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Starship’s Mage #7
Sword of Mars
A defector with a dangerous lead
A chance to speak for the silent
A perilous quest into enemy stars
When the star system of Legatus was preparing to secede from the Protectorate of the Mage-King of Mars, it was the secret agents of the Legatan Military Intelligence Directorate that laid the groundwork and fought the covert war to make it happen.
Now, as the open conflict draws to a bloody stalemate, LMID has been broken. Their leader is dead, murdered by agents of the Republic they helped birth. Their surviving agents have scattered, following a final protocol that orders them to defect to the Protectorate.
An old friend brings all of this to Damien Montgomery, First Hand of the Mage-King, and begs for his help in unravelling the mystery. The only answers lie where the Hands of Mars should never go: on the worlds of the Republic.
A chance to speak for the silent
A perilous quest into enemy stars
When the star system of Legatus was preparing to secede from the Protectorate of the Mage-King of Mars, it was the secret agents of the Legatan Military Intelligence Directorate that laid the groundwork and fought the covert war to make it happen.
Now, as the open conflict draws to a bloody stalemate, LMID has been broken. Their leader is dead, murdered by agents of the Republic they helped birth. Their surviving agents have scattered, following a final protocol that orders them to defect to the Protectorate.
An old friend brings all of this to Damien Montgomery, First Hand of the Mage-King, and begs for his help in unravelling the mystery. The only answers lie where the Hands of Mars should never go: on the worlds of the Republic.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2019
1259 people are currently reading
640 people want to read
About the author
Glynn Stewart
115 books1,748 followersGlynn 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
October 26, 2021
THE SWORD OF MARS is one of the pivotal book of the series. For years, we've been having the "secret" of the Republic teased. It wasn't that difficult to figure out what the horrifying secret behind the faster-than-light drive was going to be, especially by this book, but watching our characters slowly put the pieces together is impressive. We also get some impressive space battles this time around. Really, the biggest selling point of this volume, though is that the defecting Republic agents provide some much needed antagonism to Damien Montgomery. Too much of the cast is reasonable and likable so the conflict added some good tension.
June 11, 2019
Damn solid
As usual another damn solid episode in the epic tale that is the life of one Damian Montgomery, with dramatic reveals and knifes edge action culminating in a stellar hook leading into the next book.
As usual another damn solid episode in the epic tale that is the life of one Damian Montgomery, with dramatic reveals and knifes edge action culminating in a stellar hook leading into the next book.
January 28, 2021
More enjoyable space fantasy from Mr. Stewart.
January 23, 2020
This was a disappointment, compare to the previous entries. I mean, it was good, and I'm still very into the story, but the "big reveal" was essentially given to us a book or two ago, if you were paying even the slightest attention, and it cut all of the tension in Damien's "search for x". Like, all of it.
July 29, 2019
Damien Montgomery, First hand of the Mage-King is getting better with his injury. The story plot continues, where the UnArcana Stars ended. I enjoyed the plotted part, but wished it was also released in an audible edition.
September 14, 2020
A decent story that was only spoilt by the last chapter. I don’t get, or like the Winton storyline, so this finish to the book just put a damper on the whole book.
June 28, 2019
Finally we are getting somewhere in the story and a lot of questions are being answered. I loved this book it was amazing and more than I'd expected.
If you are looking at a review on this book I don't need too sell you on the series you'll already be hooked. So I'll just say that I really enjoyed some of the Roslyn parts of the story. But at the same time I could have done without it as it was only really good towards the end and nothing more than a little interesting for the rest of it. Feels like maybe Glynn Stewart is working her into the series now because he might be planing another spin-off from the series with her as the MC.
I really hope we find out more about the ppl still lurking in the shadows in the next book. There is so little information on them and what their end goal is. We know they want control of the protectorat but we don't know why. I'm really hyped for the next book I literally cannot wait.
If you are looking at a review on this book I don't need too sell you on the series you'll already be hooked. So I'll just say that I really enjoyed some of the Roslyn parts of the story. But at the same time I could have done without it as it was only really good towards the end and nothing more than a little interesting for the rest of it. Feels like maybe Glynn Stewart is working her into the series now because he might be planing another spin-off from the series with her as the MC.
I really hope we find out more about the ppl still lurking in the shadows in the next book. There is so little information on them and what their end goal is. We know they want control of the protectorat but we don't know why. I'm really hyped for the next book I literally cannot wait.
July 12, 2019
2.75 stars
This had the potential to be a really excellent entry in the series. Several things put me off, though.
There's still a bit too much made-up-weapons porn for me. I found myself jumping forward to avoid it.
