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Alex Verus #9
Marked
Mage Alex Verus is hanging on by a thread in the ninth urban fantasy novel from the national bestselling author of Burned.
When Mage Alex Verus ends up with a position on the Light Council, no one is happy, least of all him. But Alex is starting to realize that if he wants to protect his friends, he'll need to become a power player himself. His first order of business is to track down dangerous magical items unleashed into the world by Dark Mages.
But when the Council decides they need his help in negotiating with the perpetrators, Alex will have to use all his cunning and magic to strike a deal--and stop the rising tension between the Council, the Dark Mages, and the adept community from turning into a bloodbath.
When Mage Alex Verus ends up with a position on the Light Council, no one is happy, least of all him. But Alex is starting to realize that if he wants to protect his friends, he'll need to become a power player himself. His first order of business is to track down dangerous magical items unleashed into the world by Dark Mages.
But when the Council decides they need his help in negotiating with the perpetrators, Alex will have to use all his cunning and magic to strike a deal--and stop the rising tension between the Council, the Dark Mages, and the adept community from turning into a bloodbath.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 450 reviews
July 9, 2018
At book 9 in the series, we’re all getting to know Alex Verus pretty well. As usual, he’s stuck right in the middle of all the drama, with any number of people out to kill him and more than his fair share of bad days. While Morden’s cooling his heels in prison awaiting trial, Alex has taken over the Dark Mage seat on the Junior Council, giving him a chance at gaining influence right at the top of Mage society. It’s not that easy, of course, at least three of the seven Senior Councillors flat out want him dead and this makes discussions somewhat… unproductive. They don’t want Alex taking part in any Council deliberations, but the Vault theft in the previous book brought a lot of imbued magic items into the wrong hands, and he’s the one leading most of the salvage operations. He’s too damn useful, especially as a potential negotiator between Light and Dark Mages in their quest to get back what was lost.
The opening sequence has Alex and a Keeper team out for an aggressive retrieval, one which has him using his new Matrix-style bullet dodging and fight master status. Not something he’s particularly utilised as much in this way before, but it’s effective, if a little bit of a late entry in to the power playbook. It does fit well with his blasé attitude about people trying to kill him, repeatedly brushing it off with the usual humour:
‘Isn’t that bounty on you still open?’ Luna asked.
‘Yes, but they haven’t actually tried to drag me off the streets’.
‘They bribed a guy to kill you less than three hours ago,’ Varium said.
‘It wasn’t a serious assassination attempt’.
Varium, Anne, and Luna all looked at me.
'What?’ I asked.
There’s some great dialogue in general, especially the interactions with all the baddies who show up, including Deleo, Onyx, and, my personal favourite, Cinder. Pretty much all of the most interesting people in the series are Dark Mages, especially Richard Drakh, who remains mysteriously just out of reach. There are hints about his plans but little extra about him as a person, and his magic has still never been properly revealed. So the surprises come not from the villains we know, but ones we don’t expect. It’s an interesting choice, but not entirely convincing, being somewhat forced to fit the direction of the plot rather feeling like an authentic character path.
The main problem with this instalment is that apart from some battle set pieces, it’s just not as exciting as the ones that have come before. Part of issue is the info dumping moments when Alex is talking to the reader and explaining the inner workings of the Council. The other part is the focus is on relationships, specifically that between Alex and Anne. In Bound, Alex seemed determined to take control of his destiny, stop reacting and start planning for the future. All positive, take charge stuff. Yet in this he kind of faffs around asking everyone about Anne and what’s wrong with her and what should he do to help her or fix her or something. The answer is always the same. Talk to Anne. And does he? Sort of. But first he spies on her and then has lots of half conversations with her, while endlessly thinking about her and their potential relationship. Honestly, it’s all a bit pathetic. On the other hand, his friendships remain an essential part of his nature, one of the reasons he keeps trying to power up is to make sure he has the skills necessary to keep them safe. And what this book does very well is delving into the other reasons he might want more control, more strength, more influence. Those darker ones that have nothing to do with protection and everything to do with his personal desire for power, something that has been skirted round before. He chose to be Richard Drakh's apprentice, after all. Perhaps he’s not the altruistic saviour he sometimes considers himself to be. Now this is the kind of internal drama I can get behind.
Maybe all this stuff was necessary, but it’s not moving the story forwards enough. It felt like filler and the ending was a little too over emotional for me. I love this series enough to feel disloyal saying that, but as so many UF fans know, when this starts to happen in a long running series it tends to indicate a rather serious decline is coming right afterwards. Some authors pull it back (Jim Butcher after Ghost Story/Ilona Andrews after Magic Shifts for example) sometimes bringing it even harder than ever….but it gives me anxiety. I hate the thought that I might have to lose another group of friends. (Damn you Laurel K Hamilton, I’m still bitter). I’m not over it yet, not by a long shot, but things need a really big shake up. And I don’t mean a wedding. Unless it’s a red one.
ARC via publisher
The opening sequence has Alex and a Keeper team out for an aggressive retrieval, one which has him using his new Matrix-style bullet dodging and fight master status. Not something he’s particularly utilised as much in this way before, but it’s effective, if a little bit of a late entry in to the power playbook. It does fit well with his blasé attitude about people trying to kill him, repeatedly brushing it off with the usual humour:
‘Isn’t that bounty on you still open?’ Luna asked.
‘Yes, but they haven’t actually tried to drag me off the streets’.
‘They bribed a guy to kill you less than three hours ago,’ Varium said.
‘It wasn’t a serious assassination attempt’.
Varium, Anne, and Luna all looked at me.
'What?’ I asked.
There’s some great dialogue in general, especially the interactions with all the baddies who show up, including Deleo, Onyx, and, my personal favourite, Cinder. Pretty much all of the most interesting people in the series are Dark Mages, especially Richard Drakh, who remains mysteriously just out of reach. There are hints about his plans but little extra about him as a person, and his magic has still never been properly revealed. So the surprises come not from the villains we know, but ones we don’t expect. It’s an interesting choice, but not entirely convincing, being somewhat forced to fit the direction of the plot rather feeling like an authentic character path.
The main problem with this instalment is that apart from some battle set pieces, it’s just not as exciting as the ones that have come before. Part of issue is the info dumping moments when Alex is talking to the reader and explaining the inner workings of the Council. The other part is the focus is on relationships, specifically that between Alex and Anne. In Bound, Alex seemed determined to take control of his destiny, stop reacting and start planning for the future. All positive, take charge stuff. Yet in this he kind of faffs around asking everyone about Anne and what’s wrong with her and what should he do to help her or fix her or something. The answer is always the same. Talk to Anne. And does he? Sort of. But first he spies on her and then has lots of half conversations with her, while endlessly thinking about her and their potential relationship. Honestly, it’s all a bit pathetic. On the other hand, his friendships remain an essential part of his nature, one of the reasons he keeps trying to power up is to make sure he has the skills necessary to keep them safe. And what this book does very well is delving into the other reasons he might want more control, more strength, more influence. Those darker ones that have nothing to do with protection and everything to do with his personal desire for power, something that has been skirted round before. He chose to be Richard Drakh's apprentice, after all. Perhaps he’s not the altruistic saviour he sometimes considers himself to be. Now this is the kind of internal drama I can get behind.
Maybe all this stuff was necessary, but it’s not moving the story forwards enough. It felt like filler and the ending was a little too over emotional for me. I love this series enough to feel disloyal saying that, but as so many UF fans know, when this starts to happen in a long running series it tends to indicate a rather serious decline is coming right afterwards. Some authors pull it back (Jim Butcher after Ghost Story/Ilona Andrews after Magic Shifts for example) sometimes bringing it even harder than ever….but it gives me anxiety. I hate the thought that I might have to lose another group of friends. (Damn you Laurel K Hamilton, I’m still bitter). I’m not over it yet, not by a long shot, but things need a really big shake up. And I don’t mean a wedding. Unless it’s a red one.
