Ashes of the Empire

Keiran: The Eternal Mage #3

by D.E. Sherman, EmergencyComplaints

It’s been four years since Keiran learned the truth of what happened to his world.

Four years of research and marshaling his resources, four years of experimentation in a futile attempt to recover a faint echo of all that has been lost. His refuge has grown in size and population, and he’s begun to spread knowledge of the old ways of magic in an attempt to revive the lost art to humanity.

There are no more answers to be found at home, and it’s time Keiran sees what’s out there with his own eyes. Armed with more mana than ever, he leaves his sanctuary to explore what’s left of the old kingdoms of the world and plumb their depths for lost secrets.

What he finds is a civilization wrapped up in mysteries and lies, ones that could threaten to break the world a second time.

Keiran will have to untangle it all before it’s too late.

A reincarnated archmage's journey to the peak – perfect for fans of The Beginning After the End, Imperial Wizard, and Birth of the Demonic Sword.

A top rated novel on Royal Road with over a million views, professionally edited and soon available on Amazon and Audible narrated by John Joseph Rogers and Rylee Kuberra. Buy a copy or read free with Kindle Unlimited!

Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Time Travel

584 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2024

Reviews

[Akshay · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Ashes of the Empire" by D.E. Sherman, the third book in the Keiran: The Eternal Mage series, is a notable entry in the progression fantasy genre. This novel continues the epic journey of Keiran, an eternal mage navigating a richly crafted world filled with magic and formidable challenges.

Plot and Premise

Building on the foundation of the previous installments, Ashes of the Empire follows Keiran as he faces new trials in his second life. Once a "gutter rat" who rose to the rank of archmage in his first life, he must now contend with the consequences of his immense power and the ancient magic he wields. The novel’s title hints at themes of rebirth and transformation, reflecting both Keiran’s personal journey and broader narrative arcs of rebuilding from destruction. This aligns with the genre’s focus on character development and overcoming adversity.

Themes and Genre Elements

The book embraces key progression fantasy themes, such as:

Character Growth: The story centers on Keiran’s ongoing development, both in terms of his magical abilities and personal evolution.
Power Progression: A hallmark of the genre, Keiran’s abilities evolve significantly as the plot advances.
Overcoming Challenges: Keiran is presented with formidable obstacles that test his abilities and push his growth.
World Exploration: The novel delves deeper into the intricacies of the magical world, uncovering new secrets and expanding on established lore.

Writing Style and Narrative Structure

D.E. Sherman’s writing style in the Keiran: The Eternal Mage series balances action-packed sequences with introspective moments, allowing for both thrilling adventures and deeper character insights. The narrative blends traditional fantasy elements with innovative twists, creating a unique story that appeals to fans of the progression fantasy genre. Reader feedback highlights the book’s strong pacing and engaging storyline, suggesting that Sherman has successfully kept readers invested in Keiran’s journey.

Comparison to Contemporaries

Ashes of the Empire shares similarities with other progression fantasy series while carving its own identity:

Like Will Wight’s Cradle series, it centers on a protagonist's journey to increase their power, though Keiran’s status as an eternal mage and his multiple lives provide a fresh twist.
It also echoes the detailed magic system and character progression seen in Domagoj Kurmaic’s Mother of Learning, though it avoids the time-loop mechanic by exploring the concept of multiple lifetimes.
The epic scope of Sherman’s world-building draws comparisons to The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba, though Sherman’s tighter focus on Keiran’s personal journey sets his work apart.
Andrew Rowe’s Arcane Ascension series shares the focus on magical advancement, but Ashes of the Empire distinguishes itself through Keiran’s unique eternal mage premise.

Strengths

Unique Premise: The concept of an eternal mage navigating challenges across multiple lives adds a fresh perspective to the genre.
World-Building: Sherman’s experience in fantasy literature and gaming is evident in the rich and immersive world he has created.
Character Development: Keiran’s growth from a "gutter rat" to a powerful mage is a central appeal, offering readers a satisfying arc of personal progression.
Pacing: Consistent praise from readers suggests the book maintains a well-structured narrative that keeps the story engaging.

Potential Weaknesses

Potential areas for critique may include:

Complexity: The concept of multiple lives and an eternal mage could be challenging for some readers to follow.
Genre Conventions: Adhering closely to progression fantasy tropes, the novel might feel predictable to those well-versed in the genre.

