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The Spellmonger #3
Magelord
MINALAN GETS MEDIEVAL!
When you defeat the invading goblin army, get knighted on the field of battle, gifted with lands and gold, usually your happily-ever-after is . . . happy. But now that Minalan the Spellmonger has been ennobled and enfiefed, Sire Minalan has a task cut out for him that makes defeating goblins seem like child’s play: moving his very pregnant bride and a few thousand refugees from Boval Vale into the remote, sparsely-peopled Domain of Sevendor. But when he arrives, he finds the land withered from neglect, filled with superstition and suspicion, a third of his domain has been conquered before he got there, and the castle he now owns hasn’t been maintained in decades. As Minalan manages the challenges of being a noble, being a mage knight, being the lord of the manor, being a landlord, and fending off a belligerent (and well-armed) neighbor, he also has to learn how to be a husband, father, and a leader of a people.
Then the fateful night his son is finally born, Minalan learns the nature of fear, as he, his family, and his very realm are forever changed when the spell he casts to save their lives transforms the land. Minalan, his apprentices Sir Tyndal and Sir Rondal, his dour but efficacious castellan Sir Cei, and his moody wife struggle through the winter and defend their domain in his attempt to prove what a Magelord can do for his people when he puts magic in their service.
But in the distance, the threat of a renewed war with the goblins looms as they approach the Riverlands, the Gilmoran baronies that are the heart of the Duchies. The contentious High Magi convene to constitute the new Arcane Orders, while the fanatical Royal Censorate of Magic plots defeat them and the thousands of hedgemagi, witches and footwizards they terrorized now see Minalan as a hero. The sinister Family schemes to promote Duke Rard II to become King Rard I of the newly-united Kingdom of Castalshar – over a pile of bodies, if necessary. And suddenly, out of the sky fall dragons in the service of the Dead God to strike at the strength of the nascent Kingdom.
How can Sire Minalan fight goblins, plots, poverty and politics, all from his remote and rustic vale while keeping the peasants in line and the Warbird of West Fleria at bay? With wit, courage, determination, and a healthy dose of magic. And when the new King tasks him to find a way to slay a dragon, an ordinary knight might shy away from the quest. For Sire Minalan, it’s just another day on the job as a
MAGELORD!
When you defeat the invading goblin army, get knighted on the field of battle, gifted with lands and gold, usually your happily-ever-after is . . . happy. But now that Minalan the Spellmonger has been ennobled and enfiefed, Sire Minalan has a task cut out for him that makes defeating goblins seem like child’s play: moving his very pregnant bride and a few thousand refugees from Boval Vale into the remote, sparsely-peopled Domain of Sevendor. But when he arrives, he finds the land withered from neglect, filled with superstition and suspicion, a third of his domain has been conquered before he got there, and the castle he now owns hasn’t been maintained in decades. As Minalan manages the challenges of being a noble, being a mage knight, being the lord of the manor, being a landlord, and fending off a belligerent (and well-armed) neighbor, he also has to learn how to be a husband, father, and a leader of a people.
Then the fateful night his son is finally born, Minalan learns the nature of fear, as he, his family, and his very realm are forever changed when the spell he casts to save their lives transforms the land. Minalan, his apprentices Sir Tyndal and Sir Rondal, his dour but efficacious castellan Sir Cei, and his moody wife struggle through the winter and defend their domain in his attempt to prove what a Magelord can do for his people when he puts magic in their service.
But in the distance, the threat of a renewed war with the goblins looms as they approach the Riverlands, the Gilmoran baronies that are the heart of the Duchies. The contentious High Magi convene to constitute the new Arcane Orders, while the fanatical Royal Censorate of Magic plots defeat them and the thousands of hedgemagi, witches and footwizards they terrorized now see Minalan as a hero. The sinister Family schemes to promote Duke Rard II to become King Rard I of the newly-united Kingdom of Castalshar – over a pile of bodies, if necessary. And suddenly, out of the sky fall dragons in the service of the Dead God to strike at the strength of the nascent Kingdom.
