What do you think?
Rate this book
The Third Apprentice
To prove he has earned the rank of Master, one apprentice must wrest ultimate power from an ancient evil.
A master sorcerer has unlocked the secret to eternal life and unlimited power. All he requires is an ancient symbol, long hidden in a land cursed by evil. With three apprentices who are willing to take on the challenge, he sends them on a perilous journey into the wild and risks losing all of them to achieve his ultimate goal.
Apprentice Taren has dedicated his entire life to the study of magic. For the love of his elderly master, he will stop at nothing to retrieve the symbol. Thrust into a destiny he never expected, he must travel through uncharted lands to the tomb of an ancient sorceress. Along the way, he encounters an unlikely friend and no shortage of enemies. To complete this quest, he must forsake the life of a humble apprentice and unlock the potential within. He must prove himself a true master of the arcane.
A master sorcerer has unlocked the secret to eternal life and unlimited power. All he requires is an ancient symbol, long hidden in a land cursed by evil. With three apprentices who are willing to take on the challenge, he sends them on a perilous journey into the wild and risks losing all of them to achieve his ultimate goal.
Apprentice Taren has dedicated his entire life to the study of magic. For the love of his elderly master, he will stop at nothing to retrieve the symbol. Thrust into a destiny he never expected, he must travel through uncharted lands to the tomb of an ancient sorceress. Along the way, he encounters an unlikely friend and no shortage of enemies. To complete this quest, he must forsake the life of a humble apprentice and unlock the potential within. He must prove himself a true master of the arcane.
334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2014
7 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Lana Axe
23 books125 followersLana Axe lives in the Missouri countryside surrounded by dogs, cats, birds and reptiles. She spends most of her free time daydreaming about elves, magic, and far-away lands.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 9, 2014
I was never a fan of the Belgariad, by David Eddings, or the Wheel of Time. Nor do I enjoy video games of the "Prisoner of Zelda" type (beat one level after another and finally slay the big bad guy). If you do enjoy any of the the above, this is for you!
While short, "The Third Apprentice" is set in a world that the author continues to flesh out with other works in the Tales from N�l'Deron series, according to the blurb. See that diacritical mark, not used in ye olde English language, and the mid-word apostrophe? That tells you what kind of fantasy this is. I do not mean to sound snarky. To each his own! This just wasn't my sort of thing.
While short, "The Third Apprentice" is set in a world that the author continues to flesh out with other works in the Tales from N�l'Deron series, according to the blurb. See that diacritical mark, not used in ye olde English language, and the mid-word apostrophe? That tells you what kind of fantasy this is. I do not mean to sound snarky. To each his own! This just wasn't my sort of thing.
December 8, 2014
The Third Apprentice follows the story of a young mage, set an impossible quest by his mentor. Taren has completed his studies with the elderly mage who brought him up from a boy, and must now prove himself worthy of the title of master by undertaking a quest. Along with his two fellow apprentices, he is given a task - to find the lost tomb of a long-dead sorceress and to retrieve from it a powerful magical artifact. Along the way, Taren must battle with the elements, with bandits, and with mystical beings with deadly powers. Only by finding the 'Symbol' can he return to claim his place as a mage, and to save his dying mentor's life. Yet the clues he has are sketchy, and the help from others proves increasingly frail...
This is a lively and imaginative fantasy, and the contrast between Taren and his companion provides for plenty of plot events. Things are never simple for them, and Taren shows admirable tenacity in refusing to give up his deadly quest.
Ultimately, it wasn't a particularly satisfying read for me, however - I felt that the author emphasised action and plot twists at the expense of coherent character development, with the result that I struggled to care particularly about the main characters, even as the plot threw them into increasingly deep trouble.
Having said this, it might be a more engaging read for a younger audience - I can imagine that pre-teens and younger teenagers might empathise more with the young hero, and be ready to take his quest at face value.
This is a lively and imaginative fantasy, and the contrast between Taren and his companion provides for plenty of plot events. Things are never simple for them, and Taren shows admirable tenacity in refusing to give up his deadly quest.
Ultimately, it wasn't a particularly satisfying read for me, however - I felt that the author emphasised action and plot twists at the expense of coherent character development, with the result that I struggled to care particularly about the main characters, even as the plot threw them into increasingly deep trouble.
Having said this, it might be a more engaging read for a younger audience - I can imagine that pre-teens and younger teenagers might empathise more with the young hero, and be ready to take his quest at face value.
December 8, 2014
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
In order for him to earn the rank of Master, a young apprentice mage is sent with two of his fellow apprentices to find an artifact capable of bestowing immortal life to the one that controls it. The catch? They have to follow a thousand year old map to a cursed region where one of the most powerful mage built her tomb.
Sounds simple right? If it was, it wouldn’t be a fun read and it was definitely that. I feel it’s only right to say I love Lana Axe’s writing. It’s a great mix of the epic fantasy style I love with a touch of YA that makes the story a fast read while delivering the goods you’d expect in an epic fantasy.
The characters were well written and enjoyable. Taran, the mage, is forced to overcome his naiveté and beliefs when he befriends a reptilian assassin named Zamna. Zamna was my favorite of the two by far for his sarcastic humor and way he carried himself. I’ve always enjoyed mysterious characters with an attitude, so I hope he makes another appearance at some point in the future.
I was confused at one point when Zamna knew what happened to Taran in The Barrans, but that could have just been me missing it. Aside from that, I thought the story flowed well and explained things well enough so it was easy to understand, but also kept a sense of mystery within the story. I look forward to future books from this author.
In order for him to earn the rank of Master, a young apprentice mage is sent with two of his fellow apprentices to find an artifact capable of bestowing immortal life to the one that controls it. The catch? They have to follow a thousand year old map to a cursed region where one of the most powerful mage built her tomb.
Sounds simple right? If it was, it wouldn’t be a fun read and it was definitely that. I feel it’s only right to say I love Lana Axe’s writing. It’s a great mix of the epic fantasy style I love with a touch of YA that makes the story a fast read while delivering the goods you’d expect in an epic fantasy.
The characters were well written and enjoyable. Taran, the mage, is forced to overcome his naiveté and beliefs when he befriends a reptilian assassin named Zamna. Zamna was my favorite of the two by far for his sarcastic humor and way he carried himself. I’ve always enjoyed mysterious characters with an attitude, so I hope he makes another appearance at some point in the future.
I was confused at one point when Zamna knew what happened to Taran in The Barrans, but that could have just been me missing it. Aside from that, I thought the story flowed well and explained things well enough so it was easy to understand, but also kept a sense of mystery within the story. I look forward to future books from this author.
December 8, 2014
“The Third Apprentice” by Lana Axe is yet another beautiful and charming fantasy tale by this imaginative and talented author. It’s the story of a young man out to prove himself to his master – the theme of many a classic adventure story, spiked with great characters.
Apprentice mage Taren is sent to retrieve a symbol from a tomb faraway for his master’s project and is joined by assassin Zamna. They become an unexpected but very effective team on their journey, which takes them through a series of challenges and dangers in a world that is both evil and magical.
Underneath the amazing fantasy story is the beautiful theme of coming into owns own, self-belief, and fulfilment of one’s potential and the personal growth to become a Master, too.
I found myself pleasantly immersed in this amazing adventure full of suspense and magic. Warm in style and with the lovely and odd friendship between Taren and Zamna at its centre, this was a real pleasure to read. Friendship can be found in unexpected places and rising to the challenges together our heroes make a great pair. The story should have appeal for younger readers and for those young at heart. It is hugely enjoyable and hopefully the stuff for a series to come. An accomplished labour of love.
Apprentice mage Taren is sent to retrieve a symbol from a tomb faraway for his master’s project and is joined by assassin Zamna. They become an unexpected but very effective team on their journey, which takes them through a series of challenges and dangers in a world that is both evil and magical.
Underneath the amazing fantasy story is the beautiful theme of coming into owns own, self-belief, and fulfilment of one’s potential and the personal growth to become a Master, too.
I found myself pleasantly immersed in this amazing adventure full of suspense and magic. Warm in style and with the lovely and odd friendship between Taren and Zamna at its centre, this was a real pleasure to read. Friendship can be found in unexpected places and rising to the challenges together our heroes make a great pair. The story should have appeal for younger readers and for those young at heart. It is hugely enjoyable and hopefully the stuff for a series to come. An accomplished labour of love.
December 7, 2014
Apprentice mage Taren is sent with two other apprentices on a quest to find and bring back an ancient and powerful magical symbol to his elderly master. Trekking through unfamiliar lands with only an old map as guide, Taren quickly realises there is great danger ahead. With an unlikely friend met along the way and enemies to confront Taren must find within the power to prove himself a true master of magic.
This is an interesting adventure tale with some exciting episodes and escapes as Taren progresses on his journey. His friend Zamna is an engaging companion who provides lighter moments of humour, along with the suggestion of pathos in his unrevealed past.
There are a few lapses in continuity, repetition of information already satisfactorily revealed can slow the pace, and the point of view changes without warning in several places, making it a little hard to follow at times. A good tight edit could improve all this.
The style and level of story development is unsophisticated, most suitable for preteens up to about 13 years.
This is an interesting adventure tale with some exciting episodes and escapes as Taren progresses on his journey. His friend Zamna is an engaging companion who provides lighter moments of humour, along with the suggestion of pathos in his unrevealed past.
There are a few lapses in continuity, repetition of information already satisfactorily revealed can slow the pace, and the point of view changes without warning in several places, making it a little hard to follow at times. A good tight edit could improve all this.
The style and level of story development is unsophisticated, most suitable for preteens up to about 13 years.
December 7, 2014
Impressively imagined in a wonderfully rich tapestry of lands and creatures, this story is full of adventure, drama and magic. From the outset the pages reveal one surprising event after another. The pace is well judged and the story is gripping from the beginning to the very satisfying conclusion. That conclusion has me licking my lips in anticipation of further magical adventures in which Taren is the central figure. I also find that I hope to meet Zamna again, and I don't even like reptiles! Some readers might feel that the writing is too simple, perhaps too easy-reading in style; this is a matter of personal taste. I would point out that Nathaniel Hawthorne once commented, “Easy reading is damn hard writing.” All of the characters are well drawn, and the magic working is outstanding. I felt that this was an original creation, not quite like any other fantasy that I have read, and thoroughly enjoyable. Fantasy lovers, this one is for you.
December 11, 2014
Epic is the most fitting term for this book
I love a good fictional story and nothing makes me happier than a fantasy world that takes my breath away. Nol'Deron is a beautiful world and the way Axe describes it in such vidid detail made the story come alive. I really liked Taren and Zamna and enjoyed watching their friendship grow as they navigated this perilous world. I hope Axe will revisit their story at some point but until then I will be checking out other books she's written set in this epic world she has created.
I love a good fictional story and nothing makes me happier than a fantasy world that takes my breath away. Nol'Deron is a beautiful world and the way Axe describes it in such vidid detail made the story come alive. I really liked Taren and Zamna and enjoyed watching their friendship grow as they navigated this perilous world. I hope Axe will revisit their story at some point but until then I will be checking out other books she's written set in this epic world she has created.
March 30, 2015
Plot
The story was acceptable as a young adult novel. It however lacks in character development and overall depth. If you are looking for an easy quick read for young adult fiction go for it.
The story was acceptable as a young adult novel. It however lacks in character development and overall depth. If you are looking for an easy quick read for young adult fiction go for it.
May 28, 2015
Easy read...not extraordinary, but fun
For a quick easy read, this was a very pleasing diversion. There was very little in the way of real character or story development, but taken as a light adventure, it was fine
For a quick easy read, this was a very pleasing diversion. There was very little in the way of real character or story development, but taken as a light adventure, it was fine
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews