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Ascendant #1
Ascendant
The Wizard's Council of Tarador was supposed to tell young Koren Bladewell that he is a wizard. They were supposed to tell everyone that he is not a jinx, that all the bad things that happen around him are because he can't control the power inside him, power he doesn't know about. The people of his village, even his parents, are afraid of him, afraid he is cursed. That he is a dangerous, evil jinx. The Wizard's Council didn't tell young Koren, because they know what is best for him. Even after their silent deception destroys his life.
Crown Princess Ariana Trehayme will become queen of Tarador on her sixteenth birthday, if her weak, indecisive mother the Regent hasn't allowed their ancient enemy to conquer Tarador before then. Ariana wants her royal army to strike at the enemy, but her mother knows what is best for her, and the realm.
Together, Ariana and Koren can save Tarador, if the adults, who know best, will get out of their way.
Crown Princess Ariana Trehayme will become queen of Tarador on her sixteenth birthday, if her weak, indecisive mother the Regent hasn't allowed their ancient enemy to conquer Tarador before then. Ariana wants her royal army to strike at the enemy, but her mother knows what is best for her, and the realm.
Together, Ariana and Koren can save Tarador, if the adults, who know best, will get out of their way.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 12, 2016
884 people are currently reading
1662 people want to read
About the author
Craig Alanson
42 books4,240 followersIf you want to stay up to date on releases, receive promotion alerts and speak to me directly, please join my Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Craig.Alanso...
My Bio:
Craig Alanson used to create financial reports for a large IT services company. Writing fiction at nights and on weekends, he finally independently published three novels on Amazon. Within 6 months of his first ebook release, he was able to quit his day job and pursue a full-time writing career.
The breakout success of Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force, Book 1) reached new heights when Podium Audio released it in audio format, narrated by Audie Award Winner R.C. Bray. The Columbus Day audiobook was a huge hit, and a finalist for an Audie Award as Audiobook of the Year.
The ExForce series, as it is known to fans, has gone on to 10 books/audiobooks, many of which have hit the NYT best-seller list, with a 11th book releasing June 2021 and 14 books planned.
Craig has also published a spin-off series, ExForce: Mavericks; an ExForce audio drama, Homefront; a fantasy trilogy, Ascendent; and a young adult space opera, Aces. Craig lives in Virginia with his wife, who loves him even though he perpetually refuses to clean the garage.
https://www.facebook.com/Craig.Alanso...
My Bio:
Craig Alanson used to create financial reports for a large IT services company. Writing fiction at nights and on weekends, he finally independently published three novels on Amazon. Within 6 months of his first ebook release, he was able to quit his day job and pursue a full-time writing career.
The breakout success of Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force, Book 1) reached new heights when Podium Audio released it in audio format, narrated by Audie Award Winner R.C. Bray. The Columbus Day audiobook was a huge hit, and a finalist for an Audie Award as Audiobook of the Year.
The ExForce series, as it is known to fans, has gone on to 10 books/audiobooks, many of which have hit the NYT best-seller list, with a 11th book releasing June 2021 and 14 books planned.
Craig has also published a spin-off series, ExForce: Mavericks; an ExForce audio drama, Homefront; a fantasy trilogy, Ascendent; and a young adult space opera, Aces. Craig lives in Virginia with his wife, who loves him even though he perpetually refuses to clean the garage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
May 5, 2018
Well, let's get down to it. At best this book is marginal. It's the same old orphaned, farm boy with mysterious powers ends up in a castle story. That's not always a bad thing when done well but when merely average it is boring.
The story's pacing was slow and a bit off. I like a slow story but it has to be to a purpose. The plodding of this book didn't mean much and didn't add up to anything special. The characters spent most of the book trying to keep the MC's powers a secret from him for lame reasons and to ill effect. This means we spend much of the book following him doing boring things mostly unaided by magic. When something cool does happened it's so cliched and hacky that it's laughable. Like do all of these character types need to tame an awesome horse no one wants? Do they all need to find out that they're super rad at fighting even without being trained? Do they all need a princess to be helplessly in love with them?
This book was slow and boring and you can find the same storyline done much better by authors like Robin Hobb or that guy who wrote MALICE. John Gwynn maybe?
Skip this shit.
The story's pacing was slow and a bit off. I like a slow story but it has to be to a purpose. The plodding of this book didn't mean much and didn't add up to anything special. The characters spent most of the book trying to keep the MC's powers a secret from him for lame reasons and to ill effect. This means we spend much of the book following him doing boring things mostly unaided by magic. When something cool does happened it's so cliched and hacky that it's laughable. Like do all of these character types need to tame an awesome horse no one wants? Do they all need to find out that they're super rad at fighting even without being trained? Do they all need a princess to be helplessly in love with them?
This book was slow and boring and you can find the same storyline done much better by authors like Robin Hobb or that guy who wrote MALICE. John Gwynn maybe?
Skip this shit.
December 23, 2017
Yes, the world is generic. Yes, there are a lot of tropes that it does fall into. But for some reason, I enjoyed the book, and although the pacing was slow, I think it will get faster in the next few installments. I guess I'm just a sucker for Tim Gerard Reynold's narrations.
March 20, 2018
I listened to audio book. It is a solid book with likable characters. Koran Bladewell has a lot of bad luck and people lie to him all the time.
However, the author seems to have a very neoconservative slant. Regent Carlana is often criticized for not taken military action against the enemy. Her 13 year old wants to overthrow her because she is viewed as weak.
The author also shows his neoconservative views regarding the enemy nation. The enemy(Asador) is pretty much faceless and its people hate Tarrador(The country where the story takes place) from birth. The story claims an evil wizard left the royal court. He became corrupted with dark magic then returned to the court to overthrow Asador's ruling class which caused Tarador to split off from Asador. Now the wizard threatens Tarrador. The events happened 1,400 years ago. The wizard is really controlled by a demon. 1,400 years ago Islam arose from the Middle East and the Asador story resembled Mohammed being kicked out of Mecca then returning to overthrow the ruling class.
The author's description of the enemy as a brainwashed society filled with hate sounds very similar to Islamphobic descriptions of the Muslim world where the people are a giant mass of evil rather than individuals. The main wizard of Tarrador even claims that Asador threatens the "free world" which is another neoconservative description of world politics.
All in all the book is good even with a simplistic plot. Koran Bladewell is a naive but likable character. However, I can't shake the annoying neoconservative and Islamphobic tendencies that the book has. The enemy being faceless is simplistic. Tarrador representing the "free world" is a misconception because Tarrador is steeped in feudalism with nobles treating their subjects like trash.
If you are okay with a simplistic story and can overcome the Islamphobic/neoconservative tendencies of the story then Ascendant can be an enjoyable read.
However, the author seems to have a very neoconservative slant. Regent Carlana is often criticized for not taken military action against the enemy. Her 13 year old wants to overthrow her because she is viewed as weak.
The author also shows his neoconservative views regarding the enemy nation. The enemy(Asador) is pretty much faceless and its people hate Tarrador(The country where the story takes place) from birth. The story claims an evil wizard left the royal court. He became corrupted with dark magic then returned to the court to overthrow Asador's ruling class which caused Tarador to split off from Asador. Now the wizard threatens Tarrador. The events happened 1,400 years ago. The wizard is really controlled by a demon. 1,400 years ago Islam arose from the Middle East and the Asador story resembled Mohammed being kicked out of Mecca then returning to overthrow the ruling class.
The author's description of the enemy as a brainwashed society filled with hate sounds very similar to Islamphobic descriptions of the Muslim world where the people are a giant mass of evil rather than individuals. The main wizard of Tarrador even claims that Asador threatens the "free world" which is another neoconservative description of world politics.
All in all the book is good even with a simplistic plot. Koran Bladewell is a naive but likable character. However, I can't shake the annoying neoconservative and Islamphobic tendencies that the book has. The enemy being faceless is simplistic. Tarrador representing the "free world" is a misconception because Tarrador is steeped in feudalism with nobles treating their subjects like trash.
If you are okay with a simplistic story and can overcome the Islamphobic/neoconservative tendencies of the story then Ascendant can be an enjoyable read.
April 2, 2022
This story was just what I didn't realize I needed or wanted. The narrator is fantastic and I feel he was perfect for this series. I loved everything about this journey. The heartache, the chaos, the characters. It's a super easy read. Great job, Craig!
February 28, 2023
3.5 stars.
This was our book club read for January 2023. I Listened to the audio version of this and I found it to be a very engaging story. It's a very simple fantasy that doesn't bring anything new to the genre, but I still enjoyed listening to it while I painted. I could sympathize with the main character, Koren, and I found him to be a very likable character, along with several others. There were a few parts that pulled on my heartstrings, and there were times when I got really mad at the adults in Koren's life for not trusting him with information I felt he should have had. Unfortunately, this leads to some things happening that could have been avoided.
One of the book's weaknesses is that there could have been more explanation of how the magic system works, but this being a trilogy, I feel like there is plenty of time to get to that. Initially, I wanted to continue on with this series, especially after the way this book ends, however, after thinking about it for a while, I decided against continuing. At least for now. I think if I had kids that might enjoy this series, then maybe it would be more of a priority for me to read, so I could share it with them. It's certainly something I think an older middle grader or younger YA reader would enjoy, but since it's just me, I would rather dedicate my time to other books.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
and my Facebook page.
This was our book club read for January 2023. I Listened to the audio version of this and I found it to be a very engaging story. It's a very simple fantasy that doesn't bring anything new to the genre, but I still enjoyed listening to it while I painted. I could sympathize with the main character, Koren, and I found him to be a very likable character, along with several others. There were a few parts that pulled on my heartstrings, and there were times when I got really mad at the adults in Koren's life for not trusting him with information I felt he should have had. Unfortunately, this leads to some things happening that could have been avoided.
One of the book's weaknesses is that there could have been more explanation of how the magic system works, but this being a trilogy, I feel like there is plenty of time to get to that. Initially, I wanted to continue on with this series, especially after the way this book ends, however, after thinking about it for a while, I decided against continuing. At least for now. I think if I had kids that might enjoy this series, then maybe it would be more of a priority for me to read, so I could share it with them. It's certainly something I think an older middle grader or younger YA reader would enjoy, but since it's just me, I would rather dedicate my time to other books.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
and my Facebook page.
March 29, 2018
This is my new favorite book series!
Ascendant is the first book in the series, and it is a clean, fun book. No sex, only 5 instances of profanity (Yes, I counted because it was so surprising to find a young adult book that doesn’t curse regularly). The characters are very likable and real characters. This is a book that a family with children ages 12 on up can enjoy (younger kids will probably get bored).
Ascendant is definitely getting added to my “Top 10 Favorite Books”.