How can Sire Minalan fight goblins, plots, poverty and politics, all from his remote and rustic vale while keeping the peasants in line and the Warbird of West Fleria at bay? With wit, courage, determination, and a healthy dose of magic. And when the new King tasks him to find a way to slay a dragon, an ordinary knight might shy away from the quest. For Sire Minalan, it’s just another day on the job as a
MAGELORD!
1012 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2013
421 people are currently reading
687 people want to read
About the author
Terry Mancour
42 books1,171 followersTerry Mancour is a New York Times Best-Selling Author who has written more than 30 books, under his own name and pseudonyms, including Star Trek: The Next Generation #20, Spartacus, the Spellmonger Series (more than 11 books and growing), among other works.
He was born in Flint, Michigan in 1968 (according to his mother) and wisely relocated to North Carolina in 1978 where he embraced Southern culture and its dedication to compelling narratives and intriguing characterizations. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in Religious Studies.
Terry, his beautiful wife and three children live just outside of Durham, N.C. atop Red Mountain. He was nominated for the 2018 Audie Award for Best Fantasy for the audiobook for Spellmonger (narrated by John Lee), the first book in his Spellmonger Series.
He has plotted the Spellmonger Series for at least thirty books, in addition to his Spellmonger Cadet (young adult) series, stand-alone novels, short stories and novellas set within the Spellmonger Universe, all of which will be published by Podium as audiobooks. He is also the author of a series of sequels to Golden Age sci-fi master H. Beam Piper's novel, Space Viking, as well as original sci-fi novels.
He was born in Flint, Michigan in 1968 (according to his mother) and wisely relocated to North Carolina in 1978 where he embraced Southern culture and its dedication to compelling narratives and intriguing characterizations. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in Religious Studies.
Terry, his beautiful wife and three children live just outside of Durham, N.C. atop Red Mountain. He was nominated for the 2018 Audie Award for Best Fantasy for the audiobook for Spellmonger (narrated by John Lee), the first book in his Spellmonger Series.
He has plotted the Spellmonger Series for at least thirty books, in addition to his Spellmonger Cadet (young adult) series, stand-alone novels, short stories and novellas set within the Spellmonger Universe, all of which will be published by Podium as audiobooks. He is also the author of a series of sequels to Golden Age sci-fi master H. Beam Piper's novel, Space Viking, as well as original sci-fi novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
January 15, 2014
In reading this book, I came to the conclusion that the oft-repeated advice "show don't tell" stinks. There's this whole section where the narrator just tells us how a feudal land works. I liked it, it was interesting, and after a few pages we were all set up and people did things plot related as Min got his land all set up. If an author wanted to "show" this characters would have needed to wander around observing things for much longer, or the reader would have simply been left in the dark about how some things work. That's the common approach these days and I don't care for it. The setting worked far better this way and it's one thing I like about Mancour's books.
Authors you are hereby allowed a few pages of "telling" in your story. They were all listening, right?
The plot itself is a little loose. I had the vague feeling Mancour had written himself into a corner. He's got this ginormous threat pressing down, but at the same time, he wants to explore feudal government and Min's family life. As such, Min takes a slightly odd break from the war, and the enemy stops pressing their attack. Instead, pesky local lords do most of the fighting. Don't get me wrong the fighting is exciting when it comes, and the interplay of feudal government and magic is great.
As another reviewer points out Min is an inconsistent character. I didn't see him as cowardly for not wanting to be on the front line of a war he never wanted in the first place, and he does have real responsibilities at home. However, his infidelity and willingness to ignore a child is poorly explained. I eventually decided to believe that men of his era just worried less about cheating. He also never takes anyone's stone back despite having good reason to and talking endlessly about how important it is that he can. Both of these things probably play into the upcoming plot and that's why they happened, but it weakens the character.
So there you go: you'll dislike this book if you're bothered when an author "tells" or you focus on characters to the exclusion of other story elements. If you like a really solid and well explained setting and an exciting plot (if not quite the expected one) I highly recommend this book.
Authors you are hereby allowed a few pages of "telling" in your story. They were all listening, right?
The plot itself is a little loose. I had the vague feeling Mancour had written himself into a corner. He's got this ginormous threat pressing down, but at the same time, he wants to explore feudal government and Min's family life. As such, Min takes a slightly odd break from the war, and the enemy stops pressing their attack. Instead, pesky local lords do most of the fighting. Don't get me wrong the fighting is exciting when it comes, and the interplay of feudal government and magic is great.
As another reviewer points out Min is an inconsistent character. I didn't see him as cowardly for not wanting to be on the front line of a war he never wanted in the first place, and he does have real responsibilities at home. However, his infidelity and willingness to ignore a child is poorly explained. I eventually decided to believe that men of his era just worried less about cheating. He also never takes anyone's stone back despite having good reason to and talking endlessly about how important it is that he can. Both of these things probably play into the upcoming plot and that's why they happened, but it weakens the character.
So there you go: you'll dislike this book if you're bothered when an author "tells" or you focus on characters to the exclusion of other story elements. If you like a really solid and well explained setting and an exciting plot (if not quite the expected one) I highly recommend this book.
July 30, 2017
I am fond of this series and I like book 1&2, Book 3 began nicely at the creation of his new home but after few hours it felt like Minalan is a coward and while his friends die in battle he sqables with petty nobles. Also he acts like a puppet and penny is the brain. I would like Minalan to be more proactive instead of reactive to the dead god and other Nobles. Will he really leave his other child at the mercy of the Duchess/Queen? You can see from a mile away what kind of problem he will face if he does not act. The mother of his daughter is like a pet/slave to the Queen/Duchess, so does he want the same for his daughter? Lets see what happens in book 4.
March 16, 2014
The Love/hate remains with Mancour books. I still give it a three star outlook but this was my least favorite of the three books so far. It was kind of boring, even if there remains bright moments in his depiction of time and space. I can't remember a time when I disliked the main character as much as I do in his books. I kind of want to scream…and then have Mancour tell me about some land far away to bring me back to peace.
November 6, 2019
I am glad to see this entertaining series get back on track. The first book was great, whereas the second book floundered a bit with two different stories/timelines running parallel, but were basically the same story – and could have been about 100 pages shorter.
Book 3 is blessedly free of the duel-timeline device, and centers around Min establishing his new realm. I actually found the descriptions of how the political/economic structures of feudal era to be very interesting, and actually learned quite a bit. The author has clearly done his homework, and must find the subject fascinating himself to describe it in such interesting detail. The general storyline moved along nicely as well, with more on the mysterious Alka Alon, the birth of his son (bound to be a Super-Mage), the introduction of Snowstone, and the first all-out brawl with a dragon. Kudos to the author for an entertaining book that renewed my enthusiasm for the series.
I do have some small criticisms: there are still spelling errors in abundance, the book is still a bit long and in need of an editor’s “tough love” , and the magic system is a little inconsistent. Once again, it isn’t really clear how the stones make the High Magi super powerful, as sometimes they seem to be pretty helpless, despite the assertions that the stone give them almost god-like power. The story of the Mad Mage holding off an entire army with a tiny sliver of Witch Stone is constantly quoted in the series, yet in battle the High Magi still only kill one or maybe two Gervani at a time. Which is it? Are they powerful or aren’t they? With the story of the Mad Mage in mind, I would expect a couple of dozen High Magi to be able to decimate the Gervani legions single-handedly, but that clearly isn’t the case. A little clearer explanation would help.
Otherwise, the series is really chugging along nicely, and I would recommend it.
Book 3 is blessedly free of the duel-timeline device, and centers around Min establishing his new realm. I actually found the descriptions of how the political/economic structures of feudal era to be very interesting, and actually learned quite a bit. The author has clearly done his homework, and must find the subject fascinating himself to describe it in such interesting detail. The general storyline moved along nicely as well, with more on the mysterious Alka Alon, the birth of his son (bound to be a Super-Mage), the introduction of Snowstone, and the first all-out brawl with a dragon. Kudos to the author for an entertaining book that renewed my enthusiasm for the series.
I do have some small criticisms: there are still spelling errors in abundance, the book is still a bit long and in need of an editor’s “tough love” , and the magic system is a little inconsistent. Once again, it isn’t really clear how the stones make the High Magi super powerful, as sometimes they seem to be pretty helpless, despite the assertions that the stone give them almost god-like power. The story of the Mad Mage holding off an entire army with a tiny sliver of Witch Stone is constantly quoted in the series, yet in battle the High Magi still only kill one or maybe two Gervani at a time. Which is it? Are they powerful or aren’t they? With the story of the Mad Mage in mind, I would expect a couple of dozen High Magi to be able to decimate the Gervani legions single-handedly, but that clearly isn’t the case. A little clearer explanation would help.
Otherwise, the series is really chugging along nicely, and I would recommend it.
January 11, 2014
I really tried to like this book but it wasn´t enough and the reason for that is simple, Min.
Min is a very strange Character. One hand he is portrayed as a honourable soldier, loving husband and able administrator. On the other he is a coward who sends others to fight while he spends time with his family, is willing to betray his wife with nearly everyone, expects the loyalty of those under him while he doesn´t respect anybody above him and while he often talks about fighting the Goblins and preparing for it he never does anything in that direction.
He makes absolutely no sense.
Add to that the fact that the author massively overpowers the enemy and seems incapable of deciding a direction for his story I fear the worst for this series.
Min is a very strange Character. One hand he is portrayed as a honourable soldier, loving husband and able administrator. On the other he is a coward who sends others to fight while he spends time with his family, is willing to betray his wife with nearly everyone, expects the loyalty of those under him while he doesn´t respect anybody above him and while he often talks about fighting the Goblins and preparing for it he never does anything in that direction.
He makes absolutely no sense.
Add to that the fact that the author massively overpowers the enemy and seems incapable of deciding a direction for his story I fear the worst for this series.
November 13, 2015
If you like the Spellmonger series, you'll like this book as well. The only problem I had with it is that the 1st half of the book is VERY slow, and it's basically Minilan rehashing his career, his goals, highlights of the fiefdom, etc. It doesn't really have the same action or excitement as the early books did, but it picks up it's pace roughly halfway through the book, and again, leaves it wide open for another book in the series. I did like the book, but reading it was more along the lines of having a favorite TV show playing in the background - it's a pleasant way to kill time, but doesn't have the same drama and novelty of his earlier books.
December 31, 2013
Really enjoyable books. I finished all 3 over christmas and am looking forward to number 4.
My only real issue with the series is with the editing, or obvious lack thereof (at least in the kindle version. It's not even typos but every few pages you're ripped out of the flow of the story because there are words missing or a paragraph is just cut off in
See? Annoying right? I won't detract points for editing (at least in a self published book) but this really had to be addressed. Hell, ask for some volunteers on your blog and send them an advanced copy of your next book and ask for some notes in return.
My only real issue with the series is with the editing, or obvious lack thereof (at least in the kindle version. It's not even typos but every few pages you're ripped out of the flow of the story because there are words missing or a paragraph is just cut off in
See? Annoying right? I won't detract points for editing (at least in a self published book) but this really had to be addressed. Hell, ask for some volunteers on your blog and send them an advanced copy of your next book and ask for some notes in return.
May 22, 2018
A tale for all ages
Great story, solid characters written in a way that makes you believe your experiencing the events and living in this mystical world. Couldn’t put it down - now on to book IV.
Great story, solid characters written in a way that makes you believe your experiencing the events and living in this mystical world. Couldn’t put it down - now on to book IV.
November 5, 2013
Best book of the series. Can't wait for the next one
March 14, 2021
Full thoughts and review coming soon.
March 28, 2024
I would say 70% of this book was a castle village building simulator. It still had some interesting and mysterious parts… but like other reviews on here, I felt they really did the main character a disservice by making him preoccupied by raising up his little town instead of focused on the war at hand, you know the little war for all of humankind.
I am still going to continue the series in hopes it picks up pace in book 4. BTW the audio version has a fantastic performance by the narrator.
I am still going to continue the series in hopes it picks up pace in book 4. BTW the audio version has a fantastic performance by the narrator.
January 21, 2020
This series is well written and engaging. While reading this I found it to be like the others in this series, the author going overboard on explaining thing. There is explaining and then there is axplaing way to much. The parts where it wasn't long winded, just flowed and I had a very hard time putting it down. I didn't want it to end even though I knew there are more books after it. The characters are very well developed, you will fall in love with them. Twists and turns aplenty. You will enjoy this book and series even though the author gets carried away with his descriptions. Good reading everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 25, 2018
once again, these books could have been great but there is soooo much unneeded rambling that i have to downgrade it to good.
this one does not have as much action in it as the first two but that is compensated for with some great humour. this one is downright hilarious.
again the biggest downside for me is the ongoing diatribe of long dead non character history that for me adds nothing to this or any of the other books in this series that i have read.
i love the mains in this story and they are advanced quite nicely here. the plot advances nicely, everything making sense, the new characters introduced fit nicely.
most will enjoy this book
this one does not have as much action in it as the first two but that is compensated for with some great humour. this one is downright hilarious.
again the biggest downside for me is the ongoing diatribe of long dead non character history that for me adds nothing to this or any of the other books in this series that i have read.
i love the mains in this story and they are advanced quite nicely here. the plot advances nicely, everything making sense, the new characters introduced fit nicely.
most will enjoy this book
November 1, 2017
This book does some things very well. The story telling is very satisfying a few of the characters are really interesting. Terry Mancour does a great job of delivering "justice" for all the bad things that happen in the book. If you really enjoy revenge/petty revenge, and/or Justice for random stuff, then you'll enjoy most of this book (I really enjoyed that aspect of it). However much of the rest of the story isn't all that compelling, and some of the character traits of the main character make him a bit unlikeable. Overall definitely worth a read.
July 1, 2023
I started this series a couple of months ago, and to be honest I wasn't totally impressed. The character was a giant mary sue, and his writing style for those first two books was less than stellar. But come the third book(Magelord) he nailed it, this is probably one of my favorite books i've read in quite a while. The world building, and the description of how he revives his lands via the use of magic was thrilling, i could bearly put the book down.
Keep it up Terry!
Keep it up Terry!
May 11, 2017
Great Series
Love a good long series in the sci fi / fantasy genre. This one has it all, politics, intrigue, heroes, dragons, genocidal threat thinly our beloved spellmonger and his Arcane Order can defeat... hopefully all written in the snarky hilarious prose that actual makes fun of many our societies idiosyncrasies... clever, clever, clever!!
Looking forward to book 4, but I would recommend the Spellmongers Wedding (short story) before this.
Love a good long series in the sci fi / fantasy genre. This one has it all, politics, intrigue, heroes, dragons, genocidal threat thinly our beloved spellmonger and his Arcane Order can defeat... hopefully all written in the snarky hilarious prose that actual makes fun of many our societies idiosyncrasies... clever, clever, clever!!
Looking forward to book 4, but I would recommend the Spellmongers Wedding (short story) before this.
June 20, 2017
I am loving this series
So many hours of enjoyment from each book! This one is no exception. I really identify well with the main character, even his many imperfections.
Speaking of imperfections, the book needs some serious editing! Honestly. It makes me cringe. I considered giving only 3 stars for this reason.
I am downloading the next book immediately, though, because I really love the story and want to read more.
So many hours of enjoyment from each book! This one is no exception. I really identify well with the main character, even his many imperfections.
Speaking of imperfections, the book needs some serious editing! Honestly. It makes me cringe. I considered giving only 3 stars for this reason.
I am downloading the next book immediately, though, because I really love the story and want to read more.
September 12, 2017
Interesting story
Interesting world and pleasant to read, even if the author doesn't pay too much attention to previous facts which can result in contradictions. Some pieces of the narrative just appear out of the blue to fit the needs of the moment. It's why I cannot give it 5 stars.
