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Things were starting to look up for Magelord Minalan the Spellmonger – the magic mountain in his domain not only made him a wealthy man and the most powerful mage in history, it also produced a lode of magical gemstones with unique properties – properties the Alka Alon, the masters of magic on Callidore, are fascinated by. When Minalan gets his chance to trade some of his magic rocks for irionite, he finds himself in a position to raise hundreds more magi with the stones . . . making them High Magi.

But as valuable as that bargain is for prosecuting the war with the Dead God and his sinister armies, such power comes with a hefty price. Every new High Mage Minalan raises presents potential new problems. The Magelords have inspired fear in their neighbors. The warmagi invent deadly new spells. The lower orders of magi are getting restless. The mage-led Sevendor Town wants a new charter. King Rard and the royal court are pressuring the nascent Arcane Orders politically. Some magi are crossing the Penumbra and taking stones from the goblins, as well as taking their service. And some are just starting to get a little crazy.

It makes a nice, normal little raid on his lands seem refreshing in its simplicity.

In trying to balance the needs of the war with the needs of a well-ordered Order, Minalan finds himself making compromises, cutting deals, and bargaining what power he has in a high-stakes game where Chaos seems to be the only player who knows the rules. The temptations of his position and the power he wields are great, but so, he discovers, are the responsibilities. But when his patience seems nearly exhausted and his alliances seem ready to crumble, a massive army emerges from the shadowy realms and strikes south, forcing the High Magi to rally around the Spellmonger in defense of the kingdom.


As the genocidal goblin army marches toward the once-prosperous cottonlands of Gilmora, Minalan and his High Magi must defend a single bridge against them at all costs. And they are ready to. But the plans of magi count little when the powerful and subtle mind of the Dead God opposes them. For when the die is cast and the first blow is struck, it becomes clear that nothing is as Minalan had foreseen. As disaster looms for the humani kingdom and even the Alka Alon are threatened, only a desperate appeal to divinity, a dangerously risky adventure and a little classy enchantment offer any hope against calamity. For the day has come when all that stands between ruin and survival is the bravery and cunning of the Spellmonger and his High Magi!

609 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2014

420 people are currently reading
676 people want to read

About the author

Terry Mancour

42 books1,172 followers
Terry Mancour is a New York Times Best-Selling Author who has written more than 30 books, under his own name and pseudonyms, including Star Trek: The Next Generation #20, Spartacus, the Spellmonger Series (more than 11 books and growing), among other works.

He was born in Flint, Michigan in 1968 (according to his mother) and wisely relocated to North Carolina in 1978 where he embraced Southern culture and its dedication to compelling narratives and intriguing characterizations. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in Religious Studies.

Terry, his beautiful wife and three children live just outside of Durham, N.C. atop Red Mountain. He was nominated for the 2018 Audie Award for Best Fantasy for the audiobook for Spellmonger (narrated by John Lee), the first book in his Spellmonger Series.

He has plotted the Spellmonger Series for at least thirty books, in addition to his Spellmonger Cadet (young adult) series, stand-alone novels, short stories and novellas set within the Spellmonger Universe, all of which will be published by Podium as audiobooks. He is also the author of a series of sequels to Golden Age sci-fi master H. Beam Piper's novel, Space Viking, as well as original sci-fi novels.

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5 stars
2,610 (57%)
4 stars
1,494 (33%)
3 stars
359 (7%)
2 stars
43 (<1%)
1 star
16 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
Profile Image for Erick.
558 reviews3 followers
July 28, 2018
I think this book did a great job of solving a problem that has been plaguing the Spellmonger for a while, his infidelity. While it felt like he was brushing past it in the past, you really feel the full weight of how much Minalan cares about staying faithful and how hard it actually is for him. In fact, its a great take on this issue that shows, it's not merely a matter of individual willpower, but having to fight against myriad outside pressures as well. The battles also are much better in that the battles are not merely about we are crushing these guys and they are bringing tons of forces to crush us. They are much more strategic and most of the battle is the fun to read mental battle of how to outwit and out flank the opponent. Very good work by Mancour on evolving this way. The only thing that felt oddly funny is, after giving a full book to his apprentices, they are barely involved in this book.

