The Other Magic

Passage to Dawn #1

by Derrick Smythe

The men secured the shackles slowly, hesitantly, but Kibure did not resist; he couldn’t. Whatever otherworldly power had come over him in those moments of passion had fled his body the second he realized what he had done…

In a realm where only clerics are permitted to practice magic, Kibure’s inexplicable use of power places him in grave danger. In a twist of fate, the rogue priestess hired to strip him of his power chooses instead to help him escape. Her reasons for doing so are her own, but something worse than death awaits if they are unable to evade the Empire's most potent wielders.

This epic fantasy series will be especially enjoyed by fans of Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Michael J. Sullivan, Patrick Rothfuss, and Michael Wisehart.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Epic Fantasy, Collections, Audiobook, High Fantasy

618 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2019

About the author

Derrick Smythe has been fascinated with all things elvish, dwarvish, and magical since his days of running through the woods with sharpened sticks in defense of whatever fortification he and his brothers had built that summer. After consuming nearly every fantasy book he could find, he was driven to begin work on one of his own. When he isn’t dreaming up new stories, he can be spotted hiking the Adirondack Mountains or traveling the world. He currently resides near his hometown in upstate New York with his enchanting wife, ethereal daughters, and his faithful-if-neurotic Australian Shepherd, Magnus.

Derrick's debut novel, The Other Magic, has been an Amazon bestseller in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The second book in the Passage to Dawn series titled, The Other Way, released in November of 2021 as a #1 Bestselling New Release.

Smythe has also penned two stand-alone prequels,  To Earn the Sash​​​​​​​ (2020), and another #1 Bestselling New Release,  To Wield a Plague (2022).

Work continues on the next installment in the Passage to Dawn.

Awards for The Other Magic:
Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Winner (2020)
Global Book Award, Winner (2020)
Global Ebook Award, Runner-up (2020)
Independent Publisher Book Award, Runner-up (2020)
National Indie Excellence Award, Finalist (2020)
Indies Today Award, Finalist (2020)
Wishing Shelf Book Award, Finalist (2020)
Kindle Book Award, Semi-Finalist (2020)
Reader's Favorite, Honorable Mention (2020)
Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award, Finalist (2019)
B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Contact:
Email: author@derricksmythe.com
Website: https://derricksmythe.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/DerrickSmythe.Author

Sign up for Derrick's newsletter at: dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/80329/...

Reviews

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I have finished it!" I shouted this while throwing my arms up in the universal victory pose. (Good thing I was home alone with the dog, and even she looked at me funny.) I felt held hostage by this book; determined to finish it but feeling as if it would never end. A full third of it needs to be cut away, in my opinion, probably more. The first 150 pages (in which one character is held in a cage and another is held hostage in a ship for 90% of the time) could literally be condensed to 10, for example.

I feel bad too. When I accepted this for review it had no other reviews. So, I asked the author if he was sure he wanted to send it to me, seeing as I write an honest review. This meant if I loved it we would be fine, but if I didn't there would be no other reviews to balance my poor rating out. In retrospect, I feel like this might have made it look like I was setting the book up to fail, expecting to pan it. But that's not the case. I went in full of hope and then just lingered, fell into a malaise of boredom and eventually just had to force myself to finish it, one snippet chapter at a time over almost a month. (A month! It took me—who can start a standard 350 page paperback after dinner and finish it before bed—to finish this book.)

Let me step away from how hard I had to work to force myself to chip away at this tome to say that there is a lot of good in it. I don't want to leave the impression that this is 625 pages of dreck. It's not! It's just that the good (real attempts at grey characters, interesting magic systems, loyalty and character growth) is buried deep in too much verbiage. The story told here simply did not need 625 pages to be told.

What's more those 625 pages are broken up into 1-3 page chapters, in most cases. So, you get a page or two of Sindri, a page or two of Kibure or Grobennar, and then a bit more of Aynward (maybe 10-15 pages). His chapters tended to be a bit longer, as it's where the book's mythos is dropped. But even that felt off. Sindri and Kibure are running for their lives. Grobennar is on a holy quest and Aynward is....looking for his classroom on his first day of university. That was 100% not where the focus of the book felt it needed to be. But more importantly these little vignette chapters never let me settle into the narrative. I was never able to forget I was reading a book and sink into the story. Thus, I was 100% aware of every one of those 625 pages. Tedious hardly does the experience credit.

The story itself isn't bad, interesting even. I thought the writing a tad pedestrian, but certainly readable. I thought the character growth was handled clumsily, but it was there and I appreciated it. All in all, I have no doubt this book will find it's audience. It is after all an ok book. But for myself and my opinion (for what it's worth), I'd love to see it given to a vicious content editor that could hack away at it, tighten it up, and make it a great book.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart

Review copy was received from Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

3.75 Water isn't always as wet as it may seem Stars

The Other Magic is the debut novel by Derrick Smythe and the first book in the new epic fantasy series Passage to Dawn .  To be honest, I agreed to review this book because the authors name reminded me of a character in Confessions of a Shopaholic.  Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.

Like most Epic Fantasy, the reader is going to need to be patient, there are a lot of characters, PoVs and places to visit so it will take a little time to get everything set up and the story moving but don’t think that means it isn’t interesting.

We have a few classic type characters to give us three very distinct PoVs:

Aynward, the spoiled Prince, who is a nice guy but just needs to grow up a bit and stop making foolish decisions. Even though he has some people trying to help him gain some perspective he is reluctant to give up his devious ways.

Kidure, the reluctant chosen one who has no idea how special he, why he has magic he doesn’t understand or how to use it to get out of the slavery bonds he is currently in.  His best friend is a Raven that isn’t really a raven but some other magical creature.

Gorbennar, the wizard took me awhile to figure out if he was going to be on team good or team bad.  I think I probably should have known earlier, but I was holding out hope that it would be different than it was.  He works for the King of prophecy who is about to purge the world and eats the souls of people.  I really should have guess what side he was on from that.

There are a few chapters from one other character to help round out a few things about the past and when the action was happening.  Sidri is looking for answers and thinks that Kidure can help her get them.  She is willing to bend some rules to be able to figure out more about the other magics of the world and what might be possible with them.

Overall, not a lot really happened, I mean that in the main plot arc for the series, there is stuff happening during the 600+ pages.  There are sea battles with creatures, magic battles in a dream world, kidnappings, a strange school that teaches both nobility and merchant students alike with a few weird customs.  There was plenty going on to keep one entertained and engaged, it just takes awhile to get to part of the story when characters start to meet up and really move the plot along.

I read quite a bit of fantasy and this was a really good first book with a lot of interesting people and places.  I liked the glimpses we get of the magic system and the set up of some friendships I believe should last the entire series.  I also liked that most of the characters have some nice flaws to overcome.  They weren’t all likeable all the time but that just made them feel a little more real.

There are many questions I have at the end of this and it was exciting at the end to be sure, but I’m eager to see where the story goes and meet some of the supernatural type beings that are hinted at.  The war against the prophesied king will be interesting and I hope that Kidure finds both the answers and friends he needs.

A very solid first published book from an author.

Narration:
Greg Patmore is a new to me narrator.  He has a great voice for Epic Fantasy and I did like his narration of the story.   He did well with all different PoVs and helped to keep the story engaging.

Listen to a clip: HERE

[Myra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review first published on Oh Just Books.

The Other Magic is book one of the epic fantasy series Passage to Dawn. I'll be honest, I haven't read any epic fantasy books in the longest time, and this book was such a welcome surprise. At 600+ pages, it isn't a small book by any means, but it's just what I needed. The feeling of being able to immerse yourself in a book universe for days on end (and often late into the night) is a feeling I haven't experienced in a while.

The challenge with epic fantasy is being able to do justice to the detailed world building without needless exposition. Capturing the details and settings while not going overboard in a particular aspect is not an easy thing to do. Symthe does it in a way that seems effortless and keeps drawing you into the story. While it seems effortless, I know, as an aspiring author, that this is an immensely difficult thing to pull off. So I absolutely admire it both as a reader and a writer. At no point did the descriptions, scenes, or stories become boring or overbearing. It was neatly and beautifully woven into the plot as a whole. If more epic fantasy books were like this, I would probably read more epic fantasy.

The main players of this book are Kibure, a slave boy who doesn't know how to handle his newly discovered magic talent; Sindri, an outcast Klerol priestess who wants to harness Kibure's power for her own agenda; Aynward, a well-meaning prince who hasn't quite yet learnt the ways of the world and gets involved in things he couldn't anticipate; and Grobennar, a high priest who is starting to lose his position of power as trusted advisor to an egomaniacal God-king. The plot weaves together their stories and lives, and how things turn out in ways they couldn't have anticipated or imagined.

Read the rest of the review here.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars
If this is Derrick Smyth’s debut novel, I am very much looking forward to what he has in store for the rest of this series. Mr. Smyth’s novel is more than impressive in prose, character development, world building, magic systems and an overall captivating story. If you are a fan of the character development of Joe Abercrombie, unique magic systems of Robin Hobb, and storytelling like Patrick Rothfuss, you will truly enjoy The Other Magic.

The Other Magic is a beautifully told story that centers around a young slave named Kibure in the land of Dorea. He is young, kind and gentle, but ignorant to any knowledge outside that of being a slave. Kibure harbors strong magic he neither understands or knows how to wield, but he is a target for capture because of his power. The story is told from the perspective of quite a few characters; Kibure, Grobennar, Aynward, and Sindri. Grobennar is a high priest of the god Kleros, and serves the God-king, Magog, and wields powerful magic. Aynward is the son of King of Dowe, and is heading for study at a university in the City of Brinkwell. Sindri is a disgraced priestess of Kleros who wields powerful magic, and she “rescues” Kibure wanting to “study” his power. The storylines of Kibure, Grobennar, and Sindri intersect. It is Aynward that the reader wonders about and how he fits in. It all beautifully comes together through the character development, action sequences and the backdrop of an amazing story. Some of these characters are outright bad, others are morally ambiguous, and others are good and kind. The details of character development in The Other Magic are as good as it gets. As I was reading and these characters were evolving, I was constantly comparing them to The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. They are that complex and so well done. As the characters all wind up in Brinkwell, Mr. Smythe leads the reader to putting together a puzzle. As each character’s point of view is revealed, so is their relationship to each other. The pieces come together in exciting action scenes and magical battles. The Other Magic is an amazingly strong debut novel and I highly recommend it.

The character development in this novel is among the best I have read. The intricacies of one are fully realized as the story unfolds. Kibure, one of our main protagonists is a slave. He unknowingly harbors very powerful magic, powerful enough that the God-king sends Grobennar to capture him. The reader can’t help but feel protective of Kibure as he lives a life of fear and hopelessness as a slave. He is ignorant of what he can do, does know how to use this magic, and he is very naïve. Having grown up a slave, Kibure knows no other life, which makes him an easy target to be taken advantage of, but naturally untrusting of others. His use of his power is beautiful and detailed;

“He felt himself straighten completely. Then he opened his slowly, resigned to allow his emotions to take control. His mind pulled away. He did not try to stop it. His body went numb, replaced by a deeper, nearly overwhelming sensation, as if he were suddenly connected to every particle of orange soil beneath his bare feet…I’m going to do something very bad…what do I care? I have nothing to lose…Kibure’s body quickly closed the gap between him and his master. Time seemed to bend as he moved, the seconds becoming hours, nothing going unnoticed…But as his closed fingers approached Zagreb’s body, a surge of-something-pure energy? – shot out of that very same fist…” Derrick Smyth, The Other Magic

Thus begins Kibure’s adventures, for lack of a better term. After this encounter with his slave master, he is marked for having dark magic. Enter Sindri, who tries to cast his magic from him, only to fail. Sindri knows she has found someone special, and plots to keep Zibure so she can study him. She is a character that wavers for the reader as her motives and some things she does make the reader question her morals. These are among my favorite characters. I always have a love/hate relationship with them, and I very much enjoy their story arcs. As a disgraced priest, through a series of events, she and Kibure find themselves on the run, barely one step ahead of Grobennar.

Grobennar is just plain bad. Nothing to hide-he knows it and revels in it. Once the favorite of the God-king, he is sent to find Kibure as the God-king fears his power. Grobennar is cruel, ambitious, and will do just about anything to once again be the best graces of Magog. What one feels for Kibure, you feel the exact opposite for Grobennar. It is the mark of excellent writing when it elicits such a strong response from the reader.

One of the main characters that was very interesting was Aynward. He is not a very likable character at times. Aynward is spoiled, arrogant, rash, and gets into quite a bit of trouble. He’s not an evil character, but as a parent, I felt at times he deserved what he got. I kept thinking, well if he was my child, he would be punished for a year. At least. Aynward feels that as a prince, he is entitled to certain treatment, and is dumfounded when many people don’t treat him as he feels he should. It is this arrogance and single-minded focus to “get even” with those he thinks slighted him that gets him into trouble. The reader will come to find how Aynward and his friend fit it to this story. Suffice to say, he is another brilliantly written character.

“A small part of Aynward knew that what Dolme said was true, and shame trickled in. Not liking the way that felt, he clenched his fists and fought against it…Aynward didn’t like to let such things fester, but he could not let go of this offense. He would not forget it. He continued to dream of revenge until sleep overtook him…” Derrick Smyth, The Other Magic

The magic system in this book was very well imagined. There are different sects that worship different gods. The main and seemingly most powerful are those that worship Kleros, get their magic from Kleros and work for the God-king, Magog. There are others that use atere magic, magic that exists everywhere, from the energy of all things. There is a price for using both. The more magic that is used, it taps into bone mass. Using too much can literally break the body. I love magic systems that have consequences and the wielder can just cast it about endlessly. Here, the toll it takes on the body is to decrease bone mass. Eventually, the priest or atere user must stop and regain strength. And here I thought if I didn’t drink enough milk, I’d get osteoporosis. This takes drawing strength from bones to a whole new level. Even the most powerful wielders are in danger when using too much magic.

The story takes place mostly in the city of Brinkwell, as all of the cast of characters converge there eventually. It is a vividly portrayed city of both wealth and poverty. The voyage that takes Kibure and Sindri there is an excellent sequence of events, but telling too much will be spoilers. It is the same Aynward as his travels are quite interesting as well.

The pacing and prose are excellent. As mentioned, the character development is first-rate. Each character’s description is detailed with unique personalities. This goes beyond the four main protagonists, extending to the side and minor characters. We really know these characters and feel differently for each. Some elicit strong emotions from the reader. I know when I care about the characters and what happens to them, then I am reading a great piece of literature. The prose is beautifully written, both characters and the worlds they live in.

“Kibure sat and enjoyed the glimmering stream as one of the moons reflected off the water. It looked almost as clear in the water as it would have appeared if he were staring right at it. He considered the value of such properties and moved towards the water in the hope of catching a glimpse of his own reflection, something he had rarely seen” Derrick Smyth, The Other Magic

Each chapter is told from the point of view of Kibure, Grobennar, Aynward, or Sindri. It is never confusing and flows seamlessly throughout the book. The pacing was spot on as character development was evenly mingled with action. There were magical battles, chases, and adventures on the water. There were many twists and turns in the story that the reader never sees coming.

Overall Thoughts
As a debut epic fantasy, The Other Magic by Derrick Smythe, is more than an impressive addition to the genre. All the fantasy elements are in place. The character development is among the best I’ve read in fantasy. Each character, and not just the main protagonists, are richly developed with growth and complete character arcs. They run the gamut of characteristics, from outright evil, to kind, morally ambiguous, and spoiled. Each elicits a different response from the reader. The magic system is unique and well done. Wielding too much magic pulls strength from the bones, making the user vulnerable to literally falling apart. The prose is beautiful and paints vivid descriptions of what the characters encounter. The chapters are told from multiple points of view, but weave together the wonderful fantasy of a young slave, Kibure, who unknowingly can wield power that has made him a target of the most powerful men in the land of Dorea.. The Other Magic was a great read from start to finish and I highly recommend it.
You can find the review on my website at https://bookandnatureprofessor.com/20...

[James Harwood-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

In lands of religious zealots a lowly slave exhibits abilities of the darkest kind. Setting off a hunt for his immediate capture and death. Cannot recommend this enough. Stunning. Favourite read this year. 🏆

Wow. This was simply incredible. I read a couple novellas by Smythe earlier this year and thought they were pretty great. Hey I love reading fantasy. Most of the time the escapism alone makes me rate books good to great.

This one is exceptional.

I found the characters and storytelling entirely immersive. The harrowing journey for these characters. The terror of the Empire. The mysticism of the magic and superstition surrounding the religion.

If you haven’t got this on your radar get on it.

Like now.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reader feels a sense of satisfaction when the worlds of the main characters collide and sees how everything falls into place.

Read full review in the 2020 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Anj✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Other Magic is an amazing debut and a fab start to a well-written series.

Told from multiple perspectives, characters are flawed, complex, and distinct.
Three perspectives are the most notable for me: Kibure, a slave who has no idea how to use his magic, and when he gets punished, inadvertently uses it; Aynward, a pampered and arrogant prince sent away with the hopes that he grows up and needs to stop making stupid decisions; lastly, Grobennar, a high priest who raised the promised god-king Magog but starting to lose his influence to this god-king. The change in perspectives is well done, it wasn't jarring, unlike other books.

The world-building, history, magic system, and lore are all well-crafted and interesting. The use of magic is illegal unless you're a priest and they can wield magic from their gods. Then there's another kind of magic, the one Kibure can wield.

This was a bit of a long book, it's 637 pages and slow burn. Politics, greed, social classes, religion are some of the main plot points of the book. It's filled with adventure, intrigue, a dash of humor, and of course magic!

Overall, The Other Magic was an imaginative and unputdownable read. It has a lot of potential and I'm excited to see what will happen next in the sequel.

Thanks so much to Storytellers on Tour and Derrick Smythe for my copy. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/14/2020)! 🎁

[Ian Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly long book, with, from memory, 137 chapters. If you wanted to sum it up to its basics, not an awful lot actually happens, but what does happen is told from the points of view the main characters, Kibure, Aynward, Grobenaar, and Sindri in brisk short chapters. Another important "character" is Rave, a raven, or a raaven. (I am not sure what the difference is). The setting is a mythical land where priests can use magic, which comes from their god. Kibure, however, is a slave, and when being punished, he inadvertently uses magic as a defence, and since he is not a priest he is labelled as an agent of the evil "Dark Lord". Kibure's problem is that while he has magic, he has no idea how to use it. So basically throughout this book he is either captured or fleeing. Later, we find the priests are unaware there is a second sort of magic, hence the title.
Thee writing is good, and while these characters skirt around the same thing, we get different perspectives. Each chapter ends in a cliffhanger and while overall I dislike cliffhangers, and there are about 137 of them, I found the overall reading experience quite interesting. The characters and the terrain are well depicted. The best I can say for the action is the actual important action is well spaced, and oddly enough, not enough was made of minor characters like Theo. One thing I liked is that a wielder of magic has a price to pay, but having said that, some like Grobenaar does not seem to pay it. Nevertheless, definitely an interesting read for lockdown.

[Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay start, unlikable characters

This is the start of a series of books by relevantly raw writer and it shows.
The good:
There is a lot of creation lore and magic. The magic system is fleshed out pretty well, and this is a great twist on the LOTOR trope of the wizard spiriting away the chosen one present in almost all fantasy.