I was very frustrated at how long it took several of the main and secondary characters to figure out what was going on in this book. I had it figured out quite early on and grew bored waiting for the brightest people in the universe to catch a clue. Poor pacing.
Stewart is increasingly writing teasers at the end of his books and I will always consider those statements of lack of faith in the writing. To me they seem to say "I don't have enough faith that my writing will bring you back so I have to play dirty tricks to try to ensure your continued purchases." Outright cliff hangers just piss me off as overt manipulation, but this wasn't that. The entire final chapter could have just been left off, though.
This had the potential to be a really excellent entry in the series. Several things put me off, though.
There's still a bit too much made-up-weapons porn for me. I found myself jumping forward to avoid it.
I was very frustrated at how long it took several of the main and secondary characters to figure out what was going on in this book. I had it figured out quite early on and grew bored waiting for the brightest people in the universe to catch a clue. Poor pacing.
Stewart is increasingly writing teasers at the end of his books and I will always consider those statements of lack of faith in the writing. To me they seem to say "I don't have enough faith that my writing will bring you back so I have to play dirty tricks to try to ensure your continued purchases." Outright cliff hangers just piss me off as overt manipulation, but this wasn't that. The entire final chapter could have just been left off, though.
January 11, 2022
I can't get over how much I'm loving this series.
June 19, 2024
3.5 stars for me.
June 26, 2019
Sword of Mars was okay, though I didn't enjoy it as much as I did its predecessors.
A great deal of focus was given to the space battles, which weren't overly exciting. There's much description of fleet sizes and compositions: A destroyers, B carriers, C gunships; D megatons; E missiles, F lasers; G gravities, H range. What it boils down to is a math problem, described repeatedly in different ways. Now, I enjoy a good math problem, but this isn't a particularly interesting one.
It may be, in part, due to the manner in which they fight their space battles. I can't help but think there are better ways for them to accomplish their goals. Even without magic I could think of a few. Throw in magic and it's like what - why are they fighting this way? It's similar to how conventional superheroes are often shown fighting the way a normal human might. It makes no sense when you think about it. At least, it's far from optimal.
Sword of Mars would have made a good novella. The naval thread could have been trimmed down, and that length would have suited the content better.
I'll read the next entry, but I worry it'll double down on the space wars aspect at the expense of the more personal.
A great deal of focus was given to the space battles, which weren't overly exciting. There's much description of fleet sizes and compositions: A destroyers, B carriers, C gunships; D megatons; E missiles, F lasers; G gravities, H range. What it boils down to is a math problem, described repeatedly in different ways. Now, I enjoy a good math problem, but this isn't a particularly interesting one.
It may be, in part, due to the manner in which they fight their space battles. I can't help but think there are better ways for them to accomplish their goals. Even without magic I could think of a few. Throw in magic and it's like what - why are they fighting this way? It's similar to how conventional superheroes are often shown fighting the way a normal human might. It makes no sense when you think about it. At least, it's far from optimal.
Sword of Mars would have made a good novella. The naval thread could have been trimmed down, and that length would have suited the content better.
I'll read the next entry, but I worry it'll double down on the space wars aspect at the expense of the more personal.
Currently reading
July 8, 2019Circle within circles
This Mars series always makes me reeling for more. The story is so straight forward and yet multi layered and convoluted. None of the bar guys are straight bad guys, there's always a story and bigger perspective to consider. Where's the next book???
This Mars series always makes me reeling for more. The story is so straight forward and yet multi layered and convoluted. None of the bar guys are straight bad guys, there's always a story and bigger perspective to consider. Where's the next book???
June 11, 2019
This was another story where the First Hand of Mars was in close contact with characters from his past as a young Starship Mage. I throughly enjoyed the read and couldn’t put it down until I reached the end. But once I got there, I was a bit down beat knowing that there was going to be another long wait for the next book. The author is one of my favorites, but it looks like that the Starship’s Mage series might stretch out two or three, possibly more books based on the last chapter. I love the series, but don’t know if I can handle the suspense.
June 20, 2019
Good, but a bit too much “Their TK13s outrange our X32s by 300000 clicks but if we can shave 3.2 light minutes by reversing the thrust of our HFS93s...”
June 26, 2019
Originally posted at www.archeddoorway.com
I’ve been a fan of Glynn Stewarts Starships Mage books ever since I stumbled across them a few years ago, so I was pretty excited when I got an email from Amazon telling me the next book in the series released a couple of weeks ago. I was also lucky in that I had the day off when I found out the book had released so I didn’t have to worry about missing out on any sleep when I sat down and read it in a single sitting. I wanted to love be able to come on here and just fanboy over this book, but while I found that much of Sword of Mars was as fun and full of action and adventure as I’ve come to expect from this series, there were a few things that kept me from loving this book as much as I wanted to.
I love the world that Glynn Stewart has created for us with these books and I always love reading about Damien Montgomery and all of the adventures he has as he does his best to serve the people of the Protectorate. One of my favorite things about this series has been that we’ve gotten to watch a relatively weak mage go on to become one of the most powerful mages and people un the Universe. In Sword of Mars I think we get yet another example of why Damien is such a great character and we are shown once again why you don’t want to piss him off or make him your enemy when he’s trying to do his job and protect people.
The main issue I have with this book is that I feel like out of everyone in the story we get to spend the least amount of time with Damien. I do like Roslyn as a character but I felt her parts of the story and kind of took away from the importance of what was going on with Damien in the rest of the book. I can’t help but feel like the story would have been better if it had followed Damien for the majority of the book and we had gotten Roslyn’s story as a separate book or novella. People may disagree with me but I personally feel like it would have made for a more tightly focused and better story. As it was it took all I had not to just skim through the parts of the book that didn’t focus on Damien.
That being said, I really loved every moment of Damien’s story and was shocked on more than one occasion by some of the things we learned in this book. I do think that Sword of Mars did a great job answering a lot of the questions I’ve had about the story since the end of Judgement of Mars while leaving enough questions unanswered that I’m eager for the next book in the series. I think the story is going in a really interesting direction and can’t wait to see what comes next in the next book or two.
I may not have loved this book but I still think its a fantastic series and will gladly recommend it to anyone looking for something new to read. Though I would also highly recommend that everyone listens to the audiobooks. I think the narrator does a great job bringing these books to life and I can’t wait till the audiobook for Sword of Mars releases later this year.
I’ve been a fan of Glynn Stewarts Starships Mage books ever since I stumbled across them a few years ago, so I was pretty excited when I got an email from Amazon telling me the next book in the series released a couple of weeks ago. I was also lucky in that I had the day off when I found out the book had released so I didn’t have to worry about missing out on any sleep when I sat down and read it in a single sitting. I wanted to love be able to come on here and just fanboy over this book, but while I found that much of Sword of Mars was as fun and full of action and adventure as I’ve come to expect from this series, there were a few things that kept me from loving this book as much as I wanted to.
I love the world that Glynn Stewart has created for us with these books and I always love reading about Damien Montgomery and all of the adventures he has as he does his best to serve the people of the Protectorate. One of my favorite things about this series has been that we’ve gotten to watch a relatively weak mage go on to become one of the most powerful mages and people un the Universe. In Sword of Mars I think we get yet another example of why Damien is such a great character and we are shown once again why you don’t want to piss him off or make him your enemy when he’s trying to do his job and protect people.
The main issue I have with this book is that I feel like out of everyone in the story we get to spend the least amount of time with Damien. I do like Roslyn as a character but I felt her parts of the story and kind of took away from the importance of what was going on with Damien in the rest of the book. I can’t help but feel like the story would have been better if it had followed Damien for the majority of the book and we had gotten Roslyn’s story as a separate book or novella. People may disagree with me but I personally feel like it would have made for a more tightly focused and better story. As it was it took all I had not to just skim through the parts of the book that didn’t focus on Damien.
That being said, I really loved every moment of Damien’s story and was shocked on more than one occasion by some of the things we learned in this book. I do think that Sword of Mars did a great job answering a lot of the questions I’ve had about the story since the end of Judgement of Mars while leaving enough questions unanswered that I’m eager for the next book in the series. I think the story is going in a really interesting direction and can’t wait to see what comes next in the next book or two.
I may not have loved this book but I still think its a fantastic series and will gladly recommend it to anyone looking for something new to read. Though I would also highly recommend that everyone listens to the audiobooks. I think the narrator does a great job bringing these books to life and I can’t wait till the audiobook for Sword of Mars releases later this year.
February 4, 2023
After a break from the Starship's Mage series for a year, I started UnArcana Stars and rolled into Sword of Mars without pause. Glynn Stewart's breakneck pace continues here, with the plot steamrolling deep into the consequences of the events of the previous novel. All the requisite elements of fantastic Space Opera are on display: intricate world-building, galaxy-spanning economies and solar system-wide military actions filling the pages. And of course, don't expect the author to settle into any sort of status quo.
I find it difficult to praise without spoiling, so all I can say is that the open conflict referred to by the back of the book is massive in scope and bloody in consequence. It's everything I expect, but mostly fear as I do love the universe and many of the characters. Damien Montgomery is in fine form as Sword of Mars effortlessly blends military space battles alongside heroic adventures that put Star Wars to shame. All that said, I'm going to take another break. The pace of these novels just goes so fast that I need time to sit back and absorb the latest reality.
Highly Recommended.
I find it difficult to praise without spoiling, so all I can say is that the open conflict referred to by the back of the book is massive in scope and bloody in consequence. It's everything I expect, but mostly fear as I do love the universe and many of the characters. Damien Montgomery is in fine form as Sword of Mars effortlessly blends military space battles alongside heroic adventures that put Star Wars to shame. All that said, I'm going to take another break. The pace of these novels just goes so fast that I need time to sit back and absorb the latest reality.
Highly Recommended.
December 21, 2019
As a late comer to this series this is the only remaining published book I have to read until the first quarter of 2020. Because of this I've gone in hoping for a nice story with a decent amount of action and intrigue to tide me over. Overall I haven't been let down. This is a solid entry in the Starship's Mage series, and one I've enjoyed quite a bit. It is a perfect mixture of characters, action, back story, and conflict along with the resolution of that conflict. This book was right up there with the first four in the series. I'm really looking forward to the publication of book eight.
The first thing I have to point out is how much of a difference Damien's cat makes. She allows for a break in what is usually a serious book and I really enjoy that. I like at least a mixture of comedy in my books no matter the genre, these don't normally have much of that at all so the addition of the kitten allows for a break from the serious all the time.
The continued storyline of Roslyn Chambers is nice as well. I'd like to see her be able to act more like her character in the scenes, but the perspective change is still nice. As she rises in the command structure of the RMN I'm expecting to see more from her. At the start it seems as if she is only placed in the book to give us an anchor to other players and to be the one to bring us scenes. Even when those scenes don't actually need her in them. That transitions to a more active role, but still not one where her character really gets a chance to show much. I'm looking forward to more scenes with her being her.
Finally having the main characters understand some of the Republic's technology and how it works was refreshing. It has been too long with them in the dark. It was also good that the understanding of that technology had such a big impact on the plot, and I'm now glad it was used at the place it was, how it was. Not all of our questions were answered, and we still have the one big question at the end like with most of the books. I'm really hoping that is cleared up in book eight. It seems to have been set up for book eight to be all about answering the questions and resolving this one big remaining plot point.
I really enjoyed this book. It was good to see it go back to the original style with ups and downs equally balanced. This is one hell of a series. It starts out simple then layers and layers of intrigue get pasted on with characters always getting into situations and conflicts to help it all jumble together. Still through all of this it stays simple to follow and easy to read. I only wish there was more science fiction like this out there.
The first thing I have to point out is how much of a difference Damien's cat makes. She allows for a break in what is usually a serious book and I really enjoy that. I like at least a mixture of comedy in my books no matter the genre, these don't normally have much of that at all so the addition of the kitten allows for a break from the serious all the time.
The continued storyline of Roslyn Chambers is nice as well. I'd like to see her be able to act more like her character in the scenes, but the perspective change is still nice. As she rises in the command structure of the RMN I'm expecting to see more from her. At the start it seems as if she is only placed in the book to give us an anchor to other players and to be the one to bring us scenes. Even when those scenes don't actually need her in them. That transitions to a more active role, but still not one where her character really gets a chance to show much. I'm looking forward to more scenes with her being her.
Finally having the main characters understand some of the Republic's technology and how it works was refreshing. It has been too long with them in the dark. It was also good that the understanding of that technology had such a big impact on the plot, and I'm now glad it was used at the place it was, how it was. Not all of our questions were answered, and we still have the one big question at the end like with most of the books. I'm really hoping that is cleared up in book eight. It seems to have been set up for book eight to be all about answering the questions and resolving this one big remaining plot point.
I really enjoyed this book. It was good to see it go back to the original style with ups and downs equally balanced. This is one hell of a series. It starts out simple then layers and layers of intrigue get pasted on with characters always getting into situations and conflicts to help it all jumble together. Still through all of this it stays simple to follow and easy to read. I only wish there was more science fiction like this out there.
August 26, 2019
The seventh installment in the Starship's Mage series is told from two different points of view: Roslyn (Damien's latest recruit) and Damien himself. Roslyn is currently serving on one of the ships of Mars' fleet under the direction of the King's sister, Jane, who is directing the war effort. Meanwhile, Damien is contacted by an ex-LMID agent, whose boss was killed while he was investigating the fate of mage born children from the UnArcana worlds.
I really enjoyed Damien's investigation. While I guessed the fate of the young mages early on, it was still shocking to see I was right. Even Damien couldn't keep his cool at that point. But it also showed first through Niska and then other reactions that even the Republicans were divided when it came to the actions of their leaders. Damien's storyline was easily the best part of the book.
Roslyn's, on the other hand, had a few letdowns. I think the book wasn't quite as space battle heavy as the last one, but there are a few. I've mentioned in my reviews of the previous books that I'm not a fan of those. One of the reasons is that Glynn Stewart doesn't have active space battles, but passive ones. The crew basically shouts out what is happening. For the most part, they sound more like math problems than battles.
Otherwise, seeing how the war was going and Roslyn's search for moles wasn't bad. I have to say though that a commander who ignores the input of her peers who already fought the enemy for the sake of a single analyst should be relieved.
The cliffhanger ensures that I will read the next one, though admittedly it probably would have had an even greater impact if I actually remembered the people from the scene.
A last note: this is a continuing series and normally Stewart includes very little summaries of prior books. However, in this one he mentioned Damien being a Rune Wright and the fact that he recently crippled his hands on multiple occasions. It was getting kind of annoying, to be frank.
I really enjoyed Damien's investigation. While I guessed the fate of the young mages early on, it was still shocking to see I was right. Even Damien couldn't keep his cool at that point. But it also showed first through Niska and then other reactions that even the Republicans were divided when it came to the actions of their leaders. Damien's storyline was easily the best part of the book.
Roslyn's, on the other hand, had a few letdowns. I think the book wasn't quite as space battle heavy as the last one, but there are a few. I've mentioned in my reviews of the previous books that I'm not a fan of those. One of the reasons is that Glynn Stewart doesn't have active space battles, but passive ones. The crew basically shouts out what is happening. For the most part, they sound more like math problems than battles.
Otherwise, seeing how the war was going and Roslyn's search for moles wasn't bad. I have to say though that a commander who ignores the input of her peers who already fought the enemy for the sake of a single analyst should be relieved.
The cliffhanger ensures that I will read the next one, though admittedly it probably would have had an even greater impact if I actually remembered the people from the scene.
A last note: this is a continuing series and normally Stewart includes very little summaries of prior books. However, in this one he mentioned Damien being a Rune Wright and the fact that he recently crippled his hands on multiple occasions. It was getting kind of annoying, to be frank.
March 18, 2023
Another good book in the Starship’s Mage series.
This book has two threads going at the same time. Not my favorite way of writing but it works pretty well in this book.
One is the Mars fleet under Mage-Admiral Jane Alexander and her assistant Mage-Lieutenant Roslyn Chambers striking back at the Republic and trying to blockade the Republic ship building infrastructure. This is of course my favorite thread since it involves a lot of fleet action. I really liked this part.
Apart from the cool space battles this part also contains a lot of character development for Roslyn CHambers and it is of course no surprise that she will most likely play a rather central part as the story continues in future books.
The second thread is Damien sneaking around in Republic space with this defector and his dangerous lead. This is not my favorite kind of story but it is pretty good anyway. It also brings about a twist, which for once I did not see coming, and which plays an important role once the two threads converge towards the end of the book.
All in all a very good book that has a lot of things to like, at least as far as I am concerned, in it.
The one thing I did not like with this book, as well as with the previous books, is this rubbish twist that the author introduced some time ago where Damien gets wounded and now does not have his full powers. I especially do not like that the author keeps harping about it all the time and then constantly claims that the healing will take a long time.
Just get it over with and get Damien back into full power. Damien being a bad-ass was one of the things that I really liked with earlier books. This unnecessary dragged out crippling of Damien is the major contributor to me not giving this book a five star rating.
This book has two threads going at the same time. Not my favorite way of writing but it works pretty well in this book.
One is the Mars fleet under Mage-Admiral Jane Alexander and her assistant Mage-Lieutenant Roslyn Chambers striking back at the Republic and trying to blockade the Republic ship building infrastructure. This is of course my favorite thread since it involves a lot of fleet action. I really liked this part.
Apart from the cool space battles this part also contains a lot of character development for Roslyn CHambers and it is of course no surprise that she will most likely play a rather central part as the story continues in future books.
The second thread is Damien sneaking around in Republic space with this defector and his dangerous lead. This is not my favorite kind of story but it is pretty good anyway. It also brings about a twist, which for once I did not see coming, and which plays an important role once the two threads converge towards the end of the book.
All in all a very good book that has a lot of things to like, at least as far as I am concerned, in it.
The one thing I did not like with this book, as well as with the previous books, is this rubbish twist that the author introduced some time ago where Damien gets wounded and now does not have his full powers. I especially do not like that the author keeps harping about it all the time and then constantly claims that the healing will take a long time.
Just get it over with and get Damien back into full power. Damien being a bad-ass was one of the things that I really liked with earlier books. This unnecessary dragged out crippling of Damien is the major contributor to me not giving this book a five star rating.
June 12, 2019
As somebody that has really enjoyed this series. I wish I could give this one a higher rating but I just can't.
Much like the last story there are parts of this one that are good. Like the core plot with Damien hunting down a conspiracy is entertaining. More predictable than I would have wished, maybe. But it's still entertaining. Damien when he's doing his Hand of Hands thing is also great. And the hints at a grander conspiracy at the end were interesting.
The problem is it's all weighed down by so much bad. The perspectives other than Damien's are really pretty rough. The supporting character situation right now with this series is downright dire. There is just nothing interesting going on outside of Damien's perspective. And an alarming amount of time is spent outside of that perspective. Doesn't help that the supporting cast is mostly 2/3rds of the strange "failed interest squad" returning from the previous book. It's just as weird this book as it was in the last one.
And the cat. Oh my god the cat. The only purpose it serves is to undercut any sense of how epic Damien or some mission he's on is. Because apparently no situation is so dire that things can't grind to halt for a few paragraphs while a bunch of military personal abandoning professional discipline in order to discuss the cuteness and importance of Mr Mittens.
Much like the last story there are parts of this one that are good. Like the core plot with Damien hunting down a conspiracy is entertaining. More predictable than I would have wished, maybe. But it's still entertaining. Damien when he's doing his Hand of Hands thing is also great. And the hints at a grander conspiracy at the end were interesting.
The problem is it's all weighed down by so much bad. The perspectives other than Damien's are really pretty rough. The supporting character situation right now with this series is downright dire. There is just nothing interesting going on outside of Damien's perspective. And an alarming amount of time is spent outside of that perspective. Doesn't help that the supporting cast is mostly 2/3rds of the strange "failed interest squad" returning from the previous book. It's just as weird this book as it was in the last one.
And the cat. Oh my god the cat. The only purpose it serves is to undercut any sense of how epic Damien or some mission he's on is. Because apparently no situation is so dire that things can't grind to halt for a few paragraphs while a bunch of military personal abandoning professional discipline in order to discuss the cuteness and importance of Mr Mittens.
December 12, 2019
I'd hoped Stewart had moved away from the long missile to missile space battles, but this one is full of it again. What's worse, is, due to the number of ships involved it's becoming a bit of a battle by spread sheet affair.
Unfortunately, only about half the book is spent with Damien, the rest is with the fleet doing fleet stuff, and Damien's story is the better plot line of this book.
Pretty good, but it fails to capitalize on the potential of this war.
Unfortunately, only about half the book is spent with Damien, the rest is with the fleet doing fleet stuff, and Damien's story is the better plot line of this book.
Pretty good, but it fails to capitalize on the potential of this war.
July 30, 2019
Riveting addition to the Series
I’ve been following Glynn Stewarts’ Starships Mage series for quite some time, seeing Damien Montgomery grow from a fledgling jump mage into a full on force of nature. Throughout the series I’ve always thought that Montgomery’s overwhelming abilities always tipped the scales a bit too easily, leading to a lack of depth and imagination. Too often does an overpowered character lead to easy solutions and resolutions to large storylines. However, with the developments of Damien’s injury and his resulting need to both deal with his diminished capacity, Stewart has managed to humanize the character and make him ultimately more relatable.
As a side note, Stewart is consistently one of the better authors at depicting spaceborne battles. In creating the battle theater and describing the vast distances, logistics and challenges in engaging in such environments, he draws us all into the action and allows the reader to feel as if we’re all Mage-Captains.
Cannot recommend this series enough for the avid sci-fi reader. Please give it a shot.
I’ve been following Glynn Stewarts’ Starships Mage series for quite some time, seeing Damien Montgomery grow from a fledgling jump mage into a full on force of nature. Throughout the series I’ve always thought that Montgomery’s overwhelming abilities always tipped the scales a bit too easily, leading to a lack of depth and imagination. Too often does an overpowered character lead to easy solutions and resolutions to large storylines. However, with the developments of Damien’s injury and his resulting need to both deal with his diminished capacity, Stewart has managed to humanize the character and make him ultimately more relatable.
As a side note, Stewart is consistently one of the better authors at depicting spaceborne battles. In creating the battle theater and describing the vast distances, logistics and challenges in engaging in such environments, he draws us all into the action and allows the reader to feel as if we’re all Mage-Captains.
Cannot recommend this series enough for the avid sci-fi reader. Please give it a shot.
January 30, 2024
OK, I have no pride.
Glynn Stewart's Starship Mage series is cliched, predictable space opera of the most generic sort -- but I still really like it.
Stewart is a professional writer, so the pages turn, but protagonist Damien Montgomery is the epitome of perfection. His only flaw is that he's too selfless, and injures himself helping others. And of course the villains are appropriately villainous, and the supporting characters pretty much out of central casting.
But I've read seven of these now, and I will continue to follow the Sword of Mars, Damien Montgomery, the powerful mage who can wreak havoc on his enemies while treating friends, neighbors, the poor, the oppressed, cats and, I'm certain, wounded puppies with restraint and respect.
The space operatic plot involves the Protectorate (good), the Republic of Faith and Reason (bad), a hidden mastermind, battles with billions of tons of spaceships firing tens of thousands of rounds of missiles, feats of derring-do, and, well, you get the picture.
As mentioned, I have no pride.
Glynn Stewart's Starship Mage series is cliched, predictable space opera of the most generic sort -- but I still really like it.
Stewart is a professional writer, so the pages turn, but protagonist Damien Montgomery is the epitome of perfection. His only flaw is that he's too selfless, and injures himself helping others. And of course the villains are appropriately villainous, and the supporting characters pretty much out of central casting.
But I've read seven of these now, and I will continue to follow the Sword of Mars, Damien Montgomery, the powerful mage who can wreak havoc on his enemies while treating friends, neighbors, the poor, the oppressed, cats and, I'm certain, wounded puppies with restraint and respect.
The space operatic plot involves the Protectorate (good), the Republic of Faith and Reason (bad), a hidden mastermind, battles with billions of tons of spaceships firing tens of thousands of rounds of missiles, feats of derring-do, and, well, you get the picture.
As mentioned, I have no pride.
March 26, 2020
Awesome
I quibble with parts of some story lines and parts of his worlds sometimes but he really does deliver a good product every time. He may have outdone himself this time. I knew there was a horrible secret being hidden and every reader will have to deal with the mounting dread. It was more suspenseful than some horror stories that I've read. I spent a good part of the book running so many ugly possibilities that it made the tension worse. He wrote a total shocker this time, with style and grace.
The series is probably my favorite of his and one of my all time favorites. It's a rough ride in this volume with hints of much more to come. This was Weber plus King with a touch of Asimov.
You will enjoy the book, from characters (as sharp as Zen DiPietro) through the world building (as grand as Frank Herbert) even if you come to the series at book seven. It's much better to start at the beginning but this is a very, very good read.
I quibble with parts of some story lines and parts of his worlds sometimes but he really does deliver a good product every time. He may have outdone himself this time. I knew there was a horrible secret being hidden and every reader will have to deal with the mounting dread. It was more suspenseful than some horror stories that I've read. I spent a good part of the book running so many ugly possibilities that it made the tension worse. He wrote a total shocker this time, with style and grace.
The series is probably my favorite of his and one of my all time favorites. It's a rough ride in this volume with hints of much more to come. This was Weber plus King with a touch of Asimov.
You will enjoy the book, from characters (as sharp as Zen DiPietro) through the world building (as grand as Frank Herbert) even if you come to the series at book seven. It's much better to start at the beginning but this is a very, very good read.
January 10, 2020
I'm really struggling to figure out why I keep reading this series and yet rating it only "It was ok". The ideas are interesting and the characters aren't terrible or completely stock, so that's a plus. The major minuses for me are still the writing choices in both grammar and descriptions; exclamations points should be used sparingly, if ever and there are lots of ways to let readers know that a character is black or asian or anything else without continuously describing them as "the black captain". Say it once, not so starkly, and then let the reader remember. Also, got really bored with the space battles. That's maybe on me, I find missle counts and continual updates of the names of types of ships boring. And yet, here I am on book 7. Also, did anyone else figure out the "FTL" drive the first time they mentioned it?
April 2, 2024
This was a pretty solid series. A multitude of 4-5s from book 1-5, unsurprisingly- once the author decided to split POVSs between Damian and our new MC, the series is unbearable.
I do not care about her. I have spent 5 books reading about Damian, I should have checked to see that books 6-10 would see half of the already short books from a different perspective of him- from a character that I don’t care about. That’s not to acknowledge the fact that books 11 onward are COMPLETELY from the perspective from this new character, and Damian- our MAIN CHARACTER is left behind as a cameo character apparently. I cannot bring myself to finish out the few books left that contain Damian as a main POV- I looked over a lot of week story elements but I can’t overlook abandoning and switching main characters halfway through the series for someone we don’t care about.
I do not care about her. I have spent 5 books reading about Damian, I should have checked to see that books 6-10 would see half of the already short books from a different perspective of him- from a character that I don’t care about. That’s not to acknowledge the fact that books 11 onward are COMPLETELY from the perspective from this new character, and Damian- our MAIN CHARACTER is left behind as a cameo character apparently. I cannot bring myself to finish out the few books left that contain Damian as a main POV- I looked over a lot of week story elements but I can’t overlook abandoning and switching main characters halfway through the series for someone we don’t care about.
June 23, 2019
I really have to do a better job of tracking releases for long-running series like this one, but I found this one buried in my recommendations.
This is very well written, as I've found this entire series. The author's other books are always well-executed, but for me this is the main sequence of this "universe" ("Runeiverse?") and the spin-off don't hold my attention as well. Damien Montgomery for all of his relative vanilla-ness is the lynchpin of the "Mage" stories, and is always in on the big action.
The characters and the situation continue to evolve, and the prospect of [spoiler] gives this the prospect of an interesting new arc. If you've made it this far, this book won't disappoint, and I look forward to the next bound.
This is very well written, as I've found this entire series. The author's other books are always well-executed, but for me this is the main sequence of this "universe" ("Runeiverse?") and the spin-off don't hold my attention as well. Damien Montgomery for all of his relative vanilla-ness is the lynchpin of the "Mage" stories, and is always in on the big action.
The characters and the situation continue to evolve, and the prospect of [spoiler] gives this the prospect of an interesting new arc. If you've made it this far, this book won't disappoint, and I look forward to the next bound.
June 13, 2019
Secrets Revealed
The Starship Mage series has remained one of my favorites and Sword of Mars is an exciting and very enjoyable addition to the series. Many questions are answered - why did Legatus start a war with the Protectorate? How could they develop an FTL drive without magic? Will Damien recover from his damage?
But, as Glynn often does, just as you get all those strands unraveled, he pulls back a curtain and reveals a new layer of mystery and complexity. Damien Montgomery is one of the best main characters in any of the space fantasy series and he's always a joy to follow. Highly recommend if you've read the previous books. If not, start with book one.
The Starship Mage series has remained one of my favorites and Sword of Mars is an exciting and very enjoyable addition to the series. Many questions are answered - why did Legatus start a war with the Protectorate? How could they develop an FTL drive without magic? Will Damien recover from his damage?
But, as Glynn often does, just as you get all those strands unraveled, he pulls back a curtain and reveals a new layer of mystery and complexity. Damien Montgomery is one of the best main characters in any of the space fantasy series and he's always a joy to follow. Highly recommend if you've read the previous books. If not, start with book one.
June 17, 2019
Pretty good next segment in the series. It didn't go where I expected it to, but it looks like the next one in the series might, so.... This is a great series, and this book just added to it's enjoyment. If you've read and liked any of the mars series books, either the hand or the red ones (I don't know their actual names), then you should find this one enjoyable as well. If you're a fan of scifi in general, this book would be a good addition to your read shelf, if you are a fantasy fan, and you like magic bases stories, you might want to give this series a look, it's scifi to be sure, but there's enough magic in it to keep fantasy fans hooked as well.
July 20, 2019
This is the seventh book in the Starship's Mage series
All I can say is OMG 😲 another amazing book in this series this Arthur has become one of my favorite . Once again our Hand /Darth Montgomery is charged with saying the day not only does he have to discover the secret to his enemies new Technology but he most also save those that he can from a fait worst than death plus win or stop a senseless war . While deeper conspiracies are still hidden and are in play and just as deadly Damien and the power behind this tragedy are on a collision course . What will happen when all is revealed and who will survive can't wait until the next installment in this series .
All I can say is OMG 😲 another amazing book in this series this Arthur has become one of my favorite . Once again our Hand /Darth Montgomery is charged with saying the day not only does he have to discover the secret to his enemies new Technology but he most also save those that he can from a fait worst than death plus win or stop a senseless war . While deeper conspiracies are still hidden and are in play and just as deadly Damien and the power behind this tragedy are on a collision course . What will happen when all is revealed and who will survive can't wait until the next installment in this series .
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