The Emperor's Mask

Magebreakers #2

by Ben S. Dobson

A killer walks among the rich and powerful. Who can the Magebreakers trust?

Someone is killing the non-magical members of Senate houses–those who might one day be named Protector of the Realm. And that same someone is leaving behind messages for the Magebreakers beside symbols of the shadowy organization known as the Knights of the Emperor. Under suspicion from the constabulary, Tane and Kadka are drawn into the investigation to prove their innocence.

What they find is that Audish politics are as dangerous as any Porthaven back-alley. Suddenly, they’re surrounded by the most powerful figures in the realm, every one with a different agenda. Telling allies from enemies has never been harder, but Tane and Kadka will have to find someone to trust if they’re going to bring the killer to justice.

Their lives–and the future of the Protectorate–depend on it.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Mystery, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, Fiction

235 pages, Paperback

Published February 7, 2018

About the author

Ben S. Dobson is Canadian writer who has achieved nothing of consequence. Many people like him anyway. This is inexplicable.

When he isn't writing fantasy novels, he can be found enjoying many fine, geeky activities. These include playing Dungeons and Dragons, watching Studio Ghibli movies, and playing video games (as long as they have a good storyline and require little to no skill).

You can email him at bensdobson@bensdobson.com, or find him online at these places:
Website: http://bensdobson.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bensdobson

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Emperor's Mask
Magebreakers series, Book 2
By: Ben S. Dobson
Narrated by: Travis Baldree
This is another good book with Tane and Kadka, of course they get accused of things they didn't do...I guess they just look like trouble makers instead of Magebreakers. Somebody is killing people in the Senate. Lots of action, magic, fights, new characters, good plot, and plenty of intrigue. I didn't think it was as good as book one but it was still good.
Great narration! Great performance!

[Selina Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one as much. The world is still fun and cool and complex, I still like the characters, there's barely a hint of romance between two couples and both were fine (although I have questions about how kissing actually works for one couple 😆😅), and the content was still mostly low, other than some gross murder scenes at the beginning. I liked Kadka's arc and Tane learning to trust and respect her even more, even if both were subtle/small growth arcs.

I have mixed feelings on the overarching, moving-toward-civil-war plot. Interesting but feels slightly less fun than if they just solved random mysteries. Shrug.

But the main reason I enjoyed this one less is the mystery was PAINFULLY obvious. Like within the first 10% I knew how the murders were committed and by idk, 20% or so? I can't remember, but early on, I knew who the bad guy was. It made Tane look kind of like he had bricks for brains, and made me want to beat my head against a wall. It made it feel like a bit of slough to get through the rest of the book until they figure it out. (And then the villain asks how Tane figured it out and I mostly skipped over his Sherlockian monologue because we know! It was blatant! Even the climatic end fight/time crunch to stop the evil plans was a bit of a let down because I saw it all coming...perhaps everything was just a little too foreshadowed. (Or maybe *I'm* a master of divination... 😉🤣) [Slight spoilers--mostly spoilers if you don't guess as quickly as I did: This book also falls a bit into an ableist trope, but I think it also made it clear the issue was less the disability and more about the character's superiority complex & hateful fanaticism.]

Still, I didn't hate the book, and am curious enough to try the next one and see how it goes. 🤷‍♀️ And book one can be read as a standalone, which is nice, because it means this one doesn't negatively color it at all.

[Talal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as the first book in the series. Much less character development and plot was completely predictable. I might give him a shot for a third because I liked Book One so much. That said I hope Dobson ratchets up his game and doesn't phone it in, next time.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book in this magepunk series very much, and this one a little less, though I did still enjoy it.

The main problem was that I figured out at the 42% mark what the detective didn't figure out until the 74% mark: the identity of the villain. I'm not usually good at figuring those things out, so to me it's a sign that the author made it too obvious and/or his detective too stupid, not that I'm particularly insightful.

The author also needs to be alert to the rule for plural possessives: if a townhouse belongs to a family named Stooke, it is "the Stookes' townhouse," not "the Stooke's townhouse". Otherwise, the copy editing was very good, with just one or two minor typos.

Something that I particularly enjoyed was the zest for life that Kadka, the half-orc character, shows. She has a great sense of wonder whenever she encounters magic, and glories in a challenge that means she will have to fight against the odds. Battling against the odds, and against time, is something the characters do a lot, and there are some daring escapes and tense fights. There wasn't anything to quite equal Kadka jumping onto the airship in the first book, but that's a tough act to follow.

Overall, solid, and I would happily read a sequel.

[Jay Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, very disappointed in this sequel book. The first one was so good and this one is just mediocre. Not even sure I will continue with the series at this point.

Update
It really confuses me how someone can give this book 5 stars. This book is clearly not as good as the first book in this series and people can still give it 5 stars. You have no scale if you give both a okay book and a great book 5 stars. Strange, can't understand some peoples rating system. just a observation.

[Susan1566 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly light, easy reading series with interesting characters, magic, some mystery, some humour and possibly romance. A bit of everything.

[Peter Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much the same as the first book, with a nice amount of character development for Katka. The mystery was again fairly obvious, I had it figured out around halfway through. However, much like the last book this didn't take away too much from what was a fun read.

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the mystery elements of this fantasy series.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing and characters are actually pretty good, the pacing is okay too.

The problems though...
The world building continues to be a bit cheesy and feel a lot like a D&D game - which is forgivable.
Less forgivable (spoiler warning-ish) is how poorly it manages the crime mystery angle. A detective story told solely from the detective's perspective should not have already made it entirely clear who the criminal is to the reader before they are even a quarter of the way in. Foreshadowing is great, but here it was just telegraphing from far too early in the book which spoilt the fun of wondering who was doing what and made the couple of other suspects suggested seem like wasted words - as the actual culprit was already so very clear.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that this book kept me entranced. Tane and Kadka are pulled into a serial murder mystery leave huge question marks. Somehow the killer gets into heavily warded houses and leaves no magical or biological signature. They must catch this killer as they are on the cusp of being accused of the murders themselves. Kadka and Tane have a difference of opinion for the first time ever and hurt feelings get in their way. Good friends help when they can. Full of surprises and evil deeds. Can't wait until the next one. Excellent read.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Premise

Usually these types of books are all alike. I've enjoyed this series and the interesting way it approaches magic. The main character is flawed. And by flawed I mean something of a cocky know-it-all who genuinely wants to keep people safe. I enjoyed how the personalities of the characters build and nothing is absurd. The only thing I didn't like was that I figured out who the villain was WAY before I should have. It would have been nice to have a bit more build up. All-in-all I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun read! The world, characters, and plot are engaging. There were some majorly predictable plot points that the main characters really should have picked up on sooner, so I knocked off a star because of how blatant that was. Other than that, we continue with the same great characters and are introduced to a few more, continuing this interesting story.

I hope the plot remains this entertaining throughout the series, because I plan to finish it!

[David Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting setting in a nation where the aristocracy is families of magic using humans and elves, but the executive authority rests an elected constitutional monarch who must be chosen from people in whom the the magic gene does manifest. (Of course that inevitably ends up being close relatives of magic users who happened to miss out on the familial magic gifts because lets not get crazy here.) At same time the setting is filled with magitech giving them a roughtly Edwardian technology level with the occasional one-off really advanced bit of magical engineering. In the first book they launched their first airship.

In this book the society is beset on both ends by magic supremacists who want to go back to the good-old "Mage-Emperor" days as well as a civil rights movement that wants more representation and equal rights for the magicless, especially the goblins and kobolds who never get spellcasting abilities. Our heroes, the Mage-Breakers must solve a series of murders of magicless aristocrats who will potentially be the next "Protector". One of them is a half-orc (a minority who are virtually nonexistent there) who is superhumanly capable in her physical abilities and invisible to magic while the other is an expert on magic who can't cast spells but has studied the design of spells and enchantments and has a deeper understanding of them than most actual magicians.

Allegedly.

Here's the problem. Good characters, good setting. But the mystery in this book...ugh. The moment that they described the ward as one that keeps out sentient intruders it was obvious to me how the ward was evaded. The moment they showed the murderer to me it was obvious who had the means and motive. That our detective is oblivious to this obviousness means he isn't nearly living up to his billing as a schmott guy. The problem should not have been "who did it". It should have been "how do we stop him?"

