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Moontide and Magic Rise
For the first time in an omnibus, this duology chronicles the adventures of naturalist Tristram Flattery as he voyages to discover the lost history of magic in a world where reason and science reign.
The Age of Mages is over, and all the secrets of their magical arts are thought to be lost to the world. There are even those who suspect that the last of the great Mages spent their final years scrupulously eradicating all traces of their craft from the pages of history--insuring that their art will never be practiced again.
It is the dawn of a new an age of reason, science, and exploration, and Tristam Flattery is one of its most promising young naturalists. But when Tristam is summoned to the royal court of Farrland to try to revitalize a failing species of plant which seems to have mysterious, almost magical, medicinal properties--a plant without which, he is told, the aging king will surely die--he soon realizes that he has been drawn into the heart of a political struggle which spans generations, a conflict which threatens the very foundations of his civilization. And before long, Tristam is caught in the grip of a destiny which will lead him to the ends of the known world--on a voyage of discovery that has more to do with magic than with science....
The Age of Mages is over, and all the secrets of their magical arts are thought to be lost to the world. There are even those who suspect that the last of the great Mages spent their final years scrupulously eradicating all traces of their craft from the pages of history--insuring that their art will never be practiced again.
It is the dawn of a new an age of reason, science, and exploration, and Tristam Flattery is one of its most promising young naturalists. But when Tristam is summoned to the royal court of Farrland to try to revitalize a failing species of plant which seems to have mysterious, almost magical, medicinal properties--a plant without which, he is told, the aging king will surely die--he soon realizes that he has been drawn into the heart of a political struggle which spans generations, a conflict which threatens the very foundations of his civilization. And before long, Tristam is caught in the grip of a destiny which will lead him to the ends of the known world--on a voyage of discovery that has more to do with magic than with science....
832 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2018
5 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Sean Russell
42 books143 followersAka Sean Thomas Russell
Sean Russel has co-written, with Ian Dennis, a mystery series called "Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner". The first volume of the series was published by Bantam under their joint pen name, T.F. Banks.
Sean Russell was born 1952 in Toronto. At the age of three his family moved to the outskirts of the city, where they lived in a cottage at the beach of Lake Ontario. At the age of ten he decided to become an author, and the fantasy genre caught him years later, while reading J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. After university, he moved to Vancouver, and two years later to Vancouver Island, where he still lives with his family. He published his first novel in 1991.His first historical naval novel Under Enemy Colours, published in 2007, introduced a new Royal Navy hero, Charles Hayden, and HMS Themis, a fictitious frigate.
Mr. Russell cites history as one of his passions, collects old yachting and sailing books, skis, sails and travels. Past interests include caving, rock climbing, hiking, and racing sailboats.
Sean Russel has co-written, with Ian Dennis, a mystery series called "Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner". The first volume of the series was published by Bantam under their joint pen name, T.F. Banks.
Sean Russell was born 1952 in Toronto. At the age of three his family moved to the outskirts of the city, where they lived in a cottage at the beach of Lake Ontario. At the age of ten he decided to become an author, and the fantasy genre caught him years later, while reading J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. After university, he moved to Vancouver, and two years later to Vancouver Island, where he still lives with his family. He published his first novel in 1991.His first historical naval novel Under Enemy Colours, published in 2007, introduced a new Royal Navy hero, Charles Hayden, and HMS Themis, a fictitious frigate.
Mr. Russell cites history as one of his passions, collects old yachting and sailing books, skis, sails and travels. Past interests include caving, rock climbing, hiking, and racing sailboats.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 2, 2019
I don't know how to describe this book because there are so many words that I could choose! The story is so complex and has so many characters but I never found it hard to follow. It was my second time reading from this author and I find his writing so rich in details that I find myself paying attention to everything. I got sucked into this book and couldn't stop reading towards the end.
February 3, 2021
This was a slow book, and WHY are all these enlightened science types running around killing people and committing treason for a magical mcguffin whose powers are entirely opaque and never revealed?? Why do all the goodies hate magic so much? Because it’s maybe as addictive as cocaine and the side effect is living 300 years??? None of this makes sense.
May 30, 2019
One of the main driving points of the story was humanity's desire to retain youth and postpone death, but it wasn't very engaging. It takes about 650 pages for the story to really start moving, but by that time I just wanted it to be over. The prequel, River into Darkness, is much better.
January 23, 2024
Arguably, the fact that I abandoned this book should mean that it's a one star rating, but there were enough aspects to the book that I enjoyed to give it two stars. I liked the atmosphere of the writing, as well as the writing style itself, but the plot felt way too obscure and the story itself meandered in a slow, rather senseless manner that left me with the feeling of waiting for when the story would start.
And then I realized I was nearly two hundred pages in, and still was waiting. I skimmed ahead but only found more meanderings, and then skipped a hundred pages or so, and it looked like something was finally happening, but at that point, I didn't know what. In order to find out, I would have to drag myself through all the slow progression (if one can call it that) of the plot and I had no desire to try it.
Overall, I liked the characters, and there were moments of intrigue that really got my attention, but they got dropped and not explored again until who knows when so it didn't hold my attention. And I am still not entirely sure what the point of the plot is. Something to do with a magical plant? And....why the two year sailing trip? How would that help? Why was it even necessary?
The duchess? Annoying. And the back and forth with the MC and her got in my nerves. Should he be charmed by her? Yes, he couldn't help it. But oh no, he couldn't trust her. But he couldn't stop himself. She was so charming and mysterious. But no, she was cold and heartless and just playing him along. Oh but wait, was that genuine concern? She does have a heart! She seems to like him. No, she is only using him.
Back and forth and back and forth it went, and yet it never stopped either one of them from fooling around when they got the chance. And all times it didn't seem real. I never understood why she would just randomly throw herself at him (a bit of an exaggeration). What did she gain by it? And why would she do it? It didn't make sense. I think she was supposed to come across as an incredibly clever and conniving as well as charming, but she actually just came across as a self-indulgent adulteress who had a lot of power and money to get away with it.
To conclude, I abandoned it. The plot wasn't strong enough to carry me through to the end of even the first book, although the writing style was charming enough to get me to page 187.
And then I realized I was nearly two hundred pages in, and still was waiting. I skimmed ahead but only found more meanderings, and then skipped a hundred pages or so, and it looked like something was finally happening, but at that point, I didn't know what. In order to find out, I would have to drag myself through all the slow progression (if one can call it that) of the plot and I had no desire to try it.
Overall, I liked the characters, and there were moments of intrigue that really got my attention, but they got dropped and not explored again until who knows when so it didn't hold my attention. And I am still not entirely sure what the point of the plot is. Something to do with a magical plant? And....why the two year sailing trip? How would that help? Why was it even necessary?
The duchess? Annoying. And the back and forth with the MC and her got in my nerves. Should he be charmed by her? Yes, he couldn't help it. But oh no, he couldn't trust her. But he couldn't stop himself. She was so charming and mysterious. But no, she was cold and heartless and just playing him along. Oh but wait, was that genuine concern? She does have a heart! She seems to like him. No, she is only using him.
Back and forth and back and forth it went, and yet it never stopped either one of them from fooling around when they got the chance. And all times it didn't seem real. I never understood why she would just randomly throw herself at him (a bit of an exaggeration). What did she gain by it? And why would she do it? It didn't make sense. I think she was supposed to come across as an incredibly clever and conniving as well as charming, but she actually just came across as a self-indulgent adulteress who had a lot of power and money to get away with it.
To conclude, I abandoned it. The plot wasn't strong enough to carry me through to the end of even the first book, although the writing style was charming enough to get me to page 187.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews