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Matthew is the first human wizard to possess the true heritage of the Illeniels, a secret gift no one fully understands. Alone, he travels to another world, seeking the source of their mysterious enemies. There he will discover the origin of their ancient foe, the mysteries of the past, and possibly the future of humankind. If he can survive long enough. In a land beyond death and suffering, he finds the true source of evil, within the heart of humanity, and their newest creation. In the search for knowledge, some doors, once opened, can never be closed.

550 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 29, 2017

417 people are currently reading
382 people want to read

About the author

Michael G. Manning

30 books2,087 followers
Michael Manning was born in Cleveland, Texas and spent his formative years there, reading fantasy and science fiction, concocting home grown experiments in his backyard, and generally avoiding schoolwork.

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

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

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

He gave drugs to prisoners.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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5 stars
819 (52%)
4 stars
505 (32%)
3 stars
186 (12%)
2 stars
32 (2%)
1 star
7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
Profile Image for Leep_zig.
43 reviews1 follower
October 11, 2017
Another great one

I honestly love all of Michael G.'s work. The voice he has in writing I think is what really captures me, along with his sense of humor. If you haven't read any of his work, I highly recommend you start with blacksmith's son and work your way all the way up to demonhome, you won't regret it. Michael is one of my favorite authors and his series one of my favorites as well.
2 reviews
October 3, 2017
Fantastic

Really enjoyed this book, has quickly become one of my favorites. Recommending this series to everyone. Yet another fantastic book in an awesome series!
Profile Image for Pip.
173 reviews8 followers
December 27, 2019
This has been my favorite book so far of all the Mageborn books. I still have yet to finish The Riven Gates so my favorite might change.
4 reviews3 followers
October 7, 2017
Good end to the series

While I prefer Mr. Manning’s original books and the Ember’s series, this was a satisfying ending to this story arc. CDD was a series that accomplished more world building than plot line compare to his others, but it’s one where we’ve learned about what aythar is. I’m eager to see how the rest of the story plays out in his next books.
Profile Image for Sean.
6 reviews4 followers
October 10, 2017
Truly enchanting. And a great way to end this particular series. But sadly, I'm now waiting, not particularly patiently for the next one.
Profile Image for Sheraz Choudhary.
27 reviews1 follower
October 5, 2017
Light-read

Fun light book that is a quick fun read. The writing is not complex but the plot is entertaining. Read all the other books first.
Profile Image for Sarz.
551 reviews11 followers
October 4, 2017
Epic

I loved the concluding part of this trilogy, and the new characters. Michael has very cleverly woven together the fantasy of the original series with a new sci-fi plot, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it continue in a new series.
45 reviews2 followers
October 1, 2017
Couldn't put it down

But if you've read any MM, you know that's par for the course. This is no exception. I love how we explore Matthew's personality here. Michael's sense of humor leaves me laughing out loud.
10 reviews
September 8, 2018
Simply fantastic

All the books from this author are a great read. This one pushed the boundaries of fantasy and science. I eagerly await the next book.
426 reviews4 followers
November 6, 2017
Excellent but weird

This iteration is a strange new step in the world of illeniel. Juxtaposing the medieval and modern world makes for an interesting, albeit difficult at first, dynamic to explore.
8 reviews
October 31, 2017
Wonderful

Great book I loved reading it. I could not stop reading this one. I managed to finish it in less then a week.When does the next set come out?
Profile Image for catherine rehm.
2 reviews
October 13, 2017
Really enjoyed this book

It was a very interesting some times it spent to much time trying to explaining the science and left a lot unfinished in the second world but I would recommend this book for a fun read.



Profile Image for Jkane.
719 reviews2 followers
June 13, 2023
This is by far the worst series by M Manning. The first book was good, the second dragged, and the third book was all over the place. While I enjoyed the movement through the multiverse, I thought there was SOOOOO much more that could've been done with traversing the multiverse. This whole world was fairly boring.
Profile Image for Beverly.
298 reviews
October 19, 2017
Interesting and different

This spinoff series is from the original epic fantasy series, Mageborn, The Blacksmith's Son. This series is more in the genre of scifi than fantasy but it has an interesting blend of both.

