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Academy of Outcasts #1
Academy of Outcasts
A brand new fantasy world from Larry Correia, bestselling author of Monster Hunter International!
All Oz Carnavon ever wanted was to become a master mage.
Except, to do so requires the natural gifts or wealth necessary to secure an appointment to one of the prestigious magical academies in the Core City at the center of the seven realms. Oz had neither.
He was born without magical talent, serving in the elemental plane of fire, a nightmarish hellscape of treacherous lava and vicious monsters, where life is cheap, and escape is rare. But Carnavons never give up.
When Oz fakes his death to get out of his family’s contract and crosses the Nexus gate to sneak into the Core, everything seems to be going according to plan… Until he gets blamed for an assassination attempt on the fire realm’s ambassador.
Now, Oz must become a fugitive in a vast magical city, while trying to earn a place among the magical academies which have nothing but disdain for his kind.
And the clock is ticking, because in one week, the most dangerous wizard in the realm of fire is coming to track him down and drag him back to hell.
Experience this epic new saga from LARRY CORREIA, award-winning author of Monster Hunter International and Saga of the Forgotten Warrior. This progression fantasy epic features a D&D-inspired setting split by portals into elemental realms, slow-growth power progression, magic academies, and unforgettable characters!
All Oz Carnavon ever wanted was to become a master mage.
Except, to do so requires the natural gifts or wealth necessary to secure an appointment to one of the prestigious magical academies in the Core City at the center of the seven realms. Oz had neither.
He was born without magical talent, serving in the elemental plane of fire, a nightmarish hellscape of treacherous lava and vicious monsters, where life is cheap, and escape is rare. But Carnavons never give up.
When Oz fakes his death to get out of his family’s contract and crosses the Nexus gate to sneak into the Core, everything seems to be going according to plan… Until he gets blamed for an assassination attempt on the fire realm’s ambassador.
Now, Oz must become a fugitive in a vast magical city, while trying to earn a place among the magical academies which have nothing but disdain for his kind.
And the clock is ticking, because in one week, the most dangerous wizard in the realm of fire is coming to track him down and drag him back to hell.
Experience this epic new saga from LARRY CORREIA, award-winning author of Monster Hunter International and Saga of the Forgotten Warrior. This progression fantasy epic features a D&D-inspired setting split by portals into elemental realms, slow-growth power progression, magic academies, and unforgettable characters!
424 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2025
About the author
Larry Correia
117 books4,465 followersLarry Correia (born 1977) is the New York Times bestselling author of the Monster Hunter International series, the Grimnoir Chronicles, and the thriller Dead Six.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
October 29, 2025
Portal fantasy, kind of?
Ozwald is a miner in the deadly fiery world of Fogo. He aims to escape his indentured servitude by becoming a wizard and being accepted into one of the acclaimed academies by the Core - the height of civilisation where gates to all kinds of worlds connect. Despite the fact he is a laughable ranked one self-taught wizard.
Things become more tense when Ozwald’s faked death wasn’t believed and he is being accused of murder and theft on top of that.
First of all, I disagree with the comparisons (which is a major reason I picked this up).
Deadly Education - There is barely any academy setting as Oz keeps getting turned away.
A Darker Shade of Magic - The portal fantasy is more interesting as different worlds represented by different elements (ergo, the different magic types) are connected by gates known as the Nexus. Apart from that, there is no similarity.
I enjoyed the inventiveness of the world. You have many different types of people and creatures. The usual: elves, orcs, gnomes, lizards; but also water dwelling, meat-eating creatures.
I did notice an overuse of exclamation marks for sentences that should be full stops that kept making me backtrack and reread to figure out what I had missed.
At the heart of this is a protagonist who is trying to get by with only his hard work and wits. An idealistic and loyal hero may be overdone, but there is a reason this archetype is so common.
The friendships are heartwarming. Outcasts coming together to stand up for the little guy.
“I think we just formed an illicit underground magical academy. You’re our instructor of earth magic now.”
Krachma snorted at that, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
This is definitely a setting up book and I would be curious to see where it goes.
Physical arc gifted by Aethon books.
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Ozwald is a miner in the deadly fiery world of Fogo. He aims to escape his indentured servitude by becoming a wizard and being accepted into one of the acclaimed academies by the Core - the height of civilisation where gates to all kinds of worlds connect. Despite the fact he is a laughable ranked one self-taught wizard.
Things become more tense when Ozwald’s faked death wasn’t believed and he is being accused of murder and theft on top of that.
First of all, I disagree with the comparisons (which is a major reason I picked this up).
Deadly Education - There is barely any academy setting as Oz keeps getting turned away.
A Darker Shade of Magic - The portal fantasy is more interesting as different worlds represented by different elements (ergo, the different magic types) are connected by gates known as the Nexus. Apart from that, there is no similarity.
I enjoyed the inventiveness of the world. You have many different types of people and creatures. The usual: elves, orcs, gnomes, lizards; but also water dwelling, meat-eating creatures.
I did notice an overuse of exclamation marks for sentences that should be full stops that kept making me backtrack and reread to figure out what I had missed.
At the heart of this is a protagonist who is trying to get by with only his hard work and wits. An idealistic and loyal hero may be overdone, but there is a reason this archetype is so common.
