talk about Fate and Destiny. But three passports come in handy.
I’ve always lived in Sydney, except when I didn’t. After graduating with a BA Communications from the then Institute of Technology (now University) a few years ahead of Hugh Jackman, dammit, talk about rotten timing, I headed off to England and lived there for 3 years. It was interesting. I worked for a bunch of nutters in a community health centre and got the sack because I refused to go do EST with them (you stand in the middle of a circle and thank people for hurling verbal abuse at you for your own good, they said, and then were surprised when I said no), was a customer services officer for DHL London (would you believe at one time I knew every single airport code for every single airport in the world, off by heart?!?), got roped into an extremely dubious life insurance selling scheme (I was young and broke, need I say more?) and ended up realizing a life-long dream of working professionally with horses. After 18 grueling months I woke up, and came home.
Since then I’ve done customer service in the insurance and telecommunications industries, been a training officer, PR Officer in local government, production assistant in educational publishing, taught English and Business Communication at TAFE, been a supervisor and run my own sf/fantasy/mystery bookshop. Money for jam, there! I also managed to squeeze in a Master’s Degree in Children’s Literature from Macquarie University.
I used to have horses of my own, and spent lots of time and money showing, breeding, training and judging, but then I came off one time too many and so a large part of my life ended.
When I’m not writing I’m heavily involved in the Castle Hill Players, my local community theatre group, as an actor, director, prompt, stage manager (but not all at once!) and publicity officer.
I’m a story junkie. Books, film, tv ... you name it. Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica (the new series), Stargate, Firefly, X-Men, Buffy, Angel, Supernatural, The Professionals, Forever Knight, Due South, The West Wing, The Shield, Sandbaggers, Homicide, Wiseguy, The Shield, The Closer ... and the list goes on. And that’s just the media stuff!
I love music. While writing I listen primarily to film soundtracks, because they’ve been written primarily to evoke emotional responses in the listener. This helps access emotion during tough scenes. Plus, the music is pretty. At least the stuff I listen to is. Favourite film composers include Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, James Horner and John Williams. Vocalists I enjoy are Josh Groban, Russell Watson, Sarah McLachlan, Simon and Garfunkel , Queen, The Moody Blues, Steeleye Span, Meatloaf, Mike Oldfield ... anyone who can carry a tune, basically.
In short, I’m an only child with an overactive imagination, 3 dogs, 2 cats and not enough hours in the day. I don’t drink, smoke, or do enough exercise. I make periodic stabs at eating properly. Chocolate is my besetting downfall.
So that’s me. You can wake up now ...
Also writes as "K.E. Mills"
Lord, do you really want to know?
Oh, all right.
I was born in Vancouver, Canada, and came to Australia with my parents when I was 2. I think. Dad’s an Aussie, Mum’s English, go figure. Talk about Fate and Destiny. But three passports come in handy.
I’ve always lived in Sydney, except when I didn’t. After graduating with a BA Communications from the then Institute of Technology (now University) a few years ahead of Hugh Jackman, dammit, talk about rotten timing, I headed off to England and lived there for 3 years. It was interesting. I worked for a bunch of nutters in a community health centre and got the sack because I refused to go do EST with them (you stand in the middle of a circle and thank people for hurling verbal abuse at you for your own good, they said, and then were surprised when I said no), was a customer services officer for DHL London (would you believe at one time I knew every single airport code for every single airport in the world, off by heart?!?), got roped into an extremely dubious life insurance selling scheme (I was young and broke, need I say more?) and ended up realizing a life-long dream of working professionally with horses. After 18 grueling months I woke up, and came home.
Since then I’ve done customer service in the insurance and telecommunications industries, been a training officer, PR Officer in local government, production assistant in educational publishing, taught English and Business Communication at TAFE, been a supervisor and run my own sf/fantasy/mystery bookshop. Money for jam, there! I also managed to squeeze in a Master’s Degree in Children’s Literature from Macquarie University.
I used to have horses of my own, and spent lots of time and money showing, breeding, training and judging, but then I came off one time too many and so a large part of my life ended.
When I’m not writing I’m heavily involved in the Castle Hill Players, my local community theatre group, as an actor, director, prompt, stage manager (but not all at once!) and publicity officer.
I’m a story junkie. Books, film, tv ... you name it. Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica (the new series), Stargate, Firefly, X-Men, Buffy, Angel, Supernatural, The Professionals, Forever Knight, Due South, The West Wing, The Shield, Sandbaggers, Homicide, Wiseguy, The Shield, The Closer ... and the list goes on. And that’s just the media stuff!
I love music. While writing I listen primarily to film soundtracks, because they’ve been written primarily to evoke emotional responses in the listener. This helps access emotion during tough scenes. Plus, the music is pretty. At least the stuff I listen to is. Favourite film composers include Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, James Horner and John Williams. Vocalists I enjoy are Josh Groban, Russell Watson, Sarah McLachlan, Simon and Garfunkel , Queen, The Moody Blues, Steeleye Span, Meatloaf, Mike Oldfield ... anyone who can carry a tune, basically.
In short, I’m an only child with an overactive imagination, 3 dogs, 2 cats and not enough hours in the day. I don’t drink, smoke, or do enough exercise. I make periodic stabs at eating properly. Chocolate is my besetting downfall.
So that’s me. You can wake up now ...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
June 8, 2018
I read this (the prequel) before any of the other books in the series, and I must say it is by far the best one.
There were a lot of problems with The Innocent Mage and even more so with The Awakened Mage though here Karen Miller gets the tone just right. I would go as far to say that this works perfectly well as a stand-alone novel. You don’t really need to know anything else about the series to enjoy this one. The story is strong and the characters are actually interesting (for a change.) So I would recommend ignoring the rest of the series and to just stick with this one (like I wish I had done.)
Character development is a word that gets thrown around an awful lot by book reviewers. Does a character need to grow for the book to be good? Food for thought, though these character truly grow: they grow into gods. One is evil and driven by destruction and dominance, the other is benevolent and seeks to thwart her counterpart. This all sounds pretty standard, but what made this so compelling was the fact that in their mortal lives these two deities were once the best of friends and lovers: they were soulmates.
Seeing how they transformed slowly over time and eventually pushed themselves into disaster gave the plot a bitter resolution. From very early on it was so clear that this situation could never end well. The lovers were two different and their powers were pushing them in very different directions. The attraction was strong, and it was easy to see why it was there. In the beginning they brought the best out of each other, which made it even more painful and dramatic when things went awry. The ending was everything it needed to be.
I only wish that Karen Miller wrote the rest of the series this well. Perhaps her skills as writer improved with time or perhaps she finally understood what makes for a well written character. Barl was forced to choose between saving innocent lives and the madman she absolutely adored. He became corrupted by power, though she still loved him. And although they became enemies, the feelings were stronger than ever. As such the story was so very tense and the emotions very real.
I recommend this to those looking for a quick slice of fantasy action, and especially those who enjoy books about magic and magic schools such as The Name of the Wind, The Wizard of Earthsea and, of course, Harry Potter.
There were a lot of problems with The Innocent Mage and even more so with The Awakened Mage though here Karen Miller gets the tone just right. I would go as far to say that this works perfectly well as a stand-alone novel. You don’t really need to know anything else about the series to enjoy this one. The story is strong and the characters are actually interesting (for a change.) So I would recommend ignoring the rest of the series and to just stick with this one (like I wish I had done.)
Character development is a word that gets thrown around an awful lot by book reviewers. Does a character need to grow for the book to be good? Food for thought, though these character truly grow: they grow into gods. One is evil and driven by destruction and dominance, the other is benevolent and seeks to thwart her counterpart. This all sounds pretty standard, but what made this so compelling was the fact that in their mortal lives these two deities were once the best of friends and lovers: they were soulmates.
Seeing how they transformed slowly over time and eventually pushed themselves into disaster gave the plot a bitter resolution. From very early on it was so clear that this situation could never end well. The lovers were two different and their powers were pushing them in very different directions. The attraction was strong, and it was easy to see why it was there. In the beginning they brought the best out of each other, which made it even more painful and dramatic when things went awry. The ending was everything it needed to be.
