Eye of the Basilisk

The Artificer #2

by Marcus Cass

The family has been saved from ruin, and the old mansion’s standing strong again—things are finally looking up! A fresh commission is on the horizon, promising Alexander a return to his cherished craft. The artifact he's expected to make appears simple enough. Could there really be any associated problems—or unexpected discoveries?

There's enough going on already—not least the new pairing of magic, which brings its own surprises, and, on top of everything , a cryptic message from the past arrives, begging to be unraveled. It would appear the only certainty that the future holds is of more adventure!

Genres: Fantasy

362 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 21, 2025

Reviews

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This continues the storyline of Alexander the young/old artificer - in this one he expands his powers, his estate, creates more artifacts, makes more connections, embodies some ghosts and of course helps solve the main mystery of the novel, a string of robberies against a merchant guild. Still fun, entertaining and optimistic and not that dark, but a bit too repetitive and less universe expansion than I generally prefer so hopefully volume 3 will be better - this being said, I plan to listen to this one too and sometimes listening one appreciates more details that may escape on first read.

After listening - much better as the details are sharper and the athhmosphere superb

[MyDoRyS · Rating 4 out of 5]

My reviews are my own. If you liked this book, I’m glad you enjoyed it. If not, I respect your opinion.  This is merely my opinion, so let's keep it courteous. My review is honest and voluntary.

This one was a bit better than the first one regarding the "politics," and there is a lot of crafting. Again,  see some people complaining bout the pace, but all slice-of-life books should be slow-paced. Loved all the research and reading a new knowledge. I still hate the almost "romance" and the naturalist character; I can't even remember her name, as I have been skipping the chapters with her.  wish the only female interaction was with the angel and the voice assistant :) 
Really enjoy the ridiculousness of his servant. Jumping onto book 3. 

On to my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a review copy of this book.
Eye of the Basilisk is the second book in this series, and while it did fit with the over all theme of the first title, I didn't find it all that interesting. There certainly were interesting parts, but this one took me quite a while to get through, because I had to keep wandering off to do other things, then come back to it, typically something that doesn't happen if I'm invested in the story. I'm expecting the next one in the series to be a bit better though, so perhaps I'll enjoy the next book more.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feels very much like a weekly episode in a TV series. A new mystery to solve, some new characters join the cast. In other words, the stakes are pretty low.

Despite this, I was entertained the whole time. The pacing was perfect and the protagonist is progressing as expected. It has a comic undertone, mostly at the expense of the local cops. Thus it's emotionally lighter than similar fantasies.

There's some foreshadowing that a worthy opponent is about to confront our hero... We'll see, as I'm not sure of the "worthy" part.

[John R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK. Bought it, read it not worth the money. Good plot, well written and edited but 9 bucks for what is basically a novella is not a good buy with todays prices for basic necessities. Nuff said.

[Zayn Bakir · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome sequel to an amazing story and faint wait for more

Really nice sequel to the first in the series and do love a couple of new characters introduced in this book and how the mystery of the hero’s past life deepens.

[Brandon Isaac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost alot of steam from first book.

1/3 of the book is about eating and it really started to annoy me.

[Swetha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5