Now the real downside. The book does drag in places. Mancour needs a better editor that is willing to say the word cut more often. It really hurts a good storyline to get bogged down with too much political debate or tangents.
88 reviews3 followers
January 31, 2015
After the first two books the quality of the series started a steep decline in quality. Not only are the grammar/spelling mistakes quite abundant, the story itself is lacking attention more and more. The author increases paying attention to completely irrelevant details which just bore the reader (and a good editor would have removed immediately). For the love of the universe, he even manages to make the most action-packed battle scenes boring to read!
Profile Image for Jay Collins.
1,630 reviews15 followers
September 18, 2019
3 to 4 stars, good for the most part, if you like the other books you should like this one as well.
Profile Image for Paul Sating.
Author 42 books69 followers
October 3, 2020
Another wickedly fun adventure. I'm going through this series way too quickly!
Profile Image for Adam.
118 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2023
Woah. I liked this one the best yet! Big time finish that was a long and satisfying crescendo. 👍
Profile Image for Stephen Levesque.
2,808 reviews
February 19, 2020
Things were starting to look up for Magelord Minalan the Spellmonger – the magic mountain in his domain not only made him a wealthy man and the most powerful mage in history, it also produced a lode of magical gemstones with unique properties – properties the Alka Alon, the masters of magic on Callidore, are fascinated by. As the genocidal goblin army marches toward the once-prosperous cottonlands of Gilmora, Minalan and his High Magi must defend a single bridge against them at all costs. And they are ready to. But the plans of magi count little when the powerful and subtle mind of the Dead God opposes them. For when the die is cast and the first blow is struck, it becomes clear that nothing is as Minalan had foreseen. As disaster looms for the humani kingdom and even the Alka Alon are threatened, only a desperate appeal to divinity, a dangerously risky adventure and a little classy enchantment offer any hope against calamity. For the day has come when all that stands between ruin and survival is the bravery and cunning of the Spellmonger and his High Magi!
This is a good story with great characters. I find thw author is very long winded in several places and the book becomes boring in those places, you have to push through to get the book to start to flow again. It is worth the effort, but this book came close to shutting me down on the rest of the series. Just Too Long Winded. Good Reading Everyone.
1 review1 follower
June 8, 2017
I still like the portrayal of the world, even if it's quite general, it's still unique. The world reminds me of the world in Furies of Cauldron by Jim Butcher, in which humanity was transferred to their new habitat.
The story is still solid, in my opinion no random non required part has been portrayed. The characters are many and distinct and unique, still not much exposure are shined on them, as much as Ronald and Tyndal were.

Profile Image for Austin.
67 reviews
April 10, 2018
Another wonderful entry into this amazing universe!

I can't get enough of John Lee's narration either. It's just so. damn. good.

The adventure continues, and we get to see Minelan solidify further political ties and power, unintentionally for the most part of course. The book was filled with a lot of set up for what will likely be more exciting events in future books, but thats fine by me!

Can't wait for Journeymage's audiobook from Tantor audio!
18 reviews2 followers
April 29, 2019
This series by Terry Mancour is a must read for epic fantasy readers. So many twists and turns in the interwoven plot lines... So many good characters... Very well developed world building and magic systems.
Profile Image for Jeff R Hawkins.
110 reviews3 followers
July 5, 2017
I still love the story , but . . .

How is it that the author can't employ an editor?
This has potential to be a major series, in my opinion, but not without editing.
32 reviews2 followers
August 18, 2018
Caught up in the webs of magic of Terry Mancour and spellbinding narration by John Lee. Rich magic system and creatures, political intrigue and plots. Can’t wait for the next one.
Profile Image for Thomas.
265 reviews1 follower
April 17, 2020
General Overview
This instalment of the adventures of Minalan the Spellmonger does not stand out as a great one of the series for me. Do not get me wrong, I love Mr Mancour’s writing and the narrative he is telling. But some of this writing ticks are becoming a bit tiring, and I am uncertain of where the books are heading.

Style
In my previous reviews of the Spellmonger series I have discussed in depth the great joy I find in the perspective and well written dialogue of Mr Terry Mancour’s writing. Please read them if you wish to read my waxing joy on the subject.

Here I am going to look at some minor negatives of his works. Mr Mancour’s feels the need to repeat points of narrative. In some cases only a few chapters after it was originally highlighted to the reader.

I don’t enjoy this. It’s not needed. I am engaged enough with the story not to have key points of it gone over again and again in reminders. This is my biggest stickler with the style of his writing. It is minor, but it keeps coming up, and ruins an otherwise great work of fiction for me.

Story
The war and the world of Minalan grows larger and ever more complex. Politics, magic, and alliances all seems to be nothing when compared to the mummified head of the shaman god of the goblins. Three years have passed since the first book however, and Minalan now begins to think longer. They have survived so far, well against the odds. A change to the war, and a very satisfying final battle, suggest that a victory could even be had.

This battle though, and most of the book it seems to me, is overshadowed by some incredible revelations. I will not spoil them here, but the stakes have been raised, and the scale of the conflict has exploded for the following books.

I honestly am not certain how I feel about this. Where Minalan could have gotten more creative, Mr Mancour has decided to just increase the power level of the whole piece. This feels a bit lazy, and kind of diminishes the power and potency of what has gone before in these books for me.

However, I am eager to see where it goes, and am hopefully that the fantastic cast of characters, both new and old in this book, will allow for greater instalments to come in this series.

Final Thoughts
Most certainly not my favourite book of the series, High Mage seems to be a turning point for the overarching story. I hope Mr Mancour can handle the change well, and learn to tighten up his writing!
Profile Image for Christie Jo.
50 reviews
December 3, 2025
When you first read Spellmonger you take a moment to figure if you really want to read thousands of pages about some lusty horn-dog of a man. Is the magic system and incredible world-building enough to get you to invest in a story that seems to promise that it's female characters will always be seen as sex objects? I'll admit that I kept reading to see just how bad it would get and where my breaking point would be, but now I believe Terry Mancour has been playing the long game the whole time - which you kind of have to do when you're writing a 17+ book epic.

Minalin has grown into quite the family man and High Mage furthers the responsibilities he shoulders as man, husband, father, nobility, and strategist. This particular book brings to focus the numerous people he has to rely on to actually see to his various duties. Alya and Pentandra are integral to Minalin's success and also succeed in their own right with their own goals. Mancour has been introducing women of power by sprinkling a bit here and there. I was impressed with Grendine's machinations, but there are far more women characters that have the respect of their peers regardless of gender than one would have guessed after the first book. I am VERY pleased that I pushed through the ick and decided to continue reading. Terry Mancour has my appreciation for making sure the women characters' contributions aren't overlooked, but respected outside of their desirability. I think the perspectives of Minalin, Tyndal, and Randal are realistic, especially for their ages. These three guys are still figuring out the world around them and I'm really enjoying the journey.
356 reviews3 followers
April 4, 2020
The war effort continues. The Army of the Dead God seem to be building up their forces but are not advancing. The humans Lords find war to be very expensive and would rather solve the war problem.

The first half of the book provides more information and introduces the readers to the various Alka Alon. There are lots of planning and preparation in the first half. Like previous novels, magic plays a big part in pushing the story forward, using it as a literary shortcut.

The second half of the novel is where the action happens. The goblins outmaneuvered the humans and their allies. Minalan, with some divine inspiration, managed to come up with a daring plan to defeat the goblin army.

The ending is bitter-sweet and I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it yet.

I find the series to be an okay read. Some would have given up but I just want to the how the stories end. So, on to book 6.
Profile Image for Annalise.
541 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2023
New characters and worlds open up in this book and Minalan and his allies are faced with some major battles. The Dead God is bringing more of his minions against not just the humani but the tree people as well, and they must make hard decisions to fight on or live to fight another day. On a personal level, Min is faced with his infidelities and made to question the man he wants to be for his wife and children. His apprentices are rarely seen in this one- possibly because the author dedicated a whole book to them. Penny is in love with a ranger, which is funny. Better editing is needed as there are lots of unnecessary parts that drag - and once again, Mancour has a habit of repeating himself. Still really enjoying the series though, and the narration with the audible version is terrific!
681 reviews4 followers
May 3, 2019
did this one audio book. The readers voice in my opinion is perfect for this series. He brings it to life wonderfully for me.

This is book 5 in the series. The goblin war continues, the advancement of the mages continues. Personally i think Minalin will one day become king but that is just guess at this point.

Not as much action in this one as past books. A lot of build up to the couple of chapters of the battle.

Secondary characters receive a good chunk of work to advance them in the story line.

Overalll not the greatest of the five books but there is some humour that keeps it going and inevitably i will be reading book 6.
Profile Image for Noah.
153 reviews
August 31, 2019
Another fun and exciting little romp. By book 5, I’ve grown so familiar with the characters; they’re comfortable and almost family at this point. I care about them, and laugh with them.

Again, don’t look for anything deep or insightful. These are just tons of fun. I love to see how they get out of the binds they’re in, how they solve their problems, how they deal with tiresome personalities, how they use all the tools at their disposal to overcome great odds without relying on bad literary devices.

The narrator does such a great job with these books and know how to add the right inflections to his voice to make the listener really feel the scene.

Can’t wait to hear book 6!
Profile Image for Danny Moody.
1,417 reviews11 followers
January 23, 2021
This has been a nice addition. It took me a little bit of time to figure out where we were in relation to the last book. This book doesn’t take off at the end of the last book, but starts about at the same time as the last book. There was plenty of intrigue and battles which is to be expected. My main complaint of the series is the our MC is a lecher. I appreciate that this topic was discussed and some insight into his psyche on the matter was given. I still don’t like it but I appreciate that our protagonist is working on his faults. This book took some unexpected turns which was refreshing and I am excited to see where things go next.
Profile Image for Nathaniel Inman.
42 reviews2 followers
April 22, 2021
A lot of characters are melding personalities. You can see the main protagonist's humor being reflected in other characters where it'd be very uncharacteristic. A lot of the dimensionality of the story itself is also being reduced with the introduction of more characters, plots and background. It's almost as if the author is afraid to dig into the motivations more of the supporting characters beyond the initial facade because it'd be hard to remember and maintain for plot purposes later on.

Overall I'd constitute the book as a "feel-good read," but by this point in a series I'd expect to see more depth.
Profile Image for Stefan MacPherson.
21 reviews
May 24, 2025
Another interesting episode in the Spellmonger series. Minalan and his associates continue to grow in maturity and likeability in this continuation of the battle against the dead God and its minions. While the ongoing typographical, grammatical and continuity errors continue to cheapen the quality of Terry Mancour's novels and make them feel rushed and somewhat ham fisted, the underlying story is decent. These are never going to have the gravitas of Tolkein, Jordan, Sanderson, Feist et al. but they are an interesting enough diversion from the lunacy that of the real world, especially in Spring, 2025.
Profile Image for Jordan Steinhoff.
514 reviews5 followers
August 13, 2020
Generally an enjoyable book but the mcguffins were especially mcguffiny this entry.

The goblin war continues but remains a back drop to the politicking of the kingdom. Min continues to grow in wealth and both magical and political power.

The core of mains in previous books returns and new bit players come and go as needed.

This is more of the previous 4 books with little deviation so if you've enjoyed those as I have, you'll continue to enjoy this entry as well.
210 reviews
October 24, 2020
I like the story, always liked it. But it is being drowned in a sea of details, some of them which are interesting but some not so much. I had this book for a year in my inventory before I read it. After 8% I remembered again why I postponed reading it... the humongous amount of detail that you need to read before the story advances. I've started skipping some pages to finish it.
The story is still good, though.
Profile Image for Wesley.
51 reviews
December 20, 2022
I put 4 stars but maybe it should be 3?

I like the series, but come on.. you have to use the things you know!!!

After killing a dragon a book or two back, they can’t defeat the others? Seriously, I would have immediately started making arrows with snowstone, shafts or tips, or some kinds of hybrid. once those were in (and you could sink hundreds of them into them), then hit them with all kinds of spells.

896 reviews3 followers
September 4, 2021
Another solid entry into the Spellmonger series. This gets back to the main story line after it deviated following the two apprentices last book. The ending battle was good, as was some the kingdom-building but like others have noted - the book was a little bloated/could have used a better edit. Still entertaining and old-school feel to epic fantasy though.
Profile Image for Patrick Tidwell.
54 reviews2 followers
March 23, 2023
Minor Spoilers

The theme of High Mage is responsibility. Min, in his journey from selfish libidinous, itinerant Warmage to a great, leader, father, husband, and scholar; starts to truly take responsibility for those who depend on him, and the consequences of his failings. We also see a huge expansion to the worldbuiling and magic system. Also two words: Bird Cavalry.
Profile Image for Rob Ilczuk.
51 reviews
May 12, 2024
More magic, more goblins, more deus ex machina. I’m fine with that. Sure key deaths would bring about more realism and add depth to the series as the characters and situation change, but I’m fine with the good time video game style wins with only side character dying…great! It hits the spot for me.
Profile Image for Ann-marie Kiser-Sloan.
22 reviews
April 7, 2018
Great action

The book was wonderful! The action of the characters and development of the characters has been amazing. I will say there are grammatical and spelling errors here and there, but otherwise it was great!
26 reviews
January 2, 2021
This one was a good installment. I thought the battle scenes were a bit long but overall im enjoying where this series is going. Again I listened to this as an audible book and again the narrator was amazing. He really sells all the characters.
Profile Image for SANDRA MICHAS.
13 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2022
Excellent

The characters are really starting to fill out. Storyline was a bit confusing. And I wish I could read the maps on the wiki page. I get a better idea of the story if I can put places where they go on a map.
212 reviews
January 13, 2023
Didn't think the could keep up the pace

But he does and in a manor that befits a great tale. Well done and a gratifying read. On to the next as they say. Now my expectations are high. Hope he meets them
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews

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