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Arcane Awakening #1
Imperial Wizard
An age has passed, a blight curses the land, and one hero stands above the rest to restore the balance.
Verdan Blacke is an Imperial Wizard, a researcher by preference but soldier by necessity. Surviving an intense battle, Verdan is cursed by a hex witch in her final moments. Without any good options, Verdan escapes the ever-increasing pain the curse inflicts by performing a self-made stasis ritual.
When the spell fades, and he has awoken, Verdan finds a world completely different from the one he left behind. Dark things work in daylight with impunity, once common knowledge is a mystery, and even the nature of magic that humans use has changed.
One wizard, a million problems, and the wrath of profound magic.
Verdan Blacke is an Imperial Wizard, a researcher by preference but soldier by necessity. Surviving an intense battle, Verdan is cursed by a hex witch in her final moments. Without any good options, Verdan escapes the ever-increasing pain the curse inflicts by performing a self-made stasis ritual.
When the spell fades, and he has awoken, Verdan finds a world completely different from the one he left behind. Dark things work in daylight with impunity, once common knowledge is a mystery, and even the nature of magic that humans use has changed.
One wizard, a million problems, and the wrath of profound magic.
692 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 18, 2023
1503 people are currently reading
2877 people want to read
About the author
J. Parsons
15 books65 followersA long time lover of fantasy adventures, I've finally moved from just writing for family and friends to publishing my books online.
I hope you enjoy my work.
I hope you enjoy my work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
August 16, 2023
Slow and steady
It wasnt a bad, but I gave it 3 stars because it took me along time to finish. I found myself putting the book down more then once or thinking of other books i could read in its place. The book progress was just so slow. I found I could read the first few words of a chapter and understand the gist of what was being said and skip the rest. There is good character development. But not enough action in my opinion. When the action does come. Each characters thought process is well written. intune with individual upbringing character quorks i felt like i was each character handling life through there eyes. Which is nice, elivating the over all read one step above todays norm. All in all a good book. I wouldnt recomend it to a friend and looking back would habe been happy to skip this serese if I wasnt so bord.
It wasnt a bad, but I gave it 3 stars because it took me along time to finish. I found myself putting the book down more then once or thinking of other books i could read in its place. The book progress was just so slow. I found I could read the first few words of a chapter and understand the gist of what was being said and skip the rest. There is good character development. But not enough action in my opinion. When the action does come. Each characters thought process is well written. intune with individual upbringing character quorks i felt like i was each character handling life through there eyes. Which is nice, elivating the over all read one step above todays norm. All in all a good book. I wouldnt recomend it to a friend and looking back would habe been happy to skip this serese if I wasnt so bord.
September 15, 2023
This wasn't really my jam. The writing was very middling.
In general I feel there's far too many characters for a book of this length and they just keep getting added in as it goes. Pretty much every one of the main characters also has a different powerset. There also appear to be at least half a dozen different enemy types each of which has a different powerset as well. There are also incredibly clear cut lines between good and evil. None of the good guys could ever do anything that could be considered questionable. All of the bad guys are just caricatures or mindless evil monsters.
By the end of the book I still didn't care about any of the characters to the point where I was kind of hoping Verdan died in the climax because that just seemed like the most interesting thing that could happen.
In general I feel there's far too many characters for a book of this length and they just keep getting added in as it goes. Pretty much every one of the main characters also has a different powerset. There also appear to be at least half a dozen different enemy types each of which has a different powerset as well. There are also incredibly clear cut lines between good and evil. None of the good guys could ever do anything that could be considered questionable. All of the bad guys are just caricatures or mindless evil monsters.
By the end of the book I still didn't care about any of the characters to the point where I was kind of hoping Verdan died in the climax because that just seemed like the most interesting thing that could happen.
November 20, 2023
Subtract one star if you don’t like Darkness/Horror
Started out as a slice of life story like many others, but by the end of book one our sole surviving wizard has many many enemies in a very dark grim world.
Started out as a slice of life story like many others, but by the end of book one our sole surviving wizard has many many enemies in a very dark grim world.
October 6, 2023
I really loved this book. One of my favorite new books of the fall. This book had everything I love about fantasy: a super cool magic system. amazing well-designed characters, a super interesting world, and a wonderful storyline. The magic in this book was so cool with every new detail kept more and more interested and excited. The characters were all super interesting and well-developed and each person was unique and multifaceted. The storyline was really cool as well. I am super excited for the next book, amazing start to a first book.
March 12, 2024
After a methodical start and somewhat slumpy middle, this story ends strongly and delivers an interesting story.
Character - 6/10, Plot - 6.5/10, Setting and Magic - 8/10, Writing - 5/10, Enjoyment - 6.5/10
This is a man-out-of-time style story in which our MC is a middling Imperial wizard who puts himself in a stasis spell to wait out a vicious hex he suffered in a battle. By the time the hex expires and he can safely leave his stasis, the world has changed over the course of thousands of years. Magic itself is practiced differently, though the age-old enemy of the empire is still rampant.
The characters were a bit flat for most of the story and the lack of personality might be a sticking point for many readers. On the other hand, the supporting cast somewhat makes up for it with sheer variety as nearly every party member ends up developing special powers unique to them. So while the voice never shifts when the pov does, it's still easy to keep the characters straight since you can remember them by their powers.
The plot is interesting enough, though it takes a while to get going. Our rather bland MC, after years of war before stasis, just wants to hang out in a rural area and focus on research for awhile. It's reasonable and realistic, but not the most exciting thing to hang your MC's hat on. The middle of the book sagged a bit due to this and the various run-of-the-mill adventurer tasks don't spice things up much.
Luckily for me, I thought the setting was interesting. Based on the names, there seemed to be some Celtic influence, and the folklore and mythology probably inspired many of the creatures in the story. It made for an interesting twist on what was otherwise a fairly basic fantasy setup. The story didn't quite kick into gear for me until the last 20% or so, but I liked how things developed. The mage fights had a nice variety and flavor to them as well.
Unfortunately, the writing had some room for improvement. If you are an experienced reader outside of gamelit/isekai, then you might tire of the repetition, redundancy, and overwriting. There were several mistakes and misused words, and a lot of over-explaining for obvious thoughts and facts that really slowed the pace down. This annoyed me specifically during many of the fight scenes. The author also had a tendency to rely on conjunctive adverbs to describe multiple things simultaneously, but ultimately, it just slowed the scene down and made it harder to visualize things quickly.
After reading some of the negative reviews, I can see where they are coming from and many readers might feel the same. That being said, there were some unique elements with the Celtic angles that should pay dividends in the future. I thought the magic was interesting and fun. The mage battles, especially later in the story, were intriguing.
I have some reservations, but I will check out the second book and see where things go.
Character - 6/10, Plot - 6.5/10, Setting and Magic - 8/10, Writing - 5/10, Enjoyment - 6.5/10
This is a man-out-of-time style story in which our MC is a middling Imperial wizard who puts himself in a stasis spell to wait out a vicious hex he suffered in a battle. By the time the hex expires and he can safely leave his stasis, the world has changed over the course of thousands of years. Magic itself is practiced differently, though the age-old enemy of the empire is still rampant.
The characters were a bit flat for most of the story and the lack of personality might be a sticking point for many readers. On the other hand, the supporting cast somewhat makes up for it with sheer variety as nearly every party member ends up developing special powers unique to them. So while the voice never shifts when the pov does, it's still easy to keep the characters straight since you can remember them by their powers.
The plot is interesting enough, though it takes a while to get going. Our rather bland MC, after years of war before stasis, just wants to hang out in a rural area and focus on research for awhile. It's reasonable and realistic, but not the most exciting thing to hang your MC's hat on. The middle of the book sagged a bit due to this and the various run-of-the-mill adventurer tasks don't spice things up much.
Luckily for me, I thought the setting was interesting. Based on the names, there seemed to be some Celtic influence, and the folklore and mythology probably inspired many of the creatures in the story. It made for an interesting twist on what was otherwise a fairly basic fantasy setup. The story didn't quite kick into gear for me until the last 20% or so, but I liked how things developed. The mage fights had a nice variety and flavor to them as well.
Unfortunately, the writing had some room for improvement. If you are an experienced reader outside of gamelit/isekai, then you might tire of the repetition, redundancy, and overwriting. There were several mistakes and misused words, and a lot of over-explaining for obvious thoughts and facts that really slowed the pace down. This annoyed me specifically during many of the fight scenes. The author also had a tendency to rely on conjunctive adverbs to describe multiple things simultaneously, but ultimately, it just slowed the scene down and made it harder to visualize things quickly.
After reading some of the negative reviews, I can see where they are coming from and many readers might feel the same. That being said, there were some unique elements with the Celtic angles that should pay dividends in the future. I thought the magic was interesting and fun. The mage battles, especially later in the story, were intriguing.
I have some reservations, but I will check out the second book and see where things go.
December 20, 2023
An interesting kind of Isekai book with loans from cultivation stories that reminded me favourably of the (concept of the) tv series Andromeda.
The protagonist is the titular Imperial Mage, a remnant from a high point in civilisation (though not without it's problems), who is thrown into the much more Dark Age society of thousands years in the future. His form of highly versatile magic is unknown in this age of city states and petty sects of magic users, and while he's weakened, he tries to establish himself in this unfamiliar new world. But soon his ethical values clash with a pragmatic world, and he starts to gather allies and apply his regrowing power to right some wrongs.
I made it quickly through the book and enjoyed the ride. If I had to voice my grievances/explain the loss of one star, it is the pace in which the book proceeds, probably due to it's loans from the cultivation genre. There is an inherent sense that the author has goals to take the series to big heigths, and without taxing the reader's time too much, so a lot of tasks/side characters are tackled in a short time and in a rather reasonable manner. There is an internal consistency to all of that, and I can't fault the author to present us with a researcher from a highly scientific and methodical school of magic approaching problems calmly and methodically. Still, some of the conflicts - especially the social ones, as in finding new allies or advancing existing ones - feel a little bit hastened or simplicistic. Which, as the four stars illustrate, is a minor complaint though, and might be an artistic choice that simply doesn't sit a 100% right with me.
The protagonist is the titular Imperial Mage, a remnant from a high point in civilisation (though not without it's problems), who is thrown into the much more Dark Age society of thousands years in the future. His form of highly versatile magic is unknown in this age of city states and petty sects of magic users, and while he's weakened, he tries to establish himself in this unfamiliar new world. But soon his ethical values clash with a pragmatic world, and he starts to gather allies and apply his regrowing power to right some wrongs.
I made it quickly through the book and enjoyed the ride. If I had to voice my grievances/explain the loss of one star, it is the pace in which the book proceeds, probably due to it's loans from the cultivation genre. There is an inherent sense that the author has goals to take the series to big heigths, and without taxing the reader's time too much, so a lot of tasks/side characters are tackled in a short time and in a rather reasonable manner. There is an internal consistency to all of that, and I can't fault the author to present us with a researcher from a highly scientific and methodical school of magic approaching problems calmly and methodically. Still, some of the conflicts - especially the social ones, as in finding new allies or advancing existing ones - feel a little bit hastened or simplicistic. Which, as the four stars illustrate, is a minor complaint though, and might be an artistic choice that simply doesn't sit a 100% right with me.
November 22, 2023
A fun and quick progression fantasy that is focused enough on plot and characters that I think it also works as a straight fantasy.
Imperial Wizard Verdan used a stasis spell to outlast a nasty curse, but when he finally wakes up, thousands of years have passed and the world (and magic) is very different. He must make his way in a world with new magic and more monsters all while rebuilding his cultivation base. I had a lot of fun with this, as Verdan is a good viewpoint to follow and his experience lets him speed run progression fantasy tropes in the background (to get back to his old strength) while actual plot happens. I also really enjoyed the base building/shop building aspect, although it kept getting derailed by the monster fighting. Hopefully this pays off in the next book.
Recommended if you want a quick fantasy with progression elements (but it’s not overly focused on progression).
Imperial Wizard Verdan used a stasis spell to outlast a nasty curse, but when he finally wakes up, thousands of years have passed and the world (and magic) is very different. He must make his way in a world with new magic and more monsters all while rebuilding his cultivation base. I had a lot of fun with this, as Verdan is a good viewpoint to follow and his experience lets him speed run progression fantasy tropes in the background (to get back to his old strength) while actual plot happens. I also really enjoyed the base building/shop building aspect, although it kept getting derailed by the monster fighting. Hopefully this pays off in the next book.
Recommended if you want a quick fantasy with progression elements (but it’s not overly focused on progression).
January 11, 2024
DNF at 52%
The plot started out quite interesting. The protagonist saved himself from a curse by "freezing" himself in a stasis field and wakes up in a far future. This would have been right in my alley for me.
Unfortunately, the author failed to make the story compelling by building an interesting world, having interesting characters and make the protagonist interesting. The protagonist is a bore and his companions follow him blindely. There are no noteworthy group dynamics and even the fights are rather dull..
The plot started out quite interesting. The protagonist saved himself from a curse by "freezing" himself in a stasis field and wakes up in a far future. This would have been right in my alley for me.
Unfortunately, the author failed to make the story compelling by building an interesting world, having interesting characters and make the protagonist interesting. The protagonist is a bore and his companions follow him blindely. There are no noteworthy group dynamics and even the fights are rather dull..
December 30, 2023
Awesome Stuff
This story of a wizard who wakes up after a thousand years to find everything is different was a fascinating fantastic read.
This story of a wizard who wakes up after a thousand years to find everything is different was a fascinating fantastic read.
January 3, 2024
This is the first book I've read by this author.
Verdan Blacke is a wizard. He was fighting a war when a witch hexed him with dark magic. He scrabbles together a stasis spell and puts himself to sleep. When he wakes up he renews the spell and goes back to sleep.
When he eventually wakes up with no pain, it's a new age. The old world he knew is gone, and it has been replaced with ruins. People are still living, but it's not as easy as it used to be back in his time.
That's the setup. Verdan meets other people, including a sorcerer, a witch, an alchemist, and others. He struggles to compare what he knows from an age lost to what is happening currently. I think that is what makes the book work. He's also the kind of person who works to help those around him who need it most.
The editing is very good. I'm giving this 5/5* and looking forward to book two.
Verdan Blacke is a wizard. He was fighting a war when a witch hexed him with dark magic. He scrabbles together a stasis spell and puts himself to sleep. When he wakes up he renews the spell and goes back to sleep.
When he eventually wakes up with no pain, it's a new age. The old world he knew is gone, and it has been replaced with ruins. People are still living, but it's not as easy as it used to be back in his time.
That's the setup. Verdan meets other people, including a sorcerer, a witch, an alchemist, and others. He struggles to compare what he knows from an age lost to what is happening currently. I think that is what makes the book work. He's also the kind of person who works to help those around him who need it most.
The editing is very good. I'm giving this 5/5* and looking forward to book two.
February 17, 2024
Imperial Wizard is one of the many books in this genre that sadly doesn't do enough character work. The premise is interesting, the world-building has promise, and the magic systems are fun, but without compelling characters, there's nothing to tie me into the book.
The plot of this story should have built-in character-building moments. It begins as a fish-out-of-water story, which comes pre-packaged with conflict to build a great character, especially when the situation is this extreme. Everyone and everything the main character knows is dead and gone, the world has changed around him, the society he is going into is nothing like the one he left behind, and people don't even speak the same as they used to. These are all things that should create conflict that the protagonist must overcome and, in doing so, build out the depth of his character. But the author ignores all that character-building material to focus on setting up the protagonist in the new world as fast as possible so he can go out on some run-of-the-mill adventures.
A similar scenario plays out for the other characters. Character-building conflict is ignored, which makes them feel less like real characters and more like tools to keep the story moving. They are like Non-Player Characters in a video game; the reader has no reason to become emotionally invested in their fate.
As a result, my interest in this novel remained at a surface level. Many times while reading the book, I felt like I could happily abandon the story without losing anything of interest. I stuck with it, though, as the mainline story was interesting enough that I thought we might get some character-building by accident. However, as the final page turned, I had no attachment to this story and was not compelled to keep reading this series.
It gets three stars because the premise, writing style, pacing and plot were enough to keep me reading to the end.