The friendships are heartwarming. Outcasts coming together to stand up for the little guy.
“I think we just formed an illicit underground magical academy. You’re our instructor of earth magic now.”
Krachma snorted at that, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
This is definitely a setting up book and I would be curious to see where it goes.
Physical arc gifted by Aethon books.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
February 11, 2026
I liked this new world.
The Academy of Outcasts stars Oz Carnavon. Oz was born into the plane of fire in Fogo, where he and his family live in servitude. He dreams of becoming a mage, but unfortunately, he was not born with the gift. What he does have is tremendous determination. Oz decides to teach himself the craft, fakes his own death, and flees the plane of fire to seek acceptance into one of the prestigious academies in Core City, the heart of the seven realms.
His quest is interrupted almost immediately: as soon as he crosses over, an attack is launched, and Carnavon is blamed for it. Time is running out. The authorities are hunting him, and it seems unlikely he’ll reach any academy in time.
The Academy of Outcasts is packed with action. Carnavon is extremely easy to root for—he’s worked incredibly hard for the little power he’s gained, and he’s already lost so much. Along the way, he picks up both friends and foes, and the supporting cast is full of memorable characters.
I'm excited for the next book, Magic and Bullets.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The Academy of Outcasts stars Oz Carnavon. Oz was born into the plane of fire in Fogo, where he and his family live in servitude. He dreams of becoming a mage, but unfortunately, he was not born with the gift. What he does have is tremendous determination. Oz decides to teach himself the craft, fakes his own death, and flees the plane of fire to seek acceptance into one of the prestigious academies in Core City, the heart of the seven realms.
His quest is interrupted almost immediately: as soon as he crosses over, an attack is launched, and Carnavon is blamed for it. Time is running out. The authorities are hunting him, and it seems unlikely he’ll reach any academy in time.
The Academy of Outcasts is packed with action. Carnavon is extremely easy to root for—he’s worked incredibly hard for the little power he’s gained, and he’s already lost so much. Along the way, he picks up both friends and foes, and the supporting cast is full of memorable characters.
I'm excited for the next book, Magic and Bullets.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
October 7, 2025
Larry Correia is becoming quite the renaissance writer, able to write everything from Epic Fantasy to B-movie horror. This book combines elements of D&D, Sanderson, Progression Fantasy, and Science Fiction worldbuilding and turns it into an entirely entertaining story. I was hooked for the entire book!
First of all, this book blends genres in a fun way. It has a very difinitive magic system that a modern Fantasy would have, but it's worldbuilding regarding the planets and the "core" are very Sci-Fi inspired. Its very much how Sanderson is able to write heavy magic systems and sci-fi worldbuilding. The key difference is that Larry Correia wastes no time in the minutiae and the story has incredibly brisk pacing.
The plot of this book is really engaging, as our intrepid hero tries to escape a life of poverty and servitude and strike it out in the big city, but he faces adversity constantly. This is absolutely not an over-powered character, as he has to work extra hard for what he gets.
We also have a great cast of characters. The main character (Oz Carnavon) is great to follow, but we also follow Trax (who is kind of comedic relief and is absolutely delightful!). Azarin is the female companion with a will-they-won't-they dynamic with Oz. And the antagonists who get in Oz's way were all written competently and I really got frustrated with them. In a good way.
The action is very fast and excellently written as well.
I appreciated how Larry kept the story moving, and when he explored the deeper themes about classism and capitalism, he never really felt preachy or even like he was stopping the story. It felt very organic.
I've seen the book compared to "Guardians of the Galaxy", and if you take out the excessive humor from the Guardians movies, this book absolutely has similar elements to it. It very much is a blend of Mistborn and Guardians of the Galaxy (credit the Reformed Reader for that comparison).
I do have one criticism of the book, but its not actually with the writing at all, but rather with the production of the book. My cover kept changing between font sizes. One chapter might be larger font, another chapter might be incredibly small font. It kept changing back and forth and was distracting and disorienting. I hope Aethon can fix that for subsequent printings.
Overall, I loved this book. I was hooked throughout, thought that it nailed everything it needed to, and I am so excited to read book 2 in May 2026. This really is one of my favorite reads of the year. 9.7 out of 10!
First of all, this book blends genres in a fun way. It has a very difinitive magic system that a modern Fantasy would have, but it's worldbuilding regarding the planets and the "core" are very Sci-Fi inspired. Its very much how Sanderson is able to write heavy magic systems and sci-fi worldbuilding. The key difference is that Larry Correia wastes no time in the minutiae and the story has incredibly brisk pacing.
The plot of this book is really engaging, as our intrepid hero tries to escape a life of poverty and servitude and strike it out in the big city, but he faces adversity constantly. This is absolutely not an over-powered character, as he has to work extra hard for what he gets.
We also have a great cast of characters. The main character (Oz Carnavon) is great to follow, but we also follow Trax (who is kind of comedic relief and is absolutely delightful!). Azarin is the female companion with a will-they-won't-they dynamic with Oz. And the antagonists who get in Oz's way were all written competently and I really got frustrated with them. In a good way.
The action is very fast and excellently written as well.
I appreciated how Larry kept the story moving, and when he explored the deeper themes about classism and capitalism, he never really felt preachy or even like he was stopping the story. It felt very organic.
I've seen the book compared to "Guardians of the Galaxy", and if you take out the excessive humor from the Guardians movies, this book absolutely has similar elements to it. It very much is a blend of Mistborn and Guardians of the Galaxy (credit the Reformed Reader for that comparison).
I do have one criticism of the book, but its not actually with the writing at all, but rather with the production of the book. My cover kept changing between font sizes. One chapter might be larger font, another chapter might be incredibly small font. It kept changing back and forth and was distracting and disorienting. I hope Aethon can fix that for subsequent printings.
Overall, I loved this book. I was hooked throughout, thought that it nailed everything it needed to, and I am so excited to read book 2 in May 2026. This really is one of my favorite reads of the year. 9.7 out of 10!
October 6, 2025
Mistborn meets Guardians of the Galaxy!
This was a roller coaster in narrative form. It was an excellent thrill ride that had twists and turns where I thought I had the story pinned down, then Larry would hit us with another curve that I didn't see coming.
And just like a good thrill ride, this story was FAST. PACED. The first few chapters were that proverbial initial, slow climb, then around chapter 5, you peer over the edge right before you are plummeting into this dynamic story of a motley crew who are thrust into a mystery at breakneck speeds.
The characters are extraordinary. Trax Bloodtrail is genuinely one of my favorite characters of all time. He was absolutely hilarious. Each character felt nuanced and unique enough that the reader would be able to identify who was speaking without any indicators, yet they felt familiar, especially for those who had had that ragtag group of friends.
The setting is boundless. Without going into spoilers, there are portals used in this world that lead to a variety of landscapes that are vastly different from each other. It's almost as if the characters are Larry's favorite toys and he is able to throw them into a new area with new challenges that are both environmental and circumstantial. This is gives Larry an infinite playground for these characters, and I will absolutely be along for the ride!
Finally, the plot isn't something revolutionary, and he leans into some of the tropes that we love, but he was able to spin it in a distinctive way. You have that primary story while you can see the greater plot that is the undercurrent of the series.
For anyone that loves Guardians of the Galaxy, Dungeons & Dragons, Mistborn, or really anyone that has decent tastes at all......you're going to LOVE. THIS. BOOK. This is an EXCELLENT book to get someone hooked on fantasy. A HUGE thank you to @aethonbooks for sending me an ARC and allowing me to dive into this story early. This is my favorite Larry Correia novel that I've read so far and I can't wait for the next one!
This was a roller coaster in narrative form. It was an excellent thrill ride that had twists and turns where I thought I had the story pinned down, then Larry would hit us with another curve that I didn't see coming.
And just like a good thrill ride, this story was FAST. PACED. The first few chapters were that proverbial initial, slow climb, then around chapter 5, you peer over the edge right before you are plummeting into this dynamic story of a motley crew who are thrust into a mystery at breakneck speeds.
The characters are extraordinary. Trax Bloodtrail is genuinely one of my favorite characters of all time. He was absolutely hilarious. Each character felt nuanced and unique enough that the reader would be able to identify who was speaking without any indicators, yet they felt familiar, especially for those who had had that ragtag group of friends.
The setting is boundless. Without going into spoilers, there are portals used in this world that lead to a variety of landscapes that are vastly different from each other. It's almost as if the characters are Larry's favorite toys and he is able to throw them into a new area with new challenges that are both environmental and circumstantial. This is gives Larry an infinite playground for these characters, and I will absolutely be along for the ride!
Finally, the plot isn't something revolutionary, and he leans into some of the tropes that we love, but he was able to spin it in a distinctive way. You have that primary story while you can see the greater plot that is the undercurrent of the series.
For anyone that loves Guardians of the Galaxy, Dungeons & Dragons, Mistborn, or really anyone that has decent tastes at all......you're going to LOVE. THIS. BOOK. This is an EXCELLENT book to get someone hooked on fantasy. A HUGE thank you to @aethonbooks for sending me an ARC and allowing me to dive into this story early. This is my favorite Larry Correia novel that I've read so far and I can't wait for the next one!
October 12, 2025
INCREDIBLY FUN. Cosy meets DCC & D&D?!
I’ve been reading a lot of big epic, dense series this year and some times my brain needs a break. Sometimes I need cosy, funny and whimsical, but I still want, action and epic fantasy.
Academy of Outcasts delivered exactly what I was looking for, a very magical setting of different worlds/realms joined by portals. A slave doing everything he can to become a mage and a rag tag band of misfits.
It’s a little goofy in spots and sometimes how our main character keeps going is a bit ridiculous but overall this was a fun time. Paced out to perfection with small chapters to keep you saying “one more” and likeable characters you want to cheer for with a gripping plot. I’m sad that we only have one book out currently, this is a progression fantasy I want to binge and will certainly be continuing!!
I’ve been reading a lot of big epic, dense series this year and some times my brain needs a break. Sometimes I need cosy, funny and whimsical, but I still want, action and epic fantasy.
Academy of Outcasts delivered exactly what I was looking for, a very magical setting of different worlds/realms joined by portals. A slave doing everything he can to become a mage and a rag tag band of misfits.