The science and the magic are explained in very technical details which at times becomes tedious to read. Some readers might like that but for me that is my only complaint. Otherwise, the story is fast paced and exciting and the characters are interesting.

I recommend this series to lovers of both fantasy and scifi. It could be enjoyed as a stand alone series but a lot of backstories from the companion series Mageborn The Blacksith's Son and The Embers of Illenial would be missing.
Profile Image for Jason C.
21 reviews
March 13, 2018
Engaging, creative, and thoroughly enjoyable

I have been immersed in several books hoping to be carried away. Thank You Mr Manning! From the start, I was pulled in and emerged at the end of good old fashion yarn that was a tight as any she har spell weave.

The art of telling a story this well is rare. I am fortunate to live in a time where great storytellers can weave their particular form of magic and I can be a witness. Highly recommended reading, be warned not to start prior to any big work responsibilities. Sleep may elude you as you journey along.
Profile Image for Sarina Snyder.
34 reviews1 follower
April 2, 2018
Like the last book I found this a tough one to start. But unlike the last one, I found it much easier to finish. The multidimensional aspect is less obtrusive now that is more explained, and I'm a huge fan of the new character Karen. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of fantasy or especially Sci-Fi. Once again, Manning does a fantastic job of describing his world without sounding like an infodump. I was also left wanting more. Can't wait for Mordecai to reach audiobook format.
1 review
April 8, 2022
Version with narration by Derek Perkins

I was enthralled by this story, the developement of it's three main characters and the worlds created by Manning. This was one of the few books which captivated me also by the Narration provided by Derek Perkins. If you are new to Audio books I recommend this for for excellent telling of a wonderful story.
Profile Image for Jason Gill.
7 reviews
January 14, 2018
Good read

Good read. I enjoyed the mix of fantasy and SiFi. The only drawback I have is that this book had some interesting charters that did not get fleshed out as others.

Looking forward to the next installment of the series.

Profile Image for Morten Raake.
12 reviews
February 27, 2018
total new angle from manning, but finally get to know Matthew

Exciting twist to the story but not sure I quite like the post apocalyptic modern world. Ho wever really interesting to follow matches character development. Well written and lackey. Not boring at all and good dialogues
Profile Image for Connie Fogg-Bouchard.
507 reviews4 followers
March 11, 2018
who is more dangerous

Matthew is looking for his father and there is every possibility that he is in another dimension. but that search turns deadly when he turns savior and destroyer
29 reviews
November 6, 2020
Pretty good overall and I really loved the humor around Desacus and Zephyr. Karen being as different as she was and yet as normal was also a delightful twist. All in all a solid story, if you don't mind the mixing of fantasy and sci-fi.
3 reviews
January 10, 2025
I really liked this book. I was a bit worried at the crossover to more current (but future) timeline in the book, but the author handled it well. It was a bit slow to start but I was quickly drawn in and read it constantly until I finished.
Profile Image for Henry Keen.
35 reviews1 follower
October 25, 2017
Great read

Just a continuation of a fantastic fantasy. Each book seems better then the last Looking forward to his next book :)
Profile Image for Joseph Vanucchi.
181 reviews2 followers
October 28, 2017
Always great

Lots of crazy twists in this book, I am always enthralled by this author. Couldn't begin to describe the plot, things are always very interesting to say the least
132 reviews3 followers
November 2, 2017
A great finale to this 3 book series, well written with a great story line.
6 reviews
November 6, 2017
Another great book


I don't want the series to end. Looking forward to Michael Manning's next book. Hopefully soon. Glad it is about Mordecai


38 reviews1 follower
March 5, 2018
Surprise

Well, that was a surprise, good,,, but still a surprise. Was a twist I didn't expect. One two three four
Profile Image for M.L.S. Weech.
Author 19 books69 followers
August 2, 2018
Nice to see how things are set up. I don't think it'd hold up as a stand alone, but it's a very satisfying continuation to the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews

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