There are quite a few grammatical and spelling errors as well, including the use of wrong words, but not so frequently as to make it irritating.
Interesting world and pleasant to read, even if the author doesn't pay too much attention to previous facts which can result in contradictions. Some pieces of the narrative just appear out of the blue to fit the needs of the moment. It's why I cannot give it 5 stars.
There are quite a few grammatical and spelling errors as well, including the use of wrong words, but not so frequently as to make it irritating.
November 2, 2014
Delightful
I honesty didn't anticipate enjoying that series as much as I have. This author is masterful and his character development is amazing. A few misplaced words lead me to believe that that he did all of this without a professional editor. Which makes it all that much more impressive.
I honesty didn't anticipate enjoying that series as much as I have. This author is masterful and his character development is amazing. A few misplaced words lead me to believe that that he did all of this without a professional editor. Which makes it all that much more impressive.
April 23, 2016
Still good and fun, but a lot less polished than the first two. More spelling and grammatical errors. Chapter 36 even still has one of the author's notes to himself of a bit requiring expansion that should have been removed when the subsequent paragraph was written.
Note: the edition I read was an advance version (and cheaper), it's possible the normal edition fixed these errors.
Note: the edition I read was an advance version (and cheaper), it's possible the normal edition fixed these errors.
October 18, 2017
Really, really, really needs an editor
This is an interesting series. There is some real crap here and it is a bit of a slog but there is some genius too. What is needed is a editor. Maybe several of them. This book is just sloppy. Personally it would embarrass me to have a book with this many errors out there.
This is an interesting series. There is some real crap here and it is a bit of a slog but there is some genius too. What is needed is a editor. Maybe several of them. This book is just sloppy. Personally it would embarrass me to have a book with this many errors out there.
December 22, 2017
Some people have expressed that they didn't like this book as much as the first two, presumably because there isn't as much action as in the first ones. I really loved it. I found the detail of the description of how Minalin managed his new estate fascinating and a great example of world-building.
April 6, 2018
Excellent
Very well written as usual. Still some spelling and grammatical errors but what else do you expect from indie publishers?
Very well written as usual. Still some spelling and grammatical errors but what else do you expect from indie publishers?
July 23, 2020
A good part of the book is about as entertaining as a mobile strategy RPG. When something finally starts happening, it doesn't get much better (numerous inconsistences, flat unlikable characters and badly structured predictable plot). Oh, and I see no reason why magi should be singular as well as plural. Dropping this pathetic series.
August 19, 2015
the first book was ok-ish, the second better and the third one is great.
The only sad part is that species now resemble the stereotypes even closer. high-grown elves with pointy ears? dwarfes? i wouldn't have minded something less common.
The only sad part is that species now resemble the stereotypes even closer. high-grown elves with pointy ears? dwarfes? i wouldn't have minded something less common.
October 15, 2015
This is a pretty good installment that expands upon the world and its lore. It is a disappointment that there is not as much battle as in the previous book, but it makes up for it in the intricacies of feudal life.
January 30, 2017
Really enjoyable read, but could definitely benefit from solid editing since there were a fair amount of typos and grammatical errors. The story and the dialogue made up for them though. The dialogue reminds me of Harry Dresden.
June 7, 2017
This is my new favorite of the first 3 books. I just really liked reading about the progress of growth of Sevendor, and it had just the right amount of fighting involved as well. This series has become one of my top 5 favorites and I can't wait for the audiobook adaptation.
December 5, 2017
An enjoyable read.
This series, while at times a bit too drawn out, is overall very enjoyable. Great characters, masterful battle scenes, and a wonderful exploration of fantasy, society, and magic. Definitely worth a read.
This series, while at times a bit too drawn out, is overall very enjoyable. Great characters, masterful battle scenes, and a wonderful exploration of fantasy, society, and magic. Definitely worth a read.
January 31, 2015
Nice read for the price, quite boring though when compared to the first two. Strikes me as a kind of interlude.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews