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A Path of Endless Crossroads: Volume One of The Tipping World
No one but a mage can kill a mage, according to the saying. And now they're vanishing.
Seven hundred years ago, war wracked Boscari. From the ashes rose a new system, peace and trade its mandates. Its mages, possessed of uncanny martial skills and the ability to change the world around them just by thinking. At the war's end, they swore to dedicate these gifts to serving others.
Alia grew up isolated in the countryside and knows little of this history; she takes more interest in the wild hearthside tales of her family's cook, adventures peopled by fantastical creatures like mula and mages. When a real specimen shows up at her door, she's less amazed by him than by the facts he carries with her parents were exiled from their homeland for denouncing mages for murdering people. To learn that they exist and don't always live up to that promise they made is concerning since her parents ask the man to train her.
At the Complex, she finds a society falling apart. Mages' ruling council is locked in conflict over a dispute that has more to do with egos than policy, and paranoia people's friends are going missing, they're right to be afraid. No one but a mage can kill a mage, it's not a tricky riddle, but who the traitor is and what that person wants isn't obvious.
Alia and her friends settle on a reckless quest to challenge the villain, but they're about to learn that nothing is that simple. Especially not the enigma called the Mage-Killer.
Seven hundred years ago, war wracked Boscari. From the ashes rose a new system, peace and trade its mandates. Its mages, possessed of uncanny martial skills and the ability to change the world around them just by thinking. At the war's end, they swore to dedicate these gifts to serving others.
Alia grew up isolated in the countryside and knows little of this history; she takes more interest in the wild hearthside tales of her family's cook, adventures peopled by fantastical creatures like mula and mages. When a real specimen shows up at her door, she's less amazed by him than by the facts he carries with her parents were exiled from their homeland for denouncing mages for murdering people. To learn that they exist and don't always live up to that promise they made is concerning since her parents ask the man to train her.
At the Complex, she finds a society falling apart. Mages' ruling council is locked in conflict over a dispute that has more to do with egos than policy, and paranoia people's friends are going missing, they're right to be afraid. No one but a mage can kill a mage, it's not a tricky riddle, but who the traitor is and what that person wants isn't obvious.
Alia and her friends settle on a reckless quest to challenge the villain, but they're about to learn that nothing is that simple. Especially not the enigma called the Mage-Killer.
311 pages, Paperback
Published December 2, 2024
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January 10, 2025
Review: A Path of Endless Crossroads
by M. C. Burnell
This book is apparently a remake of an early unpublished effort by the author; short story is that it is excellent.
In the New World, a system has been developed that had worked for a thousand years. After a terrible war between mages - those possessed of abilities in magic - and “the Un” - who lack those abilities. Mages take on the responsibility of helping out the societies in each of the countries on the continent. Mages are assigned to a country - their “secter [sic].” An authority leads each of these secters, termed a haimar. Haimars are chosen by a vote of their mages. They meet regularly in a central headquarters area called the Complex, to discuss business relating to their overall society of mages and the people of the continent.
As the story begins there have been strange happenings at the secter level, unlike anything in their long history. Two of the more remote secters have ceased all contact with the central body. In addition to that, evidence is found indicating that the haimar of one of the secters has mysteriously died.
The situation has escalated, impacting commerce and communications among the countries themselves and the functioning of the Congress of Haimars. This has led to discussions and debates among the remaining haimar as to what should be done, if anything. Policy has traditionally forbidden interference of mages in the business of all secters but their own. A group of haimars feels something horrible has happened and the Congress needs to act, or at least to investigate the situation. Another group, equal in number, strongly disagree.
Into this milieu, a group of new students drop. Young mages are trained within the Complex, chosen from throughout the New World. One of these students is the story’s primary protagonist - a young woman named Alia - becomes aware of this bitter and growing dissension within the Congress. She and her friends become convinced that a fulcrum of the problem with the absent secters is a legendary “something” called the “mage-killer.” One night while Alia is studying, she witnesses a murder in the library. She finds evidence that the killer is searching for the secret of this mage-killer, and where it may have been hidden for a thousand years.
So Alia informs her cadre of close friends and they all decide, as young people are wont to do, to hare off in search of it.
Truly a rip-roaring adventure ensues. As with all of Burnell’s novels, there are several parallel plot lines that she balances skillfully to keep the reader of their toes (or unbalanced, as it may be.) She follows Alia and her friends, individual haimar, and mages of the truant secters.
Implied at the beginning of the book, this is just volume I of The Tipping World series and, unlike the current unfortunate trend in speculative fiction, it appears that all the succeeding books in the series are completed (or near so) and will be summarily published. (Hooray!) This is good because I don’t want to wait too long.
Burnell always produces engaging tales in interesting worlds. She is right at home capturing the heated, emotional interplay among the young people and among the powerful, strong-willed haimars of the congress. This is surely the beginning of a dynamite series.
by M. C. Burnell
This book is apparently a remake of an early unpublished effort by the author; short story is that it is excellent.
In the New World, a system has been developed that had worked for a thousand years. After a terrible war between mages - those possessed of abilities in magic - and “the Un” - who lack those abilities. Mages take on the responsibility of helping out the societies in each of the countries on the continent. Mages are assigned to a country - their “secter [sic].” An authority leads each of these secters, termed a haimar. Haimars are chosen by a vote of their mages. They meet regularly in a central headquarters area called the Complex, to discuss business relating to their overall society of mages and the people of the continent.
As the story begins there have been strange happenings at the secter level, unlike anything in their long history. Two of the more remote secters have ceased all contact with the central body. In addition to that, evidence is found indicating that the haimar of one of the secters has mysteriously died.
The situation has escalated, impacting commerce and communications among the countries themselves and the functioning of the Congress of Haimars. This has led to discussions and debates among the remaining haimar as to what should be done, if anything. Policy has traditionally forbidden interference of mages in the business of all secters but their own. A group of haimars feels something horrible has happened and the Congress needs to act, or at least to investigate the situation. Another group, equal in number, strongly disagree.
Into this milieu, a group of new students drop. Young mages are trained within the Complex, chosen from throughout the New World. One of these students is the story’s primary protagonist - a young woman named Alia - becomes aware of this bitter and growing dissension within the Congress. She and her friends become convinced that a fulcrum of the problem with the absent secters is a legendary “something” called the “mage-killer.” One night while Alia is studying, she witnesses a murder in the library. She finds evidence that the killer is searching for the secret of this mage-killer, and where it may have been hidden for a thousand years.
So Alia informs her cadre of close friends and they all decide, as young people are wont to do, to hare off in search of it.
Truly a rip-roaring adventure ensues. As with all of Burnell’s novels, there are several parallel plot lines that she balances skillfully to keep the reader of their toes (or unbalanced, as it may be.) She follows Alia and her friends, individual haimar, and mages of the truant secters.
Implied at the beginning of the book, this is just volume I of The Tipping World series and, unlike the current unfortunate trend in speculative fiction, it appears that all the succeeding books in the series are completed (or near so) and will be summarily published. (Hooray!) This is good because I don’t want to wait too long.
Burnell always produces engaging tales in interesting worlds. She is right at home capturing the heated, emotional interplay among the young people and among the powerful, strong-willed haimars of the congress. This is surely the beginning of a dynamite series.
Displaying 1 of 1 review