ARC via publisher
July 31, 2018
I really enjoyed this ninth outing with Alex Verus. I felt as though I had been waiting for this book to be published for ages!
The first few chapters had just a teeny bit too much recapping and explanation for people who have been with the series since book one. Useful though for those who have not. After that though things were up and running as usual and Alex and friends were back in constant action.
I very much like the way the character of Alex has evolved. He has really discovered all the uses of his power of divination now and I loved the way he knew that a bullet was coming from behind him and just moved his head to the side so it missed. Very cool. Also useful to all of the team and to the progress of the story is the ability to communicate in their heads without speaking. Really handy when you are creeping around in the enemy stronghold.
Nice ending too with Alex at last admitting what we all knew several books back. Good work Mr. Jacka. I hope you are very busy writing book 10.
The first few chapters had just a teeny bit too much recapping and explanation for people who have been with the series since book one. Useful though for those who have not. After that though things were up and running as usual and Alex and friends were back in constant action.
I very much like the way the character of Alex has evolved. He has really discovered all the uses of his power of divination now and I loved the way he knew that a bullet was coming from behind him and just moved his head to the side so it missed. Very cool. Also useful to all of the team and to the progress of the story is the ability to communicate in their heads without speaking. Really handy when you are creeping around in the enemy stronghold.
Nice ending too with Alex at last admitting what we all knew several books back. Good work Mr. Jacka. I hope you are very busy writing book 10.
September 16, 2022
Re-read 9/16/22:
My opinions haven't changed on this book or this series. Still mightily enjoyable. :)
Original Review:
OMG, I couldn't be happier with that ending. :)
Jacka has been one of my favorite go-to guys for UF series ever since another fireball-flinging wizard stopped gracing the page. Ahem, D.
Fortunately, Alex Verus has all the snark and even more magical goodies and artifacts and a much nastier set of problems to deal with.
Like being a replacement for Morden on the White Mage council and living up to the issue of leadership. Yeah, leadership. WEIRD.
Anyway, a sting operation trying to bring down Richard is well underway, but it's the personal developments I like even more.
TOTAL POPCORN GOODNESS. :) I dance every time one of these books come out?
My opinions haven't changed on this book or this series. Still mightily enjoyable. :)
Original Review:
OMG, I couldn't be happier with that ending. :)
Jacka has been one of my favorite go-to guys for UF series ever since another fireball-flinging wizard stopped gracing the page. Ahem, D.
Fortunately, Alex Verus has all the snark and even more magical goodies and artifacts and a much nastier set of problems to deal with.
Like being a replacement for Morden on the White Mage council and living up to the issue of leadership. Yeah, leadership. WEIRD.
Anyway, a sting operation trying to bring down Richard is well underway, but it's the personal developments I like even more.
TOTAL POPCORN GOODNESS. :) I dance every time one of these books come out?
April 22, 2018
Adventure writers can go two ways with their series: They can either entangle their hero in a series of adventures, loosely linked but not necessarily sequential, or the hero can adventure while striving towards a goal. Wizard series tend towards the second, where the hero perhaps gets himself in a mess in an early story, then works to resolve the knotty problem in books 2-N. Think of Harry Dresden or Simon & Montague or Harry Potter or the Iron Druid. Or Alex Verus in Benedict Jacka’s excellent series.
Marked, book 9 in Jacka’s series, starts with Alex seated (rather precariously) on the junior council of Light Mages in Britain. In the first two books Alex is refreshingly honest, with simple goals: Stay alive and keep his friends healthy and alive. Sadly for him, Alex apprenticed to a Dark Mage before leaving in revulsion. Also he is a very skilled diviner and lots of people want to use him. Other people want to use him to get to the Dark Mage leadership – a place Alex vehemently rejects and fled for his life to avoid a few books ago in Burned. Now he is trapped as the aide to the one Dark Mage with a seat on the Council. His boss is in mage jail so Alex temporarily holds the seat.
Marked picks up with the same grim feeling we saw first in Burned, then Bound. Alex has too many enemies and is too well known to simply slide off into obscurity. He lost that choice a few books back when he tried to throw his lot in with the Light Mages. Now Alex believes his only hope is to get so powerful that no one wants to go after him and he can choose what he does. This opens the story up for many plot threads but we lost the charming young mage we met in the first few books.
Jacka brings a few new twists to the story. Earlier Alex implied that young mages didn’t have a lot of choice. They could apprentice with a Light or a Dark, they could attend the Light apprentice program, or they could remain adepts who are at everyone’s mercy. This time Alex muses that the declared Light and Dark mages are a fraction of the total; he says the majority are neutral, independents. It isn’t clear how one becomes (or stays) independent, and we’re left to wonder whether Alex could have lost the target on his back if he had not made waves, had been independent. Apparently it is too late for that and Alex will move forward.
Characters
As you can see from the discussion about Alex’s choices, Jacka makes his characters into real people that we care about. We identify with and root for Alex as he threads between morality and survival. I’m not sure I’d have made the same choice he did, but I care that he did make it and want him to succeed. (Of course, if your primary goal is survival then eventually you will lose.)
Alex is a thinker who is growing into a deadly doer; in fact he isn’t always thinking as well as he should. He goes to ask the dragon under Arachne’s home some questions but doesn’t seem to absorb what he learns. (Typical of dragon foretelling, the answers are cryptic to useless.)
Alex has matured considerably in the nine books. He’s gained and lost friends, gained power, gained cynicism and gained too many enemies. He always has good reason for what he does but it doesn’t always work and other people end up holding the bag – and holding a grudge against Alex.
Marked spends as much time on Anne as on Alex. Anne is both the hero and the villain; Alex relies on her, saves her; is saved by her. Anne is enigmatic and it will be interesting to see how her character develops.
Anne wants to be a mage and live a normal life, to have a family, friends. She got abducted and trained to kill as a teen and from that experience developed all sorts of deadly skills. She shoved the immoral parts of her personality into a fortress, walled it off and threw away the key because she didn’t want to kill. Alex encounters this non-Anne a few times and so far Anne is unwilling to integrate her two sides. That may be book 10.
Back Story
The Light Mage council and its adherents are a typical bunch of academics/middle managers/PTA bosses. They like to play games about dominance and face and will bicker and debate endlessly before taking action. And when they do take action they aren’t too concerned about things like other people or truth or morality. Yet Jacka made this believable – in fact it’s more believable than the benevolent, altruistic Council that some books about wizards and magic have. People are people whether mages or not, and that’s how people act.
These mage leaders, both light and dark, seem motivated by power and greed for more power. The revelation that the council is actually a minority of mages makes this more believable. Most people do not dedicate their lives to power. In Marked we see that is true for most mages too.
Even so, the endless threats that Alex faces seem a bit over the top. He doesn’t seem to know how to gain a power base of people, aside from his friends, and is the obvious scapegoat for everything that goes wrong. I hope he learns to expand his definition of “power” to include influence based on wisdom, credibility, helpfulness and not just raw magical power.
Overall
Jacka writes well and Marked has good dialogue, interesting, likable characters. Marked has more action and a little less reflection than prior novels in the series, that combined with Alex’s declared intention to amass as much power as possible to ensure he and his friends survive makes the story a little less appealing than the prior novels. I like Alex but I liked him a little more when he was the earnest want-to-do-good guy. He still wants to do good and he still does good but he’s harder edged now, not as pleasant a chap.
My rating here would be 4+ or just under 5. Marked is solid, excellent story and characters, but I don’t feel like it is quite a 5 star novel.