It’s a little goofy in spots and sometimes how our main character keeps going is a bit ridiculous but overall this was a fun time. Paced out to perfection with small chapters to keep you saying “one more” and likeable characters you want to cheer for with a gripping plot. I’m sad that we only have one book out currently, this is a progression fantasy I want to binge and will certainly be continuing!!
March 7, 2026
Slow start but gets better in the second part and promises a lot for the continuation.
October 9, 2025
Another masterpiece from the mind of Larry Correia, creator of the Grimnoir, Monster Hunter International and Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series.
Oz is a young man who is an indentured servant working as a laborer on a volcanic planet. After being saved from sure death by a mage his dream is to one day be trained in a magic academy.
Stuff happens (no spoilers) and as he seeks entry into one of the academies to no avail he makes some friends along the way. Oz is persistent, not too magically talented and a good friend.
There's plenty of fun and humor, with Oz serving as a straight man for most of it.
Oz is a young man who is an indentured servant working as a laborer on a volcanic planet. After being saved from sure death by a mage his dream is to one day be trained in a magic academy.
Stuff happens (no spoilers) and as he seeks entry into one of the academies to no avail he makes some friends along the way. Oz is persistent, not too magically talented and a good friend.
There's plenty of fun and humor, with Oz serving as a straight man for most of it.
December 6, 2025
What a great read.
I loved the magic system and the determination Oz had to learn magic. His adventure is original and keeps you on the edge of your seat not wanting to put the book down! Also FANTASTIC side characters.
Trax is a blast to read!
Looking forward to book 2!
I loved the magic system and the determination Oz had to learn magic. His adventure is original and keeps you on the edge of your seat not wanting to put the book down! Also FANTASTIC side characters.
Trax is a blast to read!
Looking forward to book 2!
October 25, 2025
3.5 stars , okay for the most part. Almost 4 stars but a little short. Mc is likable, other characters as well. Story is okay and I liked that it got clued up well.
Did Not Finish
December 3, 2025The thing about progression fantasy is it’s always YA and I think that’s the main thing that keeps me from enjoying it. I like stories with more grit and less corn-ball quotes.
I think if you like Phil Tucker or The Wandering Inn you’ll like this .
I think if you like Phil Tucker or The Wandering Inn you’ll like this .
September 13, 2025
Thank you to Aethon Books For an Arc.
I haven't finished this yet but I am about 29% of the way through. A lot has happened in such a short amount of pages but not in the overwhelming way. There is a lot of world building but it happens along side the action. You get to know the main character Oz very well and then it opens up into this much larger world. The opening page reminded me of the opening page of Red Rising. It just stuck out and made you keep reading while giving you a taste for the terrors of being in the Red (applies to both books lol).
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the interesting mix of characters and their motivations. I liked how distinct they were from each other so there was no way to mix them up. I think that Trax might be one of my favorite characters from any book in a long time. For some reason I picture him as an overgrown, more ferocious Randall from Monsters Inc with the personality of Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy. Any conversation with him was entertaining. It is interesting to see the way the people from the Core have just forgotten about the people from the slumps and how even though you might come from another realm, there is still a hierarchy in a place that was looked at as better. I thought the magic system was cool with how you were able to imbue objects with different magic but you have to have that dust of magic to do so. I really appreciated Ox's code and while this wasn't a built out romance, it was acknowledge that some of his actions weren't done just because he liked the pretty girl but because his morals made to where he wasn't a coward.
Even in this first book in the series, there's corruption, adventure, deep friendship and awesome mage duels. Definitely read this.
Full Plot Summary:
Check out a podcast that I host with my boyfriend where we talk books and book related things:
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I haven't finished this yet but I am about 29% of the way through. A lot has happened in such a short amount of pages but not in the overwhelming way. There is a lot of world building but it happens along side the action. You get to know the main character Oz very well and then it opens up into this much larger world. The opening page reminded me of the opening page of Red Rising. It just stuck out and made you keep reading while giving you a taste for the terrors of being in the Red (applies to both books lol).
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the interesting mix of characters and their motivations. I liked how distinct they were from each other so there was no way to mix them up. I think that Trax might be one of my favorite characters from any book in a long time. For some reason I picture him as an overgrown, more ferocious Randall from Monsters Inc with the personality of Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy. Any conversation with him was entertaining. It is interesting to see the way the people from the Core have just forgotten about the people from the slumps and how even though you might come from another realm, there is still a hierarchy in a place that was looked at as better. I thought the magic system was cool with how you were able to imbue objects with different magic but you have to have that dust of magic to do so. I really appreciated Ox's code and while this wasn't a built out romance, it was acknowledge that some of his actions weren't done just because he liked the pretty girl but because his morals made to where he wasn't a coward.
Even in this first book in the series, there's corruption, adventure, deep friendship and awesome mage duels. Definitely read this.
Full Plot Summary:
Check out a podcast that I host with my boyfriend where we talk books and book related things:
https://open.spotify.com/show/6Xjyht7...
and our Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/talkbooky/
November 21, 2025
This book was so fun. A portal fantasy with elemental magic, found family, and political conspiracies that proved to be utterly delightful. So many aspects of this story reminded me of some of my favorite animes & shows (Danmachi, Black Clover, and Avatar) that it was instantly cozy and just the kind of adventure & hijinx I needed. Definitely recommend and can’t wait for book two.
October 23, 2025
I really enjoyed this first book in a brand new series from an author that I already adore.
We get to meet MMC Oz Carnavon who has dreamt for most of his life of becoming a mage. Mr. Correia does a fantastic job of setting up this new world and introducing us to its unique magic system. The world is made up of various realms (there are 7) which are connected to each other by this magical gate that is located in Core City. Core City is at the center of the various realms and the gate has a schedule for letting people move between realms. Oz is from the fire realm and the gate opens to his realm on a particular day each week.
Core City is also the place where all of the magical universities are so Oz comes up with a plan. He has decided to fake his death (so his family is not penalized by his desertion) and plans on sneaking through the gate when it opens in his realm. He then wants to find a way to be accepted into one of the universities so he can finally become a mage. This way, he thinks, he can become wealthy and later go back and free his family from their bonded contracts.
Unfortunately, none of that goes as planned. In fact, it goes as wrong as it could have possibly gone and he finds himself on the run in a foreign realm without any money or any knowledge of how things work.
One of my favorite things about this book were the secondary characters we meet along the way. My absolute favorite was Trax Bloodtrail, a giant fishlike creature who loves to eat people he doesn't like and who can only speak to "certain" people. You have to have a particularly squishy brain to hear him and he speaks by putting images in your brain. Oz has the specific talent of completely understanding him and being able to communicate with him. Trax is adorable and he is trying so hard to understand the "land dweller" people because their customs seem so weird to him.
Trax ends up being the first "outcast" that Oz ends up with as they both start going around to each magical academy to try to get anyone to meet with them and to try to gain admittance. They quickly discover that being admitted to any university is not going to be a possibility.
He is also running from the people trying to capture him for crimes that he did not commit - he definitely has a lot going on.
So, that is how things start and we set off on a wonderful adventure as Oz starts to find friends who are in a similar situation as he is. I absolutely loved this beginning and cannot wait to see what else is in store for this motley crew of characters.
We get to meet MMC Oz Carnavon who has dreamt for most of his life of becoming a mage. Mr. Correia does a fantastic job of setting up this new world and introducing us to its unique magic system. The world is made up of various realms (there are 7) which are connected to each other by this magical gate that is located in Core City. Core City is at the center of the various realms and the gate has a schedule for letting people move between realms. Oz is from the fire realm and the gate opens to his realm on a particular day each week.
Core City is also the place where all of the magical universities are so Oz comes up with a plan. He has decided to fake his death (so his family is not penalized by his desertion) and plans on sneaking through the gate when it opens in his realm. He then wants to find a way to be accepted into one of the universities so he can finally become a mage. This way, he thinks, he can become wealthy and later go back and free his family from their bonded contracts.
Unfortunately, none of that goes as planned. In fact, it goes as wrong as it could have possibly gone and he finds himself on the run in a foreign realm without any money or any knowledge of how things work.
One of my favorite things about this book were the secondary characters we meet along the way. My absolute favorite was Trax Bloodtrail, a giant fishlike creature who loves to eat people he doesn't like and who can only speak to "certain" people. You have to have a particularly squishy brain to hear him and he speaks by putting images in your brain. Oz has the specific talent of completely understanding him and being able to communicate with him. Trax is adorable and he is trying so hard to understand the "land dweller" people because their customs seem so weird to him.
Trax ends up being the first "outcast" that Oz ends up with as they both start going around to each magical academy to try to get anyone to meet with them and to try to gain admittance. They quickly discover that being admitted to any university is not going to be a possibility.
He is also running from the people trying to capture him for crimes that he did not commit - he definitely has a lot going on.
So, that is how things start and we set off on a wonderful adventure as Oz starts to find friends who are in a similar situation as he is. I absolutely loved this beginning and cannot wait to see what else is in store for this motley crew of characters.
January 15, 2026
DNF. This book is called Academy of Outcasts, but at chapter 20, the main character still isn’t even at the academy. He’s just travelling.
And there’s no supporting cast. No friend, no rival, no mentor, no love interest, literally nobody. Just random people he runs into. 90% of the book has been the main character’s inner monologue, which is just exposition to explain every little detail of this world.
Very boring.
And there’s no supporting cast. No friend, no rival, no mentor, no love interest, literally nobody. Just random people he runs into. 90% of the book has been the main character’s inner monologue, which is just exposition to explain every little detail of this world.
Very boring.
May 2, 2026
This author is a solid 4 stars for me. Fantasy has never been my go-to genre, but because of authors like LC, it's now easily in my top three.
This book was entertaining and it was also laugh out loud funny. There were moments where it leaned a bit YA or middle grade in tone, but that wasn't a deal breaker. It worked for the MC and for the whole story overall.
I'd read anything LC writes. I love settling into one of his stories. I liked this one and I look forward to the next one. So 4 solid stars.
This book was entertaining and it was also laugh out loud funny. There were moments where it leaned a bit YA or middle grade in tone, but that wasn't a deal breaker. It worked for the MC and for the whole story overall.
I'd read anything LC writes. I love settling into one of his stories. I liked this one and I look forward to the next one. So 4 solid stars.
November 14, 2025
Just a really good time!
December 28, 2025
4.25⭐️ this was such a fun book! Really fun characters with clever plot weaving! Cannot wait for book 2.
October 29, 2025
DNF’d at chapter 5
January 7, 2026
BLUF: Very YA, poor prose, good world and story
This is a complicated review for me. Let's do a version of the compliment sandwich.
The world of Academy of Outcasts is good. Not great; it's portal fantasy with a generic fantasy overlay and likeable characters. If you've played a fantasy video game or TTRPG in the past couple of decades, you're going to be familiar with the tropes Correia uses. A fire plane, death plane, air plane, water plane...all linked to a central 'Core' where a rotating portal allows access to each on a schedule. This has become a trope...The Thirteenth Hour did almost the same thing years ago and I'm sure it's not the only one.
There's a magic system that's interesting though not fully explained; mages attain 'ranks'....how? No clue. These ranks indicate how powerful they are, with a 10 being a master and above that being, like, a super-master, or something. This is where the progression/LitRPG genre has taken us...characters have levels like a video game and progress through them.
Let's get into the negatives my review...the meat of the sandwich, if you will.
The writing is atrocious. I've read, and really like, Correia's MHI and Grimnoir Chronicles. I read the first book of his Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series and, while I didn't continue, the prose was good. This book reads like super YA. Characters are simple, they speak in paragraphs with no physical/visual context given, nothing deeper than uttering words from their mouths, and I honestly thought the MC was an idiot until about the 80% mark. I nearly DNF'd this book several times before it hooked me around the 70% mark. The dialog is difficult to read at times it's so bad:
Those are just a handful of quotes I highlighted, shaking my head each time. I wonder if Correia used a competent editor; there were several improper sentences, missing words, and incorrect words throughout the book.
In addition to the prose, the world is generic. The MC and his people in the Fire plane harvest a material called...Red. The Air plane harvests stuff called...Clear. The Death plane harvest a substance called...Black. The best way I can describe it is this...for those that have been the DM for a TTRPG, and you create this beautiful world with lore and named flora, fauna, reagents, spells, and weapons, and your players, who can't be bothered to remember their own character's names, refer to your finely crafted Germanium Ore, created by the bonding of the blood of the Veracrucis brood with the sapient spores of the local Coranthis metal deposits, as 'dragon metal'. This book is entirely like that...generic names or references for everything, including healing potions, enchantments, reagents, spells, everything. It's like Correia put placeholders in there and then just said "Nah, ship it" during editing. If you're building your own world, why aren't you giving things names more evocative than 'Red'?
More specific, I think I dislike LitRPG and progression fantasy. I've read a few ('Sufficiently Advanced Magic' comes to mind) and I just don't grok why someone wants to put themselves through something that reads like the manual to FF XIV. 'Academy of Outcasts' at least has a plot and characters, but if you, like me, have a distaste for either LitRPG or progression fantasy, stay away.
Returning to the bottom of the sandwich, the characters are the highlight of the book and Correia does an admirable job with them. I said previously that I thought the MC was an idiot until the 80% mark; at that point, I realized he's just young, idealistic, and nice, something you don't find in a lot of characters and certainly not in YA books. There's no brooding, no swooning, no direct romance...this book could have been straight out of someone's D&D campaign. Trax was the highlight; his lack, and misunderstanding, of the human world lead to most of the lighthearted moments in the book. Azarin wasn't especially well written, but provided a focus for Oz. Krachma and Raze were reasonable side kicks that expanded the world, though I'd like to see more detail on both of them (and the parts we saw of Raze were poorly written...one of the quotes above was from his plane and I wanted to through the book/kindle across the room during that scene).
Lastly, *I* enjoyed the book because I actually think it would make an excellent D&D campaign. There's room for adventure, political intrigue, complications, and a long term lurking "greatest evil which had ever been" (direct quote, can't make this shit up). If it's a monetization effort on that front, Correia has done well. Otherwise, I'm gonna hold of judging the whole series until we see some more books.
On that front, I will probably read book 2, if only to see where the story goes. I'm hoping the prose will be tighter, less YA, and the other characters' stories will be expanded.
This is a complicated review for me. Let's do a version of the compliment sandwich.
The world of Academy of Outcasts is good. Not great; it's portal fantasy with a generic fantasy overlay and likeable characters. If you've played a fantasy video game or TTRPG in the past couple of decades, you're going to be familiar with the tropes Correia uses. A fire plane, death plane, air plane, water plane...all linked to a central 'Core' where a rotating portal allows access to each on a schedule. This has become a trope...The Thirteenth Hour did almost the same thing years ago and I'm sure it's not the only one.
There's a magic system that's interesting though not fully explained; mages attain 'ranks'....how? No clue. These ranks indicate how powerful they are, with a 10 being a master and above that being, like, a super-master, or something. This is where the progression/LitRPG genre has taken us...characters have levels like a video game and progress through them.
Let's get into the negatives my review...the meat of the sandwich, if you will.
