Betrayer's Bane

Embers of Illeniel #3

by Michael G. Manning

Tyrion was a good person who had been born to a simple family and raised with love, but the world has shaped him for a different fate. Twisted by violence and torture, he is obsessed with a relentless desire for vengeance, and he has sown the seeds of wrath in his children. The She’Har have offered him the opportunity to be a great leader and usher in a new era of prosperity and peace, but despite his gentle beginnings, Tyrion is no hero.


Heroes are born to build, and while many laud the efforts of such leaders, others will work to bring them down, for all good things must come to an end. Every forest must inevitably face the flame.


Destiny has chosen Tyrion for a different path and given him the spark that will burn the world to ashes. Embracing the evil within, he will reap a harvest of hatred, and no one will find safety in the purge of fire that he brings, and even the betrayer has his bane.


Will anything be left to rise from the ash?

Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Fiction, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy

380 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 30, 2016

About the author

Michael Manning was born in Cleveland, Texas and spent his formative years there, reading fantasy and science fiction, concocting home grown experiments in his backyard, and generally avoiding schoolwork.

Eventually he went to college, starting at Sam Houston State University, where his love of beer blossomed and his obsession with playing role-playing games led him to what he calls 'his best year ever' and what most of his family calls 'the lost year'.

Several years and a few crappy jobs later, he decided to pursue college again and was somehow accepted into the University of Houston Honors program (we won't get into the particulars of that miracle). This led to a degree in pharmacy and it followed from there that he wound up with a license to practice said profession.

Unfortunately, Michael was not a very good pharmacist. Being relatively lawless and free spirited were not particularly good traits to possess in a career focused on perfection, patient safety, and the letter-of-the-law. Nevertheless, he persisted and after a stint as a hospital pharmacy manager wound up as a pharmacist working in correctional managed care for the State of Texas.

He gave drugs to prisoners.

After a year or two at UTMB he became bored and taught himself entirely too much about networking, programming, and database design and administration. At first his supervisors warned him (repeatedly) to do his assigned tasks and stop designing programs to help his coworkers do theirs, but eventually they gave up and just let him do whatever he liked since it seemed to be generally working out well for them.

Ten or eleven years later and he got bored with that too. So he wrote a book. We won't talk about where he was when he wrote 'The Blacksmith's Son', but let's just assume he was probably supposed to be doing something else at the time.

Some people liked the book and told other people. Now they won't leave him alone.

After another year or two, he decided to just give up and stop pretending to be a pharmacist/programmer, much to the chagrin of his mother (who had only ever wanted him to grow up to be a doctor and had finally become content with the fact that he had settled on pharmacy instead).

Michael's wife supported his decision, even as she stubbornly refused to believe he would make any money at it. It turned out later that she was just telling him this because she knew that nothing made Michael more contrary than his never ending desire to prove her wrong. Once he was able to prove said fact she promptly admitted her tricky ruse and he has since given up on trying to win.

Today he lives at home with his stubborn wife, teenage twins, a giant moose-poodle, two yorkies, a green-cheeked conure, a massive prehistoric tortoise, and a head full of imaginary people. There are also some fish, but he refuses to talk about them.

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Reviews

[Michael Bruun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished "Betrayers bane", and while I enjoyed the story, I can't really decide how I feel about it.
The plot and pace are just as compelling as the Mageborn, but so much darker. Usually in fantasy, the main character is someone you can relate to and who is ultimately faced with choices between good and evil and - after much hardship and gnashing of teeth - he/she makes the right choice.
Tyrion starts out as an ordinary John Doe -someone I can relate to - but throughout the series he is warped and twisted by life and hardship into something I find abhorrent and loathsome. Something that is in many ways as inhuman as the enemy he tries to overcome.
Don't get me wrong - the character is completely belivably written and I fully understand WHY he makes hos choices and commits just about every despicable crime known to man (and She'har). But understanding doesn't excuse or justify his actions. I find that reasoning analogous to the Nazis of "Das Drittes Reich" who were just doing what was necessary and required. That didn't justify their actions either.
The emotional conflicts it caused me as I read it, were remarkable and I must say I enjoyed reading it immensely.
The book is a fitting conclusion to the Embers-series which describes the dark, painfilled, sorrowimbued and desolate life of a young man twisted by forces (external as well as internal) he cannot fully control.
It also clarified several things I found odd and couldn't quite fit in when I read and re-read Mageborn.