Marked, book 9 in Jacka’s series, starts with Alex seated (rather precariously) on the junior council of Light Mages in Britain. In the first two books Alex is refreshingly honest, with simple goals: Stay alive and keep his friends healthy and alive. Sadly for him, Alex apprenticed to a Dark Mage before leaving in revulsion. Also he is a very skilled diviner and lots of people want to use him. Other people want to use him to get to the Dark Mage leadership – a place Alex vehemently rejects and fled for his life to avoid a few books ago in Burned. Now he is trapped as the aide to the one Dark Mage with a seat on the Council. His boss is in mage jail so Alex temporarily holds the seat.
Marked picks up with the same grim feeling we saw first in Burned, then Bound. Alex has too many enemies and is too well known to simply slide off into obscurity. He lost that choice a few books back when he tried to throw his lot in with the Light Mages. Now Alex believes his only hope is to get so powerful that no one wants to go after him and he can choose what he does. This opens the story up for many plot threads but we lost the charming young mage we met in the first few books.
Jacka brings a few new twists to the story. Earlier Alex implied that young mages didn’t have a lot of choice. They could apprentice with a Light or a Dark, they could attend the Light apprentice program, or they could remain adepts who are at everyone’s mercy. This time Alex muses that the declared Light and Dark mages are a fraction of the total; he says the majority are neutral, independents. It isn’t clear how one becomes (or stays) independent, and we’re left to wonder whether Alex could have lost the target on his back if he had not made waves, had been independent. Apparently it is too late for that and Alex will move forward.
Characters
As you can see from the discussion about Alex’s choices, Jacka makes his characters into real people that we care about. We identify with and root for Alex as he threads between morality and survival. I’m not sure I’d have made the same choice he did, but I care that he did make it and want him to succeed. (Of course, if your primary goal is survival then eventually you will lose.)
Alex is a thinker who is growing into a deadly doer; in fact he isn’t always thinking as well as he should. He goes to ask the dragon under Arachne’s home some questions but doesn’t seem to absorb what he learns. (Typical of dragon foretelling, the answers are cryptic to useless.)
Alex has matured considerably in the nine books. He’s gained and lost friends, gained power, gained cynicism and gained too many enemies. He always has good reason for what he does but it doesn’t always work and other people end up holding the bag – and holding a grudge against Alex.
Marked spends as much time on Anne as on Alex. Anne is both the hero and the villain; Alex relies on her, saves her; is saved by her. Anne is enigmatic and it will be interesting to see how her character develops.
Anne wants to be a mage and live a normal life, to have a family, friends. She got abducted and trained to kill as a teen and from that experience developed all sorts of deadly skills. She shoved the immoral parts of her personality into a fortress, walled it off and threw away the key because she didn’t want to kill. Alex encounters this non-Anne a few times and so far Anne is unwilling to integrate her two sides. That may be book 10.
Back Story
The Light Mage council and its adherents are a typical bunch of academics/middle managers/PTA bosses. They like to play games about dominance and face and will bicker and debate endlessly before taking action. And when they do take action they aren’t too concerned about things like other people or truth or morality. Yet Jacka made this believable – in fact it’s more believable than the benevolent, altruistic Council that some books about wizards and magic have. People are people whether mages or not, and that’s how people act.
These mage leaders, both light and dark, seem motivated by power and greed for more power. The revelation that the council is actually a minority of mages makes this more believable. Most people do not dedicate their lives to power. In Marked we see that is true for most mages too.
Even so, the endless threats that Alex faces seem a bit over the top. He doesn’t seem to know how to gain a power base of people, aside from his friends, and is the obvious scapegoat for everything that goes wrong. I hope he learns to expand his definition of “power” to include influence based on wisdom, credibility, helpfulness and not just raw magical power.
Overall
Jacka writes well and Marked has good dialogue, interesting, likable characters. Marked has more action and a little less reflection than prior novels in the series, that combined with Alex’s declared intention to amass as much power as possible to ensure he and his friends survive makes the story a little less appealing than the prior novels. I like Alex but I liked him a little more when he was the earnest want-to-do-good guy. He still wants to do good and he still does good but he’s harder edged now, not as pleasant a chap.
My rating here would be 4+ or just under 5. Marked is solid, excellent story and characters, but I don’t feel like it is quite a 5 star novel.
September 30, 2019
You know your life has taken a turn down a dark road when you start saying things like “It wasn’t a serious assassination attempt.” and there are so many people trying to kill you that you don’t even stop to take the time to figure out who anymore.
That my friends is where Alex is at now. He has somehow ended up on the counsel, not that it has changed much in his life. No one wants to really work with him. People that hated him before, hate him even more now. His only allies still remain the same in Luna, Arachne, Vary and Anne with a little help here an there from a few people.
The new problem really is the same as the old problem. Richard is outsmarting Alex at every turn and is always two or more steps ahead. Mordan might be locked up at the moment but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still playing some game. The Dark mages are gaining ground and winning more than they are losing. Anne is the lynch pin to something Richard is trying to do and so she isn’t safe either, plus she has that dark version of herself that will eventually need to be dealt with.
I’m always entertained by the number of ways that Alex gets both into and out of trouble. He has so many factions out for him that I think eventually he will need to do something drastic to become the power strong enough to keep those he cares about safe. The only person really doing a good job at not ending up in the crossfire currently is Luna.
Anne also is going to need to decide if she will always be a doormat of a sort, or pick her ovaries up and learn how to tame that dark side she has locked away. It will be interesting to see how that shakes out. She has been kidnapped a lot in this series and I’m starting to think that it is time for her character to evolve out of the damsel in distress.
One big win for this reader, besides seeing the Dragon again, is that there is now some movement on the relationship front for Alex and I’m glad. Can I say overdue man, completely overdue. Still it looks like there will be plenty of angst since there are so many obstacles and a prophecy hanging over their heads.
This ends both up and down. At this point in the series I’m pot committed. That said I’d like to hurry things along a little too. I’m not sure how much longer the potential war between the light and the dark can be drawn out. Alex has more enemies that a dockside whore has clients and sooner or later something big has got to happen there. Either some of them need to die, or be converted to Alex’s side, or both.
Onward into Fallen which seem if it stays true to form should mean a big shift in the story.
That my friends is where Alex is at now. He has somehow ended up on the counsel, not that it has changed much in his life. No one wants to really work with him. People that hated him before, hate him even more now. His only allies still remain the same in Luna, Arachne, Vary and Anne with a little help here an there from a few people.
The new problem really is the same as the old problem. Richard is outsmarting Alex at every turn and is always two or more steps ahead. Mordan might be locked up at the moment but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still playing some game. The Dark mages are gaining ground and winning more than they are losing. Anne is the lynch pin to something Richard is trying to do and so she isn’t safe either, plus she has that dark version of herself that will eventually need to be dealt with.
I’m always entertained by the number of ways that Alex gets both into and out of trouble. He has so many factions out for him that I think eventually he will need to do something drastic to become the power strong enough to keep those he cares about safe. The only person really doing a good job at not ending up in the crossfire currently is Luna.
Anne also is going to need to decide if she will always be a doormat of a sort, or pick her ovaries up and learn how to tame that dark side she has locked away. It will be interesting to see how that shakes out. She has been kidnapped a lot in this series and I’m starting to think that it is time for her character to evolve out of the damsel in distress.
One big win for this reader, besides seeing the Dragon again, is that there is now some movement on the relationship front for Alex and I’m glad. Can I say overdue man, completely overdue. Still it looks like there will be plenty of angst since there are so many obstacles and a prophecy hanging over their heads.
This ends both up and down. At this point in the series I’m pot committed. That said I’d like to hurry things along a little too. I’m not sure how much longer the potential war between the light and the dark can be drawn out. Alex has more enemies that a dockside whore has clients and sooner or later something big has got to happen there. Either some of them need to die, or be converted to Alex’s side, or both.
Onward into Fallen which seem if it stays true to form should mean a big shift in the story.
September 18, 2022
So Alex is trying to power up!
After the vault has been ransacked by the dark mages, Alex is sitting on the Light Council as a replacement for his former boss, Morden. But hey, at least he's free of that asshole now. Alex is also still just a junior member of the council but it is quite the unexpected position for him. *lol*
In this book, Alex is going on a lot of raids trying to get the stolen items back. But that is not the only reason. As Arachne pointed out, Alex needs to power up, find a very powerful patron ... or die.
But politics are what they are so he's not only attacked by the really bad guys but also by the not-so-bad guys. And he's supposed to talk Morden into giving up the "leader" of the dark mages, Richard, Alex's former master.
Good thing he has his friends ... or does he? Personally, I .
It was kinda weird seeing Alex in a position of (some) power right at the start of this book. It's just not a position we've known him to be in before. *lol* Seeing him filling the role and how he does it was really cool though. Just like the sorta treasure hunt for the imbued items.
I liked that while there was a blossoming deeper relationship between Anne and Alex, the author is taking his time developing it AND it doesn't become the main focus as in so many other books. It would be wrong anyway since this is a fantasy novel and not a romance but like I said, many authors don't do it right. Jacka does.
Oh, and then we met Spire. Muhahahahahaha. What a refreshing character. He really shone through this despite only having had a small role. I like the guy and hope he'll be back soon.
Moreover, I like how every person, even the ones we only see briefly, is fully fleshed-out instead of just background decoration. It makes the reading experience even more real.
Then there was the action. I had feared this would be kind of an in-between book (positioning people, setting up pieces but not really getting anywhere), but it wasn't. While Alex is learning to go from liability to mover and shaker, there are plenty of battles - both verbal and physical ones. And I liked seeing Alex learning to use his magic more actively in combat as well.
So yeah, I'm happy and looking forward to more. After all, we're definitely not at the end of the road yet.
After the vault has been ransacked by the dark mages, Alex is sitting on the Light Council as a replacement for his former boss, Morden. But hey, at least he's free of that asshole now. Alex is also still just a junior member of the council but it is quite the unexpected position for him. *lol*
In this book, Alex is going on a lot of raids trying to get the stolen items back. But that is not the only reason. As Arachne pointed out, Alex needs to power up, find a very powerful patron ... or die.
But politics are what they are so he's not only attacked by the really bad guys but also by the not-so-bad guys. And he's supposed to talk Morden into giving up the "leader" of the dark mages, Richard, Alex's former master.
Good thing he has his friends ... or does he? Personally, I .
It was kinda weird seeing Alex in a position of (some) power right at the start of this book. It's just not a position we've known him to be in before. *lol* Seeing him filling the role and how he does it was really cool though. Just like the sorta treasure hunt for the imbued items.
I liked that while there was a blossoming deeper relationship between Anne and Alex, the author is taking his time developing it AND it doesn't become the main focus as in so many other books. It would be wrong anyway since this is a fantasy novel and not a romance but like I said, many authors don't do it right. Jacka does.
Oh, and then we met Spire. Muhahahahahaha. What a refreshing character. He really shone through this despite only having had a small role. I like the guy and hope he'll be back soon.
Moreover, I like how every person, even the ones we only see briefly, is fully fleshed-out instead of just background decoration. It makes the reading experience even more real.
Then there was the action. I had feared this would be kind of an in-between book (positioning people, setting up pieces but not really getting anywhere), but it wasn't. While Alex is learning to go from liability to mover and shaker, there are plenty of battles - both verbal and physical ones. And I liked seeing Alex learning to use his magic more actively in combat as well.
So yeah, I'm happy and looking forward to more. After all, we're definitely not at the end of the road yet.
November 10, 2022
This series brings into sharp relief not only the powers but, more important, the limitations of at least a dozen different varieties of magic--in fast-paced scenes of combat, travel, and detection. It's those limitations that build up suspense as the plot leads us into previously unknown territory. And that's the main reason why the Alex Verus books get consistently high ratings from this reviewer, even when there are a number of ingredients I don't like.
Foremost among the things I don't like in this series--mage politics, which occupy a huge amount of this book, with lots of attention to council meetings and maneuvering among familiar figures whose motives and strategies are never entirely clear. The seven Light Mages on the Senior Council and the six on the Junior Council remain two-dimensional characters--except, of course, Alex Verus himself, who is now on the Junior Council despite past and present attempts by some of the Council members to bring him down, way down.
Alex and his friends Anne, Luna, and Variam have many scenes that provide welcome relief from the politics. Almost unique among mages, most of whom are clearly out for themselves, they have proven willing to put their lives on the line for each other. They're richly developed as characters, and they're among my best loved book friends--along with Arachne, the huge dress-making spider who lives under Hampstead Heath and gives them valuable support. (In a memorable scene Alex will meet Arachne's formidable mentor for the first time).
Alex maintains his shaky position among more powerful mages by undertaking dangerous missions for the Council, retrieving magically imbued objects of power that were stolen in the previous book. This time Alex takes command in an emergency and proves his value--to some of the Council mages anyway--but as you'd expect he also steers an independent course against Council wishes.
Each Council member has an aide, and Anne has volunteered to be Alex's. Together they not only navigate the politics but go on missions that, of course, bring them into mortal danger over and over; that's how this series goes. But this time, once we get away from those other mages, the focus centers more and more on Alex and Anne, with Luna and Variam dropping into secondary roles. It turns out that there's much more to Anne, a life mage who heals people, than Alex or we ever suspected, and that takes us into spoiler territory. You'll just have to read it. The final chapters left me breathless--highly recommended!
Foremost among the things I don't like in this series--mage politics, which occupy a huge amount of this book, with lots of attention to council meetings and maneuvering among familiar figures whose motives and strategies are never entirely clear. The seven Light Mages on the Senior Council and the six on the Junior Council remain two-dimensional characters--except, of course, Alex Verus himself, who is now on the Junior Council despite past and present attempts by some of the Council members to bring him down, way down.
Alex and his friends Anne, Luna, and Variam have many scenes that provide welcome relief from the politics. Almost unique among mages, most of whom are clearly out for themselves, they have proven willing to put their lives on the line for each other. They're richly developed as characters, and they're among my best loved book friends--along with Arachne, the huge dress-making spider who lives under Hampstead Heath and gives them valuable support. (In a memorable scene Alex will meet Arachne's formidable mentor for the first time).
Alex maintains his shaky position among more powerful mages by undertaking dangerous missions for the Council, retrieving magically imbued objects of power that were stolen in the previous book. This time Alex takes command in an emergency and proves his value--to some of the Council mages anyway--but as you'd expect he also steers an independent course against Council wishes.
Each Council member has an aide, and Anne has volunteered to be Alex's. Together they not only navigate the politics but go on missions that, of course, bring them into mortal danger over and over; that's how this series goes. But this time, once we get away from those other mages, the focus centers more and more on Alex and Anne, with Luna and Variam dropping into secondary roles. It turns out that there's much more to Anne, a life mage who heals people, than Alex or we ever suspected, and that takes us into spoiler territory. You'll just have to read it. The final chapters left me breathless--highly recommended!
December 14, 2018
I have a major problem with this series.
It doesn't come out fast enough.
Can't really get enough of it. It's easily the most badass a diviner has ever been in just about any lit I can think of, and Jacka does such a nice job of making his magic system make sense while still allowing it to be mysterious, interesting and frankly magical.
A lot of what Jacka is writing about in this series is power. The magical powers of his main characters and the various mages and adepts they encounter, but also a lot about the power that people have over each other, the power in structures and relationships, and what people will do to accumulate it and why. At the heart of it, that's what these books have been about: power. the manipulation of people who have it and those who want it, the accumulation of power through personal growth and through the acquisition of others (items or controlling people or creatures).
