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Codex of Souls #1
Lightbreaker
Markham has returned to Seattle, searching for Katarina, the girl who, a decade ago, touched his soul, literally tearing it from his body. But what he discovers upon arriving is dark magick — of a most ancient and destructive kind! An encounter with a desperate spirit, leaping destructively from host to host, sets Markham on the trail of secretive cabal of magicians seeking to punch a hole through heaven, extinguishing forever the divine spark. Armed with the Chorus, a phantasmal chain of human souls he wields as a weapon of will, Markham must engage in a magickal battle with earth-shattering stakes! Markum must delve deep into his past, calling on every aspect of his occult training for there to be any hope of a future. But delve he must, for Markham is a veneficus, a spirit thief, the Lightbreaker...
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2007
8 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
Mark Teppo
94 books102 followersMark Teppo has written more than a dozen novels across a number of genres. He's a book-seller, paper-hoarder, and troublemaker. Not necessarily in that order.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 19, 2012
Mark Teppo's novel, Lightbreaker: The First Book of the Codex of Souls (Night Shade Books 2009), is an occult thriller and a novel of ideas in the same vein as Colin Wilson's The Philosopher's Stone (Jeremy P. Tarcher 1989). And although its cover--sexy, athletic man, accompanied by equally sexy young woman--is similar to the covers of most modern urban fantasies dominating the shelves of the science fiction/fantasy section these days, the novel does not fit comfortably within that ilk. Rather, it could be re-shelved with the metaphysical fiction, if the bookstore actually had such a category.
Michael Markham, the protagonist, is not anything like Harry Dresden, Felix Castor, or Atticus O’Sullivan; instead, he is like the first figure of the Tarot--the Fool, who appears anywhere in the pack where a difficult transition is imminent. And like the Fool, Markham is on a journey, a journey up the Tree of Life. However, when the novel begins, woefully, I might add, en medias res, Markham journeys in the opposite direction, following not the progression set forth in the Tree of Life of the Kabbalah but in the opposite direction, along the path of the qlipothic tree, the steps that stand in opposition of the sephiroth.
His journey, fueled by anger, darkness and revenge, has led him to Seattle, the place where the odyssey began. So, when the novel opens, the reader suspects, but doesn't really know, that much has happened in Markham's past. However, this past fuels or excites the current action. Imagine, this back-story, this weighty narrative, contained in the Fool's sack, slung over the Fool's shoulder as an extremely heavy load; its sheer weigh a tangible presence that informs through its hidden-ness that there is much more here than meets the eye.
Teppo divides the book into five "works;" each work different in tone than the other. The novel opens with a realistic, and quite exciting, chase through the woods of an island near Seattle. A disembodied soul has commandeered the body of a deer that springs in front of Markham's car. "The light leaking from the animal was a spiritual overflow, a profusion of energy not meant to be contained in the deer's simple meat sack. The possession of an other. A human spirit." (Lightbreaker, p. 3). Here is the first trope of the novel: souls can be separated from the physical body. Etheric travel in the form of the subtle body is possible. The subtle body, an ethereal creation, is another trope, which I suspect in this novel relies upon Aleister Crowley's version of the concept. Crowley names it the Body of Light: One passes through the veil of the exterior world (which, as in Yoga, but in another sense, becomes "unreal" by comparison as one passes beyond) one creates a subtle body (instrument is a better term) called the body of Light; this one develops and controls; it gains new powers as one progresses, usually by means of what is called "initiation:" finally, one carries on almost one's whole life in this Body of Light, and achieves in its own way the mastery of the Universe.
The deer's appearance, although unsought and surprising, contains elements of synchronicity: Markham is on the island, returning basically to the scene of a crime or injury that occurred many years before; and connected to his return is the spirit, who carries a magical scent that emanated from the same woman, who wounded Markham during a magical ritual gone wrong. The past informs the present and Markham's presence on the island at this time is certainly fated, maybe even woven into the fabric by one of the Watchers.
The Watchers, members of a secret society, an offshoot of the Knights Templar, play an integral role in the novel. Called Watchers, and sometimes "travelers," they are magi or magicians, who not only observe but also strive to keep the occult hidden.The members of La Société Lumineuse were Witnessses, True Seeing observers whose focus was the preservation of magickal knowledge.(Lightbreaker p. 33) Ultimately, it becomes clear that Markham is fated to be in Seattle at this time and place: symbolized by the the Tarot card, the Tower, an imminent transition is in the offing for the fool .
By the Fifth Work the action has become apocalyptic, bombastic, and confusing. So many occult threads run through the novel at this point that the meaning becomes muddied and one doesn't know, which tradition to use to distill meaning. Taking a hint from the narrator's allusions to arcane knowledge, I choose Crowley's take on Magick and interpret the novel as a spiritual re-boot: at the beginning, Markam journeys toward darkness and evil, but, by the finale he undergoes a physical and mental reconstruction and is reborn a follower of the light.
In one way the novel could be read as a metaphorical dramatization of the alchemical coniunctio, whereby a spiritual marriage has occurred leading toward the archetype of the Self. In other words, the conuinctio is the combination of soul-spirit-body with the unus mundus. The unus mundus is the potential world of the first day of creation when nothing existed in actu, that is in Two or multiplicity, but only of One. It is an entrance into unity, where one experiences everything as one. In other words, Markham's conuinctio is the beginning of his consciousness: the end of the beginning.
Lightbreaker is disguised as a modern urban fantasy, utilizing the usual tropes; however, it is really a metaphysical novel that dramatizes the Fool's journey toward enlightenment and as such it could be seen as as psychological Bildungsroman. Its appeal arises partially from its occult underpinnings and Teppo's extensive knowledge of the occult.
It is also served by some very good writing. I was particularly taken with an early fight scene on a ferry. I have spent some time, traveling between Vancouver and Victoria, and I felt those scenes keenly realized.
Lightbreaker is not a romp like a Dresden novel; instead, it demands attention. This is not to say that there are not elements of adventure; there are. But if you want to really understand its psychological underpinnings and design, its going to require a concentrated reading. Although I suppose you could bask in the pyrotechnics and disregard the undertow of arcane themes, because they, too, abound.
Michael Markham, the protagonist, is not anything like Harry Dresden, Felix Castor, or Atticus O’Sullivan; instead, he is like the first figure of the Tarot--the Fool, who appears anywhere in the pack where a difficult transition is imminent. And like the Fool, Markham is on a journey, a journey up the Tree of Life. However, when the novel begins, woefully, I might add, en medias res, Markham journeys in the opposite direction, following not the progression set forth in the Tree of Life of the Kabbalah but in the opposite direction, along the path of the qlipothic tree, the steps that stand in opposition of the sephiroth.
His journey, fueled by anger, darkness and revenge, has led him to Seattle, the place where the odyssey began. So, when the novel opens, the reader suspects, but doesn't really know, that much has happened in Markham's past. However, this past fuels or excites the current action. Imagine, this back-story, this weighty narrative, contained in the Fool's sack, slung over the Fool's shoulder as an extremely heavy load; its sheer weigh a tangible presence that informs through its hidden-ness that there is much more here than meets the eye.
Teppo divides the book into five "works;" each work different in tone than the other. The novel opens with a realistic, and quite exciting, chase through the woods of an island near Seattle. A disembodied soul has commandeered the body of a deer that springs in front of Markham's car. "The light leaking from the animal was a spiritual overflow, a profusion of energy not meant to be contained in the deer's simple meat sack. The possession of an other. A human spirit." (Lightbreaker, p. 3). Here is the first trope of the novel: souls can be separated from the physical body. Etheric travel in the form of the subtle body is possible. The subtle body, an ethereal creation, is another trope, which I suspect in this novel relies upon Aleister Crowley's version of the concept. Crowley names it the Body of Light: One passes through the veil of the exterior world (which, as in Yoga, but in another sense, becomes "unreal" by comparison as one passes beyond) one creates a subtle body (instrument is a better term) called the body of Light; this one develops and controls; it gains new powers as one progresses, usually by means of what is called "initiation:" finally, one carries on almost one's whole life in this Body of Light, and achieves in its own way the mastery of the Universe.
The deer's appearance, although unsought and surprising, contains elements of synchronicity: Markham is on the island, returning basically to the scene of a crime or injury that occurred many years before; and connected to his return is the spirit, who carries a magical scent that emanated from the same woman, who wounded Markham during a magical ritual gone wrong. The past informs the present and Markham's presence on the island at this time is certainly fated, maybe even woven into the fabric by one of the Watchers.
The Watchers, members of a secret society, an offshoot of the Knights Templar, play an integral role in the novel. Called Watchers, and sometimes "travelers," they are magi or magicians, who not only observe but also strive to keep the occult hidden.The members of La Société Lumineuse were Witnessses, True Seeing observers whose focus was the preservation of magickal knowledge.(Lightbreaker p. 33) Ultimately, it becomes clear that Markham is fated to be in Seattle at this time and place: symbolized by the the Tarot card, the Tower, an imminent transition is in the offing for the fool .
By the Fifth Work the action has become apocalyptic, bombastic, and confusing. So many occult threads run through the novel at this point that the meaning becomes muddied and one doesn't know, which tradition to use to distill meaning. Taking a hint from the narrator's allusions to arcane knowledge, I choose Crowley's take on Magick and interpret the novel as a spiritual re-boot: at the beginning, Markam journeys toward darkness and evil, but, by the finale he undergoes a physical and mental reconstruction and is reborn a follower of the light.
In one way the novel could be read as a metaphorical dramatization of the alchemical coniunctio, whereby a spiritual marriage has occurred leading toward the archetype of the Self. In other words, the conuinctio is the combination of soul-spirit-body with the unus mundus. The unus mundus is the potential world of the first day of creation when nothing existed in actu, that is in Two or multiplicity, but only of One. It is an entrance into unity, where one experiences everything as one. In other words, Markham's conuinctio is the beginning of his consciousness: the end of the beginning.
Lightbreaker is disguised as a modern urban fantasy, utilizing the usual tropes; however, it is really a metaphysical novel that dramatizes the Fool's journey toward enlightenment and as such it could be seen as as psychological Bildungsroman. Its appeal arises partially from its occult underpinnings and Teppo's extensive knowledge of the occult.
It is also served by some very good writing. I was particularly taken with an early fight scene on a ferry. I have spent some time, traveling between Vancouver and Victoria, and I felt those scenes keenly realized.
Lightbreaker is not a romp like a Dresden novel; instead, it demands attention. This is not to say that there are not elements of adventure; there are. But if you want to really understand its psychological underpinnings and design, its going to require a concentrated reading. Although I suppose you could bask in the pyrotechnics and disregard the undertow of arcane themes, because they, too, abound.
August 28, 2009
This is an interesting read that draws on the somewhat mind-numbing realm of ceremonial magic(k) for it's fantasy core. Whilst original in the current vampire/werewolf dominance of the genre it is clear Teppo has become overly enamoured of the vast literature that comprises this field. His main characters spend altogether too much time thinking and not enough doing. Too much philosophy and repetitive exposition instead of basic character development. It gets a little frustrating at crucial plot points for the lead character to launch into convoluted explanations of Hermetic philosophy rather than just whomping the bad guy over the head.
I was also somewhat confounded by the lack of personal description of the lead character, I really had trouble visualising this very morally ambiguous character. I found it hard to empathise and 'connect' with his journey.
On the up side it was very refreshing to not have to read the endless Americo-Christian good-evil obsessing that occurs so often in contemporary urban fantasy.
An interesting and original first novel in need of a vigourous edit.
I was also somewhat confounded by the lack of personal description of the lead character, I really had trouble visualising this very morally ambiguous character. I found it hard to empathise and 'connect' with his journey.
On the up side it was very refreshing to not have to read the endless Americo-Christian good-evil obsessing that occurs so often in contemporary urban fantasy.
An interesting and original first novel in need of a vigourous edit.
Read
April 5, 2009I can finish a book. That's what I learned from this one.
January 16, 2012
This debut from Mark Teppo is a dark urban fantasy novel with the gritty, realistic feel that is more often found in noir mysteries than an urban fantasy setting. It carves a very solid niche for itself against the likes of Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden and Simon R Green’s Nightside series. And if that isn’t enough, this book has no vampires, werewolves or fairies thrown into the mix.
Landis Markham is our hero, or rather antihero, what with his ‘take no
prisoners’ style of getting things done. He is a somewhat ‘grey man’ in that he’s an outsider, a lone wolf. His
unconventional and violent introduction to the world of magick (yes, we are using a ‘k’ in this book) sends him on a round-the-world
journey of magickal schooling in a desperate quest to discover what
happened to him. We are thrust into his story as he returns to Seattle
to find Katarina, the woman who ripped his soul out of his body 10
years ago. In his search, he comes across a deer that is possessed
of a human soul. Trying to remove the soul from the dying deer, he
learns it has encountered Kat recently. He chases the fleeing soul,
determined to find out everything it knows. Forced to work with a
suspended police detective, he hunts a group of local practitioners
engaged in the dangerous art of body jumping.
Loosely inspired by Milton’s Paradise Lost, Teppo uses broad,
well-defined strokes to build the alternate modern world that his
characters inhabit very effectively. Drawing on a huge library of
occultist mythology, he presents a story that brilliantly blends
Hermeticism, Alchemy, Shamanism and the Western Mystery
Tradition, creating a solid and original magick system. Aleister
Crowley, along with tarot symbolism, are both thrown in for good
measure, grounding the story in believable philosophy. Milton’s
influence is unmistakeable, and actually quite welcome. But rather
than just transposing the mythologies and creating a story that is
allegory, Teppo introduces issues of modern society into the mix.
Ideas of Heaven and Hell are revamped into corporeal locations,
forced to co-exist as the lines between good and evil are blurred
offering a solid ground for empathy than archetypal stereotypes.
Teppo is a master at integration; he uses a lot of ideas, but only
taking enough of their core tenants and their ‘feeling’ to make
them work. He then spices them up with urban fantasy traditions
– weaving a tale that kept my interest to the exclusion of all else for
two days.
Landis Markham is our hero, or rather antihero, what with his ‘take no
prisoners’ style of getting things done. He is a somewhat ‘grey man’ in that he’s an outsider, a lone wolf. His
unconventional and violent introduction to the world of magick (yes, we are using a ‘k’ in this book) sends him on a round-the-world
journey of magickal schooling in a desperate quest to discover what
happened to him. We are thrust into his story as he returns to Seattle
to find Katarina, the woman who ripped his soul out of his body 10
years ago. In his search, he comes across a deer that is possessed
of a human soul. Trying to remove the soul from the dying deer, he
learns it has encountered Kat recently. He chases the fleeing soul,
determined to find out everything it knows. Forced to work with a
suspended police detective, he hunts a group of local practitioners
engaged in the dangerous art of body jumping.
Loosely inspired by Milton’s Paradise Lost, Teppo uses broad,
well-defined strokes to build the alternate modern world that his
characters inhabit very effectively. Drawing on a huge library of
occultist mythology, he presents a story that brilliantly blends
Hermeticism, Alchemy, Shamanism and the Western Mystery
Tradition, creating a solid and original magick system. Aleister
Crowley, along with tarot symbolism, are both thrown in for good
measure, grounding the story in believable philosophy. Milton’s
influence is unmistakeable, and actually quite welcome. But rather
than just transposing the mythologies and creating a story that is
allegory, Teppo introduces issues of modern society into the mix.
Ideas of Heaven and Hell are revamped into corporeal locations,
forced to co-exist as the lines between good and evil are blurred
offering a solid ground for empathy than archetypal stereotypes.
Teppo is a master at integration; he uses a lot of ideas, but only
taking enough of their core tenants and their ‘feeling’ to make
them work. He then spices them up with urban fantasy traditions
– weaving a tale that kept my interest to the exclusion of all else for
two days.
August 1, 2012
It's noteworthy that the spine of this book labels it as fantasy/horror, not just urban fantasy. There's a disturbingly dark mood to the book--all shadows, corruption, and lost souls--and therefore the gray environment of the Pacific northwest is well-suited to the book. It's also an environment familiar to me, which makes me relate to the book in a personal way.
Lightbreaker moves along fast. So fast, that it sometimes feels like the middle book of a series and not the first book, like it assumed I already knew characters and circumstances. This threw me off at first, but I soon got into the groove. The explanations felt long-winded at times, though the subject matter was interesting, relying heavily on Aleister Crowley, the Book of Thoth, and tarot.
Markham is very much an anti-hero. He feels remote, and that may be a good thing because of the darkness of his character. I wanted to understand him more and that frustrated me at times; by the end, it was clear it was written this way with intent, since Markham is just as frustrated about his own nature and choices.
I got to spend time with the author recently and that also provided me with behind-the-scenes perspective on the series. I would definitely like to read on and see how the books develop.
Lightbreaker moves along fast. So fast, that it sometimes feels like the middle book of a series and not the first book, like it assumed I already knew characters and circumstances. This threw me off at first, but I soon got into the groove. The explanations felt long-winded at times, though the subject matter was interesting, relying heavily on Aleister Crowley, the Book of Thoth, and tarot.
Markham is very much an anti-hero. He feels remote, and that may be a good thing because of the darkness of his character. I wanted to understand him more and that frustrated me at times; by the end, it was clear it was written this way with intent, since Markham is just as frustrated about his own nature and choices.
I got to spend time with the author recently and that also provided me with behind-the-scenes perspective on the series. I would definitely like to read on and see how the books develop.
December 2, 2009
Markham returns to Seattle with his "chorus" of human souls to find Katarina, a woman who many years ago during an arcane ritual took a piece of his soul.
Armed with knowledge of arcane philosophy (and never missing a chance to pontificate about Crowley, religion, philosophy, alchemy, or the khabbalah) Markham tracks down a ring of alchemist/magic users intent on sucking the souls out of the Pacific Northwest to instigate the apocalypse.
Despite how much I enjoyed the flavor of the Pacific Northwest in this series, the spouting of philosophy in all times, in all places, and by every. single. character. was too much for me. Every character peppers their conversation with latin phrases and references to obscure philosphy, even the hard-bitten cop!
In the middle of a battle scene, the narrator's voice tends to think back on how such-and-such a philosopher said such-and-such about human souls and the nature of god and man before whalloping the bad guy.
Which was a shame, because there's some good stuff in this book. With some weeding out of the overly pedantic stuff, it could have been a good first novel in the series.
As a primer on arcane philosophy, I can totally recommend it. People looking for urban fantasy might not enjoy this one.
Food Designation Rating: Beef pot a feu with too much red wine for generally good contents overwhelmed completely by the overly rich philosophy. Tastes good in little bites, but a full meal makes you a little overstuffed.
Armed with knowledge of arcane philosophy (and never missing a chance to pontificate about Crowley, religion, philosophy, alchemy, or the khabbalah) Markham tracks down a ring of alchemist/magic users intent on sucking the souls out of the Pacific Northwest to instigate the apocalypse.
Despite how much I enjoyed the flavor of the Pacific Northwest in this series, the spouting of philosophy in all times, in all places, and by every. single. character. was too much for me. Every character peppers their conversation with latin phrases and references to obscure philosphy, even the hard-bitten cop!
In the middle of a battle scene, the narrator's voice tends to think back on how such-and-such a philosopher said such-and-such about human souls and the nature of god and man before whalloping the bad guy.
Which was a shame, because there's some good stuff in this book. With some weeding out of the overly pedantic stuff, it could have been a good first novel in the series.
As a primer on arcane philosophy, I can totally recommend it. People looking for urban fantasy might not enjoy this one.
Food Designation Rating: Beef pot a feu with too much red wine for generally good contents overwhelmed completely by the overly rich philosophy. Tastes good in little bites, but a full meal makes you a little overstuffed.
August 7, 2017
Lightbreaker falls into a sub-genre that I'm not partial too. It's within the bounds of urban fantasy but informed by the alchemical and pagan communities. It moves quickly and the writing was reasonable on a technical level. I don't feel that I really learned much about Markham or any of the characters. It certainly can't be hidden history anymore, which tends to cripple this tendency within urban fantasy.
April 3, 2020
Dark fantasy that had a little too much exposition, but great story.
January 21, 2017
Some nice ideas, but but just did not work for me.
April 4, 2012
I was hoping I would really like this book, but I'm giving up on it about half way through. It's not a horrible volume. But it's not clicking with me.
First, there is the general subject matter of arcane spiritualism and its presentation as the distillation of the many and varied religions of the world. They are all seen as poor reflections of the truth as known by the narrator, street educated as he is, and his ilk. I'm not buying it. And I'm not buying the twenty-five-cent words and sentences and detailed references the guy spews non-stop.
Second, I'm half way through the book and I still don't have a real clue about who the protagonist is or why I should give a gnat's sneeze about what happens to him. He's not particularly likable. Nor does he seem particularly troubled. There are vague references to a botched ceremony or something years ago and his search for someone named Katarina. I don't get it.
Third, the subject matter addressed by the previous two paragraphs is described and ruminated and discussed ad nauseum nauseum by the protagonist and the stray police detective tagging along with him as a foil. Almost all they do is think and talk. There is bit of action in the first chapter and a little more a few chapters later. But about the only outcome of the action is that our 'hero' suffers minor setbacks in his quest and some bystanders bite the dust. Ho hum. Make something happen, already. And tell me why I should care.
All that might make it seem there is nothing to like in the book. Not true. There is some good scene setting and characterization of the area in and around Seattle and Puget Sound, including a nicely described ferry ride. The protagonist/narrator isn't all that bad to be around. The writing, while occasionally overblown, is readable and occasionally humorous.
If this is the sort of thing you like, you just might like this book. It just didn't work for me.
First, there is the general subject matter of arcane spiritualism and its presentation as the distillation of the many and varied religions of the world. They are all seen as poor reflections of the truth as known by the narrator, street educated as he is, and his ilk. I'm not buying it. And I'm not buying the twenty-five-cent words and sentences and detailed references the guy spews non-stop.
Second, I'm half way through the book and I still don't have a real clue about who the protagonist is or why I should give a gnat's sneeze about what happens to him. He's not particularly likable. Nor does he seem particularly troubled. There are vague references to a botched ceremony or something years ago and his search for someone named Katarina. I don't get it.
Third, the subject matter addressed by the previous two paragraphs is described and ruminated and discussed ad nauseum nauseum by the protagonist and the stray police detective tagging along with him as a foil. Almost all they do is think and talk. There is bit of action in the first chapter and a little more a few chapters later. But about the only outcome of the action is that our 'hero' suffers minor setbacks in his quest and some bystanders bite the dust. Ho hum. Make something happen, already. And tell me why I should care.
All that might make it seem there is nothing to like in the book. Not true. There is some good scene setting and characterization of the area in and around Seattle and Puget Sound, including a nicely described ferry ride. The protagonist/narrator isn't all that bad to be around. The writing, while occasionally overblown, is readable and occasionally humorous.
If this is the sort of thing you like, you just might like this book. It just didn't work for me.
March 10, 2010
Lightbreaker was a dense, highly theoretical urban fantasy. I'll try to make that more clear. It's clear that Mark Teppo has vast knowledge and considerable interest in the actual magical traditions growing out of the Hermetic line of inquiry, as well as a variety of other sorts of magic. Egyptian, Buddhist, Egyptian. He's really delved deeply into this stuff.
That give the book a highly figured, dreamlike, almost biblical feel, because everything that happens is reacted to and commented upon in terms of these arcane fonts of info. On one hand, this is a big strength, because all of it has the strong feeling of being realistic. With so many real-world sources, it's similar to one of those horror stories that uses biblical underpinnings to make it all the more spooky.