A definitely recomendable, emotional tug-of-war for the reader. NOT a feel-good fantasy, however.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simultaneously want to kiss Michael G. Manning and kick him in the balls for writing this book...
I'm not sure how to describe it, but I'll give it a shot.

Betrayer's Bane is the conclusion to his trilogy "Embers of Illeniel" and it is certainly very well written, extremely dark and satisfying all at once.
However it also gives the reader a serious depression. It is brutal in all manners, violent, both sexually, physically & psychologically. In short Grimdark at is finest.

Tyrions' heartbreaking life story and ultimate revenge is glorious and a fine example on how the circumstances of your life can twist you in the worst possible way. Given his background I can't imagine it ending in any different way and I applaud Michael Manning for having the courage to write the book as he has.

Few would dare publish such an audacious book, fewer still would get away with it.

If you are in anyway squeamish or aversive to violence or other dark themes i recommend you steer clear of the book, it is not for the easily offended.

However if you are capable of handling touchy subjects I urge you to read it.

5/5

[Gary Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read all of Michael G Manning's work, I have to say this is the best yet. We were warned by Micheal, that this was no fairytale.
Having said that, there are glimpses of hope and redemption throughout the book and at times my heart soared at the beauty in the words, but this was never going to end well. After years of abuse from the She-Har. Tyrion has only revenge in his heart. The sheer calculated brutality of the final atrocity of the She-Har had me gasping.
Michael's style of writing has the reader so attached to the characters, that at times we wish we didn't have to 'watch' the tragedy unfold.
Well done sir.

[Wesley Barrentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cathartic!

There was only one proper way this story could end, and Michael G. Manning nailed it, it didn't start out as a fairy tale and it certainly didn't end as one. Great series! One of my all time favorites!

[Reiji · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead.
The spectacle is there. Descriptions of battles and big events are easy to visualize and are often breathtaking. Theme of revenge is interesting, the path needed to get it takes commitment and a toll. Tyrion has to choose between remaining in an unsatisfactory/mediocre situation that he is in or doing the very things that caused his outrage.
Storyteller is only in the beginning and the end so he no longer detracts from the story.

Writing
The same thing can end up being explained and reiterated 20 times. Despite that a lot of things will need to be filled with your imagination. Bridget having never before mentioned trump card that lets her go out blazing. It feels like the author wanted that moment but could not fit it in well. Many of the events that happened because they were mentioned in mageborn also have this problem, the explanation/resolution is often haphazard


Dark vs Edge
This is a dark story but occasionally it dips into edgy territory which makes things go from horrible to comical or puzzling, for example after kate and the babies are killed Tyrion has to go home and deal with it, then he has to spend weeks overseeing porting of wild humans to his town(4000+ people), then a grove is destroyed and an army is sent to the town, then all groves are killed and for some reason Tyrion does not put himself in his timed box and instead spends time living in his old home and letting himself go while collecting cows and sheep for his boxes. year goes by and we find out that despite it having been around a year and a half since kate and the baby died no one bothered burring them or cremating them. It's supposed to be this shocking moment when you find it out and no, there is not a missing scene where in his grief he forbade others from burring them or something. It's not like there was no time, lyra even held the baby so after having a good cry did she just put it back on the floor or something? If he did not want to do it by hand Tyrion could have collapsed the building from outside and had the earth swallow it. The only reason I can think was that the author wanted that horror moment. He seems generally selective about the horrors of the situation, sometimes he will dance around the issue, not even using proper words for things that are going on and then he bends over backwards to give you this.