Ascendant is the first book in the series, and it is a clean, fun book. No sex, only 5 instances of profanity (Yes, I counted because it was so surprising to find a young adult book that doesn’t curse regularly). The characters are very likable and real characters. This is a book that a family with children ages 12 on up can enjoy (younger kids will probably get bored).
Ascendant is definitely getting added to my “Top 10 Favorite Books”.
December 5, 2017
great book. cant wait for more.
December 3, 2019
A pretty good fantasy novel.
February 10, 2018
TL;DR - This book is like Grey's Anatomy in that things will most often go wrong just because...
If you are looking to read this book, don't. Listen to it instead and you won't as frustrated with it. Well, different level of magnitude frustration.
For the internal logic of the story to make sense, you must apply a huge amount of suspension of belief to everything you know about literature, and ignore the blatant plot armor/drive that is around the majority of the story.
Or this is the medieval age "series of unfortunate events". There's no way that the amount of misfortune (true or otherwise) that befalls the main character can be real, especially with regards to the whole "Jinx" label, in a world that has a concrete magical presence. If a mage exists with the sole job of testing toddlers for the mage talent, why is that not the first thought in Corin's contemporaries' minds? Anyways, that's the first of many circumstances that are ridiculous to the extreme.
The audiobook was much more enjoyable, upvote on the star because of it.
If you are looking to read this book, don't. Listen to it instead and you won't as frustrated with it. Well, different level of magnitude frustration.
For the internal logic of the story to make sense, you must apply a huge amount of suspension of belief to everything you know about literature, and ignore the blatant plot armor/drive that is around the majority of the story.
Or this is the medieval age "series of unfortunate events". There's no way that the amount of misfortune (true or otherwise) that befalls the main character can be real, especially with regards to the whole "Jinx" label, in a world that has a concrete magical presence. If a mage exists with the sole job of testing toddlers for the mage talent, why is that not the first thought in Corin's contemporaries' minds? Anyways, that's the first of many circumstances that are ridiculous to the extreme.
The audiobook was much more enjoyable, upvote on the star because of it.
October 20, 2023
If Bad Situation Comedy and Worn-Out Tropes created a Love Child, it would be Ascendant.
April 3, 2018
Hoo boy. I listened to this on Audible. The narration was great, but the story was incredibly derivative. I kept waiting for the point when the author would indicate that, yes, it was a pastiche of every hero's journey ever written but here's a fun twist that throws it all on its head! That moment never arrived. The world building is lazy. It needed a more aggressive editor (things are explained multiple times close together like you would have forgotten what you read five minutes ago). Maybe this was intended for children, but my kids found it boring, and I would want them to spend their time on something better anyway.
February 18, 2018
Nice juvenile with a couple of major flags--don't want to spoil this, but ... Well performed and held my interest. Would have given this a 5 if marketed as juvenile instead of adult
April 7, 2024
Let's face it this book is full of every imaginable trope. Is it bad, no it isn't but I will admit listening to the audiobook read by Tim Gerard Reynolds certainly helped me to finish the story.
Korrin Bladewell is a wizard, but he doesn't know it and those around him knowing it conspire to keep that information from him. He is to old to be trained and too young to be trusted to control his power. I think anybody can already see the blatant stupidity of this approach.
Korrin proves repeatedly as invaluable help, and is constantly shunned to keep his existence secret.
I'm looking forward to the next part.
Korrin Bladewell is a wizard, but he doesn't know it and those around him knowing it conspire to keep that information from him. He is to old to be trained and too young to be trusted to control his power. I think anybody can already see the blatant stupidity of this approach.
Korrin proves repeatedly as invaluable help, and is constantly shunned to keep his existence secret.
I'm looking forward to the next part.
October 18, 2018
Great Story!
March 1, 2018
Ascendant tells the coming of age story regarding Koren Bladewell, a talented young boy that seems to be haunted by bad luck. The story kicks off in a small town that is plagued by damaging incidents that occur everytime Koren is around. Anytime Koren is surprised, wizard power impacts his surroundings in different ways unbeknownst to Koren. Unfortunately, this wizard power is not recognized and his family is banished from the town due to all the taxes that have to be raised to pay for these damaging incidents.
Koren continues to have bad luck as Koren's parents are killed trying to get supplies as they journey out from their village. Koren was left in a wood clearing while his parents went into town; so he thinks his parents have intentionally abandoned him for the rest of his life. Koren's fortunes change when he accidentally rescues a young woman in the woods from a bear. This girl happens to be the crown princess of Tarador, and this event thrusts Koren into the court intrigues of Tarador. Koren appears to be finally on the right path as he is appointed as servant to the court wizard.
Due to his great power, the court wizard and regent decide to try and hide Koren's powers lest Koren become a target for the enemy. This choice creates a situation where resentment and misunderstanding begin to fray Koren's relations with many in the court. Along the way, Koren's power begins to blossom and manifest in great deeds... single handedly saving the army of Tarador from ambush and saving the Court wizard from certain death. Ascendant finishes with Koren again on the run due to an unfortunate 'accident' that occurs to the princess right when he appears... similar to what happened in his town. The stakes are raised as war with Tarador's evil rival is upon them, and the princess grows frustrated by her mother's regency.
I realize i have found my comfort food in books, my 'chicken soup'. I love reading coming of age novels with tales of journeys and adventures in far off lands. Alanson is a capable author, but the plot line is rather routine with no surprises and even a bit 'cliche'. Koren is a compelling young character, but a bit on the slow witted side. The plot relies on Koren not being aware of his wizard power with a 'keystone cop' kind of chaos where the worst side of a situation creates inordinately high barriers to Koren's success. Other than these gaps, Alanson builds a compelling medieval fantasy world full of wonder and unknown adventures. Alanson is not breaking new ground here, but riding along with Koren and discovering the world of Tarador is a fun journey.
