Gryphon

Rise of the Mages #2

by Brian W. Foster

Xan thwarted Dastanar’s plans to conquer Asherton, but his efforts cost him his friends and an alliance with the duke. He’s left hungry and alone and with an arrow sticking from his shoulder, not to mention that every soldier and noble in the three kingdoms wants him dead. Definitely not worth it. He forsakes magic and hides among a group of refugees. They face bandits and both abandonment and outright betrayal by authorities sworn to serve the public. As each encounter leaves the group worse off, winter approaches, bringing the threat of starvation. To save his new friends, Xan must become more than an apothecary and more than a mage. He must become the wizard his people need to lead them to safety. A wizard who can negotiate with monarchs on an equal footing. A wizard who can fight Dastanar. He must become … the Gryphon.

618 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2017

About the author

Brian W. Foster is a speculative fiction writer whose works include the epic fantasy Rise of the Mages series and the superhero genre series, Repulsive.

Brian lives in California with his wonderful wife and two adorable kids. He is a season ticket holder for the New Orleans Saints, plays in two dynasty fantasy football leagues, enjoys strategy board games, and is a registered professional engineer (mechanical) in the state of Louisiana. He also has a tendency to write segments like this one in the third person but feels strange about doing so.

For notifications and free stuff, join his email list at http://www.subscribepage.com/p5h5o2

Reviews

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited

Xan thwarted Dastanar’s plans to conquer Asherton, but his efforts cost him his friends and an alliance with the duke. He’s left hungry and alone and with an arrow sticking from his shoulder, not to mention that every soldier and noble in the three kingdoms wants him dead. Definitely not worth it. He forsakes magic and hides among a group of refugees. They face bandits and both abandonment and outright betrayal by authorities sworn to serve the public. As each encounter leaves the group worse off, winter approaches, bringing the threat of starvation. To save his new friends, Xan must become more than an apothecary and more than a mage. He must become the wizard his people need to lead them to safety. A wizard who can negotiate with monarchs on an equal footing. A wizard who can fight Dastanar. He must become … the Gryphon.

Rise of the Mages Series
Prequel - Abuse of Power
Book 1 - Rise of the Mages
Book 2 - Gryphon
Book 3 - Wizard's Strike (Coming late 2018)

Repulsive Trilogy
Prequel - "Repulsive Origins: The Captain"
Book 1 - Repulsive
Book 2 - Attractive (Coming early 2018)
Book 3 - Explosive (Coming early 2018)

[Christi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this series. The Gryphon starts with Xan injured from the earlier book. Watching him grow and retain his human imperfections was one of the things I enjoyed in this book. It is well written. The characters are well developed and easy to empathize with or dislike. Brant surprised me when he finally found his courage to follow what he believed was right.
Will the friends reunite to work together? Will the 3 kingdoms come together to defeat King Barius? Will they find enough mages to fight? All these questions and more are answered in The Gryphon. I read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. This is one of those books that had me wondering what was happening next when I had to put it down for Real Life. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

[TERRY DRISCOLL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read looking forward to the end of the adventure.