I know he initially stayed to collect the animals because had overlooked their need but once he started going crazy from lack of contact the box would have been the logical choice. Given his plans for the future it did not seem like he was punishing himself in penance or being suicidal.

Characters and character motivation
There are some good seeds, events that tell us more about the characters than their words do and nice visuals, like a metal arm/mask,etc. Main meat of their internal turmoil happens mostly off screen, for some that maybe a case of "less is more" but to me it lead to situations were suddenly character X is paranoid or has done a 180 Tyrion himself gets a full outlook reset after being a tree for a while, we don't know what specifically changed his view, just that it did(ostensibly just so the plot can happen). Emma,Ryan,Abby and Bridget's character progression makes sense but the origin of their current dispositions is somewhat murky and gets off screen changes too(for example did Emma ever show any disapproval of Lyra before suddenly calling her child an abomination?I don't recall such a time and maybe it just me), especially Abby whos kindness is mostly an informed attribute. Time skips only make it worse. Lyra starts off having a personality and then defaults to "did I do something wrong", there is no gradual disillusionment with her people in the end its like a flip of a switch and as for magebornI think her being in favor of killing her people diminishes the whole "your husband waits for you and asks your forgiveness". If you read magebron you may have imagined various scenarios that could have caused that line, many of them probably better than what we got. Im not saying it makes no sense for her to want them dead, Im saying the line seem to have been promising a different plot development .Only thing I recall about kate in this book was that she was jealous, needed to pee and asked dumb questions like why the trees can't come to her. I know she was being defensive etc but everytime things like that took up time my mind kept jumping to all the things we were not getting.

Why not
It is assumed that Illeniels are blocking all other groves or have already taken measures ages ago but I would have liked to have seen some of those politics and actions, instead we got building progress reports. Don't tell me that seeing it would have been pointless, if there was time to give a city tour to impress wild humans, why not this. I mean ultimately Tyrion moved most of them by force. maybe it would not inform Tyrion's character the same way the tour did but I would have liked groves to have been a more active part of the story. Everyone is powerful, 1 agent from 1 grove was able to subvert 7 servants(off screen) and with right maneuvering could have destroyed everything and even without it managed to do a lot of damage, imagine what 20 could have done(dice for each would make them even harder to read) but I think confrontations could have been arranged without any side bringing their full force.

There was an interesting subplot where kate was worried about Tyrion becoming more tree-like, the book was full of nuggets that if focused on would have made a better story than some of the minutia we got.Did Tyrion need to turn into a tree 3 times? Everything that was done during the second time could have happened during the first and the extra pages could have been used on that investigation trees were doing into Tyrion. maybe get pov of all the groves and give them distinct voices?

Despite having an evacuation subplot kate's ex husband and her son never come into picture, not even just to say what the hell(They got 0 screen time which is less time than one of the guys who Tyrion cuckolded got). Bridget spends 7 months with Tyrion's parents and they get few more visits but everything relating to them could fit on 1/4th of a page. Tyrion's dad saying "I should not have said that I wish you had not been born, even if it's true." and "when making choices think about what is best for your kids" is all the wrap up they get, I guess it was assumed that no one cares. This is the end for many of the characters so I expected more development and more answers.

We also have law warden trying to make amends by being useful but he assumes Tyrion had no intentions of going along with the peace (despite only knowing like 10% of the overall plan) he also sweeps the whole genetic dead end thing under the rug, so his already clumsy attempts come off as insincere(I would argue that he was not sincere). I would have enjoyed it more if he had been sincere and had gradually uncovered Tyrion's plan instead of remaining oblivious till the end. Some may argue that Tyrion was too paranoid to ever let the law warden learn anything but the story had no problem removing characters guard when plot needed to move and from what I saw it was mostly luck that his plan did not get out.

Would it have been better if Tyrion had confronted his actions? none of the characters seem to. There are affirmations of resolve like "if its us or them" or "If I start thinking now I will never stop crying" "for the future" but there is no confrontation of actions. I would even say it comes off as good, everyone is broken but staying broken is how they keep on living, because despite there being "peace" they are never out of the woods. maybe the reason is that the author could not find any rational that would be acceptable to the reader. When Tyrion does his temporary 180, no thought is given to things he has already done, he thinks passage of time will make it all water under the bridge and instead of seeing how it goes (his kids rejecting his peace or his other acts coming back to haunt him)we get an attack. Attack at the root of which is not his cruelty, its him having had a baby with lyra, which is an interesting choice. Interesting to contemplate but perhaps unsatisfying to read. Maybe Im overthinking everything or maybe im not reading enough into it

[Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took another super dark turn which I feel goes with the over feel of the series but I just didn't like it as much as I did the other books. I give this book 3.5 stars.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good series, but I will never reread this trilogy. Once was more than enough.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Spiral Into Utter Darkness

This series has been genuinely outstanding. It includes what I would regard as some of the most powerful scenes that I have ever seen in a fantasy series. Tyrion's endless struggle against his oppressors and his own nature is genuinely a dark and gripping tale. He is constantly hemmed in by the unforeseen consequences of his actions and he and his children descend into a darkness that threatens to overcome everything. I now think that the author was definitely right to include his warning about the nature of the book, it delves into areas that are far from comfortable reading. Child abuse, domestic violence, intolerance and dark deeds are at the heart of this story and yet there are also positive, strong characters and the enduring hope, albeit often fleeting, that light will prevail. The tale of Tyrion's torment, his crushing desire for revenge and how it drives a man who undoubtedly had goodness in his soul to the edge of his sanity is a masterpiece. The true darkness though is how it effects those around him and what many of them become.

The narration by Alex Wyndham is top quality throughout, his voices really help to flesh the characters out.

The tensions grow as Tyrion and the world around him are dragged further and further into darkness. It all leads up to a quite cataclysmic finale and a sudden, brutal ending. Although there are some slower passages in this book the way that the sheer madness builds and then quite literally shudders to that dramatic conclusion is near perfection.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion of Embers of Illeniel series is dark and tragic and a tough one to read. I knew from reading about the future descendants of Tyrion Illeniel aka Daniel Tennick in the Mageborn series what the ultimate end for Tyrion was going to be but I had hoped how he got there was not going to be so tragic. I admit I was disappointment that Daniel was not allowed to have a better ending as compensation for the cruel life he had been forced to live which I think caused me not to enjoy this story very much. However, I couldn't give it fewer stars simply because I was disappointed. All in all, it is a very good page turner read.

[Benjamin Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written. A fitting end to a horrifying story.

Loved, and hated this book. Well written, and unfortunately, Mr. Manning has proven once again to be a master of manipulating his readers emotions. In his other books, I felt mostly love, hope, victory, and joy. This one, I felt mostly despair and longing for the happy ending that I knew wasn't coming. Either way, it was an enjoyable read. I recommend reading his other books before this one, as foreknowledge will temper the hopelessness in this story and make it enjoyable.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fulfilling but dark and bitter...

Dark and to a certain extent depressing but taken in the context of the overarching story it was a fantastic prequel that answered a lot of foundation questions leading up to the mage born series. Honestly it wasn't as bad as the author warned in the prologue. As with the other books in this storyline I recommend reading mageborn first. The embers story could stand on its own but won't make as much sense without the mage born context. Looking forward to the next sequel .

[Lori Suitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was by FAR the Darkest book ever written by Michael G Manning, however, as a friend recently quoted in regards to Tyrion's decline: "Just vengeance does not call for punishment- Pierre Corneille" And this is SO accurate for the basis of Betrayer's Bane. There were tears shed over the plot line, but the evil that occurred in the book was either just vengeance, or followed BY just vengeance!!