The writing is atrocious. I've read, and really like, Correia's MHI and Grimnoir Chronicles. I read the first book of his Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series and, while I didn't continue, the prose was good. This book reads like super YA. Characters are simple, they speak in paragraphs with no physical/visual context given, nothing deeper than uttering words from their mouths, and I honestly thought the MC was an idiot until about the 80% mark. I nearly DNF'd this book several times before it hooked me around the 70% mark. The dialog is difficult to read at times it's so bad:
“Yes, it does, Braden. That’s literally how claims to the throne work. We’ve been over this a hundred times before you got banished.” The noble sighed. “This fucking guy, I swear.”
"I had to pay for a magical healing because a certain cheating dwarf trying to chop my head off, and magical healing enchantments are very expensive.”
“Good. Now I’m taking all your charms, coins, and elements.”
“You’re robbing us?”
“Don’t act all offended. You were stupid, so now you have to pay the stupid tax.”
Those are just a handful of quotes I highlighted, shaking my head each time. I wonder if Correia used a competent editor; there were several improper sentences, missing words, and incorrect words throughout the book.
In addition to the prose, the world is generic. The MC and his people in the Fire plane harvest a material called...Red. The Air plane harvests stuff called...Clear. The Death plane harvest a substance called...Black. The best way I can describe it is this...for those that have been the DM for a TTRPG, and you create this beautiful world with lore and named flora, fauna, reagents, spells, and weapons, and your players, who can't be bothered to remember their own character's names, refer to your finely crafted Germanium Ore, created by the bonding of the blood of the Veracrucis brood with the sapient spores of the local Coranthis metal deposits, as 'dragon metal'. This book is entirely like that...generic names or references for everything, including healing potions, enchantments, reagents, spells, everything. It's like Correia put placeholders in there and then just said "Nah, ship it" during editing. If you're building your own world, why aren't you giving things names more evocative than 'Red'?
More specific, I think I dislike LitRPG and progression fantasy. I've read a few ('Sufficiently Advanced Magic' comes to mind) and I just don't grok why someone wants to put themselves through something that reads like the manual to FF XIV. 'Academy of Outcasts' at least has a plot and characters, but if you, like me, have a distaste for either LitRPG or progression fantasy, stay away.
Returning to the bottom of the sandwich, the characters are the highlight of the book and Correia does an admirable job with them. I said previously that I thought the MC was an idiot until the 80% mark; at that point, I realized he's just young, idealistic, and nice, something you don't find in a lot of characters and certainly not in YA books. There's no brooding, no swooning, no direct romance...this book could have been straight out of someone's D&D campaign. Trax was the highlight; his lack, and misunderstanding, of the human world lead to most of the lighthearted moments in the book. Azarin wasn't especially well written, but provided a focus for Oz. Krachma and Raze were reasonable side kicks that expanded the world, though I'd like to see more detail on both of them (and the parts we saw of Raze were poorly written...one of the quotes above was from his plane and I wanted to through the book/kindle across the room during that scene).
Lastly, *I* enjoyed the book because I actually think it would make an excellent D&D campaign. There's room for adventure, political intrigue, complications, and a long term lurking "greatest evil which had ever been" (direct quote, can't make this shit up). If it's a monetization effort on that front, Correia has done well. Otherwise, I'm gonna hold of judging the whole series until we see some more books.
On that front, I will probably read book 2, if only to see where the story goes. I'm hoping the prose will be tighter, less YA, and the other characters' stories will be expanded.
June 10, 2026
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me copies of the first and second books. I’m really grateful and happy that I found two new favorites.
Because what do you mean I rated “Academy of outcasts” 5 stars?? It was THAT good?? Yes, it was! One of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read.
I loved how the book blends fantasy and sci-fi. It was a wonderful ride, with a lot of twists and turns, a lot of travelling through these huge worlds with different inhabitants and different cultures. While the first chapters are a tiny bit slow, everything changes in a blink and becomes such a huge adventure.
The author created unforgettable characters. Trax has to be one of the most (sorry for the use of this word) creative and fun characters I’ve ever read. He reminded me of Rocky from “Project Hail Mary”, Bruce from “Finding Nemo” and Drax from “The Guardians of the Galaxy” (thank you, Andy, for the ideas haha). But that doesn’t mean that he’s the only amazing character. The main one, Oz Carnavon, made the story extremely compelling and addictive. He is so unique, so funny and smart, so kind and enjoyable to follow along. I love how he brings people together and he puts them in a found family, a very unconditional, but lovely.
The setting was superb. What I love most about sci-fi in general is the worldbuilding. How the author chose to build these amazing and unique pieces of history means a lot to me. I want to be blown away by them, to feel that I can see them and I can live in them (I wish). That’s what Larry Correia did. There are so many elements that make this book sci-fi: portals to other worlds, strange ways of travelling, weird places that are deadly or not.
I don’t want to say a lot about them because it would be a shame to not go blind into this book.
It’s just an infinite universe that reminds me how much I love reading, fantasy and sci-fi.
I really really REALLY recommend reading this. It’s an excellent book and I am 100% positive that you haven’t read something like this before. If you love “Mistborn”, found family, a ragtag team, fantastic characters and worldbuilding, or if you just love fun in general, read this.
Because what do you mean I rated “Academy of outcasts” 5 stars?? It was THAT good?? Yes, it was! One of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read.
I loved how the book blends fantasy and sci-fi. It was a wonderful ride, with a lot of twists and turns, a lot of travelling through these huge worlds with different inhabitants and different cultures. While the first chapters are a tiny bit slow, everything changes in a blink and becomes such a huge adventure.
The author created unforgettable characters. Trax has to be one of the most (sorry for the use of this word) creative and fun characters I’ve ever read. He reminded me of Rocky from “Project Hail Mary”, Bruce from “Finding Nemo” and Drax from “The Guardians of the Galaxy” (thank you, Andy, for the ideas haha). But that doesn’t mean that he’s the only amazing character. The main one, Oz Carnavon, made the story extremely compelling and addictive. He is so unique, so funny and smart, so kind and enjoyable to follow along. I love how he brings people together and he puts them in a found family, a very unconditional, but lovely.
The setting was superb. What I love most about sci-fi in general is the worldbuilding. How the author chose to build these amazing and unique pieces of history means a lot to me. I want to be blown away by them, to feel that I can see them and I can live in them (I wish). That’s what Larry Correia did. There are so many elements that make this book sci-fi: portals to other worlds, strange ways of travelling, weird places that are deadly or not.
I don’t want to say a lot about them because it would be a shame to not go blind into this book.
It’s just an infinite universe that reminds me how much I love reading, fantasy and sci-fi.
I really really REALLY recommend reading this. It’s an excellent book and I am 100% positive that you haven’t read something like this before. If you love “Mistborn”, found family, a ragtag team, fantastic characters and worldbuilding, or if you just love fun in general, read this.
May 16, 2026
3.5 stars
This is a strange book, because it is almost progression fantasy but without the progression. I know that it doesn't make a lot of sense, or that it would amount to fantasy, and that's it, but... it is geared toward that genre, but it is almost there, but not quite.
But that said, I had a good time with this one. I liked Oz as MC, and Trax is by far my favourite!
We have some epic parts but the most satisfying part was the ending, at least for me. And now I am curious to see what would happen next!
Also, the world is fascinating and I hope we will see more of it, because what I saw so far got me intrigued (and fascinated!!).
This is a strange book, because it is almost progression fantasy but without the progression. I know that it doesn't make a lot of sense, or that it would amount to fantasy, and that's it, but... it is geared toward that genre, but it is almost there, but not quite.
But that said, I had a good time with this one. I liked Oz as MC, and Trax is by far my favourite!
We have some epic parts but the most satisfying part was the ending, at least for me. And now I am curious to see what would happen next!
Also, the world is fascinating and I hope we will see more of it, because what I saw so far got me intrigued (and fascinated!!).
October 26, 2025
This was a very fun read! If you are looking for a good time with a progression fantasy book that has an interesting elemental magic system and characters that shine, this is the book for you!
January 26, 2026
Excellent read. The only thing holding it back is the endless cursing, which cheapens the dialogue and weakens it in places. Otherwise a strong story with great character development.
June 8, 2026
As much as I tried to really immerse myself in this story, I would realistically rate the story as a 2.75 maybe three out of five stars. The book seemed to drone on and on and on. And quite honestly in my opinion, the beginning of this book read as though it was treasure planet the movie. There were just so many similarities in the description of the setting, and the character and the correlations that I personally kept finding between the two was just to anticipatory for my liking. It just seemed like the middle of the story just kept going and going and going, and it took forever to get to the point
May 15, 2026
Bad decisions make good stories
I love stories of an underdog finding a way to win against all odds. This story has a lot of twists and turns, and a heavy dose of mahem.
I love stories of an underdog finding a way to win against all odds. This story has a lot of twists and turns, and a heavy dose of mahem.
April 16, 2026
A Rollicking Adventure
I picked this one up on a whim. It was fun, fast paced, and reminded me of the adventure fantasy I used to read as a teen. Recommend for those who like action packed progression fantasy.
I picked this one up on a whim. It was fun, fast paced, and reminded me of the adventure fantasy I used to read as a teen. Recommend for those who like action packed progression fantasy.
October 12, 2025
largely unrealised potential
Disappointing. The protagonist was only slightly less useless at the end than he was at the beginning, and the progress he did make was painful follow.
Oh well, always another.
Disappointing. The protagonist was only slightly less useless at the end than he was at the beginning, and the progress he did make was painful follow.
Oh well, always another.
December 15, 2025
4.5 stars! I had such a blast with this book! I’ll be honest I was kind of expecting to have to work for this one but I was so pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to keep up with everything. There was really good world building and the way that it was written was so easy to follow and the tone of the book was more fun than I was expecting as well! I think that this is one that everyone should check out even if you are intimidated by epic fantasy! These one is good for all levels of epic readers in my opinion!
November 21, 2025
DNF. While some people obviously like the book, it was not not me. I truly dislike plots where the MC is pitted against a person/problem that is insurmountable and the author must use plot armor or dues ex in order for the MC to overcome the person/problem. I cannot suspend my belief enough to enjoy the story when the MC could be replaced by a rock. All the author needs to do is write the dues ex so that it can "magically" get past whatever adversary comes up.
October 9, 2025
Slow jumbled mess, I stuck it out and finished it. Not worth it…..I like some of the author’s Monster series but this is a hot mess.
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