I only wish that Karen Miller wrote the rest of the series this well. Perhaps her skills as writer improved with time or perhaps she finally understood what makes for a well written character. Barl was forced to choose between saving innocent lives and the madman she absolutely adored. He became corrupted by power, though she still loved him. And although they became enemies, the feelings were stronger than ever. As such the story was so very tense and the emotions very real.
I recommend this to those looking for a quick slice of fantasy action, and especially those who enjoy books about magic and magic schools such as The Name of the Wind, The Wizard of Earthsea and, of course, Harry Potter.
June 19, 2012
First and foremost, I must say this: While this book may technically be a prequel to the series Kingmaker / Kingbreaker, for the love of all that is holy, at least read The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage before reading A Blight of Mages. I’ve noticed an alarming number of reviews that give the book a low amount of stars, because they weren’t prepared for the violence and changes in one of the main characters, which easily would have been remedied if the original series had been read before the prequel. Additionally, there’s also a second series in the same world, called The Fisherman’s Children, with two books called The Prodigal Mage and The Reluctant Mage, both of which are fantastic and continue the story of Lur and its people magnificently. Personally, I suggest reading all of the other books before reading A Blight of Mages.
So, let’s get down to it. A Blight of Mages, as I’ve said, is a prequel to the story set out in Kingmaker / Kingbreaker, which was continued in The Prodigal Mage and The Awakened Mage.
This book was like a train wreck for me. I knew what was going to happen, but I didn’t expect it to happen the way that it did, and I couldn’t look away. A Blight of Mages made me sigh like a giddy schoolgirl, and sob as though my heart were fit to break. A few reviews I’ve read mention the “explicit” sex scenes, but I’ll be darned if I could find one that was actually incredibly detailed. Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit; it was good, and tugged at my heartstrings, and made me angry, and … I’m glad that I read it. It gave me insight into the characters who came after, and deepened my love for this fictional universe.
So, let’s get down to it. A Blight of Mages, as I’ve said, is a prequel to the story set out in Kingmaker / Kingbreaker, which was continued in The Prodigal Mage and The Awakened Mage.
This book was like a train wreck for me. I knew what was going to happen, but I didn’t expect it to happen the way that it did, and I couldn’t look away. A Blight of Mages made me sigh like a giddy schoolgirl, and sob as though my heart were fit to break. A few reviews I’ve read mention the “explicit” sex scenes, but I’ll be darned if I could find one that was actually incredibly detailed. Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit; it was good, and tugged at my heartstrings, and made me angry, and … I’m glad that I read it. It gave me insight into the characters who came after, and deepened my love for this fictional universe.
June 27, 2013
It took me almost three months to finish the "Lur Saga" as I'm calling A Blight of Mages, The Innocent Mage, The Awaken Mage, The Prodigal Mage, and the Reluctant Mage. I read them backwards, starting with the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books and ending it with A Blight of Mages. I recommend for anyone interested in reading the Lur Saga, that you do it that way, because the ending of A Blight of Mages is much more satisfying that way than if you read them in chronological order.
I honestly enjoyed A Blight of Mages, and after the Reluctant Mage I was a bit surprised.
It was fun picking out names of future characters and putting the pieces of the puzzle together, A Blight of Mages pretty much explains why Asher was born the way he was. But you won't be able to pick it up if you didn't read Kingmaker, Kingbreaker.
The first half was engaging, the middle was fast pace because you got so caught up in Barl's whirlwind mageworking/romance with Morgan and you kept wondering about that immortality spell, when will Morgan marry Barl, what is Morgan working on.
Then the third part, the ending arch... it was heartbreaking, sad and painful to read, because if you read the other four books of the Lur Saga, then you KNOW what happens. You KNOW the consequences of Barl and Morgan's actions, the after effects of the Weather Magics and the Wall. All the things Jervale fears will come to past.
Hence when you read that last line of the book, your heart breaks. Because you know the entire sacrifice that Barl and the Olken are making. And... it's so... heart breaking.
Though over all, it was a great book and the reread value is very high. Though next time I read the Lur Saga I'll read it in chronological order.
I recommend it to anyone. The Lur Saga is definately more enjoyable than The Godspeaker Trilogy. Hekat was just unlikeable about midway though Empress and Rhian... you liked in the second book but I couldn't stand her in the third.
I honestly enjoyed A Blight of Mages, and after the Reluctant Mage I was a bit surprised.
It was fun picking out names of future characters and putting the pieces of the puzzle together, A Blight of Mages pretty much explains why Asher was born the way he was. But you won't be able to pick it up if you didn't read Kingmaker, Kingbreaker.
The first half was engaging, the middle was fast pace because you got so caught up in Barl's whirlwind mageworking/romance with Morgan and you kept wondering about that immortality spell, when will Morgan marry Barl, what is Morgan working on.
Then the third part, the ending arch... it was heartbreaking, sad and painful to read, because if you read the other four books of the Lur Saga, then you KNOW what happens. You KNOW the consequences of Barl and Morgan's actions, the after effects of the Weather Magics and the Wall. All the things Jervale fears will come to past.
Hence when you read that last line of the book, your heart breaks. Because you know the entire sacrifice that Barl and the Olken are making. And... it's so... heart breaking.
Though over all, it was a great book and the reread value is very high. Though next time I read the Lur Saga I'll read it in chronological order.
I recommend it to anyone. The Lur Saga is definately more enjoyable than The Godspeaker Trilogy. Hekat was just unlikeable about midway though Empress and Rhian... you liked in the second book but I couldn't stand her in the third.
March 8, 2012
This book started off lulling me into a false sense of comfort- I thought I'd picked up a pulp fantasy novel, an easy read where I know the cookie cutter plot and the joy is really in getting to know the new characters and how this world works. About halfway through this book I realized that they would accomplish everything I was expecting no further than 60% through at that rate and I began to get worried that they would just drag that part out through the rest of the book. Then I got slapped upside the head by a major plot twist... which just kept on coming. It was delightfully refreshing to not be sure what was going to happen next in a fantasy novel about mages.
I found the ending quite abrupt with some major unaddressed plot points, which I knew would lower my rating if a sequel was never written, but when I started reading reviews on Amazon I discovered this book is actually a prequel to a series Karen Miller wrote called "Kingmaker, Kingbreaker", the first book being called "The Innocent Mage". I wonder if I would have enjoyed this book less or more if I'd read that series first, but at least now I know I can look forward to those unresolved plot points being the basis for that series when I get ahold of it!
I found the ending quite abrupt with some major unaddressed plot points, which I knew would lower my rating if a sequel was never written, but when I started reading reviews on Amazon I discovered this book is actually a prequel to a series Karen Miller wrote called "Kingmaker, Kingbreaker", the first book being called "The Innocent Mage". I wonder if I would have enjoyed this book less or more if I'd read that series first, but at least now I know I can look forward to those unresolved plot points being the basis for that series when I get ahold of it!
February 17, 2017
I enjoy Karen Miller - but I do understand some of the complaints about her work. She does have a tendency to replay the same conversation between 2 characters again and again like Morgan and his Father and Barl & her brother - I think she was trying to show us the character development ie. how Morgan could do nothing right by his Father but it could have been handled much more succinctly. What I did enjoy was that there were no heroes in this book - all the characters were unlikeable in one way or another - Barl was so arrogant and blind to the worth of anyone else including her own brother who was at least as powerful as she and she never learnt her lesson. Her brother Remmie though an upright citizen was as dull as dishwater and as timid as a mouse. The other characters were all unlikeable snobs. One glaring fault in the world Ms Miller created which irritated me considerably, was that no-one other than Barl questioned the unfair class heirarchy that was in force, a heirarchy based on birth not magical power. The unranked mages were at least as powerful as the ranked mages even if they didn't get the same level of education - Barl would not have been the only rebel - in fact that sort of system would not have been sustainable!
Putting that irritant aside I enjoyed reading how Morgan gradually fell into madness - how his evil actually came from a desire to do good or what he thought was good, but got corrupted by his own bigotry. Overall enjoyable - If Ms Miller could just sort out some of her character dialogue issues it would have been an excellent book
Merged review:
I enjoy Karen Miller - but I do understand some of the complaints about her work. She does have a tendency to replay the same conversation between 2 characters again and again like Morgan and his Father and Barl & her brother - I think she was trying to show us the character development ie. how Morgan could do nothing right by his Father but it could have been handled much more succinctly. What I did enjoy was that there were no heroes in this book - all the characters were unlikeable in one way or another - Barl was so arrogant and blind to the worth of anyone else including her own brother who was at least as powerful as she and she never learnt her lesson. Her brother Remmie though an upright citizen was as dull as dishwater and as timid as a mouse. The other characters were all unlikeable snobs. One glaring fault in the world Ms Miller created which irritated me considerably, was that no-one other than Barl questioned the unfair class heirarchy that was in force, a heirarchy based on birth not magical power. The unranked mages were at least as powerful as the ranked mages even if they didn't get the same level of education - Barl would not have been the only rebel - in fact that sort of system would not have been sustainable!
Putting that irritant aside I enjoyed reading how Morgan gradually fell into madness - how his evil actually came from a desire to do good or what he thought was good, but got corrupted by his own bigotry. Overall enjoyable - If Ms Miller could just sort out some of her character dialogue issues it would have been an excellent book
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Putting that irritant aside I enjoyed reading how Morgan gradually fell into madness - how his evil actually came from a desire to do good or what he thought was good, but got corrupted by his own bigotry. Overall enjoyable - If Ms Miller could just sort out some of her character dialogue issues it would have been an excellent book
Merged review:
I enjoy Karen Miller - but I do understand some of the complaints about her work. She does have a tendency to replay the same conversation between 2 characters again and again like Morgan and his Father and Barl & her brother - I think she was trying to show us the character development ie. how Morgan could do nothing right by his Father but it could have been handled much more succinctly. What I did enjoy was that there were no heroes in this book - all the characters were unlikeable in one way or another - Barl was so arrogant and blind to the worth of anyone else including her own brother who was at least as powerful as she and she never learnt her lesson. Her brother Remmie though an upright citizen was as dull as dishwater and as timid as a mouse. The other characters were all unlikeable snobs. One glaring fault in the world Ms Miller created which irritated me considerably, was that no-one other than Barl questioned the unfair class heirarchy that was in force, a heirarchy based on birth not magical power. The unranked mages were at least as powerful as the ranked mages even if they didn't get the same level of education - Barl would not have been the only rebel - in fact that sort of system would not have been sustainable!
Putting that irritant aside I enjoyed reading how Morgan gradually fell into madness - how his evil actually came from a desire to do good or what he thought was good, but got corrupted by his own bigotry. Overall enjoyable - If Ms Miller could just sort out some of her character dialogue issues it would have been an excellent book
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March 19, 2021
I read the Kingmaker Kingbreaker series many years ago and I was blown away by Karen Miller; so imagine my joy and happiness when I found this book - a prequel to the above.
Admittedly, it has been many years since I've read them, so it was a bit disconcerting to find myself floundering around as to why none of what I'm reading is making any sense to me... but once I had that "Aha" moment, I was all for it.
The characters were incredibly well written in the fact that they kept the story flowing where there wasn't action, so to speak, and I love a well written, fully-rounded character. But don't misunderstand, the story was good, too; it really pulls everything together nicely at the end so that there are no confusions.
I love this world even more now and I cannot wait to get my hands on the other books set in this world because I need to know what's happening.....
Admittedly, it has been many years since I've read them, so it was a bit disconcerting to find myself floundering around as to why none of what I'm reading is making any sense to me... but once I had that "Aha" moment, I was all for it.
The characters were incredibly well written in the fact that they kept the story flowing where there wasn't action, so to speak, and I love a well written, fully-rounded character. But don't misunderstand, the story was good, too; it really pulls everything together nicely at the end so that there are no confusions.
I love this world even more now and I cannot wait to get my hands on the other books set in this world because I need to know what's happening.....
January 29, 2012
This was another book I picked up as a possible 2012 Australian Women Writers Challenge book, but which, due to my extra criteria, did not make it to my list of 10 books I read specifically for the challenge.
I loved this book. I have read the original two Kingmaker/Kingbreaker books (The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage, the latter of which is published as Innocence Lost in Australia) and enjoyed them, but I think I enjoyed this one a little more. It took me a while to get into, as I found it moved a little slowly, but once Barl and Morgan meet, the sparks really do fly.
While a reader who has read the Kingmaker/Kingbreaker books knows the final outcome, sie will not know exactly how the characters get there or precisely what happens along the way. This means Ms Miller is still able to create suspense within the story - and provide an explanation for certain aspects of the Kingmaker/Kingbreaker books.
Also, I really enjoyed the fact that one of the main characters - and the most important one - is a woman. One thing that has frustrated me about Ms Miller's writing in the past is that every book of hers I have read so far has had a male protagonist. While her female secondary characters are present, important and interesting, this does not detract much from a book being all about a man, and in fact, led to my frustration, because she obviously could write such great female characters. This book proves that, if it needed proving, and it was simply refreshing to have everyone worrying and talking about a woman.
One thing I enjoy about Ms Miller's writing, whether she is writing as Karen Miller or K.E. Mills, is that, even though her books are not set in Australia, her tone and her characters' slang (especially, in these books, that of the Olken) takes much from Australian tone and slang. It makes the books recognisable for an Australian in the way many other books in this genre are not.
I'm now looking forward even more to reading the sequel series to the Kingmaker/Kingbreaker books, the Fisherman's Children books (The Prodigal Mage and The Reluctant Mage), and will definitely be seeking out other works as well.
I loved this book. I have read the original two Kingmaker/Kingbreaker books (The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage, the latter of which is published as Innocence Lost in Australia) and enjoyed them, but I think I enjoyed this one a little more. It took me a while to get into, as I found it moved a little slowly, but once Barl and Morgan meet, the sparks really do fly.
While a reader who has read the Kingmaker/Kingbreaker books knows the final outcome, sie will not know exactly how the characters get there or precisely what happens along the way. This means Ms Miller is still able to create suspense within the story - and provide an explanation for certain aspects of the Kingmaker/Kingbreaker books.
Also, I really enjoyed the fact that one of the main characters - and the most important one - is a woman. One thing that has frustrated me about Ms Miller's writing in the past is that every book of hers I have read so far has had a male protagonist. While her female secondary characters are present, important and interesting, this does not detract much from a book being all about a man, and in fact, led to my frustration, because she obviously could write such great female characters. This book proves that, if it needed proving, and it was simply refreshing to have everyone worrying and talking about a woman.
One thing I enjoy about Ms Miller's writing, whether she is writing as Karen Miller or K.E. Mills, is that, even though her books are not set in Australia, her tone and her characters' slang (especially, in these books, that of the Olken) takes much from Australian tone and slang. It makes the books recognisable for an Australian in the way many other books in this genre are not.
I'm now looking forward even more to reading the sequel series to the Kingmaker/Kingbreaker books, the Fisherman's Children books (The Prodigal Mage and The Reluctant Mage), and will definitely be seeking out other works as well.
April 26, 2012
I'm not sure how to rate this book, because I liked the first half or so, and yet really didn't care for the second half (which I basically skimmed). I picked it up at the library because it sounded interesting, and I liked the first few pages.
For the first half, I found the characters likeable, although quite flawed. I liked the setting, and found the world fascinating. The magic is interesting, and I enjoyed the idea of magicians as artisans, who not only create standard spells of warding and such, but use specific magics to create specific items, such as glass clocks that keep perfect time.
I should also note that the sex scenes were fairly explicit (something I dislike reading).
The second half I found horribly dark. I tend to shy away from books that involve things like entire countries being destroyed, and the crazy evil magician who was responsible working to free himself to create further destruction. I understand how it fit into the story, but it was much too dark for my taste.
I did enjoy the complexity of the story, how But overall it was so dark and depressing that I don't think I'll be reading anything else by Karen Miller.
For the first half, I found the characters likeable, although quite flawed. I liked the setting, and found the world fascinating. The magic is interesting, and I enjoyed the idea of magicians as artisans, who not only create standard spells of warding and such, but use specific magics to create specific items, such as glass clocks that keep perfect time.
I should also note that the sex scenes were fairly explicit (something I dislike reading).
The second half I found horribly dark. I tend to shy away from books that involve things like entire countries being destroyed, and the crazy evil magician who was responsible working to free himself to create further destruction. I understand how it fit into the story, but it was much too dark for my taste.
I did enjoy the complexity of the story, how But overall it was so dark and depressing that I don't think I'll be reading anything else by Karen Miller.
March 30, 2013
This is the back story on Barl and Morgan that sets up the whole conflict for Asher in the Kingmaker Kingbreaker series(book:Kingmaker, Kingbreaker: The Omnibus Edition|13074864)and then again later in the Fisherman's Children The Prodigal MageThe Reluctant Mage This book was one of the best out of all five books combined. Why? Because of Morgan Delfrey, that's why. I don't think I have ever loved and hated a character so much that I think I made myself kind of sick about it (I also can assume that that might be how Barl felt about the whole thing). However, my recommendation is that you DO NOT start the series with this book. This is one of those times where the prequel needs to be read at the end so that you don't spoil your original concept of the story. However, it is your decision in the end--just make sure you read it last.
You won't be sorry.
You won't be sorry.
January 24, 2013
Seems I should have read The Fisherman's Children first, but as far as I can make out, this is the same world but unconnected. I enjoyed the Godspeaker series, I laughed my way throught the Rogue Agent series, but this book is a bit special - almost two books' worth and very powerful. I don't think I'm giving too much away to say I felt a premonition of tears to come through most of the book, but I kept hoping for a happy end and we nearly made it.
I've given it 5 stars, but I do have a few reservations. Quite a few of the characters are thoroughly unlikeable, but it's OK while I'm in their heads. When I see them through the eyes of other characters, it is more difficult to maintain my sympathy. There was a point near the end where I almost lost it with Barl. Talking of which: the names puzzle me. Most of them, like Barl, are very inventive and new, so why a Welsh name like Morgan? Authors are funny at times.
I've given it 5 stars, but I do have a few reservations. Quite a few of the characters are thoroughly unlikeable, but it's OK while I'm in their heads. When I see them through the eyes of other characters, it is more difficult to maintain my sympathy. There was a point near the end where I almost lost it with Barl. Talking of which: the names puzzle me. Most of them, like Barl, are very inventive and new, so why a Welsh name like Morgan? Authors are funny at times.
January 2, 2020
Two hundred pages in and I was bored. I liked the writing and the characters. I really did. But it seemed to be a slow build up fantasy and I have no interest waiting three hundred pages at the moment for *something* to happen.
I may continue this more later, perhaps. But for now? Onto the next chunky fantasy that's been languishing on my shelves!
I may continue this more later, perhaps. But for now? Onto the next chunky fantasy that's been languishing on my shelves!
January 13, 2022
Had a hard time choosing between 3 and 4, but I think part of that is my inherent bias of prequels. I've gone with a 4 because I think it did what it needed to do overall. If you haven't read the other entries of the Kingmaker, King breaker series, I suggest you do that. The rest of this review will assume you've read the books in their release order with this being the last.
A Blight of Mages takes us through a year or so of the lives of Barl and Morg(Morgan at this point).
The good-
For the most part, I enjoyed that the characters were different from what we get of them in the other books. Instead of Barl the savior we have Barl the Brat. Instead of Morg the entity of evil, we have Morg the devoted son and council member.
It also did an excellent job of painting a picture of Dorana without venturing too far beyond Barl and Morg themselves. Between the two of them we get an idea of what it meant to be an unranked and ranked mage, respectively. These ranks are based on birth as opposed to talent or performance.
As far as I can recall (I read the last book a couple years ago) it didn't leave any loose ends from the original series as to how we got from where it was to where the innocent mage picks up.
The Bad- All of these things were doubled edged swords to me.
It was fun seeing the difference in the Barl and Morg, but Barl becoming the savior still feels undeserved by the end of it. Maybe that was the point, but if her actions matched up a bit more I would've felt better about it.
We get an idea of what things were like back then , which was great. But somehow it was less magical than the other books. Going into the book I was expecting epic displays of magic since it exclusively follows the magical Doranen in a time where the two greatest mages were alive. However, magic was mostly relagated to alchemy, a few uses of glimfire, clock making (there's like 100 pages about clock making uuugghhh) , and teleportation. This isn't inherently bad, but it's a negative for me in this case.
While there weren't any loose ends that I noticed, I think how everything was tied up was rushed. From our two protagonists doing what they were destined to do, to Jervale's preparations for the innocent mage, it just didn't quite work for me.
Unfortunately I felt a lot of time went to rehashing the same arguments. I really enjoyed the character, Lady Venette, but it got to the point where she'd just have the same conversation with Morg repeatedly. I just needed Asher to come in and tell these Doranen to "quit your branglin'"
A Blight of Mages takes us through a year or so of the lives of Barl and Morg(Morgan at this point).
The good-
For the most part, I enjoyed that the characters were different from what we get of them in the other books. Instead of Barl the savior we have Barl the Brat. Instead of Morg the entity of evil, we have Morg the devoted son and council member.
It also did an excellent job of painting a picture of Dorana without venturing too far beyond Barl and Morg themselves. Between the two of them we get an idea of what it meant to be an unranked and ranked mage, respectively. These ranks are based on birth as opposed to talent or performance.
As far as I can recall (I read the last book a couple years ago) it didn't leave any loose ends from the original series as to how we got from where it was to where the innocent mage picks up.
The Bad- All of these things were doubled edged swords to me.
It was fun seeing the difference in the Barl and Morg, but Barl becoming the savior still feels undeserved by the end of it. Maybe that was the point, but if her actions matched up a bit more I would've felt better about it.
We get an idea of what things were like back then , which was great. But somehow it was less magical than the other books. Going into the book I was expecting epic displays of magic since it exclusively follows the magical Doranen in a time where the two greatest mages were alive. However, magic was mostly relagated to alchemy, a few uses of glimfire, clock making (there's like 100 pages about clock making uuugghhh) , and teleportation. This isn't inherently bad, but it's a negative for me in this case.
While there weren't any loose ends that I noticed, I think how everything was tied up was rushed. From our two protagonists doing what they were destined to do, to Jervale's preparations for the innocent mage, it just didn't quite work for me.
Unfortunately I felt a lot of time went to rehashing the same arguments. I really enjoyed the character, Lady Venette, but it got to the point where she'd just have the same conversation with Morg repeatedly. I just needed Asher to come in and tell these Doranen to "quit your branglin'"
May 6, 2019
Morgan is convinced that the Doranen are in danger and he's trying to forestall it. He's a lone ranger, working on his own.
Barl is a gifted mage - but in a hierarchical society, her lack of family name means that she's considered unranked, denied from higher learning. She clashes with people that she doesn't feel respects her abilities, and chafes at the slower pace she's put through. This ends when she's left alone in a workroom and she averts a disaster - of course, this results in the evidence of the disaster being destroyed, and she's blamed for it. I mean - can you blame her fellow workers? It sounds to me that she could stand to be a little bit nicer to them.
Anyway, Barl decides to demand entrance to the College of Mages, and she ends up . She's nearly twenty, by the way - it would make sense if she was younger, but goodness, this doesn't really make up for her lack of social graces. She's fueled by a sense of what is right; there are no shades of grey with this one.
It's much the same situation for Morgan - both are driven by a love of the craft of mageworking, and morals are secondary. They basically fall under a folie a deux, until Barl's twin, Remmie, . This ends with Barl realising Morgan has been .
I'm not sure how Morgan eventually .
2.5/5 stars - it was entertaining, but doesn't bear deeper thought.
Barl is a gifted mage - but in a hierarchical society, her lack of family name means that she's considered unranked, denied from higher learning. She clashes with people that she doesn't feel respects her abilities, and chafes at the slower pace she's put through. This ends when she's left alone in a workroom and she averts a disaster - of course, this results in the evidence of the disaster being destroyed, and she's blamed for it. I mean - can you blame her fellow workers? It sounds to me that she could stand to be a little bit nicer to them.
Anyway, Barl decides to demand entrance to the College of Mages, and she ends up . She's nearly twenty, by the way - it would make sense if she was younger, but goodness, this doesn't really make up for her lack of social graces. She's fueled by a sense of what is right; there are no shades of grey with this one.
It's much the same situation for Morgan - both are driven by a love of the craft of mageworking, and morals are secondary. They basically fall under a folie a deux, until Barl's twin, Remmie, . This ends with Barl realising Morgan has been .
I'm not sure how Morgan eventually .
2.5/5 stars - it was entertaining, but doesn't bear deeper thought.
April 17, 2017
I am officially a huge fan of villain backstories!!! A Blight of Mages is the story of how the villain Morg and the ancient saviour Barl from the Innocent Mage series came to be. This story is set 500 years before The Innocent Mage and is a fascinating story of how Morg and Barl went from lovers to enemies. What I loved most about this story was how so many questions that I had left over from the original series were answered. It all wrapped up so nicely and made the world Karen Miller created seem so authentic. I definetly recommend reading this book AFTER reading the entire Innocent Mage Series (Kingmaker Kimgbreaker duology and Fisherman's Children duology) since it was so great being able to connect key moments from the other books to things happening in this one. I would have given this book five stars if it hadn't been for the slow start of the story. It's worth pushing through the first 100-200 pages to get to the good stuff though!
August 14, 2017
Dit boek heeft voor- en nadelen. Het verhaal is spannend en vreemd, maar de personages zijn soms onuitstaanbaar in hun arrogantie. Zo vind Barl zichzelf de grootste magiër ooit en dat is ze ook wel, maar ze zegt het wel erg vaak. Morgan heeft precies het zelfde probleem. En dat maakt dit boek voor mij een 7 en geen 8, maar halve punten geven kan hier niet.
April 21, 2025
Любовна лінія відчувалась страшно вимушеною, взагалі будь-яка романтична взаємодія в книзі викликала сміх. Ця цитата одна з моїх улюблених тепер взагалі:
"Morgan opened his eyes to the warmth of Barl curled by his side on the floor...and the freezing memory of his father's agonized death"
Золото
Книга мені сподобалась в цілому, під кінець дійсно було декілька цікавих місць, які мене здивували, можливо, коли читатиму далі
"Morgan opened his eyes to the warmth of Barl curled by his side on the floor...and the freezing memory of his father's agonized death"
Золото
Книга мені сподобалась в цілому, під кінець дійсно було декілька цікавих місць, які мене здивували, можливо, коли читатиму далі
February 21, 2021
Fantastic. 4 stars because if it’s slowish pacing at the start. But it tied the series together nicely and one of the final scenes revealed one of my long standing suspicions.
July 19, 2014
I think this might have actually been the first time I've ever read a prequel to a series. It's kind of a unique experience (assuming you've read the series first) because you already know how it will end, and more beyond that; you know the future of the characters you're reading about as well as the future of their world. I expected this to cause me to be more detached from the story and not be as fully invested in the characters and their predicaments as I was with the rest of the mage books, but I soon discovered this was not the case.
One begins reading A Blight of Mages from the frame of hating Morgan as the manifestation of evil and worshipping Barl as the saviour of the people you love. Then you are slapped in the face--and hopefully slightly amused, as I was--by Barl's abrasive and arrogant demeanour (something you expect and receive from Morgan, but you don't expect from Barl), her rashness and her somewhat selfish (at first) outlook on life. I felt so bad for Remmie throughout the whole book.
And then there's Morgan, who I grew to like in the first quarter or so of the book. Although we did see things from his point of view in the later books, that was the view of a man driven insane by grief and fear and power as well as a skewed sense of morality. The Morgan we meet early on in A Blight of Mages is not that man. But because we know what he will become, we are more sensitive to his actions and decisions, and we can clearly see when the spark of corruption begins to take. We can also see where Barl begins to become wary of Morgan's plans (even before she gets lost in them and blocks the unpleasantness from her mind).
I think because of the fact that we already know about Barl's inevitable betrayal of Morgan and Morgan's descent into wickedness it had less of an emotional impact on me (compared to everything in the other books), but there were still moments of shock and horror intertwined with the little nods as expected events were checked off the list. Rumm, for example... though I did suspect that his ending might come about in that way, that sense didn't change the horrificness (shh, I know that's not a real word) of the turning point which was his death. The abrupt loss of the councillors was a shock too, as well as the brief mention that all of Remmie's old pupils were lost before the Doranen reached Lur.
I liked the insight we get into the beginning of the Circle and Jervale, which was something I was not really expecting to be a focus-point in this book.
In terms of characters, I have to say my favourite character was Remmie. Yes, Barl was the one who saved the world, but she was also the one who helped to kickstart its destruction in the first place, and I was not happy with her most of the time--especially when she was being cold to Remmie.
There are two things I am curious about after reading A Blight of Mages:
- I'd like to know if anyone has actually read it before reading Kingmaker, Kingbreaker and Fisherman's Children, and what the experience was like in that case.
- I'm really curious about the development of the social/political system that we see in "modern day" Lur (ie. in Kingmaker, Kingbreaker). Yes, due to the power and arrogance of the Doranen mages it is not surprising that they become the upper class over the Olken, but I want to know how the monarchy began! I think I just assumed, when reading the later books, that the system was modelled after the way things were in old Dorana. But there were no kings in Dorana! The country was ruled by two Councils. So how did the monarchy come into place in Lur? This would be something to ask Karen Miller if there was ever a chance...
Anyway, if anyone actually reads this review you can maybe give your opinion on these matters? That would be cool.
In the mean time, I'm keeping my eye out for more of Karen Miller's books! I don't think I'll ever tire of them.
One begins reading A Blight of Mages from the frame of hating Morgan as the manifestation of evil and worshipping Barl as the saviour of the people you love. Then you are slapped in the face--and hopefully slightly amused, as I was--by Barl's abrasive and arrogant demeanour (something you expect and receive from Morgan, but you don't expect from Barl), her rashness and her somewhat selfish (at first) outlook on life. I felt so bad for Remmie throughout the whole book.
And then there's Morgan, who I grew to like in the first quarter or so of the book. Although we did see things from his point of view in the later books, that was the view of a man driven insane by grief and fear and power as well as a skewed sense of morality. The Morgan we meet early on in A Blight of Mages is not that man. But because we know what he will become, we are more sensitive to his actions and decisions, and we can clearly see when the spark of corruption begins to take. We can also see where Barl begins to become wary of Morgan's plans (even before she gets lost in them and blocks the unpleasantness from her mind).
I think because of the fact that we already know about Barl's inevitable betrayal of Morgan and Morgan's descent into wickedness it had less of an emotional impact on me (compared to everything in the other books), but there were still moments of shock and horror intertwined with the little nods as expected events were checked off the list. Rumm, for example... though I did suspect that his ending might come about in that way, that sense didn't change the horrificness (shh, I know that's not a real word) of the turning point which was his death. The abrupt loss of the councillors was a shock too, as well as the brief mention that all of Remmie's old pupils were lost before the Doranen reached Lur.
I liked the insight we get into the beginning of the Circle and Jervale, which was something I was not really expecting to be a focus-point in this book.
In terms of characters, I have to say my favourite character was Remmie. Yes, Barl was the one who saved the world, but she was also the one who helped to kickstart its destruction in the first place, and I was not happy with her most of the time--especially when she was being cold to Remmie.
There are two things I am curious about after reading A Blight of Mages:
- I'd like to know if anyone has actually read it before reading Kingmaker, Kingbreaker and Fisherman's Children, and what the experience was like in that case.
- I'm really curious about the development of the social/political system that we see in "modern day" Lur (ie. in Kingmaker, Kingbreaker). Yes, due to the power and arrogance of the Doranen mages it is not surprising that they become the upper class over the Olken, but I want to know how the monarchy began! I think I just assumed, when reading the later books, that the system was modelled after the way things were in old Dorana. But there were no kings in Dorana! The country was ruled by two Councils. So how did the monarchy come into place in Lur? This would be something to ask Karen Miller if there was ever a chance...
Anyway, if anyone actually reads this review you can maybe give your opinion on these matters? That would be cool.
In the mean time, I'm keeping my eye out for more of Karen Miller's books! I don't think I'll ever tire of them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2012
Originally posted here.
Despite its length, I got through the book in four days, even though I've been busy with other things as well. The writing, characters and world-building all caught my imagination and would not let me go. Before I was even done reading the book (a couple hundred pages in), I went onto Goodreads and marked her other books to read, because I loved reading this so much.
Miller's writing is fantastic. I love the way she strings words together. Her diction and syntax both resonate with me. Obviously, she's fairly wordy--otherwise filling up so many pages is tricky--but I love verbosity. Miller is also funny; it's not the main point of the novel, but there were several lines that definitely made me laugh.
Her characterization is like insanely good. Barl, the main character, if you can choose but one of the cast to focus on, is 22 and as fiery a heroine as anyone could desire. Possessed of mage skills that outstrip those ranked above her (because Dorana's rankings are based not on skill but on status, which sounds a lot like our world), Barl desperately wants to be judged for her talent. She dreams of attending the based college for mages in Dorana, but is repeatedly denied. Barl is passionate, hard-working, cleverer than pretty much everyone, arrogant, stubborn, and bemoans those with a 'child-ridden fate' (40). Of course, I loved her.
I use her solely to illustrate the awesomeness of the characters. In lesser detail, here are some other wonderfully drawn characters. Morgan Danfey is prideful, a bit sexist, alluring and powerful. Remmie, Barl's twin brother, lacks her overt strength, but possesses serious loyalty and steadfastness. Venette is a nosy matchmaker, but she has people's best interests at heart; she is loving, and blinded by those emotions. Everyone feels real and believable, and, like with real people, you don't necessarily always know where you stand.
Ordinarily, I am not often surprised by books. Most plot twists are like ummm, yeah, you foreshadowed that like crazy on page 10 and expect me to be surprised? Well, recently, there have been quite a few that have swept the rug from under my feet, and A Blight of Mages falls into that category along with the YA novel Never Enough. With Miller's book, it's not so much that I couldn't see these possibilities coming as her setup made me root so hard for the other outcome that I was still blindsided.
Something to know: this book is seriously dark, which is part of what surprised me, because it's pretty light and then WHAM. Don't get too attached to anyone, because like a lot of good storytellers, Miller is not afraid to do terrible things to her characters, and there's a good chance some will not survive. There are some parts of this that are going to be haunting my thoughts for some time to come.
A Blight of Mages is a prequel to Miller's Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series, which I really wish I had on hand like RIGHT NOW, because THAT ENDING. Anyway, if you like epic fantasy, you should really, really go get this or Innocent Mage posthaste (depending on whether you like to read series in publication or chronological order).
Despite its length, I got through the book in four days, even though I've been busy with other things as well. The writing, characters and world-building all caught my imagination and would not let me go. Before I was even done reading the book (a couple hundred pages in), I went onto Goodreads and marked her other books to read, because I loved reading this so much.
Miller's writing is fantastic. I love the way she strings words together. Her diction and syntax both resonate with me. Obviously, she's fairly wordy--otherwise filling up so many pages is tricky--but I love verbosity. Miller is also funny; it's not the main point of the novel, but there were several lines that definitely made me laugh.
Her characterization is like insanely good. Barl, the main character, if you can choose but one of the cast to focus on, is 22 and as fiery a heroine as anyone could desire. Possessed of mage skills that outstrip those ranked above her (because Dorana's rankings are based not on skill but on status, which sounds a lot like our world), Barl desperately wants to be judged for her talent. She dreams of attending the based college for mages in Dorana, but is repeatedly denied. Barl is passionate, hard-working, cleverer than pretty much everyone, arrogant, stubborn, and bemoans those with a 'child-ridden fate' (40). Of course, I loved her.
I use her solely to illustrate the awesomeness of the characters. In lesser detail, here are some other wonderfully drawn characters. Morgan Danfey is prideful, a bit sexist, alluring and powerful. Remmie, Barl's twin brother, lacks her overt strength, but possesses serious loyalty and steadfastness. Venette is a nosy matchmaker, but she has people's best interests at heart; she is loving, and blinded by those emotions. Everyone feels real and believable, and, like with real people, you don't necessarily always know where you stand.
Ordinarily, I am not often surprised by books. Most plot twists are like ummm, yeah, you foreshadowed that like crazy on page 10 and expect me to be surprised? Well, recently, there have been quite a few that have swept the rug from under my feet, and A Blight of Mages falls into that category along with the YA novel Never Enough. With Miller's book, it's not so much that I couldn't see these possibilities coming as her setup made me root so hard for the other outcome that I was still blindsided.
Something to know: this book is seriously dark, which is part of what surprised me, because it's pretty light and then WHAM. Don't get too attached to anyone, because like a lot of good storytellers, Miller is not afraid to do terrible things to her characters, and there's a good chance some will not survive. There are some parts of this that are going to be haunting my thoughts for some time to come.
A Blight of Mages is a prequel to Miller's Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series, which I really wish I had on hand like RIGHT NOW, because THAT ENDING. Anyway, if you like epic fantasy, you should really, really go get this or Innocent Mage posthaste (depending on whether you like to read series in publication or chronological order).
September 20, 2012
I remember when I found out there was a prequel to the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books. The moment was full of that giddy "oooooooh" tingly feeling. Yes, I knew the ending before reading it, but that did nothing to detract from this book. If anything, it made me even more excited to dive in. Legends have always been a point of particular fascination for me, and all the bits and pieces about Barl and Morgan in the Kingmaker/breaker books engrossed me, left me wanting more.
And I got more!
I found it a bit implausible when Barl found out what had been happening in the wider world, and some of the conflicts between characters (Morgan/his dad, Barl/her brother) were hammered on repeatedly. But those are my only real complaints about the book.
It is otherwise a fantastic (in both senses of the word), epic tale - good and evil in the form of people, and full of intensely spot-on characterization. Plus the magic! The clocks make me drool, a little bit, for the thought of wanting to see a real one made by Barl.
And I got more!
I found it a bit implausible when Barl found out what had been happening in the wider world, and some of the conflicts between characters (Morgan/his dad, Barl/her brother) were hammered on repeatedly. But those are my only real complaints about the book.
It is otherwise a fantastic (in both senses of the word), epic tale - good and evil in the form of people, and full of intensely spot-on characterization. Plus the magic! The clocks make me drool, a little bit, for the thought of wanting to see a real one made by Barl.
January 16, 2012
Horrible.
The story of two greatly flawed and arrogant persons growing more arrogant and flawed, and finally destroying everything. It might be an accurate prequel to the Innocent Mage, but there is nothing of the sympathetic characters of that book contained in this book. Maybe others enjoy their protagonists mean and self-destructive, but for me there was no joy in reading this story.
I put off reading this book many times, and eventually had to force myself to finish it, just so I could put it behind me. Not a good sign.
The story of two greatly flawed and arrogant persons growing more arrogant and flawed, and finally destroying everything. It might be an accurate prequel to the Innocent Mage, but there is nothing of the sympathetic characters of that book contained in this book. Maybe others enjoy their protagonists mean and self-destructive, but for me there was no joy in reading this story.
I put off reading this book many times, and eventually had to force myself to finish it, just so I could put it behind me. Not a good sign.
September 20, 2012
I loved this book up until about 90%. I think having read the rest of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series and knowing the end result made it very 'eehhhh' for me. I pretty much skimmed through the last 10% and caught bits and pieces. I loved the character development throughout the rest of it. Reading the other two books you know what Morgan Danfey is like. Then trying to reconcile that with the one you see it's really sad actually but it enthralls you into it even more as you watch his relationship with Barl grow and transform.
June 20, 2012
Really just not very good. Page after page, chapter after chapter of several very unpleasant characters doing very little, and when they do, it's as unpleasant as you might expect. 400 pages in and it was clear it wasn't going to get any better. I liked the Innocent and the Awakened Mage books a great deal, but the author's readers would have been better served by a 10 page prologue than this 600 page unpleasant and uninteresting prequel.
January 27, 2013
I was expecting simply an interesting read. The author was more interested in an epic. Endless conversations & political machinations. Might as well read Ludlum. Intriguing concept, and very well written, but so much was simply boring, and it took almost 200 pages to start to get anywhere. Also, it would be nice if the publisher would say somewhere that this is one of a series, with no real ending. All-in-all, a very frustrating book.
September 24, 2011
Amazing book! Over 600 pages and I read the whole thing in a day because I didnt want to put it down. You could really identify and sympathise with the characters. Well most of them, two I just wanted to slap lol Made me want to read the rest of her books which didnt appeal at first glance.
May 20, 2015
Another case of being thwarted by Goodreads's integer-only star system. I'd like to give this a 3.5 or 3.75.
July 10, 2013
Barl is whiney and superficial, which made a story from her POV very tedious to read. Definitely not a read again candidate.
November 13, 2023
Bit of a slow start but the 2nd half of the book was graphic, twisting gut wrenching and horrific in the best way possible! Loved it! A horror fantasy done well if you ask me
January 17, 2022
Karen Miller dedicated this book to "All the readers who loved the Mage Books." And for this reason I will give it a four star rating rather than three. Because she did take the time to write Barl and Morgan's story. And I did enjoy learning about who they were and what happened before the Doranen came to Lur.
Of all five books though, this one was my least favorite. If you want to read this author you need to have patience because she takes a great deal of time to develop her characters through their daily interactions with each other. I did not think she needed to take this much time in this book though and she could have spent more time with Barl's flight and arrival in Lur. So the ending felt rushed to me and it still has many unanswered questions. I felt the first two books had rushed endings as well. But I love Asher so I didn't mind all the detail and the time I got to spend with him.
There was a twist to help explain how Asher came to be that was unexpected but it was weak how the author explained how Barl's brother, a significant character in this book, was non-existent in the other books because Barl "erased him from her diary" because she was angry with him at the end.
I think she wanted us to really understand Barl and Morgan's relationship and how it developed and try to understand how Morgan became Morg. I think the author did a really good job of this as she spent a great deal of time telling us their individual stories and allowing us to get to know them.
And I think she did not want us to just worship Barl as all her characters did in her first two Mage Books and when Asher started questioning Barl's judgment and what kind of person she actually was, the author answers those questions in this book with great detail.
So overall I did get to know Barl and Morgan and how they came together. I was surprised how naive Barl truly was but I'm glad she gave her life to save the survivors of Dorana and the Olken.
Some holes remain though and that's a part of why this was my least favorite of the five Mage Books. This was such a long book, I thought we would get more answers. Why were the Olken forbidden from using their powers after Barl's wall was made? Why was their magical earth dying and their singing dying with it in the first place? What is the true magic that is warm throughout the entire world, i.e. the paths that helped Deenie at the end of the 4th book.
Surprisingly to me, Barl was not one of my favorite characters in this five book series. Asher and Deenie and Deenie's best friend Charis were my favorite characters.
It would not be wise to begin this series with this book. It holds more value as the 5th book in this series even though it's the prequel. I appreciated learning about the two people who set the entire Mage Book series in action. The grand ending of this series was the best and "The Reluctant Mage" made the series for me. Thank you Karen Miller for writing this for us, your Mage Book Fans. Much appreciated and I enjoyed the ride.
I rate all 5 books as a group, 5 stars. One of my favorite series that I'll hold on to for good.
Of all five books though, this one was my least favorite. If you want to read this author you need to have patience because she takes a great deal of time to develop her characters through their daily interactions with each other. I did not think she needed to take this much time in this book though and she could have spent more time with Barl's flight and arrival in Lur. So the ending felt rushed to me and it still has many unanswered questions. I felt the first two books had rushed endings as well. But I love Asher so I didn't mind all the detail and the time I got to spend with him.
There was a twist to help explain how Asher came to be that was unexpected but it was weak how the author explained how Barl's brother, a significant character in this book, was non-existent in the other books because Barl "erased him from her diary" because she was angry with him at the end.
I think she wanted us to really understand Barl and Morgan's relationship and how it developed and try to understand how Morgan became Morg. I think the author did a really good job of this as she spent a great deal of time telling us their individual stories and allowing us to get to know them.
And I think she did not want us to just worship Barl as all her characters did in her first two Mage Books and when Asher started questioning Barl's judgment and what kind of person she actually was, the author answers those questions in this book with great detail.
So overall I did get to know Barl and Morgan and how they came together. I was surprised how naive Barl truly was but I'm glad she gave her life to save the survivors of Dorana and the Olken.
Some holes remain though and that's a part of why this was my least favorite of the five Mage Books. This was such a long book, I thought we would get more answers. Why were the Olken forbidden from using their powers after Barl's wall was made? Why was their magical earth dying and their singing dying with it in the first place? What is the true magic that is warm throughout the entire world, i.e. the paths that helped Deenie at the end of the 4th book.
Surprisingly to me, Barl was not one of my favorite characters in this five book series. Asher and Deenie and Deenie's best friend Charis were my favorite characters.
It would not be wise to begin this series with this book. It holds more value as the 5th book in this series even though it's the prequel. I appreciated learning about the two people who set the entire Mage Book series in action. The grand ending of this series was the best and "The Reluctant Mage" made the series for me. Thank you Karen Miller for writing this for us, your Mage Book Fans. Much appreciated and I enjoyed the ride.
I rate all 5 books as a group, 5 stars. One of my favorite series that I'll hold on to for good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2014
I’ve never really considered what the collective noun would be for a group of mages (coven might work, but it has more specific connotations than just a gathering). Blight is probably as good as any. The mages of Dorana certainly seem to fit the description. Never have I met such a pack of whiny and entitled people. I was happy to see their country destroyed.
Yes, it is this fury that Karen Miller has inspired in me with A Blight of Mages. Barl Lindin is an unranked mage (she’s not good enough to sit with the cool kids and go to Hogwarts). She is stuck toiling in obscurity, building fantastic clocks under the watchful stink-eye of an artisan of mediocre skill and character. She itches only for a chance to prove herself and be admited to the College of Mages, where she feels that she can learn and be just as good as any mage of rank. Silly Barl doesn’t understand that the world is ranged against her because she lacks both money and family and hence lacks power. It doesn’t matter how much she whines or stamps her feet; she is doomed to a mundane life of work until she dies.
Setting plot aside for a moment, I just have to remark on how much I enjoyed Miller’s depiction of a mage-dominated society plagued with the same problems of class and power relations that our non-mage–dominated societies here on Earth have. (At least, I think our societies aren’t dominated by mages. Huh. That might explain things.) At the pinnacle are the First Families, the ones lucky enough to be born into old money and power. Below them are the majority of Dorana’s population: unranked mages of various levels of skill. Miller weaves magic throughout all of Doranen society, as demonstrated in detail at the beginning when we get to watch Barl make clocks. At the very bottom of the social hierarchy are the unlucky numpties like Rumm who don’t have much magical affinity at all. These muggles get to spend their lives as servants to the mages. And Barl, though she’s nice enough to them, reveals her own position of privilege through her relative insensitivity towards their inequity.
I don’t like Barl that much. Fortunately this appears to be intentional on Miller’s part, for she writes Barl as a very unlikable person: arrogant with a capital “A”, Barl wastes no time informing everyone in earshot that she is Awesome and Amazing and is totally better than Artisan Arndel, who is—I have it on good authority from her—a poopyface. She single-handedly delivers the bestest, most amazingest clock for Lady Grue (who does not live in caves, despite what her name might suggest). She single-handedly saves the artisanry from nigh-certain disaster at the hands of an incompetent fellow mage, though of course with no evidence of the impending disaster remaining, we just have to take her word for it. Barl has all the makings of a Mary Sue … except that, in the grand scheme, she is actually really bad at anything not directly related to mageworking.
Seriously, Barl is a trainwreck through this entire book. From the first page to the last, she pisses off, to various degrees, every single person she meets. Fortunately, Remmie is related to her, so he forgives her (repeatedly). And Morgan … well, he’s Morgan. He saves Barl only to succumb to the siren song that is their mageworking combined. And so they proceed down the direst road of good intentions that I have seen in a long time.
Morgan’s character development as a tragic hero is delicious. At the start of the book, he is little more than your generic rich heir. He courts a lady mage of rank with all the enthusiasm one would expect from a man being pushed into marriage by an ailing, misogynistic crust of father. (Morgan’s daddy issues are later cited by a few other characters as contributing factors to his skewed view of the world, and I’m inclined to agree.) As the story continues, and particularly once Morgan meets Barl and they start cooking with azafris, he grows more of a spine. But that’s not a good thing.
Miller manages to pull of a twist of situational irony that is so clichéd and predictable it should fall flat—but it works. And it works, at least for me, because of the thick and reassuring waves of schadenfreude that wash over me as I watch Dorana crumble. The reactions of the other mages to the nascent catastrophe are reminiscient of global warming deniers. (As much as I like Morgan’s character development, plenty of the secondary characters, particularly antagonists like Sallis and Morgan’s father, are stubbornly one-dimensional in their moustache-twisting commitment to being Bad People.)
So Dorana falls apart, and it’s actually all Morgan and Barl’s fault, even though they were trying to prevent this very thing from happening. Surprise! Except it’s not a surprise to the reader, because we’ve seen this before. Miller knows this, so rather than standing awkwardly around and trying to extract further plaudits, she swiftly moves the book on to the most satisfying part: an extended epilogue that sets the stage for the main part of this series, which had already been published.
After Morgan descends into madness, Barl and the surviving Doranen mages become refugees. They flee to Lur, which by all accounts is a pretty desolate place. Mountains won’t stand in Morgan’s way, though, so Barl has to work one last feat of magic to cut Lur off from the rest of the world and isolate the Doranens and Olken for as long as possible.
On a thematic level, it’s very interesting how Miller has Barl repeat her earlier mistakes rather than learn from them. Once again, Barl shoulders all the responsibility—that arrogance making it impossible for her to admit that someone else could do it—for “saving” people. She has a cross to bear, and she’s none too reluctant to make sure everyon knows she is bearing it for them. I suppose I’ll have to wait until I read the next book to find out what comes of the walled-up refugees. For now, though, I just enjoyed watching the disasters come one after the other, escalating until, finally, all of society crumbles.
Well, Barl gets her wish after all. All of Dorana’s mages are equally screwed. (Or dead.)
A Blight of Mages makes me think back to the good ol’ days of my youth when I was curled up with the larger instalments of Modesitt’s Recluce saga. This book has the same feel of scope and intricate attention to the harmony between magic and the world around us. I suspect that, had I read it back then, I would have found it just as influential as I did Modesitt. As it is, like with Modesitt’s work now, I can see the cracks in the brickwork. It’s not a perfect book—it’s a little long, a little repetitive at times in its insistence on characters endlessly dancing around issues instead of doing things about them. But, as my flippant commentary above hopefully communicates, the book remains extremely entertaining. Despite its length, there was never a point where I found myself putting it down and wanting to walk away: I just wanted to see what fool thing Barl or Morgan might do next.
So far, this world is far cooler than the Godspeaker trilogy, and I look forward to reading the rest of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books.
Yes, it is this fury that Karen Miller has inspired in me with A Blight of Mages. Barl Lindin is an unranked mage (she’s not good enough to sit with the cool kids and go to Hogwarts). She is stuck toiling in obscurity, building fantastic clocks under the watchful stink-eye of an artisan of mediocre skill and character. She itches only for a chance to prove herself and be admited to the College of Mages, where she feels that she can learn and be just as good as any mage of rank. Silly Barl doesn’t understand that the world is ranged against her because she lacks both money and family and hence lacks power. It doesn’t matter how much she whines or stamps her feet; she is doomed to a mundane life of work until she dies.
Setting plot aside for a moment, I just have to remark on how much I enjoyed Miller’s depiction of a mage-dominated society plagued with the same problems of class and power relations that our non-mage–dominated societies here on Earth have. (At least, I think our societies aren’t dominated by mages. Huh. That might explain things.) At the pinnacle are the First Families, the ones lucky enough to be born into old money and power. Below them are the majority of Dorana’s population: unranked mages of various levels of skill. Miller weaves magic throughout all of Doranen society, as demonstrated in detail at the beginning when we get to watch Barl make clocks. At the very bottom of the social hierarchy are the unlucky numpties like Rumm who don’t have much magical affinity at all. These muggles get to spend their lives as servants to the mages. And Barl, though she’s nice enough to them, reveals her own position of privilege through her relative insensitivity towards their inequity.
I don’t like Barl that much. Fortunately this appears to be intentional on Miller’s part, for she writes Barl as a very unlikable person: arrogant with a capital “A”, Barl wastes no time informing everyone in earshot that she is Awesome and Amazing and is totally better than Artisan Arndel, who is—I have it on good authority from her—a poopyface. She single-handedly delivers the bestest, most amazingest clock for Lady Grue (who does not live in caves, despite what her name might suggest). She single-handedly saves the artisanry from nigh-certain disaster at the hands of an incompetent fellow mage, though of course with no evidence of the impending disaster remaining, we just have to take her word for it. Barl has all the makings of a Mary Sue … except that, in the grand scheme, she is actually really bad at anything not directly related to mageworking.
Seriously, Barl is a trainwreck through this entire book. From the first page to the last, she pisses off, to various degrees, every single person she meets. Fortunately, Remmie is related to her, so he forgives her (repeatedly). And Morgan … well, he’s Morgan. He saves Barl only to succumb to the siren song that is their mageworking combined. And so they proceed down the direst road of good intentions that I have seen in a long time.
Morgan’s character development as a tragic hero is delicious. At the start of the book, he is little more than your generic rich heir. He courts a lady mage of rank with all the enthusiasm one would expect from a man being pushed into marriage by an ailing, misogynistic crust of father. (Morgan’s daddy issues are later cited by a few other characters as contributing factors to his skewed view of the world, and I’m inclined to agree.) As the story continues, and particularly once Morgan meets Barl and they start cooking with azafris, he grows more of a spine. But that’s not a good thing.
Miller manages to pull of a twist of situational irony that is so clichéd and predictable it should fall flat—but it works. And it works, at least for me, because of the thick and reassuring waves of schadenfreude that wash over me as I watch Dorana crumble. The reactions of the other mages to the nascent catastrophe are reminiscient of global warming deniers. (As much as I like Morgan’s character development, plenty of the secondary characters, particularly antagonists like Sallis and Morgan’s father, are stubbornly one-dimensional in their moustache-twisting commitment to being Bad People.)
So Dorana falls apart, and it’s actually all Morgan and Barl’s fault, even though they were trying to prevent this very thing from happening. Surprise! Except it’s not a surprise to the reader, because we’ve seen this before. Miller knows this, so rather than standing awkwardly around and trying to extract further plaudits, she swiftly moves the book on to the most satisfying part: an extended epilogue that sets the stage for the main part of this series, which had already been published.
After Morgan descends into madness, Barl and the surviving Doranen mages become refugees. They flee to Lur, which by all accounts is a pretty desolate place. Mountains won’t stand in Morgan’s way, though, so Barl has to work one last feat of magic to cut Lur off from the rest of the world and isolate the Doranens and Olken for as long as possible.
On a thematic level, it’s very interesting how Miller has Barl repeat her earlier mistakes rather than learn from them. Once again, Barl shoulders all the responsibility—that arrogance making it impossible for her to admit that someone else could do it—for “saving” people. She has a cross to bear, and she’s none too reluctant to make sure everyon knows she is bearing it for them. I suppose I’ll have to wait until I read the next book to find out what comes of the walled-up refugees. For now, though, I just enjoyed watching the disasters come one after the other, escalating until, finally, all of society crumbles.
Well, Barl gets her wish after all. All of Dorana’s mages are equally screwed. (Or dead.)
A Blight of Mages makes me think back to the good ol’ days of my youth when I was curled up with the larger instalments of Modesitt’s Recluce saga. This book has the same feel of scope and intricate attention to the harmony between magic and the world around us. I suspect that, had I read it back then, I would have found it just as influential as I did Modesitt. As it is, like with Modesitt’s work now, I can see the cracks in the brickwork. It’s not a perfect book—it’s a little long, a little repetitive at times in its insistence on characters endlessly dancing around issues instead of doing things about them. But, as my flippant commentary above hopefully communicates, the book remains extremely entertaining. Despite its length, there was never a point where I found myself putting it down and wanting to walk away: I just wanted to see what fool thing Barl or Morgan might do next.
So far, this world is far cooler than the Godspeaker trilogy, and I look forward to reading the rest of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books.
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