[Mark Zill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not his best

I've read every boo in the series and i was really excited for this one. I ended up being a bit let down (mild spoiler) by the excessive killing throughout the book. The gore was entertaining at first but after awhile it starts devaluing it and you really have a hard time getting into the characters. I know the author prefaced about this but I definitely think it could been cleaner while still being a messed book about Tyrions fall.

[Natasha Hodges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa!

First off, this book continues in Michael's exemplary writing style. Excellent depth of characters, complex story line, and interesting play between good and evil.
Unfortunately, this book is mostly heart-rending. My happy heart is appeased knowing that this wasn't the end, rather a beginning of one of my favorite series.
Another job well done.

[Joseph Vanucchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disturbingly good(&bad)

The author really sums up the tone in his forward. A bit wrong, slightly twisted, strange and fun. In other words, enjoyed it immensely. Could have gone without the final 3 or 4 pages, but in retrospect I should have seen it coming. READ!!!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Embers of Illeniel series is amazing. Yes, it was dark, sad, and shocking at times. There are scenes in the story that can be difficult to get through, including rape, incest, and the murder of children. The protagonists did things that sometimes made me want to scream, and the "bad guys" are some of the worst I have encountered in any of the books I have read so far. If you have a weak stomach or can't handle dark situations, this may not be the book for you. However, I think the dark parts of this book were needed to truly understand why the main character develops into the person he is, and why he makes the decisions he does. It is not all dark, though. The series is also beautiful, exciting, and full of good.

It has been a long time since I have been so affected by a book. I felt a deep sadness at the ending knowing that it was over, but it couldn't have ended more perfectly. This is the exact type of story I have been looking for, and I would recommend it to anyone who is okay with tackling tough subject matter. As sad as I am that the series is over, at least now I can get more than a couple hours asleep at night! It was so hard to put the books down that for the past week I have been staying up too late and waking up early before work just so I could read some more!!

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. I read all the Mageborn books first. Going into the beginning of this series, I was hesitant to start a new story with new characters.

The best thing I can say about this book is: I read a lot. I’ll speed read through books like these in a day or two. Over time, I tend to forget stories I’ve read or they start blending together.

Not Betrayer’s Bane. I didn’t necessarily even realize it at the time I was reading it, but I find myself remembering this book more than almost any others I’ve ever read. It’s so different, so unique. As I get more distance from the book, I find myself realizing it is probably one of my top 5 favorite books of all time.

The finale to this series is nothing short of jaw dropping.

Overall, all the books in the Mageborn world are some of my favorite “comfort” books that I find myself re-reading every few years, and this one is the best.

[V1x3n.r3d · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, It's done. It has never taken me so long to finish a book. I was seriously considering dropping few times but the only book I've done that to was Fifty shades of gray and I didn't want to put them in the same level of bad. I loved the Art of the adept so I definitely didn't expect such disappointment with this series. All characters are unlikable . If they all died I wouldn't have shed a tear. I know that the whole rapist thing was needed for the plot but it still didn't sit well with me. Maybe I'm too close minded but this whole two wives thing was just a NO NO for me. But the biggest problem was the absolute lack of humor . That's what I liked the most in the Art of the adept and expected at least a bit of it in those books but NO.. zilch. Overall I would give the trilogy 3 stars and I'm being generous.

[Tamara Tipton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of heartbreak and hope.

Fair warning, this book is dark. It starts in a dark place and then it digs deeper, looking for complete and utter blackness. For a moment it seems that you may see a glimpse of light but it is not to be. However, through the darkness you will be lead on a fascinating journey of discovery and understanding. You will learn the secrets that built the world of Mordecai and his family. This series and most especially this final book is the bedrock at the Mageborn and the Champions of the Dawning Dragons are built upon. After all, as they say, those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book with all its darkness. I hope you will too.

[Boy With The White Hair · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT AN EPIC CONCLUSION!