It's really interesting and well done. Alex Verus starts out as a guy wanting to stay out of everything and just stay alive minding his own business. Now, he's a force to be reckoned with and a power in his own right and watching him come to terms with that is important growth, I think. The ongoing conflict between "Dark" and "Light" mages is really well managed as well because of the level of seriousness Jacka treats it and the amount of nuance he's placed on it. You have the evil-ass stereotypical Dark Mage but you've got ones that are pretty reasonable and decent people that reasonably make you understand that Dark doesn't have to be Evil. And the narrow, soulless, bloodless attitudes of some of the Light Council makes it neigh impossible to root for them either. But there are paragons on that side too. But its not a simple conflict.
Excellent stuff. Looking forward to book 10!
It doesn't come out fast enough.
Can't really get enough of it. It's easily the most badass a diviner has ever been in just about any lit I can think of, and Jacka does such a nice job of making his magic system make sense while still allowing it to be mysterious, interesting and frankly magical.
A lot of what Jacka is writing about in this series is power. The magical powers of his main characters and the various mages and adepts they encounter, but also a lot about the power that people have over each other, the power in structures and relationships, and what people will do to accumulate it and why. At the heart of it, that's what these books have been about: power. the manipulation of people who have it and those who want it, the accumulation of power through personal growth and through the acquisition of others (items or controlling people or creatures).
It's really interesting and well done. Alex Verus starts out as a guy wanting to stay out of everything and just stay alive minding his own business. Now, he's a force to be reckoned with and a power in his own right and watching him come to terms with that is important growth, I think. The ongoing conflict between "Dark" and "Light" mages is really well managed as well because of the level of seriousness Jacka treats it and the amount of nuance he's placed on it. You have the evil-ass stereotypical Dark Mage but you've got ones that are pretty reasonable and decent people that reasonably make you understand that Dark doesn't have to be Evil. And the narrow, soulless, bloodless attitudes of some of the Light Council makes it neigh impossible to root for them either. But there are paragons on that side too. But its not a simple conflict.
Excellent stuff. Looking forward to book 10!
November 16, 2025
Strong, likable characters all embroiled in magical mayhem, machinations and power grabs, even if they don’t want to be. Unexpected twists and shocking revelations, engage and captivate this novel’s audience.
I received this ARC copy of Marked from Berkley Publishing Group - Ace. This is my voluntary and honest review. Marked is set for publication July 3, 2018.
I received this ARC copy of Marked from Berkley Publishing Group - Ace. This is my voluntary and honest review. Marked is set for publication July 3, 2018.
March 22, 2023
Durch einige Verwicklungen ist der Hellseher Alex Verus im Rat der Weißmagier gelandet, obwohl ihn ein Großteil der anderen Mitglieder nicht nur nicht dort haben möchte, sondern ihn am liebsten auch tot sehen würde. Als er dabei helfen soll, seinem früheren Mentor, dem Schwarzmagier Richard Drakh, eine Falle zu stellen, ist er zwar skeptisch, fügt sich aber. Doch mehr und mehr wird klar, dass der Rat nicht versteht, wie Schwarzmagier denken und Richard scheint immer einen Schritt voraus zu sein. Hinzu kommt, dass seine Freundin Anne mit einem gefährlichen Ringgeist Kontakt hatte und Alex sich nicht ganz sicher ist, inwieweit er ihr trauen kann.
Nachdem sich der letzte Band ja doch eher wie eine Vorbereitung anfühlte, hat es „Der Geist von London“ wieder geschafft, mich zu begeistern. Die Vorbereitung hat sich also definitiv gelohnt! Über die letzten Bücher ist die Welt der Magier größer und der Ton der Geschichte düsterer geworden. Alex muss sich mit der Politik der Weißmagier herumschlagen, die einfach nicht sehen wollen, was direkt vor ihrer Nase geschieht und die Konsequenzen daraus können tödlich sein.
Wie gewohnt war auch dieser Band enorm spannend und hat es geschafft, mich von Anfang bis Ende zu fesseln. Die Bücher dieser Reihe lese ich meist in kürzester Zeit und auch dieses war da keine Ausnahme!
Was mich in diesem Buch besonders begeistern konnte, war die Dynamik zwischen Alex und seinen Freunden. Der Fokus lag hier definitiv auf Anne, ihren Problemen und ihrer Beziehung zu Alex, aber auch Luna, Vari und sogar Arachne bekamen einige schöne Szenen. Mehr und mehr fühlt es sich nach einer Found Family Dynamik an und ich liebe es einfach, wenn die Gruppe gemeinsam unterwegs ist.
Ein wenig gestört hat mich in diesem Band allerdings der Schreibstil, der diesmal etwas nachlässig wirkte. Ich kann nicht beurteilen, inwieweit dies auf die Übersetzung zurückzuführen ist (die ich ja in der Vergangenheit bereits kritisiert hatte). Teilweise lag es aber definitiv am Text selbst, insbesondere, wenn Alex plötzlich die vierte Wand durchbricht und die Lesenden mit „Du“ adressiert. Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, dass so etwas in den acht vorherigen Bänden bereits geschehen wäre und ehrlich gesagt war es eine tonale Änderung, die mir nicht gefallen hat.
Fazit:
„Der Geist von London“ zeigt mal wieder, was diese Reihe sein kann. Spannend von Anfang bis Ende, mit einer tollen Geschichte voller Plotttwists und einer großartigen Dynamik zwischen den Charakteren, habe ich mich sehr gut unterhalten gefühlt.
Nachdem sich der letzte Band ja doch eher wie eine Vorbereitung anfühlte, hat es „Der Geist von London“ wieder geschafft, mich zu begeistern. Die Vorbereitung hat sich also definitiv gelohnt! Über die letzten Bücher ist die Welt der Magier größer und der Ton der Geschichte düsterer geworden. Alex muss sich mit der Politik der Weißmagier herumschlagen, die einfach nicht sehen wollen, was direkt vor ihrer Nase geschieht und die Konsequenzen daraus können tödlich sein.
Wie gewohnt war auch dieser Band enorm spannend und hat es geschafft, mich von Anfang bis Ende zu fesseln. Die Bücher dieser Reihe lese ich meist in kürzester Zeit und auch dieses war da keine Ausnahme!
Was mich in diesem Buch besonders begeistern konnte, war die Dynamik zwischen Alex und seinen Freunden. Der Fokus lag hier definitiv auf Anne, ihren Problemen und ihrer Beziehung zu Alex, aber auch Luna, Vari und sogar Arachne bekamen einige schöne Szenen. Mehr und mehr fühlt es sich nach einer Found Family Dynamik an und ich liebe es einfach, wenn die Gruppe gemeinsam unterwegs ist.
Ein wenig gestört hat mich in diesem Band allerdings der Schreibstil, der diesmal etwas nachlässig wirkte. Ich kann nicht beurteilen, inwieweit dies auf die Übersetzung zurückzuführen ist (die ich ja in der Vergangenheit bereits kritisiert hatte). Teilweise lag es aber definitiv am Text selbst, insbesondere, wenn Alex plötzlich die vierte Wand durchbricht und die Lesenden mit „Du“ adressiert. Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, dass so etwas in den acht vorherigen Bänden bereits geschehen wäre und ehrlich gesagt war es eine tonale Änderung, die mir nicht gefallen hat.
Fazit:
„Der Geist von London“ zeigt mal wieder, was diese Reihe sein kann. Spannend von Anfang bis Ende, mit einer tollen Geschichte voller Plotttwists und einer großartigen Dynamik zwischen den Charakteren, habe ich mich sehr gut unterhalten gefühlt.
November 4, 2022
Ratings:-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars
March 28, 2025
Original Review: Aug 2018
OMG, I'm going to have to wait a year for the next book?
Loved this story. The plot, the dilemmas, how Alex is not black or white, but something in between. I specially liked Councilor Verus taking charge.
If there's something I want for the next book is freaking Anne to get with the program. How many times has she gotten kidnapped in this series? 4? 5? She needs to get her head out of her ass and realize that whether she likes it or not, she's powerful and people want her. It's not that she has to "save herself" (she really can't do it alone, she needs help) but if she was a bit more willing to take care of business, her friends wouldn't be in jeopardy in every single book.
I hope that Alex finds a way to keep that council seat. He totally rocks it there.
Re-Read: June 2021
Love it when I agree with old reviews. In fact, my feelings are even stronger. Now I find Councilor Alex even hotter (love men who take charge!!) and Ostrich Anne even more annoying - what the hell is WRONG with you, woman? Burying your problems caused all these issues in the first place and now she's burying the problem LITERALLY. I'm sure this is not the last we'll see of "Not Anne".
So happy that now I have two new books to catch up!!
OMG, I'm going to have to wait a year for the next book?
Loved this story. The plot, the dilemmas, how Alex is not black or white, but something in between. I specially liked Councilor Verus taking charge.
If there's something I want for the next book is freaking Anne to get with the program. How many times has she gotten kidnapped in this series? 4? 5? She needs to get her head out of her ass and realize that whether she likes it or not, she's powerful and people want her. It's not that she has to "save herself" (she really can't do it alone, she needs help) but if she was a bit more willing to take care of business, her friends wouldn't be in jeopardy in every single book.
I hope that Alex finds a way to keep that council seat. He totally rocks it there.
Re-Read: June 2021
Love it when I agree with old reviews. In fact, my feelings are even stronger. Now I find Councilor Alex even hotter (love men who take charge!!) and Ostrich Anne even more annoying - what the hell is WRONG with you, woman? Burying your problems caused all these issues in the first place and now she's burying the problem LITERALLY. I'm sure this is not the last we'll see of "Not Anne".
So happy that now I have two new books to catch up!!
July 8, 2018
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
The Alex Verus series is consistently strong and entertaining which is impressive since it is so easy to fall into the trap of getting stale or repetitive as a series nears the double digits. MARKED, the ninth book in this series is no exception. It hits the ground running with the tiniest of time spent on rehashing developments from previous books. It's grimmer because the stakes are higher now with Alex's enemies drawing nearer. We delve more into the politics of Light and Dark mages and Alex and his friends meet with more dangerous battles as the magic they are up against is more powerful. I like the way each book in this series slowly ramps up the danger building up slowly over the series and also how the characters naturally evolve due to their experiences.
As the books have matured, Alex has matured as well over the series growing his network of friends, enemies, and increasing in power and responsibility through his position on the Light Council. The battles in MARKED are fun to read mainly because of Alex's diviner powers. It's an awkward analogy but I think of Neo from The Matrix moving in slow motion narrowly avoiding bullets whenever Alex sees the future possibilities and reacts in time to avoid danger.
MARKED is captivating storytelling with unexpected twists and revelations, political power grabs, and magical mayhem. It's solid urban fantasy goodness and I'd recommend starting at the beginning not only because this is a really good series to read but it get complicated fast.
The Alex Verus series is consistently strong and entertaining which is impressive since it is so easy to fall into the trap of getting stale or repetitive as a series nears the double digits. MARKED, the ninth book in this series is no exception. It hits the ground running with the tiniest of time spent on rehashing developments from previous books. It's grimmer because the stakes are higher now with Alex's enemies drawing nearer. We delve more into the politics of Light and Dark mages and Alex and his friends meet with more dangerous battles as the magic they are up against is more powerful. I like the way each book in this series slowly ramps up the danger building up slowly over the series and also how the characters naturally evolve due to their experiences.
As the books have matured, Alex has matured as well over the series growing his network of friends, enemies, and increasing in power and responsibility through his position on the Light Council. The battles in MARKED are fun to read mainly because of Alex's diviner powers. It's an awkward analogy but I think of Neo from The Matrix moving in slow motion narrowly avoiding bullets whenever Alex sees the future possibilities and reacts in time to avoid danger.
MARKED is captivating storytelling with unexpected twists and revelations, political power grabs, and magical mayhem. It's solid urban fantasy goodness and I'd recommend starting at the beginning not only because this is a really good series to read but it get complicated fast.
November 13, 2020
I love this series and you can see things coming to a head. Alex wants to protect his friends and to do so he needs to be powerful.
Alex’s position on the junior council put him in a position of influence within the Mage Society. Let us not forget that at least three of the seven Senior Councillors want him dead. They attempt to keep him from joining in on discussions. However, after the imbued items were stolen, Alex has been mostly in charge of collecting them. Much to their chagrin, they NEED Alex. He has influence with both light and dark mages. They want him to bargain with a dangerous dark mage and have a plan to capture Richard.
So much pressure. Even though Alex believes the plan will fail, he still helps the council and his actions will ultimately save lives. It was intense with classic Alex reactions, advice, cunning and snark. He has so many balls in the air; he needs all of his deviation ability and more. He continues to work with the stone and Arachne.
His friends are there to aid him, and we saw some intense battles unfold. Jacka brought it all to life in vivid 3-D. The series is brilliant, particularly the growth and development of key characters. The further in we go, the more clever I realize Jacka is as elements and moments from the past click into place.
More and more Alex’s focus is on his friends and in particular Anne. For a while now fans have suspected his feelings go deeper than friendship, and in Marked we see this more clearly.
This is a remarkable urban fantasy series, and the narration performed by Gildart Jackson is brilliant. He has become the voice of these characters and as they have grown, so have the tones and richness Jackson brings to them. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Alex’s position on the junior council put him in a position of influence within the Mage Society. Let us not forget that at least three of the seven Senior Councillors want him dead. They attempt to keep him from joining in on discussions. However, after the imbued items were stolen, Alex has been mostly in charge of collecting them. Much to their chagrin, they NEED Alex. He has influence with both light and dark mages. They want him to bargain with a dangerous dark mage and have a plan to capture Richard.
So much pressure. Even though Alex believes the plan will fail, he still helps the council and his actions will ultimately save lives. It was intense with classic Alex reactions, advice, cunning and snark. He has so many balls in the air; he needs all of his deviation ability and more. He continues to work with the stone and Arachne.
His friends are there to aid him, and we saw some intense battles unfold. Jacka brought it all to life in vivid 3-D. The series is brilliant, particularly the growth and development of key characters. The further in we go, the more clever I realize Jacka is as elements and moments from the past click into place.
More and more Alex’s focus is on his friends and in particular Anne. For a while now fans have suspected his feelings go deeper than friendship, and in Marked we see this more clearly.
This is a remarkable urban fantasy series, and the narration performed by Gildart Jackson is brilliant. He has become the voice of these characters and as they have grown, so have the tones and richness Jackson brings to them. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
May 4, 2020
Loved the ending! This was quite exciting- despite all the foreshadowing I was still surprised by what happened. Looking forward to seeing how things play out going forward.
March 19, 2019
I’ve read/listened to all of these books in this series at various times/places over the past few years, mainly when I’ve needed something distracting. I haven’t bothered to rate them before and after listening to this last one I decided to tick them all off. It was then that I discovered that I could not recall a single one of the plot lines or distinguish between any one of the titles. And therein lies the problem with this series. Apart from the first one, they are ALL THE SAME! Each book seems to introduce yet more bewildering and instantly forgettable names of light/dark mages both goodies and baddies, battles, boring bits, battles, boring bits and on and on. Alex, Luna, Varium and Ann were great characters initially but they have never developed over the nine books.
September 16, 2018
Actual rating: 3.75
November 14, 2018
Pure popcorn candy fun but I really love it. Alex has joined the council and is the process of helping out the light mages find Richard in a way with the help of his familiar friends. My only gripe is that I feel like each book has a very similar formula. I hope it gets wrapped up in the next handful of books as I dont believe it could last the 20 book run.
January 25, 2020
5 Stars
Marked was another great addition to a new favorite series of mine. I am a huge fan of all things urban fantasy and this is a series not to be missed. Alex is amazing and the series gets better and better with each new story.
Loved it.
Marked was another great addition to a new favorite series of mine. I am a huge fan of all things urban fantasy and this is a series not to be missed. Alex is amazing and the series gets better and better with each new story.
Loved it.
October 22, 2018
4.5/5 stars
July 25, 2018
http://delivreenlivres.blogspot.com/2...
Un tome qui était un peu plus de transition que les précédents, mais ça ne l'a pas empêché d'avoir de grosses révélations qui surmènent et d'être vraiment fun du début à la fin.
Pour rappeler le contexte de la série voici un peu le background général de l'histoire du personnage principal :
Alex Verus, devin (il est capable de voir tous les futurs proches possibles), était un adolescent perdu qui ne comprenait pas ses pouvoirs. Après avoir fugué de chez ses parents, humains sans magie, il c'est accroché à la première personne qui a su le rassurer et l'a pris sous son aile, Richard Drakh. Il ne savait pas à l'époque que cette personne était un des mages noirs les plus puissants, tout comme il ne savait pas que ceux ci s’opposaient aux mages blancs. Après des années de mauvais traitements et de dangers constants qui ont transformé sa vie en enfer, il c'est échappé et c'est tenu à l'écart de toute la politique tout en essayant de faire bonne figure auprès des mages blancs qui sont les seuls à pouvoir le protéger contre son ancien maitre. Mais ceux ci se méfient de lui, pour eux il est corrompu par son expérience et il restera un mage noir dans son cœur pour toujours.
La série commence ainsi, et ensuite Alex se retrouve dans plein de complots et machinations qui l'obligent à s'impliquer pour survivre.
Dans ce tome ci, Alex est maintenant devenu un membre du Conseil Junior des mages blancs. En fait il a pris la place de celui qui l'avait obligé à travailler pour lui sous la menace, à savoir Morden, un autre mage noir qui a fait tout une campagne pour se faire accepter et donner leurs voix aux autres mages dans le conseil, et qui a fini emprisonné parce qu'il a participé à une opération dangereuse. Bien sur Alex ne soutient pas les mages noirs et il utilise son influence pour représenter à la place les indépendants, ceux qui, comme lui, ne sont ni blancs ni noirs, ainsi que ceux qui ont trop peu de pouvoirs pour être désignés comme des mages mais qui ne sont plus non plus des humains normaux.
L'histoire commence alors qu'Alex est chargé par certains mages blancs de convaincre Morden de leur livrer Drakh en échange de sa liberté. La situation étant d’autant plus plus complexe que maintenant les mages noirs possèdent tout un lot d'artefacts très dangereux qu'ils ont volés au conseil. Mais Alex n'a pas le choix, il doit une fois encore renouer ses liens avec les mages noirs pour exécuter sa mission ...
Comme toujours dans cette série la situation de départ est complexe, un vrai sac de nœuds, et Alex doit faire de son mieux pour naviguer au milieu des objectifs de tout un tas de personnes très dangereuses qui sont ravies de mettre la main sur lui et de le manipuler pour atteindre leur but. Son pouvoir unique le sert et le dessert aussi car ses ennemis savent qu'il peux voir le futur sur le court terme et jouent la dessus pour lui faire faire des erreurs en leur faveur.
On a un peu l'impression que tous les puissants du monde sont dans une espèce de valse mortelle et qu'Alex est bloqué en son milieu, ne pouvant que se raccrocher aux branches en espérant y survivre. C'est aussi ça qui rend la série fascinante et passionnante. Aucun des personnages n'est vraiment totalement blanc et Alex n'est qu'un pion pour eux, a lui de se débrouiller pour s'en sortir. En fait on fini par adorer haïr un bon nombre de personnages dans cette série, la caractérisation est vraiment bien faite.
Alex a bien entendu des alliés, notamment Luna une jeune femme capable de manipuler et de modifier la chance et Anne une mage de vie qui peut se servir de la vie comme énergie, aussi bien pour guérir ou pour tuer. Ces alliés sont finalement à la fois la force d'Alex et sa faiblesse. Surtout maintenant que Drakh a décidé de mettre la main sur Anne pour la faire changer de camp.
On est dans un tome très important pour la suite car il crée des développements inattendus et qui pourraient tout changer dans le futur, mais pourtant pendant une bonne partie il donne l'impression d'être un tome intermédiaire car ce qu'il s'y passe est finalement moins lié à l’intrigue principale que les tomes précédents. Sans parler qu'il y a quelques lenteurs à certains moments qui ralentissent un peu le tout.
Il n'en reste pas moins un tome excellent que j'ai apprécié du début à la fin !
16.5/20
Un tome qui était un peu plus de transition que les précédents, mais ça ne l'a pas empêché d'avoir de grosses révélations qui surmènent et d'être vraiment fun du début à la fin.
Pour rappeler le contexte de la série voici un peu le background général de l'histoire du personnage principal :
Alex Verus, devin (il est capable de voir tous les futurs proches possibles), était un adolescent perdu qui ne comprenait pas ses pouvoirs. Après avoir fugué de chez ses parents, humains sans magie, il c'est accroché à la première personne qui a su le rassurer et l'a pris sous son aile, Richard Drakh. Il ne savait pas à l'époque que cette personne était un des mages noirs les plus puissants, tout comme il ne savait pas que ceux ci s’opposaient aux mages blancs. Après des années de mauvais traitements et de dangers constants qui ont transformé sa vie en enfer, il c'est échappé et c'est tenu à l'écart de toute la politique tout en essayant de faire bonne figure auprès des mages blancs qui sont les seuls à pouvoir le protéger contre son ancien maitre. Mais ceux ci se méfient de lui, pour eux il est corrompu par son expérience et il restera un mage noir dans son cœur pour toujours.
La série commence ainsi, et ensuite Alex se retrouve dans plein de complots et machinations qui l'obligent à s'impliquer pour survivre.
Dans ce tome ci, Alex est maintenant devenu un membre du Conseil Junior des mages blancs. En fait il a pris la place de celui qui l'avait obligé à travailler pour lui sous la menace, à savoir Morden, un autre mage noir qui a fait tout une campagne pour se faire accepter et donner leurs voix aux autres mages dans le conseil, et qui a fini emprisonné parce qu'il a participé à une opération dangereuse. Bien sur Alex ne soutient pas les mages noirs et il utilise son influence pour représenter à la place les indépendants, ceux qui, comme lui, ne sont ni blancs ni noirs, ainsi que ceux qui ont trop peu de pouvoirs pour être désignés comme des mages mais qui ne sont plus non plus des humains normaux.
L'histoire commence alors qu'Alex est chargé par certains mages blancs de convaincre Morden de leur livrer Drakh en échange de sa liberté. La situation étant d’autant plus plus complexe que maintenant les mages noirs possèdent tout un lot d'artefacts très dangereux qu'ils ont volés au conseil. Mais Alex n'a pas le choix, il doit une fois encore renouer ses liens avec les mages noirs pour exécuter sa mission ...
Comme toujours dans cette série la situation de départ est complexe, un vrai sac de nœuds, et Alex doit faire de son mieux pour naviguer au milieu des objectifs de tout un tas de personnes très dangereuses qui sont ravies de mettre la main sur lui et de le manipuler pour atteindre leur but. Son pouvoir unique le sert et le dessert aussi car ses ennemis savent qu'il peux voir le futur sur le court terme et jouent la dessus pour lui faire faire des erreurs en leur faveur.
On a un peu l'impression que tous les puissants du monde sont dans une espèce de valse mortelle et qu'Alex est bloqué en son milieu, ne pouvant que se raccrocher aux branches en espérant y survivre. C'est aussi ça qui rend la série fascinante et passionnante. Aucun des personnages n'est vraiment totalement blanc et Alex n'est qu'un pion pour eux, a lui de se débrouiller pour s'en sortir. En fait on fini par adorer haïr un bon nombre de personnages dans cette série, la caractérisation est vraiment bien faite.
Alex a bien entendu des alliés, notamment Luna une jeune femme capable de manipuler et de modifier la chance et Anne une mage de vie qui peut se servir de la vie comme énergie, aussi bien pour guérir ou pour tuer. Ces alliés sont finalement à la fois la force d'Alex et sa faiblesse. Surtout maintenant que Drakh a décidé de mettre la main sur Anne pour la faire changer de camp.
On est dans un tome très important pour la suite car il crée des développements inattendus et qui pourraient tout changer dans le futur, mais pourtant pendant une bonne partie il donne l'impression d'être un tome intermédiaire car ce qu'il s'y passe est finalement moins lié à l’intrigue principale que les tomes précédents. Sans parler qu'il y a quelques lenteurs à certains moments qui ralentissent un peu le tout.
Il n'en reste pas moins un tome excellent que j'ai apprécié du début à la fin !
16.5/20
October 15, 2018
5 Stars
One of the best in the series, Marked feels like the beginning of the end in the growing conflict between the Light Council and the coalition of Dark mages led by Alex’s old master.
Alex is now a member of the Light council, and no one is particularly happy about it. The Light mages don’t trust him, and the Dark mages either want to kill him or use him. Despite all that, Alex is trying to use his unexpected influence for good. No matter what he does though, he’s squarely in the middle of what looks more and more like an all out war.
So this was a great installment, with the usual entertaining action, surprises, and fun character interactions. Like the last 2, the ending seemed to herald that big changes are coming for Alex and his crew.
Right now this is the last book currently published in the Alex Verus series, though I saw that Benedict Jacka has completed book 10 and it looks like a total of 12 books are planned. If you haven’t tried this series, give it a shot. The first book was good but not great, but it keeps getting better and in my opinion really hits its stride by books 3-4. I know this comparison is thrown out a lot, but if you enjoy the Dresden Files you’ll probably like this. For me, I think Dresden, Verus, and the Monster Hunter books by Larry Correia are my favorite urban fantasy series.
So, yeah. You should give this series a try.
One of the best in the series, Marked feels like the beginning of the end in the growing conflict between the Light Council and the coalition of Dark mages led by Alex’s old master.
Alex is now a member of the Light council, and no one is particularly happy about it. The Light mages don’t trust him, and the Dark mages either want to kill him or use him. Despite all that, Alex is trying to use his unexpected influence for good. No matter what he does though, he’s squarely in the middle of what looks more and more like an all out war.
So this was a great installment, with the usual entertaining action, surprises, and fun character interactions. Like the last 2, the ending seemed to herald that big changes are coming for Alex and his crew.
Right now this is the last book currently published in the Alex Verus series, though I saw that Benedict Jacka has completed book 10 and it looks like a total of 12 books are planned. If you haven’t tried this series, give it a shot. The first book was good but not great, but it keeps getting better and in my opinion really hits its stride by books 3-4. I know this comparison is thrown out a lot, but if you enjoy the Dresden Files you’ll probably like this. For me, I think Dresden, Verus, and the Monster Hunter books by Larry Correia are my favorite urban fantasy series.
So, yeah. You should give this series a try.
November 14, 2025
That was an exciting installment in the Alex Verus series. He is always getting into the middle of a scenario where someone is trying to kill him or his friends and this one was no different. But now he is part of the Junior council and he is growing up in his relationships. He is no longer keeping himself separated to a point and he isn’t playing a father figure anymore to this collection of misfits. Very enjoyable read.
August 8, 2018
Quality addition to a great series as Verus and the team battle evil Dark mates trying to corrupt the adepts and keep Morden in jail. All this with Anne possessed by an evil spirit - although I liked Dark Anne a lot. Plenty of battles, lots of politics and all very good indeed.
July 8, 2018
tired. Alex is tired. Ann is tired. Arachne is tired. Actually Alex is insufferably superior while afraid of his tormentor. Everybody just squabbles as they fight deadly duels. Love interest takes a depressing step. Too afraid to get involved. Author needs to wrap this up as he is obviously tired of dreaming up new powers while putting off the big battle with Richard. Maybe he can't find a solution grand enough to justify taking 10 books to defeat the big bad.
July 11, 2018
I wanted to give this more stars but about a third into the book it was clear this was a setup book for the next in the series. I find that the story is starting to lag and the constant “we’ve got Richard this time only to be thwarted by something obvious we didn’t foresee” a bit annoying. Especially since Alex’s main power is divination. I’m thinking that maybe this author needs to move on to a new set of characters and series as these ones have been played out.
July 8, 2018
2.5* maybe.
Very meh, nothing new happened, largely seemed like a rehash of previous books and action sequences. Disappointing!:(
Very meh, nothing new happened, largely seemed like a rehash of previous books and action sequences. Disappointing!:(
May 14, 2020
A strong 9th installment in the series, and I think that this book heralds the big changes that are coming along the way for Verus and his allies. The story is pretty much standard fare. There are set up action pieces, retrieval missions, and intriguing character interactions.
Much of the book focuses on the political posturing of London's magical world. The conflict between Light and Dark mages is on the verge of escalating into an war. Alex is now a member of the council, and plays the tricky game navigating betwixt potential allies and outright enemies. Meanwhile, Modren and Richard Drakh are playing an unpredictable game, and this lends a brewing tension into the narrative.
The most important part of this book was the relationship dynamics between Alex and Anne. I wasn't expecting the devious twist regarding Anne's split personality. I'm on high alert regarding the consequences of Anne's dark actions, and believe that it will be terrifying. And, on the other side, I'm also glad that Anne has now atleast decided to take an active part in the twisted game of power. It was quite interesting to see Alex in a dilemma here. He has a brief chat with Rachel, and it brought some light into his own motivations and his personality. And, I liked how at last he opened up to Anne, sealing their relationship with a kiss. It was long overdue.
The ending was tied on a more personal note of Alex. There's lot of things to do to protect his friends, and to amplify his own power. The jinn problem yet remains unsolved. The Dragon makes an appearance and utters a prophecy of Verus' future paths, making things more complicated. Arachne is gone somewhere far away, and Alex is mired deep in the machinations of the magical society. I believe that Fallen will be the gamechanger book of this series. I'm picking it up asap.
Much of the book focuses on the political posturing of London's magical world. The conflict between Light and Dark mages is on the verge of escalating into an war. Alex is now a member of the council, and plays the tricky game navigating betwixt potential allies and outright enemies. Meanwhile, Modren and Richard Drakh are playing an unpredictable game, and this lends a brewing tension into the narrative.
The most important part of this book was the relationship dynamics between Alex and Anne. I wasn't expecting the devious twist regarding Anne's split personality. I'm on high alert regarding the consequences of Anne's dark actions, and believe that it will be terrifying. And, on the other side, I'm also glad that Anne has now atleast decided to take an active part in the twisted game of power. It was quite interesting to see Alex in a dilemma here. He has a brief chat with Rachel, and it brought some light into his own motivations and his personality. And, I liked how at last he opened up to Anne, sealing their relationship with a kiss. It was long overdue.
The ending was tied on a more personal note of Alex. There's lot of things to do to protect his friends, and to amplify his own power. The jinn problem yet remains unsolved. The Dragon makes an appearance and utters a prophecy of Verus' future paths, making things more complicated. Arachne is gone somewhere far away, and Alex is mired deep in the machinations of the magical society. I believe that Fallen will be the gamechanger book of this series. I'm picking it up asap.
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