Mage Mangler

Crucible of Ascension #1

by Kevin Sinclair, Simon Wright (Reader)

OH BROTHER . . .

Adam Henshaw joined the army to bury his past and put his talent for violence to better use. He wanted a fresh start; he got a massacre. When monstrous warriors tear through a portal and drag the survivors into a realm of powerful magic and brutal politics, Adam is forced to adapt or die. To find a path home, he must master that magic and turn it against his captors.

TRAIN. GROW. ASCEND.

Through fast fists, raw determination, and a little luck, he earns a place at a Warrior Mage academy. But while Adam learns the rules of the Union, his past refuses to stay buried.

A VIOLENT CRIMINAL. A WILD CARD. A PSYCHOPATH.

Earl Henshaw is disposable. He's also Adam's brother, which makes him the perfect choice to send through the portal in pursuit. But for Earl, there is no magical academy waiting for him on the other side. There is only blood and dust in the roaring arenas of the Union. The cosmos is vast, but it isn't big enough to hold both of them.

Genres: Audiobook

1 pages, Audio CD

First published February 22, 2026

Reviews

[Tall Tail Stories · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Action / Adventure / Isekai / LitRPG (Adult)
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❤️ Personal Takeaway

I had so much fun with this double feature LitRPG, and constantly burst into cackles of laughter to terrify my poor family. Scrappy, full of violence, found family, and crude humour, the writing style is both rebellious and hopeful at the same time

This was my first LitRPG, and I really enjoyed seeing the creative ways these brothers rose through their levels: from Adam inventing brand new spells, to Earl's resourceful fighting style. I never knew what to expect from them or the alien world they were thrown into.

The narration from Simon Wright added so much more to this experience as well, with even some audio filters and mixing that brought a new radio drama quality to the production. Not only that, but his range of character voices is incredible. The cast for this audiobook was enormous, and he managed to craft such drastically different voices for all of them: think Ms. Doubtfire, to Cactar, to a creature hissing through sharp fangs. I did find though that the voices for the brothers were a little too similar for me, and I would have to rely on context clues during midchapter listens to ground myself back in.

I can't wait to see even more out of pocket magic from Adam, and inventive fighting from Earl. I was so convinced he was going to try boxing with buckler shields and that would be just his style. I can't even imagine how much wilder both brothers will get as they grow even stronger, but I want to see what they'll do!

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🧩 Tropes

- Portal fantasy
- Progression magic/training
- Warrior academy / Mage school
- Brothers on opposite paths
- Arena combat
- Antihero protagonists
- Cosmic stakes

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🧠 Themes

- Their brand of violence builds their identity
- Power earned, not given
- Corruption of Systems
- Survival through growth and transformation

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🧭 Recommendation

For readers who love magical academies, arena fighting, and dual-track storytelling.

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Thank you very much to Kevin Sinclair, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ALC in exchange for an honest review. 💕

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Media for the ARC of this audiobook.

3.5 ⭐
I requested this book because I'm new to the LitRPG world after getting started with Dungeon Crawler Carl and this book was a good start!

The narrator was fantastic! Accent was perfect and you could easily understand and hear the differences of voices for each of the brothers

The beginning of Mage Mangler was very strong—I really enjoyed how the brothers were introduced to the alternate magical world, even if I kept getting both of them mixed up. Their character development was a highlight, with each brother following a distinct and path that felt unique in its own way.

However, I found the conversations between Adam and his fellow students to be a bit lacking. Those moments didn’t quite land for me and felt somewhat out of place compared to the rest of the story.

That said, the lead-up to the ending and the conclusion itself were excellent. It did a great job of setting the stage for the rest of th series that I will definitely continue.

[GaiusPrimus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mage Mangler: Crucible of Ascension (Book 1) is a bold, fast‑paced launch to what promises to be an extraordinary fantasy saga. From the very first chapter, the story pulls you into a world where magic is dangerous, power has a price, and every spellcaster carries the weight of their choices.

One of the standout strengths of this book is its atmosphere. Whether it’s the claustrophobic intensity of magical trials or the sweeping grandeur of the broader realm, the setting feels alive and immersive. The supporting cast adds depth and color, each character bringing unique motives and mysteries that enrich the story rather than distract from it.

The dichotomy of the main characters also will be amazing to see it grow through.

Another huge homerun from Kevin Sinclair

[Jordan G · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5.

I really enjoyed the two MC's. The dialogue between some of the students and Adam was kind of boring to me and didn't really do much for me. But I'm excited to see how this one will progress with the two povs.

I hope more of the magic system and progression is more ironed out in the next one.

Narrator was fantastic in this as well.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and gritty LitRPG. I liked Adam and Earl right away. The leveling up is done at a pace that keeps the reader current without taking over the whole story. The audiobook narrator was excellent! Very Red Rising in vocal performance.

[J.D. Glasscock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Triumphant Return

Kevin Sinclair is back with a fury!! I love his writing but this is best by a country mile.... It Is stripped down to grit and muscle.. Memory and raw pain wrapped in two brothers entangled in a torturous history of bruises and torture and a twisted love....

Highly recommend
JD Glasscock
Author of the Series Blood Brothers, Nocturne and Warborn

[Ulric Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this

Book was great hope second one continues the action vibe love the familial angle not gonna lie I hate the oppressive nature of the dimension and its people but its what kept me going thru the story until the end cause I couldn't wait for the main characters to exact retribution for all they have been through

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is your expected Isekai adventure and somehow we end up in another strange world. Unlike a lot of others we see a Brother forced into following his Brother and seperated into different situations whilst utilising their unique talents and personalities.
The resultant story works well as Sinclair gives us opposite paths and personalities of Mage & Fighter but keeping everything fresh by switching between their stories. The world building is always something that this author has excelled at, and after reading a few series from him especially his aggravating Oshboh character from Artem series I'm confident this will prove as exciting and read.

[Shawn Weeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best New LitRPG in Years!

I’ve read a lot of LitRPG and this is one of the best I’ve come across. Great balance of action and character development, interesting worlds, magic and the balance between the two brothers is a lot of fun to read. I absolutely cannot wait for the next one to come out!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was an absolute surprise! I loved it! I enjoy a good RPG lit. this one's done in a bit of a different way yet some of the same things you would expect. I still don't really like the stats, though I understand it helps us as readers see their growth, but every book I read at fugs me, but I do enjoy the genre. so therefore I tolerate that and eventually it kind of just fades into background noise. I listened to the audiobook. The reader has a pretty heavy Scottish brogue. I normally listen to books on two times speed. this was enough of a muddled accent. I had to start on 125 and could only ever get to 150, but that doesn't mean the reader did a bad job. It was a little difficult to tell the difference between Earl and Adam. each of those chapters did start with their name, but if you missed that brief name statement, the voices were the same almost and it was pretty difficult. eventually each one was in his own location and it made the.
this is the first of the series that I definitely look forward to enjoying more of. fairly standard aliens coming to Earth and humans get involved and are their slaves to fight their way out. well leveling up to ultimately become the great heroes. this one is interesting because it does have brothers. each one taking a different path, with the inevitability. I suspect to me up. each one planning their own getaway out of their predicaments.
I appreciate the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to listen to and review this book. All opinions are my own.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mage Mangler aliens come every 50 years (at a specific location in Jordan) to collect human warriors over the course of about 2 months. The military knows this and so they set up camp awaiting their arrival. They were no match and all the soldiers got taken away, including one of our MMCs Adam, a young soldier. After it was deemed too many soldiers were taken the governments of the world started sending "expendable" people, criminals and mercenaries and such who were known to be good fighters, to try to get the soldiers back. Enter Earl, Adam's older brother.

Adam and Earl have very, very different experiences upon being taken. Adam gets sent to a Mage Academy so most of his scenes involve his going to classes and training. Earl is set up to be a warrior and gets sent as slave labor to a mine to toughen up and is made to fight in an arena, which he loves because he loves to fight! (The song choice is in honor of Earl.)

I would recommend this book for someone who's looking for an action filled, exciting book that is reminiscent of Mortal Kombat. It's not short but it's very fast-paced!

[Cryos · Rating 2 out of 5]

cliffhanger

I can’t stand cliffhangers. Brother B is suppose to save brother A. The problem is brother B is an idiot and partially psychotic. Brother B is talented in fighting without magic. Brother A is talented in fighting with magic. The story ended with brother B being taken way while brother A watched on helpless to stop it. There are other factions in play and at this point who knows which one will be the better choice.
I think book 2 will help determine if the series is worth continuing.
The book ending in the middle of the fight which doesn’t appeal to me hence the lower ratings. The mentality of Brother B makes for poor reading. He is being contrary to such an extreme degree that it makes him seem dimwitted. He gets punished and he only continues to acted out. Even in stories this kind of behavior would only end in death. Brother b isn’t strong enough to backup his mouth and his endless insults. So, brother b is another reason for the low rating.
I can’t recommend this book but I also can’t say stay way from it either. It’s mainly depends on the next book and how it plays out.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provided with an advanced copy of the audiobook for review purposes.

Warrior 2011 but make it a LitRPG… set in space… with magic… and space racism…

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed both characters, Once i made the connection to the movie I kept imagining Earl as Tom Hardy and it made every single chapter with him in that much better. I know Earl is supposed to be a pretty psychotic individual but Simon Wright’s narration brings another level of humor and personality to the character.

Adam felt a little less memorable to me early on, but he definitely grew on me towards the end of the book. I’m really excited to see the direction Kevin Sinclair brings this series in.

[Hone · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Audio courtesy of Tantor Media, Kevin Sinclair, and NetGalley.)

5⭐

If you've looked at my recent reads, this will come as absolutely no surprise, but I LOVE ME some litRPG and have been reading every series I can get my hands on. So when I saw this one pop up on NetGalley, it was a no brainer!

Mage Mangler is beyond excellent. It has a polish that has been lacking from a majority of the litRPGs I've read in my frenzy over the past few months and is right up there alongside Dinniman in terms of confident writing.

The tension sings, there are strong emotional stages, and it features one of the only successful likeable asshole protagonists I've ever encountered. Earl, you're the worst in the best way. (Coming off another novel with an asshole MC who was the worst in the worst way, Earl's POV is refreshing enough to bring a tear to the eye.)

Obviously one of the most important aspects of any litRPG is the worldbuilding and mechanics. This one was well developed and easy to follow. I particularly liked the strict three stat/three class system and the ways…certain…things…break those rules.

I'll be counting the hours until we get book two!

Audio-Specific 🎧: 17 Hours, 6 Minutes. Simon Wright really brings Adam and Earl to life and his voice work enhanced the book on every level. His accent was charmingly thick and enjoyable, but it might make it harder for some people to follow if you run the book at higher speeds. Otherwise, perfect!

📌 TL;DR: Next book in series WHEN??

[MikeLikesBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

First thank you NetGalley for a free copy of the audiobook. My review is voluntary.

I think fans of LitRPG will love this. It was an interesting plot and I enjoyed listening to what was happening to the two brothers. It ends on a cliff hanger as things really start heating up. This isn’t my favorite genre so I probably won’t continue the series, but the writing was well done. However, I will say the brothers are in their 20’s but the voices seemed like a man in his 50s, so I kept thinking they were two old guys.

[Travis Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mage Mangler
By Kevin Sinclair
Pub Date: Mar 24 2026

I don't normally read litrpgs. This one has a great, engaging story. I think that the story is so engaging because the narrator, Simon Wright, is fantastic. I still can't stand stat sheets but everything else in this book is so good I was able to look past the annoying stat sheets.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Media for the opportunity to read this book early in return for my honest review.

[Varun Vasudev · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://liminalrambling.com/2026/03/3...