The Dowager Magus

Spellslinger #1.5

by Sebastien de Castell

Set during the events of the first Spellslinger book, Mer’essan, a Dowager Magus of the Jan’Tep finds her contemplations interrupted by a mysterious stranger who brings unexpected danger into Mer’essan’s life.

This is one of several short stories that you can read for free after signing up for the author's newsletter: htt ps: //decastell. com/secrets/

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Short Stories, High Fantasy, Magic, Adventure, Fiction

28 pages, ebook

First published September 1, 2018

About the author

Hi Folks!

My eighteenth novel, MALEVOLENT EIGHT is now available. Cade Ombra and his misfit band of mercenary war mages are determined to prevent a cataclysmic war between supernatural beings. But peace at any price might mean killing an awful lot of people. The Malevolent Seven might be heroes, but they'll be the good guys . . .

My seventeenth novel is titled PLAY OF SHADOWS. A swashbuckling fantasy set in the world of mystical theatre where exalted actors can channel the spirits of the historical figures they portray on stage. But Damelas Chademantaigne seems to be summoning the spirit of a notorious villain whose secrets could unleash a civil war!

My sixteenth novel is CRUCIBLE OF CHAOS. Estevar Borros is my favourite swashbuckling investigator of the supernatural, so come investigate alongside him and his dauntless mule, Imperious inside a mysterious abbey where the gods seem to be driving the monks mad!

My fifteenth novel is FATE OF THE ARGOSI. The Argosi series is one of my favourites and I hope you'll come along for Ferius Parfax's adventures!

You can get a pair of free stories here.

The best way to stay up to date is at www.decastell.com, but I'm also on that Facebook thing. Also that Twitter thing. One day I'll even remember to get on that Instagram thing.

As to who I am? Well . . .

Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realized how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor, and product strategist. His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way.

Sebastien's acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series, The Greatcoats. was shortlisted for both the 2014 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy. the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series, Spellslinger, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and is published in more than a dozen languages.

Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats. You can reach him at www.decastell.com

Reviews

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷

Spellslinger ★★★ 3/4
The Dowager Magus ★★★★

★ This short story is a once scene from book 1 and I actually enjoyed it very much! I think it should have been integrated into the story because it involves the 2 unique women in this series, I think it is worth reading for those continuing the series!

You can get more books from Book Depository

[TS Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting short story of two of the most fascinating characters in Spellslinger. Something like a behind-the-scenes snippet that enrich and add context to the larger narrative.

[Katerina Kondrenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

7 out of 10

A short scene that adds one little fact to the main story. Enjoyable.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story takes place during the events of Spellslinger and is a nice addition. It fleshes out a couple of characters when a stranger visits the Dowager Magus unexpectedly. Very brief but interesting and satisfying.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little short story showing the first meeting between the Dowager Magus Mer’essan and the wanderer Ferius of the Argosi.

I'm not going to say much about it but you can get this and other short stories for free by signing up to Sebastien de Castell's newsletter here: https://decastell.com/secrets/

[Markéta Forejtová · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moje jediná výhrada? Bylo to moc krátký :D
Škoda, že jsem tuhle scénu/povídku nečetla dřív. Ale takhle to zase byla solidní nostalgie.
4/5*

[Juan Quiroga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un encuentro, una misión y el posible origen de dos personajes misteriosos que nos han dejado con muchas dudas.
Ideal para leerlo después de "Spellslinger" (Hechicero, en español) ya que, de lo contrario, el efecto sorpresa se perdería. Solo disponible en la página del autor y en inglés.

PD: "Toda vida tiene sentido (...). Cada vida cambia el mundo a su alrededor".

PPD: ¿Una clara referencia a "El Retrato de Dorian Gray"?

[Ophelia 💛 · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a powerful chapter I would have loved reading it in the book!

[Lucie V. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting because the Dowager Magus and Ferius are probably the two most mysterious characters so far in the series. It did add some context to the first book and maybe I was just not in a good mood to read this short story, but it did not impress me that much.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another short story from Sebastien that really fills a small niche in the saga of Spellslinger.

A thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable small read that adds a little story to a brilliant series.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice deleted scene for the Special Features menu of the Blu-Ray that is the Spellslinger book series.

[Becs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dowager Magus is a character who really adds depth to Spellslinger but her story is brief to the point of being quite cryptic. This novella, intended to be read after the events of Spellslinger, is a useful addition to her backstory and features an inferred conversation between Ferius the Dowager Magus.

Both characters are allusive and, so far in the series, difficult to place the significance of. However, the moment they share in this novella sheds light upon the pivotal card game Kellen and the Dowager Magus share; honestly, I'm not sure why this wasn't included in the book!

A nice addition which is really a missing excerpt more than anything else.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un inedito faccia a faccia tra l'Argosis e la Vedova Mare'san. Adoro Fairfax.

[Books Lucy King · Rating 5 out of 5]

This makes me want to read even more from this serie :) and find out more about Ferius.

[Bode Cauthon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg why is this just a short story?!?! Even in just a snippet Sebastien kicks butt at storytelling.

[Arabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A multifaceted, well-oiled magic system led the charge in this incredibly short fantasy story by Sebastien de Castell. This tale was a perfect test shot of his writing style and gives a good idea of what you can expect if you read the rest of the series. There's a lot to admire here and I'll be checking out the author's other works as a result. An easy 5 stars for me.

[Shelly Parfax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ferius Parfax, that's it thank you.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a little behind the scenes, adding depth to the series

[Carolina Suárez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Marie Chalupová (Levitara) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and poignant addition to the first book available for free on the author's website.

[Reuben Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ferius is one of my favourite things about this series so it was great to get a little extra snippet of her story, and see a bit more character development for both her and Mer’esan. Very nice addition to the series.

[Wing Kee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small little vignette for the Dowager and Faria. A nice little depth for these two characters and also Kellen. Worth the short read.

Onward to the next book!

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to hear from the Dowager in her own words and to find out that Ferius actually went to see her.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So full of emotions in such a few pages. I wished it hadn't ended so soon. *sigh* I would have liked to read more because Mer'esan is a very interesting character.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

ahhh explanation. Loved it!

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*

[Stefano G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ferius Parfax meets the Dowager Magus, this short story found on Sebastien Decastell's official website (https://decastell.com/product/the-dow...) is a nice very short addition to the Spellslinger world.

The short story gives a little bit more insight into both characters, as well as revealing the background on why and how the Dowager Magus's card was conceived.

[Andrés Watanabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una genial historia corta lleno de frases increíbles. Al terminar "Spellslinger" me di con la sorpresa que existía este cuento. Lo leí de una pasada y me encantó.

"Toda vida tiene sentido. Cada vida cambia el mundo a su alrededor" fue mi frase favorita del cuento y se me ha quedado grabada en la cabeza.

Ahora, puedo seguir con el 2do libro.

[Rajasree Jayaram · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Every life has meaning, Dowager. Every life changes the world around it.’

A short story set in the Spellslinger universe. A quick read, giving us a glimpse into the painful life Mer'esan was leading and how someone thought to do something about it.

Read for the Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt: 'A book with an upside-down image on the cover'