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Arcane Ocean
Arcane Ocean is a contemporary fantasy about the return of magic to the modern world. The central premise is that when given the ability to shape reality around us, it is easy to find yourself slipping into darkness. As the first in a larger series about magic returning, the story follows the lives of three friends as they struggle to learn magic's secrets and discover their own unique abilities. Morgan discovers she has the ability to communicate with animals, Kaleb discovers the ability to walk the realm of the dead, and Nick learns about psychic vampirism. Without anyone to guide them, they learn magic's mysteries on their own. Their own recklessness and selfishness are their greatest enemies. Arcane Ocean follows the transformation of ordinary young adults into sorcerers, shamans, and vampires. More perils await them in the second part of the trilogy, Arcane Fire, when the government discovers magic, and they witness the collapse of society in the conclusion Arcane Armageddon.
- GenresYoung AdultFantasy
Audible Audio
First published August 7, 2013
4 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 20, 2023
Plenty of Magic – Waiting for the Spark
Nathan Dudley sets a solid foundation on a world built with several common themes and tropes you may recognize from movies, television, and books mixed with some good points on originality.
The story weaves through three main characters that are friends who discover the first major presence of magic not seen since perhaps the days of Merlin himself. The setting takes place in a modern world with modern world problems: characters experience the hard knocks of life while then being thrown into a world of magic and teleportation (shadow-walking as it is called here) as its wild card.
I’ve only recently dived into the world of magic, so I appreciate Dudley’s efforts to really give some great descriptions and backgrounds of the fantasy elements present. I sense a lot of joy coming from the author when I read about intricate details of powers and histories related to the concept. I wouldn’t be surprised if this when Dudley felt the best creative juices flow – because I felt this is when the writing was most natural.
I wasn’t honestly sure how to go about describing the characters until I noticed a couple other reviews sum it up nicely. These characters don’t follow a typical formula on how protagonists are formed. I don’t find myself gravitating towards any human character that I want to cheer on. However, Mercedes, the cat, steals the show when it comes to entertainment and humor. And every now and then, the Kaleb/Walter storyline captures me enough for the “What happens next?!” urge.
My criticism of the book is on two things - the pacing and character motivation/dialogue:
A few reviews have pointed out there is a lot of action, and it keeps the story moving. Yes, I agree. But some scenes are disjointed – interrupted by other scenes and then returned – as kind of a nod to a multi-character storyline of a show or movie. I can understand and appreciate the effect, but I just don’t think it was necessary. The pacing also suffers from reading the occasional scene which is very short and has minimal consequence to the story overall. Some examples include describing daily tasks for the sake of explaining that the character lived that day, or events which seem to appear out of nowhere and have little staying power. It became difficult to grasp the concept or image Dudley was trying to create at times.
When it comes to the characters themselves, I think Dudley rushed his character builds and stopped the potential of creating multifaceted personas. (How many times do I need to be reminded Morgan is fat and unlovable?) In the beginning the book, we had some great descriptions of scenery, backstory, recent events, and struggles the characters felt. Once the pace picked up, all those subtle reflections and inner character voices dissipated in favor of fast-moving dialogue to push events forward.
For example, I was very excited to watch Walter show his support for Kaleb’s magic on the first date (which was “not a date”). It gave a great build in understanding how Walter’s character was going to unfold and gave Kaleb some great material to bounce off and reflect on – potentially showing us who Kaleb was when it came to vulnerability and values.
But I was quickly frustrated when, even before Walter has a legitimate reason to believe in Kaleb’s magic, he’s already gung-ho into finding a financial way to make Kaleb’s “hobbies” a career. It went from zero to one hundred in blind loyalty, and I don’t even think Walter knows his last name yet at this point. And this was all based on a “not a date – friends going out to eat” scenario. Then, although Kaleb does give an appropriate “putting a wall up” response, I felt robbed of any inner character angst, frustration, or confliction in that moment which makes my mouth as a reader salivate with satisfaction.
After that, I was quickly rushed to another scene with different characters. It stopped all the momentum from Part 2 of the dinner, and then later, returned to their scene which focused on fast-paced action with little time to invite me as a reader into who these characters are or what they are thinking. These characters can be surface level, which is great approach if intentional, but I don’t want to get that impression from the lack of details provided by the author – if that makes sense.
As far as recommending this book, I say: proceed with the understanding this was blatantly stated to be a series and the third does not appear to have been published yet? That comes with natural frustration, but I think there is some literary merit here worth to explore, if for nothing else other than a good conversation piece.
Nathan Dudley sets a solid foundation on a world built with several common themes and tropes you may recognize from movies, television, and books mixed with some good points on originality.
The story weaves through three main characters that are friends who discover the first major presence of magic not seen since perhaps the days of Merlin himself. The setting takes place in a modern world with modern world problems: characters experience the hard knocks of life while then being thrown into a world of magic and teleportation (shadow-walking as it is called here) as its wild card.