This proves yet again that great characters are the most important part of a story. Take a series like "Legend of the Arch Magus" by Michael Sisa, a story that shares similar story elements to this novel. In technical skills, I don't think it's nearly as well written as this story, and it has plenty of flaws that should, in theory, make it less enjoyable. However, Michael Sisa creates emotional attachments between his characters and the reader, and I am far more willing to overlook those flaws and keep returning to that series with a smile on my face as a result.
Characters are everything, and I would love to revisit this book if it had another draft that worked on this flaw because I think then it would be a story in another league.
The plot of this story should have built-in character-building moments. It begins as a fish-out-of-water story, which comes pre-packaged with conflict to build a great character, especially when the situation is this extreme. Everyone and everything the main character knows is dead and gone, the world has changed around him, the society he is going into is nothing like the one he left behind, and people don't even speak the same as they used to. These are all things that should create conflict that the protagonist must overcome and, in doing so, build out the depth of his character. But the author ignores all that character-building material to focus on setting up the protagonist in the new world as fast as possible so he can go out on some run-of-the-mill adventures.
A similar scenario plays out for the other characters. Character-building conflict is ignored, which makes them feel less like real characters and more like tools to keep the story moving. They are like Non-Player Characters in a video game; the reader has no reason to become emotionally invested in their fate.
As a result, my interest in this novel remained at a surface level. Many times while reading the book, I felt like I could happily abandon the story without losing anything of interest. I stuck with it, though, as the mainline story was interesting enough that I thought we might get some character-building by accident. However, as the final page turned, I had no attachment to this story and was not compelled to keep reading this series.
It gets three stars because the premise, writing style, pacing and plot were enough to keep me reading to the end.
This proves yet again that great characters are the most important part of a story. Take a series like "Legend of the Arch Magus" by Michael Sisa, a story that shares similar story elements to this novel. In technical skills, I don't think it's nearly as well written as this story, and it has plenty of flaws that should, in theory, make it less enjoyable. However, Michael Sisa creates emotional attachments between his characters and the reader, and I am far more willing to overlook those flaws and keep returning to that series with a smile on my face as a result.
Characters are everything, and I would love to revisit this book if it had another draft that worked on this flaw because I think then it would be a story in another league.
November 15, 2023
I love the premise - a middling wizard from ancient days beats a curse by keeping himself in stasis for what turns out to be a very long time and wakes to find himself in a very different world. I started out predisposed to wanting this to work, and it mostly does. I like the mix of the different magic systems: magic, cultivation and something more occult. The MC is also generally likeable, someone who would like nothing more than not to get involved but whose conscience doesn't allow him to stand by when he could be helping.
My biggest issue is that the plot is on rails. The author clearly had a vision of what the MC would do in the city and everything beelines towards establishing that outcome, leaving the plot feeling disconnected because the decisions being made are to further this goal and don't necessarily make sense for those making them. Serendipitously, all these decisions will eventually be justified through a confluence of improbable events, but it makes them no less frustrating in the moment.
Oh, and of course, he obsessively keeps his origins a secret, when he's not telling anyone who will listen that he's a wizard and not a sorcerer, for completely unfathomable reasons.
I still enjoyed the book and plan to continue the series, but I do hope the story starts to evolve more naturally.
My biggest issue is that the plot is on rails. The author clearly had a vision of what the MC would do in the city and everything beelines towards establishing that outcome, leaving the plot feeling disconnected because the decisions being made are to further this goal and don't necessarily make sense for those making them. Serendipitously, all these decisions will eventually be justified through a confluence of improbable events, but it makes them no less frustrating in the moment.
Oh, and of course, he obsessively keeps his origins a secret, when he's not telling anyone who will listen that he's a wizard and not a sorcerer, for completely unfathomable reasons.
I still enjoyed the book and plan to continue the series, but I do hope the story starts to evolve more naturally.
May 1, 2024
It's boring, in a very unique way.
Basically yes, the story is a slow burn, and yes it has a good plot, so where is the problem u ask, well it's like this, imagine u want to buy a sports car, u do some research and u find this category of car that u want to experience, now i go to buy the car, and it has all the right feels to it, high tech engine, cool interior, responsive steering, and all the things that make it a sports car, so u buy it, now u need a place to make it go crazy, so u go to a track, and the u starts the engines and u go, and then u realise the track is not long enough to go fast, infact u can barely go 40 before a turn, u think sure why not, it's a track for sports car, they know what they are doing, and I am sure it will pick up speed very soon, and then after a few minutes of constant turns and turns, u suddenly see the finish line, and all of a sudden u feel shit, so u ask the track manager about it, and he says , this is what we got , take it or leave it, so now u have an idea of what a sports car is, and it matches the one I own, and what it should be like if given a track, but u realise that u are in the wrong track, and it's not your fault, they advertised it as such and yet they did not provide, so all your time is wasted and now u gotta find another track.
Now in that story we are the car buyer, and the car is the setting and the plot, and they are all k, the track manager is the writer, and track is the pacing, and the turns are the characters.
Basically the book category is good and I do not know what people find so good about such a bad pacing and such a dull cast, hell, even the action is like muted or something, there is barely any geniune friction , villan for villans sake and hero for heros sake.