Koren continues to have bad luck as Koren's parents are killed trying to get supplies as they journey out from their village. Koren was left in a wood clearing while his parents went into town; so he thinks his parents have intentionally abandoned him for the rest of his life. Koren's fortunes change when he accidentally rescues a young woman in the woods from a bear. This girl happens to be the crown princess of Tarador, and this event thrusts Koren into the court intrigues of Tarador. Koren appears to be finally on the right path as he is appointed as servant to the court wizard.
Due to his great power, the court wizard and regent decide to try and hide Koren's powers lest Koren become a target for the enemy. This choice creates a situation where resentment and misunderstanding begin to fray Koren's relations with many in the court. Along the way, Koren's power begins to blossom and manifest in great deeds... single handedly saving the army of Tarador from ambush and saving the Court wizard from certain death. Ascendant finishes with Koren again on the run due to an unfortunate 'accident' that occurs to the princess right when he appears... similar to what happened in his town. The stakes are raised as war with Tarador's evil rival is upon them, and the princess grows frustrated by her mother's regency.
I realize i have found my comfort food in books, my 'chicken soup'. I love reading coming of age novels with tales of journeys and adventures in far off lands. Alanson is a capable author, but the plot line is rather routine with no surprises and even a bit 'cliche'. Koren is a compelling young character, but a bit on the slow witted side. The plot relies on Koren not being aware of his wizard power with a 'keystone cop' kind of chaos where the worst side of a situation creates inordinately high barriers to Koren's success. Other than these gaps, Alanson builds a compelling medieval fantasy world full of wonder and unknown adventures. Alanson is not breaking new ground here, but riding along with Koren and discovering the world of Tarador is a fun journey.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2018
The book is interesting to read, however it is not enough to make ME want to read the next one, and i will tell why.
Pros:
Great character, that have true depth, nobody is really evil or really good, everyone is on a grey area.
The main plot is interesting, a farmer boy that has imense power, but believes to be a jinx, that brings bad luck to others, when in truth he can save the world from the big bad guy, known only as " The Enemy"
Cons:
The plot moves forwards with a series of misunderstandings, and injustice toward the MC, while the ones who knows him praise and value his efforts, somehow their intentions gets misunderstood from the rest of the people.
Toward the end, the thing goes so beyond control that the biggest deed from the MC, since everybody who could testefy in his behalf is dead or unable to speak, he is seemed as a Coward, Traitor, and Assassin, in a way that he feels that he has no other choice but to leave everything behind because everyone he loves turn the back to him.
The fact that the book end like that, the MC on the run, while the soldiers of his kingdom are after him with a Dead or Alive warrent, preferebly dead, without ever known that his is the greatest Wizard that ever lived. This make me sick.
I've read many books that with a unfortunate event to climax the end, but i've never read a book that the main enemy is... Comunication... And that is very very annoying.
I could think that everything that happened was something that the enemy have done, but it is said more than once, through out the book that the enemy doesnt even know who the MC is, and if he ever know, the MC would be kidnapped or killed... The whole reason of this huge secret is to keep the MC safe from the enemy, so... dont give me that bullshit that the series of misunderstandings is The Enemy's fault, i wont buy it.
Anyway, it is sad that a book with that many amazing characters, is so bad in creating a good development for his story, i felt even betrayed, i expected that the MC would know that he is a wizard by the end of the book, probably in the last chapter or something, but no... The books end with him on the run, in another kingdom, with the ones who cares about him, not having a clue where he is....
THIS IS JUST BAD ENDING, REALLY REALLY BAD...
Pros:
Great character, that have true depth, nobody is really evil or really good, everyone is on a grey area.
The main plot is interesting, a farmer boy that has imense power, but believes to be a jinx, that brings bad luck to others, when in truth he can save the world from the big bad guy, known only as " The Enemy"
Cons:
The plot moves forwards with a series of misunderstandings, and injustice toward the MC, while the ones who knows him praise and value his efforts, somehow their intentions gets misunderstood from the rest of the people.
Toward the end, the thing goes so beyond control that the biggest deed from the MC, since everybody who could testefy in his behalf is dead or unable to speak, he is seemed as a Coward, Traitor, and Assassin, in a way that he feels that he has no other choice but to leave everything behind because everyone he loves turn the back to him.
The fact that the book end like that, the MC on the run, while the soldiers of his kingdom are after him with a Dead or Alive warrent, preferebly dead, without ever known that his is the greatest Wizard that ever lived. This make me sick.
I've read many books that with a unfortunate event to climax the end, but i've never read a book that the main enemy is... Comunication... And that is very very annoying.
I could think that everything that happened was something that the enemy have done, but it is said more than once, through out the book that the enemy doesnt even know who the MC is, and if he ever know, the MC would be kidnapped or killed... The whole reason of this huge secret is to keep the MC safe from the enemy, so... dont give me that bullshit that the series of misunderstandings is The Enemy's fault, i wont buy it.
Anyway, it is sad that a book with that many amazing characters, is so bad in creating a good development for his story, i felt even betrayed, i expected that the MC would know that he is a wizard by the end of the book, probably in the last chapter or something, but no... The books end with him on the run, in another kingdom, with the ones who cares about him, not having a clue where he is....
THIS IS JUST BAD ENDING, REALLY REALLY BAD...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2017
Swords and sorcery and a young boy with unsuspected talents...
An excellent YA novel - Game of Thrones meets Lord of the Rings without GOT's rude bits. Very good story telling that sucks the reader in and seamlessly spins along - good plotting and dialogue. This is book one of the trilogy - get ready to buy all three once you've read this one!
An excellent YA novel - Game of Thrones meets Lord of the Rings without GOT's rude bits. Very good story telling that sucks the reader in and seamlessly spins along - good plotting and dialogue. This is book one of the trilogy - get ready to buy all three once you've read this one!
January 21, 2018
Awful. Terrible. This book could have evolved into such a great storyline and developed into a great book 1 of a series, but it was the same nonsense all book long with absolutely no resolution whatsoever. It was as if this was written with the main goal of being so vague and rambling that people would have to buy book 2 for any closure.
For virtually all series, there is at least some resolution to make each book a standalone product. The only thing this book achieves is it stands alone as a frustratingly long work that keeps you waiting for the nonsensical storyline to eventually evolve enough to get to the actual meat of the plot. Instead we hear of the mythical “powerful enemy” and get teased that some future tantalizing plot with emerge. Instead, it is a book written about how many ways can I nonsensically reinforce that the main character has bad luck. That’s it. No deep (or even simple) plot. No deeply developed characters. No tremendous world building. Just 17 hours of the same thing over and over with no insight to a major plot or sense of conclusion. At the end of this book I am still left wondering what is the major plot to this book other than the vague “we must defeat the terrible enemy” that we really don’t know much about.
Save your time and money and skip this book and series unless you get it on sale for $1.99 or less. It is rare that I don’t finish a series (I’ve only done it twice before) but I won’t be getting book two seeing as most reviews of book two state that it is even more frustratingly vague and inconclusive than book 1. It’s a shame.
For virtually all series, there is at least some resolution to make each book a standalone product. The only thing this book achieves is it stands alone as a frustratingly long work that keeps you waiting for the nonsensical storyline to eventually evolve enough to get to the actual meat of the plot. Instead we hear of the mythical “powerful enemy” and get teased that some future tantalizing plot with emerge. Instead, it is a book written about how many ways can I nonsensically reinforce that the main character has bad luck. That’s it. No deep (or even simple) plot. No deeply developed characters. No tremendous world building. Just 17 hours of the same thing over and over with no insight to a major plot or sense of conclusion. At the end of this book I am still left wondering what is the major plot to this book other than the vague “we must defeat the terrible enemy” that we really don’t know much about.
Save your time and money and skip this book and series unless you get it on sale for $1.99 or less. It is rare that I don’t finish a series (I’ve only done it twice before) but I won’t be getting book two seeing as most reviews of book two state that it is even more frustratingly vague and inconclusive than book 1. It’s a shame.
April 4, 2021
This series was recommended by a friend I trust and I am enjoying the characters and the story. It is not as fast moving as I might appreciate but I am still enjoying it and will continue the series. I am especially intrigued by the author's theme of whether fear or kindness fosters the greater loyalty in a soldier or servant. I have already begun the next book and will return and report!
January 21, 2020
I marked this as "read" even though I'm not finishing it, because I've lost 11 hours of my listening life to this story and I just cannot do it for the last 7 hours.
I have no problem with young adult fantasy being more full of contrived coincidences and young characters with young voices. I have no problem with adult fantasy with the same. But... this is just lazy writing. In 11 hours, more than half the book, still nothing of import has happened. It feels like every conversation the main wizard has is about how he/no one can tell Koren that he's a wizard and the mysterious enemy both won't and will know about him. I've lost track of how many times he says this. Koren gets the blame for everything bad that happens around him. I do not understand why the hell the "adults" of this book who think Koren will save them from their enemy don't tell him who he is. Why do they think waiting 3 more years will do anything but leave them with an untrained wizard pissed at them for lying to him, when they also have an enemy who is acting against them now.
I just... can't do it anymore. After 3 hours, I didn't really care about this book, but I forged on. And yet... Nothing has changed. I give up. I don't care.
I have no problem with young adult fantasy being more full of contrived coincidences and young characters with young voices. I have no problem with adult fantasy with the same. But... this is just lazy writing. In 11 hours, more than half the book, still nothing of import has happened. It feels like every conversation the main wizard has is about how he/no one can tell Koren that he's a wizard and the mysterious enemy both won't and will know about him. I've lost track of how many times he says this. Koren gets the blame for everything bad that happens around him. I do not understand why the hell the "adults" of this book who think Koren will save them from their enemy don't tell him who he is. Why do they think waiting 3 more years will do anything but leave them with an untrained wizard pissed at them for lying to him, when they also have an enemy who is acting against them now.
I just... can't do it anymore. After 3 hours, I didn't really care about this book, but I forged on. And yet... Nothing has changed. I give up. I don't care.
August 30, 2020
TLDR: A classic fantasy story, but nothing to write home about.
This sounded like an interesting story and audible had it on a good deal so I got it. It was okay.
It was unfortunately long winded in places, especially in the beginning, and I found myself thinking several times “just get on with it!” Other than that there was nothing particularly remarkable about this story and I’ll most likely forget I’ve read it.
The characters were likable enough and I enjoyed the political maneuvering, but the reasoning behind keeping Corin’s powers a secret from him got thinner and thinner as the book went on. Especially when it started causing real problems and danger to Corin because he didn’t know about them.
I liked Ariana. She was a strong and independent young woman who was clearly on her way to becoming a great queen when her time came. Corin was your literal typical farmboy-with-preciously-unknown-powers and that particular troupe is so overused I didn’t find myself caring much about him. Honestly if Ariana hadn’t popped up when she did I might have stopped reading entirely.
Overall, 3.5/5 stars. An average fantasy that doesn’t particularly stand out from its peers. (The extra half star was because I liked Ariana.)
This sounded like an interesting story and audible had it on a good deal so I got it. It was okay.
It was unfortunately long winded in places, especially in the beginning, and I found myself thinking several times “just get on with it!” Other than that there was nothing particularly remarkable about this story and I’ll most likely forget I’ve read it.
The characters were likable enough and I enjoyed the political maneuvering, but the reasoning behind keeping Corin’s powers a secret from him got thinner and thinner as the book went on. Especially when it started causing real problems and danger to Corin because he didn’t know about them.
I liked Ariana. She was a strong and independent young woman who was clearly on her way to becoming a great queen when her time came. Corin was your literal typical farmboy-with-preciously-unknown-powers and that particular troupe is so overused I didn’t find myself caring much about him. Honestly if Ariana hadn’t popped up when she did I might have stopped reading entirely.
Overall, 3.5/5 stars. An average fantasy that doesn’t particularly stand out from its peers. (The extra half star was because I liked Ariana.)
September 11, 2020
I like the characters, plot, world etc.. what i hated was the way the plot was propelled forward. This entire series is heavily affected by the trope cliche tactic of "misunderstandings, misinterpretations, jumping to all the wrong conclusions and assumptions, and no one telling anyone anything important to avoid any of these circumstances. This was so heavily slathered in this series that it made the read highly difficult, i found myself annoyed and frustrated most of the time and only continued with it because it's a short series. I feel bad giving it a 2 star but that really is my most hated plot development style of any form of media, book, tv, movie etc.. i just can't stand that kind of scenario. A a little bit of it is fine, but the entire story was laden with it as the only way the plot was going to move forward.
March 24, 2018
No, just no.. Not gonna dive deeper, just avoid this one. Perhaps harsh to rate it at 1 star, but I'm definitely not the target audience for this book. Very juvenile and simple, could perhaps be interesting to pre-school aged children.
November 12, 2018
3.5 to 4 stars, this is the 2nd series I have started by this author and this one is a pretty good first book. I am enjoying it and will continue with the series for sure. I will be look for more from this author.
February 13, 2020
Slow start but it grew on me!
November 14, 2019
A wonderful book with a terrible continuation
This book is great. The second book however is not and so has tarnished my view of the first book in hindsight since this novel doesn't has a proper conclusion without the next 2 books. I'm honestly a little angry. Let me explain.
Plot
1st Book: The plot moves at a pace that keep you interested. Not everything that occurs is consequential, but each event is exciting in it's own right. It focuses mainly on Koren, a farmboy who is unwittingly brought into the center of an ancient war, and the people that shape his life. The secondary characters have room to breath without Koren. Character morality however is quite black and white.
2nd Book: 2 hours into this book, nothing has happened. Koren wanders into the plot twice but is booted shortly after for more "riveting" characters: the politicking royalty (*yawn*). All the secondary characters are brought into the limelight and the flaws that were covered by a focused story following one character is put on full display. I'm honestly quite speechless. It reads like this was written by a completely different author. Where was the guy that started the first story out with a bang?!
Characters
Since the first novel focused on Koren so much, the secondary characters were left a little half-baked. Which worked marvellously in the first book, however if you then want to make them major POV's later on, they will immediately come out as hollow and uninteresting and a great deal of work needs to be done to rectify it. A good example of this is Capt. Jack Sparrow, a brilliant secondary character (movies 1-3), but a terrible protagonist (4 & 5).
World
Other reviewers have pointed out some core world building problems, such as the mechanics of wizarding apprenticeships, but there's a large problem that most don't address: there's nothing inherently new about this setting. 2 nations, 1 "evil", 1 "good" are at war. There's nothing new about the magic systems, no unique monsters, gods or mythology. Standard "fantasy land" setting.
Conclusion
With my rant-review complete, I'm left feeling empty. Such potential...squandered in an attempt to make this story into what it clearly wasn't meant to be. You cannot turn The Name of the Wind into A Game of Thrones and expect the continuation to satisfy the readers of the first book.
This book is great. The second book however is not and so has tarnished my view of the first book in hindsight since this novel doesn't has a proper conclusion without the next 2 books. I'm honestly a little angry. Let me explain.
Plot
1st Book: The plot moves at a pace that keep you interested. Not everything that occurs is consequential, but each event is exciting in it's own right. It focuses mainly on Koren, a farmboy who is unwittingly brought into the center of an ancient war, and the people that shape his life. The secondary characters have room to breath without Koren. Character morality however is quite black and white.
2nd Book: 2 hours into this book, nothing has happened. Koren wanders into the plot twice but is booted shortly after for more "riveting" characters: the politicking royalty (*yawn*). All the secondary characters are brought into the limelight and the flaws that were covered by a focused story following one character is put on full display. I'm honestly quite speechless. It reads like this was written by a completely different author. Where was the guy that started the first story out with a bang?!
Characters
Since the first novel focused on Koren so much, the secondary characters were left a little half-baked. Which worked marvellously in the first book, however if you then want to make them major POV's later on, they will immediately come out as hollow and uninteresting and a great deal of work needs to be done to rectify it. A good example of this is Capt. Jack Sparrow, a brilliant secondary character (movies 1-3), but a terrible protagonist (4 & 5).
World
Other reviewers have pointed out some core world building problems, such as the mechanics of wizarding apprenticeships, but there's a large problem that most don't address: there's nothing inherently new about this setting. 2 nations, 1 "evil", 1 "good" are at war. There's nothing new about the magic systems, no unique monsters, gods or mythology. Standard "fantasy land" setting.
Conclusion
With my rant-review complete, I'm left feeling empty. Such potential...squandered in an attempt to make this story into what it clearly wasn't meant to be. You cannot turn The Name of the Wind into A Game of Thrones and expect the continuation to satisfy the readers of the first book.
August 27, 2020
See more reviews at www.creativemyownway.com
Let me start by saying, it has been a long time since all of my free time was consumed with a book series start to finish. Craig Alanson’s Ascendant series allowed me to dive into the world he created and just watch. I finished all three books within a week and was left satisfied with the story.
This book centers on Koren Bladewell and the supernatural things that continue to happen when he is near. Considered a “jinx”, he finds that he has no place of belonging until he meets Tarador’s Court Wizard. His dealings with the Court Wizard exposes him to a war he never knew existed as Tarador is engaged in a centuries-long war with the demon of Asador, and finally allows him to live a life without having to worry about his jinx.
Crown princess Ariana Trehayme also shares the spotlight—with Koren—as her mother, the Regent of Tarador until she turns 16 and can take her place as the Queen, tries her best to ensure her daughter has a country to rule. The problem with the current Regent of Tarador is that she has all the power and is afraid to use it. This is not the only battle she faces, as she must also deal with Regent Falco whose sole purpose in life is to see the Falco family back on the throne. To make matters worse, her country is in danger of being defeated by Asador who becomes bolder as each day passes.
This novel has story, action, love, magic, and more; however, it is the story that stands out for me. I have only one complaint with this book. It was frustrating watching those in charge make stupid decision after stupid decision. Part of me understood the decision was in-line with the story, but the other part just knew it was stupid. That said, I was reminded that humans make stupid decisions all the time. As flawed individuals, we can see the truth and still ignore it, and I must say this happens several times through the novel.
The one thing I absolutely loved about this novel is how important the “non-royals” are to the story. I have read many novels that address social-economic classes, but in the end, the royals still end up being the focus. So it was nice to see a message that says “we all matter.”
As for my recommendation, this series most definitely makes it onto my bookshelf in two ways. First, each book individually and secondly, as a series.
Let me start by saying, it has been a long time since all of my free time was consumed with a book series start to finish. Craig Alanson’s Ascendant series allowed me to dive into the world he created and just watch. I finished all three books within a week and was left satisfied with the story.
This book centers on Koren Bladewell and the supernatural things that continue to happen when he is near. Considered a “jinx”, he finds that he has no place of belonging until he meets Tarador’s Court Wizard. His dealings with the Court Wizard exposes him to a war he never knew existed as Tarador is engaged in a centuries-long war with the demon of Asador, and finally allows him to live a life without having to worry about his jinx.
Crown princess Ariana Trehayme also shares the spotlight—with Koren—as her mother, the Regent of Tarador until she turns 16 and can take her place as the Queen, tries her best to ensure her daughter has a country to rule. The problem with the current Regent of Tarador is that she has all the power and is afraid to use it. This is not the only battle she faces, as she must also deal with Regent Falco whose sole purpose in life is to see the Falco family back on the throne. To make matters worse, her country is in danger of being defeated by Asador who becomes bolder as each day passes.
This novel has story, action, love, magic, and more; however, it is the story that stands out for me. I have only one complaint with this book. It was frustrating watching those in charge make stupid decision after stupid decision. Part of me understood the decision was in-line with the story, but the other part just knew it was stupid. That said, I was reminded that humans make stupid decisions all the time. As flawed individuals, we can see the truth and still ignore it, and I must say this happens several times through the novel.
The one thing I absolutely loved about this novel is how important the “non-royals” are to the story. I have read many novels that address social-economic classes, but in the end, the royals still end up being the focus. So it was nice to see a message that says “we all matter.”
As for my recommendation, this series most definitely makes it onto my bookshelf in two ways. First, each book individually and secondly, as a series.
January 25, 2020
I have read all but Valkyrie of the writers Expeditionary Force series, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this book just as entertaining.
I find this kind of fantasy to be very different from the science fiction in his other work, also the genre is not my favourite, yet I was fully drawn in and unable to put it down. I was also pleasantly surprised to find it so different from the Expeditionary Force, I guess I expected the witty humour to be the hallmark of the writer, but I found that perhaps it is the various characters honour and integrity in war and military to be similar. I also enjoyed how the nemesis' characters are portrayed, something which is quite different in the expeditionary force series as the nemesis' there are aliens.
The "diamond in the rough"-plot is perhaps not very original and the universe is not very detailed as so far this book in the series goes. There are orcs, dwarfs, daemons and so on, but not as much mythology as I would have hoped for. The world and the geography is drawing parallels to the real world instead of going into details about their background, I hope the other books in the series will shed more light on these matters. On the other side, this may be why the book is so easy to read.