I’ve only recently dived into the world of magic, so I appreciate Dudley’s efforts to really give some great descriptions and backgrounds of the fantasy elements present. I sense a lot of joy coming from the author when I read about intricate details of powers and histories related to the concept. I wouldn’t be surprised if this when Dudley felt the best creative juices flow – because I felt this is when the writing was most natural.
I wasn’t honestly sure how to go about describing the characters until I noticed a couple other reviews sum it up nicely. These characters don’t follow a typical formula on how protagonists are formed. I don’t find myself gravitating towards any human character that I want to cheer on. However, Mercedes, the cat, steals the show when it comes to entertainment and humor. And every now and then, the Kaleb/Walter storyline captures me enough for the “What happens next?!” urge.
My criticism of the book is on two things - the pacing and character motivation/dialogue:
A few reviews have pointed out there is a lot of action, and it keeps the story moving. Yes, I agree. But some scenes are disjointed – interrupted by other scenes and then returned – as kind of a nod to a multi-character storyline of a show or movie. I can understand and appreciate the effect, but I just don’t think it was necessary. The pacing also suffers from reading the occasional scene which is very short and has minimal consequence to the story overall. Some examples include describing daily tasks for the sake of explaining that the character lived that day, or events which seem to appear out of nowhere and have little staying power. It became difficult to grasp the concept or image Dudley was trying to create at times.
When it comes to the characters themselves, I think Dudley rushed his character builds and stopped the potential of creating multifaceted personas. (How many times do I need to be reminded Morgan is fat and unlovable?) In the beginning the book, we had some great descriptions of scenery, backstory, recent events, and struggles the characters felt. Once the pace picked up, all those subtle reflections and inner character voices dissipated in favor of fast-moving dialogue to push events forward.
For example, I was very excited to watch Walter show his support for Kaleb’s magic on the first date (which was “not a date”). It gave a great build in understanding how Walter’s character was going to unfold and gave Kaleb some great material to bounce off and reflect on – potentially showing us who Kaleb was when it came to vulnerability and values.
But I was quickly frustrated when, even before Walter has a legitimate reason to believe in Kaleb’s magic, he’s already gung-ho into finding a financial way to make Kaleb’s “hobbies” a career. It went from zero to one hundred in blind loyalty, and I don’t even think Walter knows his last name yet at this point. And this was all based on a “not a date – friends going out to eat” scenario. Then, although Kaleb does give an appropriate “putting a wall up” response, I felt robbed of any inner character angst, frustration, or confliction in that moment which makes my mouth as a reader salivate with satisfaction.
After that, I was quickly rushed to another scene with different characters. It stopped all the momentum from Part 2 of the dinner, and then later, returned to their scene which focused on fast-paced action with little time to invite me as a reader into who these characters are or what they are thinking. These characters can be surface level, which is great approach if intentional, but I don’t want to get that impression from the lack of details provided by the author – if that makes sense.
As far as recommending this book, I say: proceed with the understanding this was blatantly stated to be a series and the third does not appear to have been published yet? That comes with natural frustration, but I think there is some literary merit here worth to explore, if for nothing else other than a good conversation piece.
August 18, 2014
This is a contemporary/YA fantasy story. The emphasis on it being YA, and the fantasy coming from the use of magic. Set in today's world, Arcane Ocean tells the story of three friends and their discovery, and the resulting events, of high magic. This is not an fantasy epic, but I was entertained throughout and read it very quickly. This contains a fair bit of humor and compelling relationships. I will be looking for the sequels when they are written.
April 9, 2017
This is a strange book. It is about three friends who happen to be interested in the occult, than become supermages, all of them in their own right.
What I liked about this book: the cat. Actually, the cat with filthy mouth, speaking her mind any time and to anybody - was the only thing I was actually enthusiastic about.
What I didn't like about this book: pretty much everything else. I hated constant shifts in POW - It felt so amateurish. I also hated that the plot felt like something from an endless soap opera. Originally, it seemed to be the classical story about three wishes - the last of them always to take those previous ones back. Instead, it turned into a melodrama where the motivation of the characters is weak, confused and often arbitrary. I don't think I can identify with the three MCs - one too good, one too bitchy, one too evil. Their development could not be predicted (good thing), but in retrospect, does not seem plausible.
The last thing I hated was the ending - open in a way which suggested that the soap opera has many many more new episodes with just as empty plot.
What I liked about this book: the cat. Actually, the cat with filthy mouth, speaking her mind any time and to anybody - was the only thing I was actually enthusiastic about.
What I didn't like about this book: pretty much everything else. I hated constant shifts in POW - It felt so amateurish. I also hated that the plot felt like something from an endless soap opera. Originally, it seemed to be the classical story about three wishes - the last of them always to take those previous ones back. Instead, it turned into a melodrama where the motivation of the characters is weak, confused and often arbitrary. I don't think I can identify with the three MCs - one too good, one too bitchy, one too evil. Their development could not be predicted (good thing), but in retrospect, does not seem plausible.
The last thing I hated was the ending - open in a way which suggested that the soap opera has many many more new episodes with just as empty plot.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews