Interstellar Mage

Starship's Mage: Red Falcon #1

by Glynn Stewart

Mars destroyed his ship — but gave him a new one.Mars drafted his Mage — for the good of humanity!He should have known that wouldn’t be the end of it…Captain David Rice has a new ship, a new crew, and a new set of Jump Mages to carry him between the stars. All he wants is to haul cargo, make money and keep his head down.His past, however, is not so willing to let him go. An old enemy is reaching out from beyond the grave to destroy any chance of peace or life for Captain Rice—and old friends are only making things more complicated!All he wants is to be a businessman, but as the death toll mounts he must decide what is more his quiet life or the peace humanity has enjoyed for centuries…

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Space Opera, Audiobook, Magic, Space, Fiction

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2017

About the author

Glynn Stewart is the author of over 60 books, including Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible–but only because of magic.

Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Southern Ontario with his partner, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, I'm surprised at the high reviews for this. Stewart seems to have forgotten everything that made his universe special. This reads like bog standard military Sci-Fi, but just with warp engines swapped out for "mages". It barely even matters that this universe has magic in it at all. The cool rune system from the first series is simply shrugged off, and replaced with ENDLESS descriptions of how BIG THE SHIP is. It's clear we're all supposed to be really impressed by how big it is, but here's the thing, I DON'T CARE. We're also supposed to be impressed by the logistics of loading and unloading a starship freighter. Especially since there's a LOT OF IT. Again, I DON'T CARE. I can read about big spaceships and freight logistics ANYWHERE. I can get space laser fights ANYWHERE. I can get much BETTER space fights most places, in fact. But I can only get a rune-based magic system created by eugenically grown Martian mages FROM STEWART. He cut out his own little niche with that killer concept, and I kinda thought he knew that. But if he now just wants to write vanilla military sci-fi, he'll be joining a huge group of authors who can do it better.

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming across this spinoff series was like a surprise present. I thought I had marathoned all the offerings in this 'verse and was tickled to discover I had not.

This series returns to the captain from the early books of the main series. He's a great character to use as a straight man upon which to anchor interesting, unique characters and that seems to be Stewart's intention here.

I'm going to jump right in to the next, but I expect to be bummed when I have to wait for the next to be written.

Glynn Stewart - must read.

[Ridel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logistical Magic

Having read thirteen books in the Starship’s Mage series, I would be remiss if I didn’t admit to bias. The author specializes in military science fiction, but this setting adds visceral infantry combat via the inclusion of reality-bending mages. The resulting space opera has galactic stakes and status-quo-changing consequences every other novel, but moved at such a fast pace that there was no time to revel in the unique setting. Interstellar Mage corrects that flaw by leisurely exploring the Kingdom of Mars in its prime.

This spin-off lowers the stakes and concerns the life of a humble merchant freighter. The author’s penchant for trade and business results in plenty of opportunities to flex his worldbuilding efforts and I love the effort spent justifying interstellar commerce. We visit a diverse array of worlds across all stages of development, touching on local ecologies, terraforming and spaceborne industry. As Interstellar Mage is set between the first and second novels, the Mars and Legatus cold war is at its most frigid. Through the eyes of these pedestrian spacers, we see the seeds of the future conflict between mundane and mage. Easter eggs hint at future plot twists, and we witness characters in their prime who would be legends by the time of Damien Montgomery in the mainline series.

The author’s accounting background occasionally rears its ugly head with corporate charters, delayed delivery charges and negotiation sequences. Fortunately, this merchant Captain doesn’t bend his principles in a universe where smuggling is the gateway to darker crimes. Owed favours by the Mage King’s warrior-judges and manipulated as a pawn by greater powers, it doesn’t take long for heated threats to shift to outright violence. The blend of ship combat, power armoured boarding actions and magic trumping physics is everything I love about this universe.

Interstellar Mage is optional reading, but it manages to tie into future Starship’s Mage novels while providing a different mechanism to explore a beloved setting. This is what a spin-off series should be.

Highly Recommended for Starship’s Mage fans.

Series Overall Spoiler-Free Thoughts

★★★★★ Interstellar Mage (Starship’s Mage: Red Falcon, #1)
★★★★☆ Mage-Provocateur (Starship’s Mage: Red Falcon, #2)
★★★☆☆ Agents of Mars (Starship’s Mage: Red Falcon, #3)

Basically everything a spin-off series should be… expanding the Starship’s Mage universe and tying into critical events while carefully balancing relevancy and optionality. This ends up being too much for the author, and instead of a spectacular ending, readers are rewarded with something pedestrian.

★★★★☆ - Recommended for Starship’s Mage fans.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

INTERSTELLAR MAGE is a spin-off of the STARSHIP MAGE series and follows the adventure of merchant-captain David Rice. David Rice is no Han Solo, he runs a corporation-sized starship with hundreds of employees, but he is still a small fry compared to the big megacorporations. He's also being used as a stalking horse by MISS (The Martian Intelligence Service) to hunt down the remains of the Blue Star slaving syndicate. There's a lot of interesting elements to the story and one of the stronger supporting casts in the series. I am especially fond of Engineer Kelly Lamonte that is in a polyamorous relationship that is mercifully free of exploitation.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story continues the adventures of Captain David Rice after Damien Montgomery left with Hand Alaura Stealey. Whilst the book certainly opens with our, soon to be Ships Mage and First Officer, it’s not just a book about her, as the title may imply.

In this story we have Captain Rice taking over his promised replacement ship, Red Falcon, and finding a new, or mostly new, crew. Red Falcon has some unexpected bonuses with size and supplies but also helps the Captain to continue being a magnet for trouble. We find out that a past enemy had “in the event of my death” plans and past contacts reach out to provide murkier cargo shipment opportunities.

The tale is a solid adventure. There are some surprises with regards to who the good / bad guys are and who everyone is working for. Some are expected, some most definitely not.

I read this book easily and found it hard to put down.

Some minor criticisms:
I began this book in a lunch break, continued it on the bus home and then picked it later that evening so there were some gaps in my initial continuity. I found all the new places and names in that came with the first two shipments during this time, became a bit hard to keep track of. There was also a single instance of a name mix-up but this will likely be fixed in the final edit.

And I have to mention because it did take me briefly out of the story. There is a very minor character (she does not speak and is only referred to during a single meeting), who is named Khaleesi. She also happens to be blonde, very attractive and is wearing a thin blue robe. I found myself reading the few paragraphs twice and thinking “Hello GoT”.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I am looking forward to the next trip on Red Falcon with Captain Rice and his crew.

[Terje Fokstuen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captain David Rice has a new ship, courtesy of the Hand of the Mage King on Mars. It's a retired military transport ship, that has massive armaments and a colossal storage capacity. Taking it out he delivers cargo, and with the help of an exceptional crew, defends his ship against pirates and assassins. A highly enjoyable new series in the Starship's Mage universe, featuring some old friends (David Rice) and many new ones. Highly recommended for fans of space opera, and science fiction. Stewart is a reliable author, who creates winning characters, great action sequences, and exciting dynamics.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

This was a good book. I do miss Montgomery. Excellent plot and characters. Will read next book. Captain is an interesting character,.

[Shane Jardine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can still remember stumbling across Starship's Mage back in 2013 when searching for new books on Amazon and having it instantly become one of my favorite series so when Glynn Stewart announced he was going to write a spinoff trilogy featuring some other characters from the first book I was a both excited and worried. Happily, I can say that I worried for no reason at all because I thought this book was absolutely fantastic and I couldn't put it down once I had started reading it.

Over the course of the Starship's Mage series, one of the questions I kept asking was what happened to Captain David Rice and his crew following the events of the first book. Interstellar Mage takes place about a year after the events of Starship's Mage and tells that very story as Captain David Rice finally receives the replacement ship he was promised following the destruction of the Blue Jay and follows him and his mostly new crew as they attempt to get back into the business. I think one of the things that really made this book interesting to me is that instead of focusing mostly on a single character like Starship's Mage did we get viewpoints from a wide variety of characters. It always adds to the suspense and my enjoyment of a series when I can watch a character make poor decisions based on information or assumptions that are wrong.

When an author can get you to scream at the characters in their book you know it's really good. I was honestly a bit worried that without Damien there to attract danger like he does that the story would become more like a slice-of-life story than an action and adventure one but I think David Rice attracts as much trouble as Damien ever could. While there is definitely some trading there is also action galore as Starships, Mages, and Marines clash over and over again throughout the series. Sometimes it seems like the action never really stopped.

My only real complaint is something really stupid that will probably only bother me but it was the fact that there was a character named after someone in A Song of Ice and Fire. It's a small thing to be bothered by and I think if was a different name or more subtle I would have just chuckled and moved on but I found it to be a very obvious reference that really jarred me out of the story. It honestly took me a few minutes to get back into the story and I'm glad that it only happened the one time.

Other than that small and petty complaint I thought Interstellar Mage was fantastic and I would gladly recommend it over and over again. I can't wait till we get to the point where David and Damien reunite, I think it's going to be an interesting scene to read when it happens!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Becky ♡The Bookworm♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un-put-downable! I've enjoyed the Starship's Mage Series from the very beginning and I'm thrilled to finally hear more about David Rice! This book is unique in that the author goes back to write Rice's story during a parallel time frame (while Damien Mongtomery is in training), knowing that the two stories are destined to converge. It's like knowing a tiny secret while solving two mysteries at once. I'm so excited to see where this goes!

We also have the fact that the Red Falcon is an extremely cool ship, has an exciting clandestine mission, and an interesting crew to round out the story. Did I mention that amazing space battles? There are AMAZING space battles.

If you like science fiction fantasy, spaceships with a magic twist, and a well written overall plot, you need to read this series. Start with the Starship's Mage Omnibus. You won't regret it!

[Rasarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Interstellar Mage" crept up on me without warning - I didn't know it existed until Amazon suggested that I might like it. Being as I generally enjoyed the first series set in Glynn Stewart's science-fantasy world, I knew I had to read this.

"Interstellar Mage" is very much a continuation of the first part of the Starship's Mage series, and if you haven't read that one in a while, I'd highly recommend a refresher, since a lot of "Interstellar Mage" hinges on characters and plot points set up in that book. Captain Rice returns, with a fancy new ship, the Red Falcon, and crew members both returning and fresh. Mikhail Azure returns, albeit posthumously, reaching out from beyond the grave to enact his vengeance. Hand Stealey and Major Niska reappear as background players, pushing Red Falcon into more and more dangerous situations under different pretenses.

The book was certainly a fun read, although a much more slower-paced one than the original Starship's Mage series. There, it felt as though every installment could be a stand-alone story; here, it's pretty clearly book one of a series, more focused on set-up than it is on pay-off, and the action doesn't really kick up until you're 40-50% into it - which is strange, as the book is filled with action scenes.

However, most of those scenes tend to follow the same structure: the crew goes to meet someone on a space station -> oh no, they've been attacked! -> oh no, they're pinned down! -> oh yeah, a rescue arrives! I'd love a bit more variety in this regard, but fortunately, "Interstellar Mage" makes up for its repetitive combat scenes with scheming and intrigue, as well as some character moments, especially from Rice.

Of the new additions to the cast, the only one really fleshed out is our second POV character, Jump Mage Maria Soprano. Soprano took a while to grow on me, mainly because for a while, I kept comparing her to Damien, while she's a much different character - more cynical, more world-weary, a bit of a jerk at times - but in the end, I think I've started to enjoy her sections as much as I did Rice's. There are few other members of the new crew who are still in embryonic stage of character development (though some seeds are there for the next books to flesh them out more) but for now, if you don't like Rice or Soprano, there's not much in the way of other characters to latch onto, especially as the old ones are far more in the background than they were in "Starship's Mage".

This being said, I did enjoy "Interstellar Mage". It's a solid 4 out of 5, and I'm looking forward to more.

[Henriette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the ship's mage series and therefore grabbed the opportunity to read this spin-off. This first book starts approximately a year after the first ship's mage. David Rice's Blue Jay was destroyed, and the Mage King gifts him with a new one, the Red Falcon. He not only wants to compensate David for his role in Damien's rescue but has an ulterior motive as well. David and his crew are supposed to be bait for the remnants of the pirates under the dead Azure's command. Plants form the Martian Marines and the MISS are supposed to keep them safe. As usual, the situation soon turns a lot direr as at first anticipated.

The long and the short of it is that this series is as action-packed as the main one. So, if you enjoyed it, you will probably like this as well. I wouldn't recommend reading it without reading at least the first ship's mage, as only the new characters are properly introduced. The story focuses mostly on Rice and the new ship's mage. Which incidentally is also the books biggest issue. Most of the characters are bland.

Damien's stand-in was another issue. Before an incident with insubordination, she was a highly decorated marine mage. But, compared to Damien she seemed grossly underpowered (and one has to remember that Damien wasn't that strong of a mage, him being a rune scribe made him stand out). Due to the constant barrage, she was often tired when trying to repel attackers. Besides being repetitive (she gets caught in this kind of situation three times, and only escapes the last one by taking drugs), her limitations seemed inconsistent. The first and the second attack were similar, but in the first instance she could only fight off one armored soldier in the second it was three.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

Stewart’s Protectorate is a truly excellent invention and design for all sorts of derring-do, as we’ve seen watching Damien defy odds repeatedly.

However this literary universe is so large that it begs for more stories, characters, and points of view. Happily, we find here in Captain Rice a character of unseen depths that we’ve met before, and a new story lets us see more of him and his crew, as well as gives us a chance to see more of the Protectorate (even while being shot at).

The flavors are similar to the Damien Montgomery books, yet different enough to enjoy how different they are. As an example, Both are resourceful, but as a powerful mage Damien (mostly) actively saves himself, while David usually relies on others. This is good stuff though, because that’s the norm. Damien’s methods most certainly are *not* the norm, and it’s important to have a good action story sometimes that impresses that.

In fact, the range of characters is the main joy in this story, and the frequent examples of mage limitations drive home the fact that while yes, mages are not to be trifled with, most can not (and do not) do things like (say) repeatedly hold off aerial bombardments. The main lesson here is that even people with serious skills still depend on networks to get the job done.

I can only hope that Mr. Stewart has other side stories planned, because this one is a winner, and there are so many more stories to tell.

Highly recommended.

[Maureen]

Sign me up for the Martian Navy!

This story still in the mileau of the Mage-King of Mars stories, but instead of finding ourselves on a military ship, we’re on a freighter. Originally kitted out as a warship, the Red Falcon has been decommissioned and given to David Rice as reparation for the loss of his Blue Jay (story in the Starship Mage series).

But this is Mars and they don’t do things by half measures. They’ve clandestinely given him all the guns, all the ammo, all the engines and military goodies… along with cargo space for 20,000 tons. So while Falcon looks like a freighter, she’s packing a lot of heat. And counter-operatives. Some work for Mars Intelligence, some for the Martian Navy, some for the former enemy, and some from the current Martian enemy. Keeping all the players straight is going to give Captain Rice and his ship’s mage, Maria Soprano, some sleepless nights … providing he discovers who is who.

These stories rely heavily on a love of space opera and military style manoeuvres, which is handled with top-notch writing. Stewart’s people always feel real, no slacking off to write sloppy bad guys, they feel just as motivated as the good guys. The world-building is pretty much in place, but every book expands our knowledge of the smaller planets making up the Mars system.

Whenever I read one of Stewart’s stories, I wish I was aboard ship. I can’t thing of higher praise.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mostly enjoyable addition to the "Starship's Mage" universe. It is mainly science fiction (I would put it as space opera) with a little bit of fantasy on the side.

Captain David Rice, who we remember as the captain from the first Starship's Mage book, has a new ship given to him after the destruction of the ship Blue Jay, by order of the Mage King of Mars. The ship comes along with an agenda and a new crew, plus a few old friends. Old enemies are out for Rice's head and he needs to figure out who he can trust.

As I was reading, I did see some typos and inconsistencies that needed correction. However, just as I started the last couple of chapters, I got a message from Amazon indicating that the eBook had undergone revision. So it could be that the problems I noticed were fixed. There were also some gratuitous f-bombs that definitely could have been removed, but probably weren't.

[Enzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually thought that being a little more at home would help the reading and that has not really been the case. Way too many things to do at home.
So I turned to Glynn Stewart for entertainment. He delivers, introducing us to Jump Mages. You see humanity came up with fast interstellar ships but people got squished like eggs inside. Until Mages figured how to protect people and made jumping at higher then light speed safe. We meet Captain David Rice an honest to god good person who seems to attract the wrong crowd. The Mage King owed him a favor and now he sports a brand newish ship, "Red Falcon". A huge ship when you talk about privately owned vessels but when you talk Military its about average size. In reality he is flying a honeytrap designed by the Mage's Hand. What that trap attracts is obviously a little more then what David Rice bargained for. Lots of action and non-stop intrigue. My kinda book.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Classic male-author SF. There’s a big ship. The characters are a bit two-dimensional (no real depth… and the existence of multi-book history doesn’t automatically make for depth!). The story feels like an outline plotted by a group of high school DND players.

There are POC, but in a truly white-people way… people with different skin tones exist, and it means absolutely nothing. There are no cultural differences, no one experiences life differently based on either history or racism, and there is perfect cultural color blindness. It’s diversity without any of the value that diversity brings.

I neither want to read the next in this series, nor want to go back and read the original series. Not bad, just not worth any more of my time.

[Read Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an Amazon Prime Reads selection. I just thought I would give it a try. I have no prior exposure to Glynn Stewart's Mage Universe.

This is book #1 of a branch of Steward's Mage Universe. I did enjoy it, but I came into the middle of the movie and I missed an entire first half or more. I really need to restart this series from the start for better coherency and enjoyment.

Saying that, it was a fun ride. I liked the mild mix of physical and supernatural elements. Stewart keep the story about the characters. I am sure I am missing earlier character backgrounds by not starting from the beginning. I will have to add this to my list of Universes I need to read more of.

Have a GoodReads.

[Joe Vella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic science fiction

I read this new series since I so much enjoyed the author's previous books. I will read the next book for sure. So let me explain why a four star and not a five. I believe if the development of the main characters took less time and more either spy action or military battles occurred, a five star could be awarded.
Let me quickly add that this well written with enough turns of story line to be entertaining. The author does a great job of making magic appear like science.

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain David Rice seems to have a lot in common with Captain James Henry, formerly of the Terran Coalition Navy. While Captain Rice did not part from the Martian Navy under a cloud like Captain Henry, they both seem to have "trouble" tattooed on them somewhere. How else would respectable merchants end up doing covert ops and attracting so much negative attention? I have to admit that the author's narration of Captain Rice's difficulties makes for great thrilling reading. Anyone who enjoys Daniel Gibbs, David Weber or David Drake ought to find this author's work right up their alley.

[Barrie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a new series.

Well written fast-paced roller coaster ride spanning galaxies that with this level of world-building you could be forgiven for thinking were real. Characters that spring to life on the page flesh out the storyline of good guys versus bad guys as they battle pirates shady conglomerates and fanatical shadow groups. Space battles fantastic tech and weapons and don't forget the Mages who make travel between the stars possible with their magic and runes. An unmissable read, Baz.

[Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a spinoff from the original Starship Mage series. I knew of the link between the two as there are references in the original series.

It's finally good to fill in the gaps, pick up on the happenings with some of the characters from that series, fill in some gaps, and at the same time feel a little anxious.

This series occurs in the middle of the original series and not only do you know the backstory, but you know (at least I think you know) the plot outcome of this first book.

Still, it's an enjoyable read.

[Steven Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subterfuge and Misdirection!

David Rice is a merchant ship captain without a ship! Since the Protectorate used him and his crew to take down a large criminal organization, Hand Staley finds a replacement…an armed Navy Resupply ship, with most of the armaments left operational and munitions provided. Although expensive to operate, his new ship is larger and faster than before, allowing him to make more runs to high value ports. But what’s the cost for his big, overarmed new ship? And with the much larger crew, who can he trust? Enjoy getting answers!

[Milan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice addition to Starship's Mage universe. Although I've been looking forward to another Damien Montgomery novel it's nice to see David Rice and his crew again, as well as new interesting characters like Maria.

It was a decent plot and a nice prequel as it's set before second novel of the Starship's Mage.

I really hope the crew of the Red Falcon gets to work with Damien again. That would be great!

[Michael Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Mage Series Continues

I am so happy to see that the Mars Mage series continues! Great writing, fast action and the combination of science and magic created a wonderful galaxy!!! I am happy that Glynn Stewart has continued to write stories about that fascinating universe. This new series is just as good as the original, and features some of the characters and organizations we first met there.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AS BOTH AN INDIVIDUAL BOOK AND AS A SERIES

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Took me a while to realize that this book starts a year after Book 1 / Starship's Mage and 2 years BEFORE Book 2 / Hand of Mars, and heads off in a different direction with many of the crew of the Blue Jay, the ship Damien Montgomery gets into so much trouble on in Starship's Mage. Like Starship's Mage, this book has less of a Space Jedi feel to it and more of a Firefly one.

[Lukas Lovas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I hoped - I probably should have read Starship's mage first to have the right intro into the story, but I didn't feel like re-reading it at the moment. My enjoyment of this book suffered, though it was probably mostly because I just didn't feel for the characters the way I usually do with Glynn Stewart's books. Not a bad story, just not as good as the other ones from this universe.

[C.K. Haun · Rating 4 out of 5]

The real sequel to Starship Mage

Excellent continuation of the original Mage book without the questions (what did Damian do with his rune scribing abilities?) and full of,the good writing and fun action we’re used to. And of course, still full of the lack of tension, since every tough situation is resolved on the next page by magic or a deu ex machina, but very fun all the same. And the new characters are good, and the returning characters show growth recommended.

[Harold E Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

More from the interstellar mage universe

The story begins a parallel adventure to the Hand series featuring a character from that series early works. Featuring the combat scenes we have come to expect from the author . While some of the scenes are a bit contrived the author often manages to provide interesting twists that reduce that negative feeling. Overall, a fun read.

[Luke Chmilenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good peek behind the curtain

A nice entry as a side series book and a little bit of a better glance at the rest of the universe. Felt like there was a bit of... Something lacking from the book to make it truly stand out in my mind from the main series however. Will keep an eye out for the next one to see how it develops.

[diane l.brenner · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!

I seriously did not expect Glynn Stewart's awesome series to have an offshoot, but here it is and it definitely is just as good. The new characters are rich, the scenery is vivid and the plot is suspenseful! It is a definite must-read, that frankly, I cannot wait for the next one!