Conclusion

Ashes of the Empire stands out as a compelling entry in the progression fantasy genre. Its unique premise, combining the eternal mage concept with detailed world-building and character development, offers a fresh take on familiar tropes. For fans of series like Cradle, Mother of Learning, and Arcane Ascension, D.E. Sherman’s Keiran: The Eternal Mage series offers a rewarding exploration of long-term character growth, epic challenges, and the thrill of increasing power.

[Gareth Otton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book in this series yet. Where the first 2 books felt like they were exploratory exercises in this series trying to figure out what story it wants to tell, this book was a much more confident step forward.

It has struck a really good balance between having an overpowered protagonist and a story where such a character actually makes sense. He has a challenge that is worthy of such a status (undoing a planetary cataclysm and returning magic to the world), and even when he doesn't have any real enemies who can realistically challenge him, the story still contains conflict that is driving the series.

In this case the conflict comes from the main character wanting to return magic to the world, to live the life of magic and adventure he always dreamed of, and also do right by his family whose interests take him away from all of that. These are character driven motivations that are more than good enough to keep you invested in the story. The family he never expected to love and do right by are especially interesting conflicts for him considering how removed he is from humanity in so many other ways. They also make for interesting characters in their contrast to him.

His inhumanity was less of a problem for me this time round than it had been in the past. I would personally find a more sympathetic character to be more engaging, but that's not who this character is and the author does a good job of making up for this character flaw in other ways.

Most importantly, this book takes the story forward in a big way, laying the groundwork for future books in a way where I can't wait to see what comes next.

So it's safe to say that I really enjoyed this book. Not only does it do a great job of continuing the series, but now that it has such a good forward direction, I feel like it's the kind of book that will give me a new appreciation for the previous novels in this series on future readings now that I know where those stories are headed.

[Jeffing · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author had some seriously good ideas but his execution is just miles away from my target zone. I like a progression fantasy that immerses me in the character as they grow in power and mind/psychology/maturity/into their power. There's zero progression in this series because he knows everything he could ever learn and an ambiguous mana limitation never stops him from using any imaginable spell whenever he pleases from the age of 3 as he constantly looks down on every other being in the world because he's a know it all who actually knows everything and it's extremely, amazingly boring.
still, the whole mana tower had a pretty cool setup, and in an actually good story it would've been really fun as he sneaks inside, disguises himself, makes friends and enemies as he learns deeper and deeper truths about the towers origins and purpose, yada yada. Instead... /sigh.
I wanted to finish this series since there's only 5 books and it's complete and everything, but it's just so boring and I just don't care.
also, like many others I find the sister to be annoying but it barely compared to the other things I didn't enjoy.

[Trey richardson · Rating 1 out of 5]

kids ruin everything

I can genuinely say senica ruined this book. I hate the character, she is absolutely annoying. I don’t like the MC is caring and inclusive now. He was more interesting when he was more of a solo agent. All the magic is gone because the author wanted to make the Mac more lovable.

[Tobias Granberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending part really drags the book as a whole down. The events leading up to the climax are so heavily foreshadowed that a paranoid several millenia old mage would have seen them coming from miles away.



The setup for the following books destroys most of the worldbuilding potential and forces the series the series down a narrow and boring path. I loved the first 80-90% of the book, but the final 10-20% drags it down so heavily that my review goes from 5 -> 3.

[Blank · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dumb

When half your audience can see the beyond obvious 'surprise lich' coming for half the book, but your 2000 year old prodigious archmage is completely blindsided. Bad. Dumb.

[Ray Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

**"A Thoughtful Chapter in a Remarkable Series—Still Rich with Detail and Heart"**


*Ashes of the Empire* continues D.E. Sherman's incredible saga with the same care and attention to detail that made the first two books shine. While this installment wasn't quite as thrilling or fast-paced as its predecessors, it remains a strong and satisfying read that deepens the world and characters in meaningful ways.

The rich world-building is as compelling as ever, and I continue to appreciate how lifelike and complex the characters feel. Even when the action slows, the story never loses its grip thanks to the immersive atmosphere and emotional depth.

As a long-time fantasy reader, I value consistency and craft, and this book delivers both. I'm already diving into Book 4, eager to see where Keiran's journey leads next. This series remains one of the best I've read in years.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this book for weeks, but didn't touch it because I saw too many say the focus was on the little sister. That put me off reading it, but I really hope that isn't the case. A lot of the books I read this month was me. I need something enjoyable.

This wasn't bad. The persons (and the cover featuring the sister standing by the protag) made it sound like the sister would have gotten her own POV. That wasn't the case. The protag shows his sister some attention, but that in no way takes away from the book.

What happened at the end I expected. I just didn't expect the cliffhanger.

We will see how book four goes.

3/5 Stars

[Dantegideon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, I think this book does a good job of having him be the same thousand-year old weirdo who doesn’t really understand human emotions, and yet not having him disintegrate swathes of people over trifling inconveniences. Much better than book 2 in my opinion. You could enjoy it a lot more knowing that he wasn’t going to just explode a whole city to save doing up his shoelace, or whatever.

[Leslie Baptiste · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent story, good world building a fantastic MC.

I really enjoy this series, a mage reborn in a young kids body with his entire previous life memories intact. The story and this book shows the development of the MC from a young kid to a teenager to an adult. The main character is witty, very pragmatic, uses his intelligence as well as his capabilities to solve problems. Eagerly aw awaiting the next book

[Dragos Macelaru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good fun

Well written, good action, clean vocabulary, entertaining. A bit too predictable.
An old wizard wakes up in a toddler's body, accelerates his body's growth and wizardly development while trying to repair the broken world he finds himself in.
I'm definitely buying the next book in this series.

[Stephen Morley · Rating 3 out of 5]

super predictable

The book is long. The plot is interesting but it kind of meanders here and there. Ultimately the ending was predictable. The chain breakers plot line was too transparent.

It’s an okay book. The fights are dull because the author has to explain everything while the fight is moving and the author has pattern to his battles that makes them predictable.

[Mike Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Stuff

This story of a archmage retaining his memories through the reincarnation cycle was a very interesting entertaining read that I really enjoyed reading. In this book he’s eight and somehow wakes his archlich ex apprentice where they immediately start fighting.

[Miss Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

addictive reading

These books are extremely well written , the original storyline , the plot which keeps unfolding , so addictive I’m reading every spare moment I have . Refreshing to read something different .

[Aniconomics · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the third volume overall. Given his overwhelming strength, a plot device was needed to add more tension into the story. I easily guessed his apprentice would come back to appose him. Now there's some pressure to progress faster.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable sequel

This book builds on the previous. Keiran's return to power continues to accelerate in a very pleasing manner. I would definitely recommend this series to folks who like mages, particularly OP ones

[Tony Hinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with this one. Keiran's lack of deep empathy leaves the reader detached. There were also several long passages of dull exposition, training his sister, planning the petrified forest. It was dry reading.

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series keeps getting better. This book uncovered something that I thought would take until the end of the series to deal with--it's moving fast (which I love)! And it revealed it in a way that I didn't expect.

[Paul Clemons · Rating 4 out of 5]

too much buildup

This one was mostly boring. It did have good adventure but until the end there was little action and basically no character development. This is a filler or setup book for the next one.

[Richard Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced

Continues the saga of Keiran. In this portion he finds a socirty of bird loke creatures and a monolith inhabited by a society of magicians.

[Djcolgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different pace

At first I thought this book would be a wash and repeat but it did surprise me with the ending.

[Roh Bawt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. Nope, nope, nope. MC is barely tolerable. Making it clear from the start we are doing to be constantly stuck with his obnoxious, selfish 12 year old sister? Noping out.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for the recap, Sherman

[Jay Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars , good series so far

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2 ready for the next book

[Freethings Forme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Royal Guard Publishing LLC Audible Audio Edition

[Dawna Raidmae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

The series continues to not disappoint. Character development is meaningful and pacing nice. Highly suggest you keep reading the story.

[Lester Soriano · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate the Senica character. The entire book she is annoying. If this i am not listening to a audiobook i would have drop this instantly.

[Ian Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

It's a good continuation of the story. Nice world building and character development. Kieran remains interesting and I'm eager to see what happens in the next book.

[Teresa Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Surprise

There is a huge twist at the end and it totally ramps up the edge of the seat feel to reading this series.