Basically yes, the story is a slow burn, and yes it has a good plot, so where is the problem u ask, well it's like this, imagine u want to buy a sports car, u do some research and u find this category of car that u want to experience, now i go to buy the car, and it has all the right feels to it, high tech engine, cool interior, responsive steering, and all the things that make it a sports car, so u buy it, now u need a place to make it go crazy, so u go to a track, and the u starts the engines and u go, and then u realise the track is not long enough to go fast, infact u can barely go 40 before a turn, u think sure why not, it's a track for sports car, they know what they are doing, and I am sure it will pick up speed very soon, and then after a few minutes of constant turns and turns, u suddenly see the finish line, and all of a sudden u feel shit, so u ask the track manager about it, and he says , this is what we got , take it or leave it, so now u have an idea of what a sports car is, and it matches the one I own, and what it should be like if given a track, but u realise that u are in the wrong track, and it's not your fault, they advertised it as such and yet they did not provide, so all your time is wasted and now u gotta find another track.
Now in that story we are the car buyer, and the car is the setting and the plot, and they are all k, the track manager is the writer, and track is the pacing, and the turns are the characters.
Basically the book category is good and I do not know what people find so good about such a bad pacing and such a dull cast, hell, even the action is like muted or something, there is barely any geniune friction , villan for villans sake and hero for heros sake.
May 6, 2025
Definitely interesting
I was looking for something along the lines of what I usually read when I came across this book. Now it was available under Kindle unlimited but I ended up actually buying it because of a sale for ebooks. It wasn't exactly what I expected to find. I do try and take it easy on the first book of a new series as in my experience they tend to be shaky sometimes even from tried and true authors. This book is rated what it is because of that fact. Our main character is a wizard who has woken after thousands of years to find a radically different world. The book is predominantly him setting up a place from which he can operate. Along the way he ends up pulling in a whole host of characters that will support him and he in turn them. We're introduced to multiple villains two of which should carry on in the sequels. There is no apparent love interest for our main character though there is the hinting of romance from the supporting characters. There is one thing minor the kind of bothered me about the story. I'm hesitating to include it into the review because this was my first read through and potentially only read through. It's possible that I misunderstood something but I'm hitting at it here because I do intend to read the sequel and should it pop up again there I will definitely be mentioning it. Other than that for the most part it was a good book. The audio version is out now and in fact I believe the first four books in the series are available both as ebooks and audio. With that I'll simply say a round of applause for everybody who had a hand in bringing the story to us, the Amazon readers.
I was looking for something along the lines of what I usually read when I came across this book. Now it was available under Kindle unlimited but I ended up actually buying it because of a sale for ebooks. It wasn't exactly what I expected to find. I do try and take it easy on the first book of a new series as in my experience they tend to be shaky sometimes even from tried and true authors. This book is rated what it is because of that fact. Our main character is a wizard who has woken after thousands of years to find a radically different world. The book is predominantly him setting up a place from which he can operate. Along the way he ends up pulling in a whole host of characters that will support him and he in turn them. We're introduced to multiple villains two of which should carry on in the sequels. There is no apparent love interest for our main character though there is the hinting of romance from the supporting characters. There is one thing minor the kind of bothered me about the story. I'm hesitating to include it into the review because this was my first read through and potentially only read through. It's possible that I misunderstood something but I'm hitting at it here because I do intend to read the sequel and should it pop up again there I will definitely be mentioning it. Other than that for the most part it was a good book. The audio version is out now and in fact I believe the first four books in the series are available both as ebooks and audio. With that I'll simply say a round of applause for everybody who had a hand in bringing the story to us, the Amazon readers.
May 19, 2025
Not Much to Say
This book gets five stars because it is exactly what I was looking for. Having said that, it may not be exactly what you are looking for. Out of all the books I read so far (which do not include any of the Dungeon & Dragon series) this book feels the most like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. The magic casters are the predominant characters in the book, the way in which they cast magic difference by their class (ex. divine casting, intellect, charisma-ish). There are multiple versions and forms of animal companions, multiple and different races of humanoids, additional planes of existence, and weapon upgrades. Not having read any true literary RPGs, I do not think this is one, put the entire book feels like a first person adventure game, in a good way.
Now normally, I admonish authors for only having story arches for their male leads, but in this situation the author gets a pass because the entire book is about the lead. Yes, his female companion learns more about her ancestry with the purpose of improving her combat abilities, but these actions are directly instructed by the lead in order to advance the lead's main agenda too. The reason this feels okay, is because literally every character serves this same purpose. In the end, it just feels like a video game where NPCs pop up with various side quests which are mutually beneficial, but possibly forgone. On that note, it would have been interesting to read this as a Build Your Own Adventure.
This book gets five stars because it is exactly what I was looking for. Having said that, it may not be exactly what you are looking for. Out of all the books I read so far (which do not include any of the Dungeon & Dragon series) this book feels the most like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. The magic casters are the predominant characters in the book, the way in which they cast magic difference by their class (ex. divine casting, intellect, charisma-ish). There are multiple versions and forms of animal companions, multiple and different races of humanoids, additional planes of existence, and weapon upgrades. Not having read any true literary RPGs, I do not think this is one, put the entire book feels like a first person adventure game, in a good way.
Now normally, I admonish authors for only having story arches for their male leads, but in this situation the author gets a pass because the entire book is about the lead. Yes, his female companion learns more about her ancestry with the purpose of improving her combat abilities, but these actions are directly instructed by the lead in order to advance the lead's main agenda too. The reason this feels okay, is because literally every character serves this same purpose. In the end, it just feels like a video game where NPCs pop up with various side quests which are mutually beneficial, but possibly forgone. On that note, it would have been interesting to read this as a Build Your Own Adventure.
September 10, 2023
A solid read. I'll give it a 5 but its probably a 4+ and will improve as the author builds the story in later novels.
Also a few nice adds:
First, the author has the main character go into stasis which separates him from his contemporaries and places him into the same world but with different uses of magic. Maybe not new, per se, but it beats the "hey, I died, and a goddess put my soul into a local inhabitant" trope we get a lot these days. So the main character has different knowlege and values from the current time period.
Second, it mixes some interesting magic systems. We get the main character's historical approach but we also get what the locals are now doing. And we get other sentient magic.
Third, so far (book 1), we get at least 3 or 4 different sentient beings with magic, plus the humans, and then the bad guys with 2 variants. It's shaping up to have a lot of nice ideas and intersections.
Now, its not all rosey. The author's fight scenes are good but a little clunky. There might be too much internal dialogue. And the non-fight scenes have even more internal dialogue. I expect the future books will continue to improve as the author solififies the characters and arcs for the story and characters. But the interactions between characters are pretty solid. And no ridiculous sex and relationships scene that have little to do with the plot or character development. This last is refreshing.
Also a few nice adds:
First, the author has the main character go into stasis which separates him from his contemporaries and places him into the same world but with different uses of magic. Maybe not new, per se, but it beats the "hey, I died, and a goddess put my soul into a local inhabitant" trope we get a lot these days. So the main character has different knowlege and values from the current time period.
Second, it mixes some interesting magic systems. We get the main character's historical approach but we also get what the locals are now doing. And we get other sentient magic.
Third, so far (book 1), we get at least 3 or 4 different sentient beings with magic, plus the humans, and then the bad guys with 2 variants. It's shaping up to have a lot of nice ideas and intersections.
Now, its not all rosey. The author's fight scenes are good but a little clunky. There might be too much internal dialogue. And the non-fight scenes have even more internal dialogue. I expect the future books will continue to improve as the author solififies the characters and arcs for the story and characters. But the interactions between characters are pretty solid. And no ridiculous sex and relationships scene that have little to do with the plot or character development. This last is refreshing.
December 5, 2023
I'm halfway through this book. It's okay, nothing I haven't read before. Man with lost / new knowledge appears, man gains group, man does stuff. I can see myself reading a sequel, even though there haven't been much to excite me so far.
The more I read this, the more I think the author was partially inspired by Daniel Black. The protagonist
The author dragged out the protagonist being weak so he could get slapped about, and mentioned it will take a time for him to regain his strength. So the people that cry about the protagonist being too powerful can keep their mouths shut.
Also, the thing he planned to do at the start of the book still was not completed by the end.
Hopefully the next book won't be more interruptions preventing the protag from completing his work, or finishing tasks he set out to do.
3/5 Stars
The more I read this, the more I think the author was partially inspired by Daniel Black. The protagonist
The author dragged out the protagonist being weak so he could get slapped about, and mentioned it will take a time for him to regain his strength. So the people that cry about the protagonist being too powerful can keep their mouths shut.
Also, the thing he planned to do at the start of the book still was not completed by the end.
Hopefully the next book won't be more interruptions preventing the protag from completing his work, or finishing tasks he set out to do.
3/5 Stars
March 13, 2024
Picked this up because a friend rated it and because the concept was interesting: a fantasy take on the SF premise of someone out of their own time, having to discover their world anew.
Three stars for concept and world-building. One star for writing. This was painful to read, as though the author started writing the novel with literally no experience, learned how to do it on the job, and didn't bother going back and reworking their initial efforts. Those efforts should have been burned and completely rewritten.
But they weren't, and what has resulted is a book whose first half barely understands how to pace a scene, how to format text, how to show characters thinking without directly telling us in the narrative: basic skills. But whose second half holds promise for better. There are some good character moments. There are points where the author seems to believe that hyperbole is the only way to create feeling. I hope in the next entry in the series to read more of the former and less -- much less -- of the latter.
Three stars for concept and world-building. One star for writing. This was painful to read, as though the author started writing the novel with literally no experience, learned how to do it on the job, and didn't bother going back and reworking their initial efforts. Those efforts should have been burned and completely rewritten.
But they weren't, and what has resulted is a book whose first half barely understands how to pace a scene, how to format text, how to show characters thinking without directly telling us in the narrative: basic skills. But whose second half holds promise for better. There are some good character moments. There are points where the author seems to believe that hyperbole is the only way to create feeling. I hope in the next entry in the series to read more of the former and less -- much less -- of the latter.
July 28, 2023
Wizard in a cultivation world
This story is pretty much about a wizard who wakes up in a world that now cultivates, instead of the traditional wizardry he's used to. He gathers companions, fights corrupted monsters, and establishes a home. It's a great story. The characters are great. The MC is strong and not weak minded. The side characters have growth and aren't 2 dimensional. The fight scenes are great and the magic system is fleshed out.
This is not typical cultivation where they are long lived and searching for immortality. This is more a system of magic where they cultivate their essence into elements and use it to empower themselves. The wizardry is your typical, words of power wizardry. Though the magic systems are simple, they're well thought out and put together.
Just read it.
This story is pretty much about a wizard who wakes up in a world that now cultivates, instead of the traditional wizardry he's used to. He gathers companions, fights corrupted monsters, and establishes a home. It's a great story. The characters are great. The MC is strong and not weak minded. The side characters have growth and aren't 2 dimensional. The fight scenes are great and the magic system is fleshed out.
This is not typical cultivation where they are long lived and searching for immortality. This is more a system of magic where they cultivate their essence into elements and use it to empower themselves. The wizardry is your typical, words of power wizardry. Though the magic systems are simple, they're well thought out and put together.
Just read it.
August 30, 2023
Oh another good one
So new series. Man out of time. Really was in stasis for a couple of thousand years and now awakened to a new world and Differences to the magic he once new. The MC is quite powerful by today's standards but his magic works different than the modern magic. He does however carry much knowledge that is missing and It seems that he can help others Gain their powers. As much as he wants to research and stick his head in the sand and learn he is of course called upon by his own morals and oath to help others. Good book I'm looking forward to the next 1. Kind of exciting I am interested in seeing where this world that was built for using this book goes. Lots of old players are gonna be coming back Seems that are MC is a fated focal point not that he realizes that. Can't wait for the next 1 hopefully it's soon
So new series. Man out of time. Really was in stasis for a couple of thousand years and now awakened to a new world and Differences to the magic he once new. The MC is quite powerful by today's standards but his magic works different than the modern magic. He does however carry much knowledge that is missing and It seems that he can help others Gain their powers. As much as he wants to research and stick his head in the sand and learn he is of course called upon by his own morals and oath to help others. Good book I'm looking forward to the next 1. Kind of exciting I am interested in seeing where this world that was built for using this book goes. Lots of old players are gonna be coming back Seems that are MC is a fated focal point not that he realizes that. Can't wait for the next 1 hopefully it's soon
September 4, 2023
The premise is a great one - a wizard who finds himself in a different world thousands of years in the future and goes around trying to do the right thing. To be honest, this sounds like it’s right up my alley.
I couldn’t put the book down. At least for a while.
But then, halfway through the book, the writing started becoming … less well rounded. For example, I didn’t see Gwen for about ten chapters in a row with no explanation - I thought she was a main character? Then at some point, it began to feel like I’m going through the wizard’s daily schedule of appointments and todos - while an interesting life to be sure, many of the events can be mentioned in passing so that more focus can be on plot and character development. As is, my initial enthusiasm faded quite fast - I wanted to finish the book, but I couldn’t.
I couldn’t put the book down. At least for a while.
But then, halfway through the book, the writing started becoming … less well rounded. For example, I didn’t see Gwen for about ten chapters in a row with no explanation - I thought she was a main character? Then at some point, it began to feel like I’m going through the wizard’s daily schedule of appointments and todos - while an interesting life to be sure, many of the events can be mentioned in passing so that more focus can be on plot and character development. As is, my initial enthusiasm faded quite fast - I wanted to finish the book, but I couldn’t.
January 30, 2024
Verdan Blacke is an Imperial Wizard. "Wizard" means he follows one specific way of accessing and using the world's five magical power sources. "Imperial" means he has sworn to support the empire, fight against dark magic when called upon, and uphold the empire's values. Then Verdan is cursed and wraps himself in a healing coma / stasis field until the curse runs out.
Verdan awakens a few thousand years later. The empire is long since gone. The imperial knowledge of magic has disappeared. The non-human races seem to have disappeared. Humanity has been severely diminished by waves of dark magic and power struggles between egotistical warrior sects only weaken humanity further. Will Verdan's deeper understanding of magic theory be enough of an edge to allow him to survive in this new world?
(spoiler) Of course it will.
Verdan awakens a few thousand years later. The empire is long since gone. The imperial knowledge of magic has disappeared. The non-human races seem to have disappeared. Humanity has been severely diminished by waves of dark magic and power struggles between egotistical warrior sects only weaken humanity further. Will Verdan's deeper understanding of magic theory be enough of an edge to allow him to survive in this new world?
(spoiler) Of course it will.
August 12, 2023
Actually really good
I was skeptical jumping into the book, and I'm extremely happy to say that my caution and concern were completely unfounded. This is an excellent piece of literature, with an excellent and enticing story. The world building is well done and every answer leaves you with more questions. The main character is a tad vanilla, but overall is relatable and enjoyable to read about. Kai, Tom, Tim, Gwen, and Silvie all are excellent characters as well. Currently Kai and Gwen have more personality than the others, but I feel like the overall prose and flow of the book was well done.
It's rare for me to rate a book with 5 stars, and for good reason. There's always room for improvement. However I believe this is as close as it gets to perfection.
I was skeptical jumping into the book, and I'm extremely happy to say that my caution and concern were completely unfounded. This is an excellent piece of literature, with an excellent and enticing story. The world building is well done and every answer leaves you with more questions. The main character is a tad vanilla, but overall is relatable and enjoyable to read about. Kai, Tom, Tim, Gwen, and Silvie all are excellent characters as well. Currently Kai and Gwen have more personality than the others, but I feel like the overall prose and flow of the book was well done.
It's rare for me to rate a book with 5 stars, and for good reason. There's always room for improvement. However I believe this is as close as it gets to perfection.
December 6, 2023
Looks to be a good series!
Plenty of fleshed-out characters, truly evil and powerful enemies, and a job that never seems to end for our protagonist and his companions! Never a dull moment, great character progression, and a different twist on magic, one I haven’t seen in other “swords and sorcery” sorts of stories. Verdan just wants to relax, experiment, and acquire knowledge, but he’s forced back into fighting for good, time and again, even thousands of years after the world he knew has gone. Loved every minute of this book, and I also purchased the audio book for when I couldn’t sit back and read. Very good voice actor! For those who are interested in the audio version. 10/10 for a first book in a series, I highly recommend this one!
Plenty of fleshed-out characters, truly evil and powerful enemies, and a job that never seems to end for our protagonist and his companions! Never a dull moment, great character progression, and a different twist on magic, one I haven’t seen in other “swords and sorcery” sorts of stories. Verdan just wants to relax, experiment, and acquire knowledge, but he’s forced back into fighting for good, time and again, even thousands of years after the world he knew has gone. Loved every minute of this book, and I also purchased the audio book for when I couldn’t sit back and read. Very good voice actor! For those who are interested in the audio version. 10/10 for a first book in a series, I highly recommend this one!
December 24, 2023
I felt as though the way this book was written just made sense to me. I didn’t have to wonder what the main character was thinking, due to the potentials outcomes being addressed in the internal dialogue, which I liked.
The plot moved along nicely and made me excited for the potential outcomes, which if you’re someone who likes closure, you may be too early in the series just yet. Thankfully at the time of writing this, the 2nd book is already out and I have started that immediately after finishing the first. I’m hoping to continue the momentum that was being built and expand on some of the plot lines that were laid out.
I think there is so much potential in this series and hope that the author continues with the current trajectory and continues to write as he has.
The plot moved along nicely and made me excited for the potential outcomes, which if you’re someone who likes closure, you may be too early in the series just yet. Thankfully at the time of writing this, the 2nd book is already out and I have started that immediately after finishing the first. I’m hoping to continue the momentum that was being built and expand on some of the plot lines that were laid out.
I think there is so much potential in this series and hope that the author continues with the current trajectory and continues to write as he has.
February 22, 2024
The premise mentioned in the blurb was interesting and I had previously read "Cloud Sailor" by the author. This book had some similar plot style, and overall I enjoyed it better.
The story didn't take more than a few paragraphs to get going and the pacing remained good throughout the book. After the initial conflict that set the tone, I was excited by the prospect of main character's preference for magical research, alchemy, etc. Sadly, the events that followed allowed little time for such leisurely pursuits.
Many of the side-characters were interesting and thankfully were given POV scenes as well. The progression aspect was much lighter than I was hoping for. The different types of magic users was interesting and I'm looking forward to how it'd play out in the sequels.
The story didn't take more than a few paragraphs to get going and the pacing remained good throughout the book. After the initial conflict that set the tone, I was excited by the prospect of main character's preference for magical research, alchemy, etc. Sadly, the events that followed allowed little time for such leisurely pursuits.
Many of the side-characters were interesting and thankfully were given POV scenes as well. The progression aspect was much lighter than I was hoping for. The different types of magic users was interesting and I'm looking forward to how it'd play out in the sequels.
January 3, 2025
I have read the first three volumes. I feel that the first two are more for young adults than anything else, and in this sense, I am slightly disappointed. The story is quite easy to read but remains very basic in its plot, execution, and twists compared to others I have read. To be honest, I had written a kind of short story with similar premises when I was 15.
The hero seems to constantly endure events rather than work on a long-term story and the construction of a viable environment. Be careful with stories involving years/time jumps. A lot can happen in 100 years, 200, 500 years... so I can't imagine what could happen in thousands of years.
I don't think I will read a potential sequel.
The hero seems to constantly endure events rather than work on a long-term story and the construction of a viable environment. Be careful with stories involving years/time jumps. A lot can happen in 100 years, 200, 500 years... so I can't imagine what could happen in thousands of years.
I don't think I will read a potential sequel.
June 12, 2024
That was really a hustle. I didn’t finish it completely ended at 94% because i couldn’t stand it anymore. I really liked the premise and the start but throughout the book it all gets dragged along pretty heavy. Nearly everyday is described and everything feels like it has no real purpose to the main character. To say: he woke up and this is his life now - idk.
The magic is described really nice but if you don’t like science talk about something fictional this is definitely not for you.
After the stuff with the bear i really lost interest, maybe i lost that early but tried to finish it. But the Bear story and the following sect-thing really hit it down for me.
The magic is described really nice but if you don’t like science talk about something fictional this is definitely not for you.
After the stuff with the bear i really lost interest, maybe i lost that early but tried to finish it. But the Bear story and the following sect-thing really hit it down for me.
August 13, 2023
This is a really good book
I love the book and the characters and I was able to connect with them easily. The progress of the MC is quite nice, but I wish he would focus on that for a bit instead of running around saving people and almost dying in his fights. He’s mentioned that those at the highest levels have 200 spirals but he’s still mucking around with 3! That’s a recipe for early death. Also he needs to figure out how the new sorcerers work as he may be able to power himself more easily….he also needs to focus on the research he loves so much
I love the book and the characters and I was able to connect with them easily. The progress of the MC is quite nice, but I wish he would focus on that for a bit instead of running around saving people and almost dying in his fights. He’s mentioned that those at the highest levels have 200 spirals but he’s still mucking around with 3! That’s a recipe for early death. Also he needs to figure out how the new sorcerers work as he may be able to power himself more easily….he also needs to focus on the research he loves so much
August 17, 2023
Love it!!
Can’t wait for the next book.
Great characters, an interesting new magic system that the MC has, but also interesting that there are magic systems the MC doesn’t know and is investigating.
Love the idea that the MC wants to build something up, and the plots around magic users taking over the world are interesting in that various different sects control different parts of the continent or world. How are they different? How is their magic different?
Can the MC build up a group to fight them?
Find out next time on Imperial Wizard Z!!
Can’t wait for the next book.
Great characters, an interesting new magic system that the MC has, but also interesting that there are magic systems the MC doesn’t know and is investigating.
Love the idea that the MC wants to build something up, and the plots around magic users taking over the world are interesting in that various different sects control different parts of the continent or world. How are they different? How is their magic different?
Can the MC build up a group to fight them?
Find out next time on Imperial Wizard Z!!
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