I found that the story is somewhat repetitive in establishing that the protagonist is wrongly viewed as as a useless, expendable and worthless servant, while he is unwittingly the most powerful character in the world. I accept that most other characters may not know of his good deeds, power and integrity, however, his patrons knows, which makes it hard accept the reasoning behind the patrons decision to keep him in the dark about his powers. Its said that he is too young to handle so much power, while at the same time he is behaving more like an adult with more integrity than most, if not all, of the other adult characters.
Craig Alanson has earned his place among my favourite writers with this book, it is perhaps not the best fantasy universe (so far) but the book is nonetheless very entertaining and easy to read.
I find this kind of fantasy to be very different from the science fiction in his other work, also the genre is not my favourite, yet I was fully drawn in and unable to put it down. I was also pleasantly surprised to find it so different from the Expeditionary Force, I guess I expected the witty humour to be the hallmark of the writer, but I found that perhaps it is the various characters honour and integrity in war and military to be similar. I also enjoyed how the nemesis' characters are portrayed, something which is quite different in the expeditionary force series as the nemesis' there are aliens.
The "diamond in the rough"-plot is perhaps not very original and the universe is not very detailed as so far this book in the series goes. There are orcs, dwarfs, daemons and so on, but not as much mythology as I would have hoped for. The world and the geography is drawing parallels to the real world instead of going into details about their background, I hope the other books in the series will shed more light on these matters. On the other side, this may be why the book is so easy to read.
I found that the story is somewhat repetitive in establishing that the protagonist is wrongly viewed as as a useless, expendable and worthless servant, while he is unwittingly the most powerful character in the world. I accept that most other characters may not know of his good deeds, power and integrity, however, his patrons knows, which makes it hard accept the reasoning behind the patrons decision to keep him in the dark about his powers. Its said that he is too young to handle so much power, while at the same time he is behaving more like an adult with more integrity than most, if not all, of the other adult characters.
Craig Alanson has earned his place among my favourite writers with this book, it is perhaps not the best fantasy universe (so far) but the book is nonetheless very entertaining and easy to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2025
You know, I’ve read a lot of Craig Alanson‘s books. I have enjoyed and devoured them all. This book has all the elements of fantasy that I absolutely love, but it falls seriously short. Every once in a while, you have to throw a bone at the reader and give something positive that happens to the protagonist of the story. The entire book is a series of frustrations, wrongdoings, and sad little events for our protagonist. After over 2/3 of the book was finished, the plot finally moved forward. The entire novel is about poor, poor unknowing, Corbin, being treated unjustly and no one coming to his defense. The Regent and the wizard are both i wrongly, keeping the truth from him, and I know that that’s probably the whole point of Allison‘s different take on a wizard story who doesn’t really know he is one. However, it is taken too far at the expense of potentially exciting plot points that lead to a climactic conclusion. The conclusion in this one is anti-climatic. The only likable character is the princess, and maybe because she seems to be the only character who has some judgment. How sad is that? Let me say it again – she is the only likable character because she has judgment, not even anything else. I will end up probably reading the next book, hoping on a wing and a prayer that there’s some resolution that makes this story worth continuing on. As a lover of the expeditionary force series, I’m really disappointed in this one. Didn’t the editors know enough to say something about this?
January 16, 2024
This is a stupid book.
It’s extremely derivative and predictable. The main character (MC) is one of those bland but perfect person types. He’s good at pretty much everything. Alasen explains this as due to his magic power, which makes some sense I guess, but in effect is just eye-roll inducing. None of the characters are all that interesting. They’re basically the mass produced fantasy stock you find in thousands of amateur novels.
There’s a point at which a wizard reads the MC’s fortune and finds that he’s one of the rare people whose future is unwritten and completely up to them. In other words: he has complete autonomy to shape his destiny. Pretty cool, right? Actually no. The result is that this scene doesn’t have much a point. Plus, the MC doesn’t do that much. He basically just bums around waiting for someone else or for some external force to move the plot along or give him something. He’s an extremely passive character. He’s also pretty dumb, as are all the characters. They’re dumb in the way characters are dumb when authors don’t know how to write smart people, so they just reduce the functional IQ of the world down to like 70 or thereabout.
Alasen tries to be witty, but the attempts at humor are just stupid.
I don’t think I’ve read another book in a long time that made me stop and say, “Aw, F*** off!” Out loud as much as this one because of stupid lines, prose, and cheesy convoluted plot points.
The end was moderately interesting.
It’s extremely derivative and predictable. The main character (MC) is one of those bland but perfect person types. He’s good at pretty much everything. Alasen explains this as due to his magic power, which makes some sense I guess, but in effect is just eye-roll inducing. None of the characters are all that interesting. They’re basically the mass produced fantasy stock you find in thousands of amateur novels.
There’s a point at which a wizard reads the MC’s fortune and finds that he’s one of the rare people whose future is unwritten and completely up to them. In other words: he has complete autonomy to shape his destiny. Pretty cool, right? Actually no. The result is that this scene doesn’t have much a point. Plus, the MC doesn’t do that much. He basically just bums around waiting for someone else or for some external force to move the plot along or give him something. He’s an extremely passive character. He’s also pretty dumb, as are all the characters. They’re dumb in the way characters are dumb when authors don’t know how to write smart people, so they just reduce the functional IQ of the world down to like 70 or thereabout.
Alasen tries to be witty, but the attempts at humor are just stupid.
I don’t think I’ve read another book in a long time that made me stop and say, “Aw, F*** off!” Out loud as much as this one because of stupid lines, prose, and cheesy convoluted plot points.
The end was moderately interesting.
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