I read this book within two days! TWO DAYS! I know, that might not be fast compared to others but that's plenty of fast for me. Manning keeps building up one event after the other, making sure we are hooked to the story from the start. We see Tyrion take more and more morally questionable decisions, and we see this world isn't definitely one with white knights in shining armor.

AND THAT ENDING! My god I keep moving page after page, all that action and tension mixing together gave me a heart attack!

This is without a doubt one of the best fantasy trilogies I've read. Thank you Manning, this book will always have a place in my heart

[Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is dark and I won't lie it depressed me but on the same time I was sooo hooked on it!!! I couldn't stop reading it honestly, I would start my work late because I just couldn't gather the will power to pause it for a few hours! This book trilogy is so unique, I am obsessed with it!

The main character is pretty flawed and deserves to die but on the same time you see his struggles and kind of feel for him and want him to succeed and find peace. Ther are some seriously f..ed up situations but I believe this adds to the overall gravity of the story.

By far my favourite books

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illeniel's Embers #3 - Mageborn #8

Tyrion's tale comes to a close in an expected fashion. He gets the revenge he sought for so long as his plan for retribution is finally executed, although with unexpected consequences.

I really enjoyed this prequel trilogy and it compliments the overall series in illuminating fashion. There are so many little details that provide insight or context to the Mageborn storyline, and probably the books that follow as well. This creation is a work of art that sets an author apart from their peers and elevates them into an elite category.

[Gautam Surath · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb end to what has been a pretty good series. Somehow we always knew it was going to end badly and Michael does not sway away from the path at any point. A new world needs to rise from the ashes and the planning of the holocaust is clockwork. We see the seeds of what was shown in the second book come to fruition with each of the children now performing several roles for their father. A highly recommended series. Now to take the net logical step to Mageborn.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough read. I spent the first two-thirds of the book hoping Tyrion would find his inner Daniel once more. Finally, hope and empathy bubbled back to the surface... only to be ripped away. Sigh.

I'm not sure of the writing order of these nested series within the larger story, but I hope these three books were not written first. It feels more like the author strained to explain this society's creation event. Genocide is not a pleasant subject to wallow in for over 1,000 pages.

[Francis Chamberland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stranger's Band (Embers of Illeniel Book 3) Review

Dear Michael, this book was very dark, filled with hatred and extremely difficult to read. I liked the series but not so much this particular book. Since this book is part of the series it must be indured to understand the series better. I recommend reading this book to adults only noting the dark nature of the presentation.

[Joao Augusto · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a great ending to this prequel saga.
It explains a lots of things that happend in the mageborn series and leave a way open to expand this universe a bit more.

So far we know 2 of the 3 different "races" that the She'Har's have names. I cant wait to know the last one.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is simply based on how dark the story is, even though I was forewarned plenty, I felt it necessary to read it to understand the back story of things. I'm glad to have the nightmares subside and to be finished with it and have a good understanding of things that happened.
The writing, the story, the characters, the fluidity is all superb. But yes, be forewarned, it is dark.

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the complete series and enjoyed them all. The MC experiences terrible hardships as he moves forward to become incredibly powerful, but it’s no easy life. Honestly, I’m terrible at writing reviews. Why? Because my only requirement for highly rated review is that the book held my interest to keep turning pages! Yep, for me this was a page turner!

[David Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent end to a great series.

As many of the other reviewers have commented, the author's foreword is key. As readers of the series we have known that this arc has been coming for some time, but it is still not enough warning for what follows - a dark, twisted journey into the clinical mind of Tyrion and his mission to remove his enemies.

As always, well written, giving life to the more disturbing aspects of mass extinction and wholesale slaughter. Not for the faint of heart, but definitely worth a read. A fitting ending to Tyrion's tale.

[E.A. Newton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intense, very dark, and definitely should be read with the other books (all of them) firmly in mind... I’ll be re-reading the others now that I have the back story!!!

MGM does a wonderful job of showing (through reverse psychology) how powerful and necessary forgiveness is!