That said, the book is also encumbered by Mr. Teppo's knowledge. There are times when it all swirls around in the reader's mind, and we're not sure exactly what to make of the action. I feel as if I took a crash course in this stuff while reading the book, and in the end, I'm mildly confused about what it all meant. I felt as if the main character, at one point, sacrificed an element of his special magic in order to be purified and thus, er, win, I guess. Shortly thereafter, in the falling action, I find that the special magic thing was still very much in evidence. I also felt that, at some points, I was so baffled by all the theory that I could be taken advantage of and sold a line of false reasoning. Following the leaps from one deviously complex view of the world's secret magic to the next rendered, in the end, a long acid trip during which all my senses were befuddled.
Not that it's a bad thing. I just wouldn't be up for this sort of book very often. Recommended for someone who really wants a "different" urban fantasy.
That give the book a highly figured, dreamlike, almost biblical feel, because everything that happens is reacted to and commented upon in terms of these arcane fonts of info. On one hand, this is a big strength, because all of it has the strong feeling of being realistic. With so many real-world sources, it's similar to one of those horror stories that uses biblical underpinnings to make it all the more spooky.
That said, the book is also encumbered by Mr. Teppo's knowledge. There are times when it all swirls around in the reader's mind, and we're not sure exactly what to make of the action. I feel as if I took a crash course in this stuff while reading the book, and in the end, I'm mildly confused about what it all meant. I felt as if the main character, at one point, sacrificed an element of his special magic in order to be purified and thus, er, win, I guess. Shortly thereafter, in the falling action, I find that the special magic thing was still very much in evidence. I also felt that, at some points, I was so baffled by all the theory that I could be taken advantage of and sold a line of false reasoning. Following the leaps from one deviously complex view of the world's secret magic to the next rendered, in the end, a long acid trip during which all my senses were befuddled.
Not that it's a bad thing. I just wouldn't be up for this sort of book very often. Recommended for someone who really wants a "different" urban fantasy.
May 3, 2013
What a very, very wordy book this turned out to be. In fact, it was too wordy. I read in reviews that this book was fast paced. I don't know how people thought that. I had a hard time turning pages. It took forever for things to get back on track after Teppo went off on some random tangent--that ultimately did explain some things, but wound up being confusing in the beginning. By the time he brought it back full circle, I had forgotten where I was to begin with. The wordiness ended up harming this. All I could picture was a man sitting in a Starbucks somewhere with a dictionary in one hand and a coffee in the other, in between tapping away the keys of his laptop. I will say that Teppo has a fantastic vocabulary, and had his use of it not taken away from the read, it would have instead made it a very fun book. It was incredibly boring for me. There were some interesting philosophical blending going on in there, but it ended up burying the story instead of enhancing it. I couldn't keep my eyes straight reading this. My mind would wander off into other realms unrelated to what Teppo was trying to convey.
In the end, there wasn't enough going on in the book to keep my interest. The action that started off the book hadn't been enough to satisfy my curiosity to begin with, so as it faded into monotone-like drivel, I just couldn't bring myself to keep reading.
While this book may not have been the book for me, I can appreciate and respect Teppo as a writer. He has some interesting ideas, I just wasn't pulled in by the delivery. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I was driven away from it due to it. But I am sure there are people who would be all over this book. Especially people who thrive on long winded descriptions with non-fancy, yet a wide range of vocabulary.
In the end, there wasn't enough going on in the book to keep my interest. The action that started off the book hadn't been enough to satisfy my curiosity to begin with, so as it faded into monotone-like drivel, I just couldn't bring myself to keep reading.
While this book may not have been the book for me, I can appreciate and respect Teppo as a writer. He has some interesting ideas, I just wasn't pulled in by the delivery. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I was driven away from it due to it. But I am sure there are people who would be all over this book. Especially people who thrive on long winded descriptions with non-fancy, yet a wide range of vocabulary.
October 10, 2012
This novel starts off with a strong lead: The protagonist is back in town to find a woman from his past. While seeking her out, he uncovers malicious magic users and picks up a cop friend.
As I went through the story, one of the things that bothered me greatly was the sense that the first-person narration was hiding the truth of things from the reader. I don't want to spoil the ending, but the item in question was the magic chain that the protagonist used. It was referenced constantly and the narrator thought about it, but never told the reader what it was that was key to the story, key to the ending, understood by the narrator, and understood to the narrator to be key to the issues at hand. This should not happen in first-person narration. It feels like the narrator is lying to the reader and it is only frustrating.
At the end of the book, the last chapter or so was a challenge to get through. The prose was not the issue, it was the content. Religion and magic are often interwoven in fantasy, but there is a line between showing that link and having the protagonist undergo some kind of apotheosis and smack the reader over the head with a religious narrative for the resolution of the novel. It very much felt to me like a religious sermon or a gospel out of the Gnostic texts.
I had to push to get through the frustrations of the story and almost put it down for good at the end. I won't be reading any further in this series and this novel may have soured me on the author for good.
As I went through the story, one of the things that bothered me greatly was the sense that the first-person narration was hiding the truth of things from the reader. I don't want to spoil the ending, but the item in question was the magic chain that the protagonist used. It was referenced constantly and the narrator thought about it, but never told the reader what it was that was key to the story, key to the ending, understood by the narrator, and understood to the narrator to be key to the issues at hand. This should not happen in first-person narration. It feels like the narrator is lying to the reader and it is only frustrating.
At the end of the book, the last chapter or so was a challenge to get through. The prose was not the issue, it was the content. Religion and magic are often interwoven in fantasy, but there is a line between showing that link and having the protagonist undergo some kind of apotheosis and smack the reader over the head with a religious narrative for the resolution of the novel. It very much felt to me like a religious sermon or a gospel out of the Gnostic texts.
I had to push to get through the frustrations of the story and almost put it down for good at the end. I won't be reading any further in this series and this novel may have soured me on the author for good.
November 19, 2013
The one thing I have to credit this book for is ambition. There is an attention to detail and an interconnectedness of magic that has clearly been painstakingly researched.
Unfortunately, the pain of the researcher becomes the pain of the reader, as too much info is dumped on us that really doesn't help us to navigate the convoluted plot.
The first-person protagonist is well-versed in magical lore but the author helpfully provides an "everyman" character in the form of a magically clueless police detective who gets sucked into the scene so we can learn as he does.
Great idea, but unfortunately the detective does lots of reading outside of class so in between times we meet up with him he becomes super knowledgeable and far surpasses us. From that point on the narrator and the detective's conversations about magic are just so much white noise drowning out the story.
In contrast to many one star reviews the author is a fine writer, but stars are subjective and I just did not find this an enjoyable book to read. It is simply too ambitious and falls flat, where it might well have succeeded if the author had aimed just a little lower.
I haven't yet read any of the author's later works but I see real potential there and I may give his work another try at some point.
Unfortunately, the pain of the researcher becomes the pain of the reader, as too much info is dumped on us that really doesn't help us to navigate the convoluted plot.
The first-person protagonist is well-versed in magical lore but the author helpfully provides an "everyman" character in the form of a magically clueless police detective who gets sucked into the scene so we can learn as he does.
Great idea, but unfortunately the detective does lots of reading outside of class so in between times we meet up with him he becomes super knowledgeable and far surpasses us. From that point on the narrator and the detective's conversations about magic are just so much white noise drowning out the story.
In contrast to many one star reviews the author is a fine writer, but stars are subjective and I just did not find this an enjoyable book to read. It is simply too ambitious and falls flat, where it might well have succeeded if the author had aimed just a little lower.
I haven't yet read any of the author's later works but I see real potential there and I may give his work another try at some point.
March 9, 2014
This is a dense, complex book, with a main character who has deep history with the people and events he has to deal with. Michael Markham is not a perfect man, and in many ways, he isn't an admirable one, either, but the reader has no trouble understanding that he wants what he wants, even when what he wants isn't understandable in its own right.
This does get in the way of the story at times, though Teppo does an admirable job of getting the reader up to speed (and keeping him there) on who Markham is dealing with, why, and what they are doing. One gets the impression at times that Markham has this little corner that he works in, except then he discovers the walls are made of paper and when he rips them down he discovers the house is on fire and is about to fall in on him. The climax is a wild, over-the-top comic book superhero face-to-face confrontation with The Madman Who Wants To Change The Rules Of Reality (tm), which is completely in keeping with the way the story was set up. Teppo was a bit slow and careful sending me through the roller coaster ride of that confrontation, which made me a bit too aware of the wheels on the rails, but that may just be me.
First in a series. Looking forward to seeing how the world builds.
This does get in the way of the story at times, though Teppo does an admirable job of getting the reader up to speed (and keeping him there) on who Markham is dealing with, why, and what they are doing. One gets the impression at times that Markham has this little corner that he works in, except then he discovers the walls are made of paper and when he rips them down he discovers the house is on fire and is about to fall in on him. The climax is a wild, over-the-top comic book superhero face-to-face confrontation with The Madman Who Wants To Change The Rules Of Reality (tm), which is completely in keeping with the way the story was set up. Teppo was a bit slow and careful sending me through the roller coaster ride of that confrontation, which made me a bit too aware of the wheels on the rails, but that may just be me.
First in a series. Looking forward to seeing how the world builds.
July 2, 2015
I love a book with a basis in real historic grimoires and Lightbreaker is drowning in that. It might be a bit much if you're not familiar the authors and their titles, but I ate that up.
I liked the morally ambiguous narrator and his buddy the neophyte magus cop. They would have made a great ongoing team.
Still, I was puzzled by what the Chorus was, exactly, where it came from, and why Markham uses it so effectively sometimes while holding it back at others (as the plot requires?). For a "weapon" that plays such a part in the end of the book, it was poorly defined.
Mostly, though, I felt the book was unnecessarily long. There's a whole lot of time spent taking ferries back and forth to Seattle, not too mention days spent locked in a shipping container in the dark. I know some of the character development happened then, but I would have enjoyed it more if there had been character development concurrent with plot.
I'd go on to read book 2, which is apparently the only other one available so far.
I liked the morally ambiguous narrator and his buddy the neophyte magus cop. They would have made a great ongoing team.
Still, I was puzzled by what the Chorus was, exactly, where it came from, and why Markham uses it so effectively sometimes while holding it back at others (as the plot requires?). For a "weapon" that plays such a part in the end of the book, it was poorly defined.
Mostly, though, I felt the book was unnecessarily long. There's a whole lot of time spent taking ferries back and forth to Seattle, not too mention days spent locked in a shipping container in the dark. I know some of the character development happened then, but I would have enjoyed it more if there had been character development concurrent with plot.
I'd go on to read book 2, which is apparently the only other one available so far.
June 13, 2013
If I wanted to read a lengthy book on western hermetic traditions I may have rated this at 3 stars.
Maybe if I wanted to read something as an example of how to over describe something so it became harder to see the scene, rather than giving the reader an insight to what was going on then this book would probably get 4 stars at least.
Though their are some annoyingly repeated tropes and heavy power creep with its related problems in many Urban Fantasy books, until reading this book I have enjoyed the books I have read enough to forgive them their issues, be it because a character I liked, the world I enjoyed, or just a damn good story. It is unfortunate, in many ways because many of the ideas raised are intriguing, the author obviously has many good ideas but the execution has meant this is the first Urban Fantasy book I have struggled to finish and the first series I have no intention of completing.
Maybe if I wanted to read something as an example of how to over describe something so it became harder to see the scene, rather than giving the reader an insight to what was going on then this book would probably get 4 stars at least.
Though their are some annoyingly repeated tropes and heavy power creep with its related problems in many Urban Fantasy books, until reading this book I have enjoyed the books I have read enough to forgive them their issues, be it because a character I liked, the world I enjoyed, or just a damn good story. It is unfortunate, in many ways because many of the ideas raised are intriguing, the author obviously has many good ideas but the execution has meant this is the first Urban Fantasy book I have struggled to finish and the first series I have no intention of completing.
September 13, 2009
An interesting and engrossing first chapter - The protagonist follows a soul "jumping" from animal body to animal body. The jumper eventually winds up on a ferry going to Seattle and starts using humans, some of whom cannot handle being jumped. A Seattle cop is introduced along with our protagonist and we eventually learn our protagonist is seeking out a woman who took part of his soul from him many years ago. There is also an arcane order of watchers, rouge mystics and , oh yeah, a possible end to the world as we know it. Should have been exciting yet for me, the book dragged and I never felt particularly drawn to Markham, our “hero”
Unfortunately, I felt a little more explanation was needed particularly in terms of what the chorus was and how our protagonist acquired them. A major sticking point for me.
Unfortunately, I felt a little more explanation was needed particularly in terms of what the chorus was and how our protagonist acquired them. A major sticking point for me.
first-chapter-only
September 13, 2011This book was recommended with the qualification "...but I don't actually like it, it's just, y'know, in that genre." The first chapters were about the dude doing a bunch of pseudo-angelic magic but not really interacting with any other characters. I decided the recommender was right that it wasn't very good.
maybe-later
November 12, 2013I don't know if I'll get through the kindle sample. The prose is annoying. I wouldn't hold that against the book per se. I find Shakespeare's prose not just annoying but impenetrable.
The premise, well as far as I understand it, seems interesting though. Let me read some easy stuff and then see if I feel the urge to go back to deciphering this one.
October 22, 2009
I have a pet peeve about extended tarot card sequences in novels, but there's so much else going on in here that it is wholly forgiven.
For a lot of fantasy, urban especially, the pay off just isn't there, but the climactic climax of this was climaxful and unique.
For a lot of fantasy, urban especially, the pay off just isn't there, but the climactic climax of this was climaxful and unique.
June 14, 2011
Teppo brings unexpected literary style to the urban fantasy genre. Solid storytelling, some really interesting stuff involving tarot and a wonderfully explosive ending combine into a good exemplar of the genre.
Read
July 30, 2011I generally like this type of book, and this one had some good passages but I feel it was "overwritten" if that's the right term. I don't think I'll pick up the next one unless I decide to be very generous and give Mr Teppo a second chance.
August 31, 2009
I wanted to love this book. Like the cover and the summary but too much inner dialogue and not enough action for me.
January 20, 2012
Good until it get muddled halfway through.
dnf
September 15, 2012I couldn't even make it through the sample.... uhg.
June 23, 2012
Well-done urban fantasy, based on a cosmology (Western ceremonial magic) that has always annoyed the hell out of me.
October 3, 2012
Better than the average trashy supernatural story. Relatively well written, pretty easy to read. Not sure it was good enough to justify reading the sequels, though.
October 28, 2012
More focused on semi-authentic tarot readings and the occult than plot or character. Interesting, but way too didactic about being authentically occult, and it gets tedious after a while.
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