Stormcaller

Dear Spellbook #3

by Peter J. Lee

Tal and Dagmar have won the day—though that’s cold comfort when the day keeps resetting. Still, they’ve gotten Spellbook back, beaten the golems to take possession of a powerful artifact that grants a refuge from the resets, and brought Tal’s friends inside so their memories won’t be lost every day.

They have also discovered that to restore reality, the Primordial of Time must be contained...but they’ll have to find the creature first.

And as the team searches, they begin to discover that the events which drew them together were not as random as they first seemed. A hidden hand is at work, and their actions in the resets may have ramifications for the whole continent.
The time disturbance has trapped the world, but could also offer its salvation.

Can Tal and his friends save themselves and stop more horrors from being unleashed on the world?

Genres: Fantasy, Time Travel, Fiction

583 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 18, 2024

Reviews

[Vivek Satyasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!

I’m a sucker for time loop stories and those that are written well. I look forward to Tal’s next arc in life and hope that he continues to grow in power and as a human being!

[Nick Rizzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so the time loops comes to an end. The magic and lore is so cool. Sorcs and wizards. Fonts of magic. So many mysterious are solved and others without answers. I hope there will be more books set in this land with the aftermath of the time loop

[Mjhancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tal is closing in on the time loop cause, and now he has some help; with the aid of his new friend from book 2, he manages to draw in his former allies and make them current allies, as in on the loop as he is. And together, they forge themselves into what's needed to fight the evils that are making their move.

I'm basically on board for a time loop story, of any sort--even the most juvenile "I'm Trapped in the First Day of School" sort of thing can work for me. This is a really strong example of the trope, and its uses its subgenre of progression fantasy well to frame Tal's progress over time (and the progress of the rest of his party, for that matter). There's also clearly been a lot of effort put into the world at large, and the magic system behind it. The interstices between main chapters, where we get the accounts of other people elsewhere trapped or involved in the loop, are really interesting too. They kind of remind me of the interludes Sanderson put in Way of Kings, where they're pretty far removed from the story at hand--until they aren't.

While reading this series, my mind was drawn (pretty naturally, I think) to the other time loop progression fantasy series I've read through, Mother of Learning. Tal is... frankly, not on the level of that protagonist, in terms of the emotional growth he embarks on or the rationality he brings he to the table. But that's fine--he's frankly a much more likeable character, and the series has its own vibe that suits it. I really thought there was going to be a love interest for Tal, but they swerved away from that pretty hard; honestly, he strikes me as somewhat asexual anyway, so that's fine too. The early parts of the book do feel a bit random at times, and this feels a bit that way too, as Tal spends considerable effort in tasks that don't seem to be advancing his ultimate goal, or ignoring leads that seem like clear next steps. But that kind of fits his character--he's a little scattered sometimes, but I'd probably play it loose too if I existed in a timeloop. After all, there's time for everything.

There's something about the timeloop that's inherently compelling--both in the idea of being stuc in one and growing, and breaking free. Probably a metaphor for modern work? Anyway, I liked the book a lot.

[Sundeep · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good conclusion to the time-loop arc, but the story isn't done yet (looking forward to the sequels).

Pleased to have the team back in action in this book! I especially liked them planning/training in the Dahn, plus good to have all of their backstories. The number of dangers in and around Crossroads continued to increase (some new, some had interesting developments like the pack rats and demons). The ending of the time-loop was different than what I was expecting based on two other series I've read - it put me off a little bit but definitely makes sense in this setting.

Overall, definitely recommend the series for those who enjoy time-loops. Progression aspect is there, especially in books 2 and 3 but don't go expecting OP main characters.

[David Ketelsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each book in this series is an improvement on the last one. While this part of the series wraps up here, there's going to be more coming down the pike and I'm looking forward to them. This volume adds a lot more backstory and characterization as well as significant amounts of fighting and investigation as our heroes dig deeper into the cause of the time-loop. Whether packs of demons, killer rats, kobolds & golems or even an antagonistic dragon, nothing can defeat Tal and his team for long. Of course living the same day over and over and over can help develop strategies around obstacles. Tally-ho!

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was heavily influenced by Mother of Learning. It's well written enough to be different, but you still notice the shadow parallels as the story progresses. I know who the "badass" half elf is supposed to mirror.

This was okay. It didn't stretch the story on and on. It's nice seeing a story told in a different way that is actually well written and entertaining.
I saw some authors who basically cloned the work they were being "inspired by" and made it worse than the original.

3/5 Stars

[Dantegideon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good but about fifty pages too many of him tinkering with near-identical spells. Does he really need Gust, Vortex, Wind Run, Big Gust, Small Vortex (these are real but I forget their names), etc.? And if so, perhaps a smidge less detail on the process of refining them. Additionally, the author appears genuinely incapable of actually writing an ending for a book, but I’m used to it by now, so. If you liked the others you’ll like this too. I did.

[Jarmaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent finish for an arc (trillogy?). Despite troubling beginning I enjoyed myseld, and while the ending wasn't very emotional or groundbreaking it was as good as the last two books. Many of the ideas for the plot and the world were original and just for that I'm glad I kept reading the story. Still, the ending could be a bit less sequel-baiting.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very satisfying end to an entertaining progression fantasy trilogy. I thought it was great: like a magical version of Groundhog Day, which I coincidentally finished on groundhog day!

Highly recommended for fans of progression fantasy and time loop stories. This was one was very well done.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, although several background threads about the world are left unfinished. However, it felt right to end here, and I’m excited to read further entries in this world.

[Kashii · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 you can tell the author got better at writing.

[Joel Benedict Mandaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it. A series that forces you to pay attention. Amazing looping.

[Devin Driggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hectic conclusion to the story. We finally get to know the others that Tal started out with.

[Nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nota de toda la trilogía: 4.5/5

[Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

4*

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing ending to a super interesting and engaging trilogy!