Ah well the first one was better. Maybe the third one will be too.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Partly obvious, but still entertaining. I'll be happy to read more of the Magebreakers.

Call it about 3.67 on Amazon's scale; about 3 even on Goodreads's. I liked this book despite finding it soon obvious how the wards were overcome, and therefore a bit annoying that Tane didn't even consider the possibility for far too long. Here's a little hint: Guns (or sharp spikes) don't kill people; people kill people. I also guessed the secret in the cellar, partly from the "Chekhov just showed us the gun" principle. Still, I wasn't fully clear on all of the baddie's motives, nor whether they were working alone, and I like the protagonists. It was certainly no hardship to keep reading.

The story-telling at the sentence and paragraph level is very good. I only caught one wrong (or at least very iffy) wording, a syntax mismatch between clauses of one sentence: "looped" (past tense, NOT participle) vs. "ending" (present participle).

This isn't trying to be a deeply meaningful literary work, just a fun adventure, but it's interesting to see how the same tragedy affected different individuals, and what can make an issue feel like "It IS my problem" or not. And of course, there's the metaphor of the "lesser races" to give a message against institutional and personal prejudice.

I have one question re. writing spells: does "sentient" include pet-type animals, as far as the Astra is concerned? I hope so.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing more of Tane and Kaska, and I will be doing so quite soon: I almost missed the fact that book 3, The Dragon Machine, just came out (10/9/2018), since Amazon and Goodreads are both so far (as of 10/12/2018) only showing the first two as "Books In This Series". My timing in finally deciding to read TEM (the mixed reviews, mainly criticizing Tane's denseness, made me hesitate) turns out to have been perfect! I signed up for the author's email list, so I'll get new-release notifications from now on.

[Justus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dobson's second entry in his Magebreaker's series is a step down from the first. The first was decent enough for light entertainment, the second is somewhat less decent.

Some of the problems are typical to any series -- in a first book a lot of the heavy lifting of character development and interpersonal conflict & drama can come just from introducing all the characters to one another and walking through some of their backstory. In a second book, you don't have that to rely on anymore. You don't have to have constant character development or new revelations (take classics like Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe who doesn't exactly undergo much character development over the course of many books) but you need something to keep readers hooked.

And that's the other weakness of The Emperor's Mask, the "mystery" is even weaker than the first book. I expect that most readers will figure it out as soon as Kadka fights the Mask about 50% of the way into the book, though it will take the characters the rest of the book to piece it together. This is especially disappointing because Tane's major claim to fame is his ability to read people -- and his inability to solve the mystery is entirely because of his failure to read someone. His failure to read someone, in this case, seems solely to support the plot. It isn't like the person turns out to be a trained actor or have a spell that helps them lie or anything.

Still, the book moves along quickly. I especially liked the in media res start to the book. It is over quickly. Many authors nowadays introduce something like that and then have it drag on for dozens of pages. (I seem to recall that The Last Good Man was especially bad on this point.) My enthusiasm -- always fairly lukewarm -- for the series has faded somewhat but I expect I'll still try out the third book in the series given these aren't exactly massive time investments.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Emperor's Mask takes itself somewhat more seriously than the first novel in this series, focusing on a series of high profile murders taking place in the academic town. Tane and Kadka are pulled in as the murders are seemingly impossible. The fact that they are potential suspects for reasons that never really make a lot of sense is a complicating factor.

I enjoyed this less than the first novel. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. But it felt lacking in comparison. There's far less humour, yet it doesn't quite stray into gritty urban fantasy either. The plot was rather obvious; I had the bad guy pegged very early on and that's unusual for me as I'm not good at picking up hints. I hadn't figured out exactly how it was done, but I'd definitely clocked the who. There were also some side plots that could have been developed far more.

I appreciated some of the additional character development here though. There's some conflict and tension between Tane and Kadka that is very well done, as the two of them find their feet in the work partnership. There was romantic angles for both Tane and Kadka and I appreciated that this was largely done with a light hand in both cases. And there's also some interesting new characters. There's a small amount of additional world building, but not a vast amount in honesty.

I'm certainly interested enough still to pick up the next novel, but this wasn't as entertaining or as well done as The Flaw in All Magic. It needed a lighter hand on the foreshadowing, more humour and more meat on the bones of the side threads.

[Scycer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well to be frank if you are looking at the flow of the story and plotting it should get more stars. However since I was able to figure out the villain from the start was downer for the whole reading experience.

I enjoyed the audiobook version , which was very good at capturing your attention and has good energy throughout. However I feel like Ben Dobson tried too hard to make it a whodunit. There were some good themes to explore such as the racial differences and treatment in society, social developments etc. The main clue was easy to guess out as the item was repeated point blank too many times. The voice actor brought the characters to life and I just had to listen it till the end.

Ben Dobson creates really good chemistry with the main protagonists, the dialogue is good and humorous at times, but a little more depth in plotting would have helped. The book ended with an opportunity for a sequel.

I definitely did enjoy the book to a degree, so if you want a light an easy read do pick it up.

[Aelvana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tane and Kadka haven't been in business long, but life has been interesting. A little too interesting for the city, actually. So when a string of murders at the highest level of society starts containing clues that may link them with the Magebreakers, they're finding it difficult to investigate for multiple reasons. After all, the only suspects are other nobles . . .

This is another excellent story, with the only flaw that it was immediately obvious to me how the murders were committed once the symbols were explained, and by whom as soon as that person showed up. So there was less tension in the mystery because I was just waiting for Tane or Kadka to clue in to what had been sitting in front of them.

I like how Tane and Kadka are starting to see problems developing in their relationship, and it's a natural extension of their differences. But at the same time, they're still a team, and even though it does take some things longer to resolve, they do still risk their lives for each other.

Overall this has been a fun series so far, and I can't wait for future installments. I rate this book Highly Recommended.

See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....

[Sgt Maj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, Enjoyable Series

Noticed some reviews, prior to purchasing, knocking story regarding mystery story that was too easy to figure out. I had my suspicions midway or so.....

So What! We,readers, get fairly well written story with engaging characters, good dialogue in a easy to understand ‘universe’ — background isn’t unique but author introduces and manipulates his characters and events with ease. Readers get comfortable and no confusion.

I’m not a magic fan but this series made it somewhat easy to understand and credible (?)..... Eeek! And one more favorite part for me —- didn’t have a super hero that could take on anything, tribes of vampires or gangs of witches and a couple of words, the right spell, and poof! All fixed.

Character development regardless of species, interaction and a team like approach, kinda, and we’ve got a winner.

Forgot — not X rated nor a third of story tied up into what he and she was thinking of each other romantically . Thank You!

[Mjab · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO MUCH FUN

I agree with other reviewers that this is not quite as good as the first in the series. And maybe not the most innovative or challenging plot. But this novel was so damn fun. It really was a pleasure to read. Without going into spoilers this is a steampunk detective type mystery with flawed but also really likable characters. We get political intrigue, oppressive magical 1%ers versus feisty fantasy underdogs, a locked room type mystery and some nice noir touches. But really Kadka is the star here. She's just such a fun character and the working relationship between her and Tane is a joy to read. And best of all, we get a glimpse of her depth in this one, as she struggles against the limitations placed on her as a "simple" half-orc, who is perceived as the mere muscle of the partnership.

I would recommend reading the first in the series before this one, as there is some world building and character development that is built on in this one.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was concerned about a come down from book 1 in this series since that is the general trend I've observed. "The Emperor's Mask", however, is on par with and even a little better than book 1, or so I say and goodreads.com seems to agree giving book 1 a 4.19 rating and "The Emperor's Mask" a 4.24 rating.

There is a murderer abroad who is taunting the "Mage Breakers". Worse, the murders appear to also serve the purpose of promoting wizard rule in a country whose wizards once threatened the world. To keep world peace and, more importantly, to catch the person who would commit murder to taunt them, the Mage Breakers will bend the rules to their breaking point.

Bottom line: Worth the read.

[Danae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mystery criminal story in a world that mixes modern with magic.
This time people die behind magic wards and the MC and hit half-orc sidekick try to find who is behind this and why is he trying to blame the magebreaker for it?
I really enjoyed this. It has a nice level of easiness, politics and intersting world together with smart dialogues and nice action.
Only reason it gets 3 and not 4 stars is that i was very sure about the bad guy and his methods at only a quarter of the book. That leads me to shout at the MC "when i got the solution how can yo miss it?". But well - sometimes you write a mystery and try to hide the important clue in the open - and sometimes the reader gets it too fast.
Nevertheless - great series - can recommend.

[Chip · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have liked this story, the beginning was good, the end was good, the middle was painful. Spoilers but a man's brother is killed and his family don't know who did it. The man is a drone expert. Then someone else dies in a room only accessible by drone. Then they interrupt another murder being carried out by a drone-like creature.

It's like the author was waving a massive flag at who the murderer was and then you have the remaining 80% of the book with the main characters being oblivious. Made me want to scream to be honest. I really liked this series to start with and I'm curious how it'll play out but I can't bring myself to read more after this one.

Narration was fine.

[Frances Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Carver and Kadka are at it again! Both without magic but living in a magical society. Having had to recover from wars and the consequent damage to the economy and society, only a magicless being can aspire to the position of Protector. Of course they still come from a magical family who are represented in the Senate. Now someone is killing off the magicless, somehow bypassing all the wards and all the guards. I have to confess that I thought that the culprit was obvious from early on but it was still a fun book. I hope that the next book isn’t far off.

[Chris Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know, I had a harder time getting into this one.

In a lot of ways Magebreakers #2 is like the start of the series. Magebreakers #1 set up a lot of the lore and did a lot of world building, sure, but Magebreakers #2 sets up the conflict the rest of the series will be running with (or at least that's what it seems like).

Given this book, and the series in general, is a mystery novel in a fantasy setting, I won't say anything about the plot due to spoilers, but it is done pretty, well if not as good as the first book. Here's hoping book 3 is a return to form.

[Vishal Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Good, but not as much as the first.

Much like The Flaw In All Magic, this book is thoroughly enjoyable and exciting. Kadka and Tane are fun and cleverly written. The world is just as interesting.
Unfortunately, we don't really get a good look at the magic in this one. The two new magic ideas are both mostly secrets, which we will presumably learn about in later books. They don't feel like deus ex machina, but they are still a little hard to pin down. I wish we got to see a little more of those before the story's end.

Well, there's always the next book.

[DAWN · Rating 4 out of 5]

The universe for this fantasy novel is super detailed, and the magical system is carefully thought out. However, it’s the characters that really make the whole story. Our main character lost his parents too young because powerful magicians did work that was never checked carefully enough. It’s like they didn’t even care about non-magical lives. We get to watch more than one character in this novel go through their life while grieving and each handles it differently. There are plenty of jokes and there’s an odd couple pairing for the two investigators that’s really enjoyable.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for both of the books so far in this series :
The Flaw in all Magic and The Emperor's Mask.
The way the author describes magic reminds me of my days as a software engineer. Magic seems like software, flaws in magic are described as similar to bugs in programs.
The inequality and inability to get citizenship parallels what's going on in the US today.
That said, I liked both of these books. I cared for the characters, hope there's a third book in the series.

[Frank Bertino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magebreakers Endure

Tane and Kafka are at it again. To prove their innocence, they must solve an unsolvable case. I like the Tane and Kadka characters, both strong and competent in their own ways. The action is great and I enjoyed the intellectual games Tane must play with their adversaries. Much to his chagrin, Kadka often simplifies the convoluted line of thought to a concise yet accurate sentence. I like the humor and am looking forward to the next book.

[Derek Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the first of this series and had to get the rest. This is a great continuation. I enjoyed the world opening up a little more - the veil peeling back bit by bit. As well as the fleshing of the characters becoming a bit more clear as we go. I figured out what was up very early on in the book, but it was still a great story to read. Well written and very enjoyable. Can't wait to read the third installment.