The Bad:
The prose is stunted, and the conversations between characters feels artificial. This book follows the viewpoints of 4 protags, and not one of them is likable. The slave-boy is worse than useless, the arrogant prince is incorrigible and a fool, and the fallen female priest is devious and cruel. The only likable character is the overzealous priest and his talking spirit necklace, and he's the most despicable character in the book. Dues ex machina is ever present, and seems cheap when it occurs several times in the story.

Overall I would recommend this just for the novelty of fresh blood in the fantasy genre. It's obvious he's reaching for high fantasy, but his skills aren't quite there yet. The story is all over the place, and character arcs are all hit or miss. Hopefully the next entry will allow more time for character development.

[Píaras Cíonnaoíth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular flight of the imagination!

The Other Magic (Passage to Dawn Book 1) by Derrick Smythe is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn settings and characters. The author weaves a well-crafted Fantasy Adventure that will captivate the reader’s attention from the start. Skillfully constructed, this Epic Fantasy will have you turning the pages from beginning to end. There’s plenty of imagery in the writing style that makes you feel you are right there in the story, and that’s something I look for in a good book.

I’m a big fan of Fantasy Fiction, so this for me was a phenomenal read. It’s one of those books that stayed with me for several days after I finished reading it. The vivid descriptions of the settings, situations, and the people were stunning. The author’s use of genuine dialogue further added to the overall atmosphere of authenticity.

I’ll be looking forward to reading more from Derrick Smythe in the future. I would recommend this book and would add that it has a distinctly cinematic feel to it. Highly recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.

[Tryptophan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lazy magic

The softest magic system I’ve seen in a book in years makes reading this book an exercise in poorly written deus ex machinas. The characters are pulled along with no agency of their own and are overall poorly written.

[Joebot · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up because authors are cool.

This was fun.

Divine va Arcane. Gods and Emporers vs science and knowledge.

Solid first book to an epic series.

4 POVs. A slave. A disgraced/fed-up priest. A former prodigy fallen from grace. The last-born son of a king with a chip on his shoulder.

Good lore. Fun world. Characters I cared about/rightfully hated.

My one gripe - hot dang, the amount of concussions these POVs received....golly.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to believe "The Other Magic" is a debut novel, it's so well-crafted and executed. The characters are complex, the story is ensnaring, and the writing flows very smoothly. Magic, mayhem, action - I enjoyed every page. Book 2, please!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

[Judi Easley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts: This is quite an accomplishment for a debut novel, over 600 pages of a fantasy world that was rather amazing. It seemed to take forever for all the diverse pieces and times to come together to finally be in one time and place and all happening at once. But then, it was the end of the book. And the author ended it nicely. Yes, it's only the first in a series, but Mr. Smythe tied things up well.

[Dorcas Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put down

Drew me in from the start. If you enjoy fantasy, this book is for you. I’m impatiently waiting for book 2!

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that THE OTHER MAGIC (Passage to Dawn #1) by Derrick Smythe is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!

[Matthew Cosgrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as first books go, this was among the best I have read. Smythe was able to effortlessly capture all the elements of a truly great epic fantasy. For me, the most impressive thing was how he was able to present such an expansive world while still providing the perfect amount of detail into his societies and political systems. I never once felt like I was sitting through a history lesson of a world, nor was I overloaded with innocuous detail of the current scene (my two biggest issues with most fantasy works).

Instead, the author was able to take us on this amazing journey through his world and provide just the right balance of lore and current politics to give us a clear understanding of the world we were in while still allowing us to focus on the character development. And let's talk about the character development for a second. Were there some typical fantasy archetypes? Sure. But they felt so real. I could find their real life counter-part from my own friends or acquaintances. This, to me, is a true skill. Somehow he was able to take these characters throughout this fantastic world rife with magic and other such fanciful things while still making them feel like the same friends I had growing up. This drew me into the book so much deeper, because like real life friends, I wanted to know what was going on with them.

His character development also made parts of the book hard for me, in a very good way. I didn't like some of the choices the characters made, but I understood them so much better because I know those people. Developing empathy for a character is not uncommon, but for most of them? You ant to be a part of that world, if only to tell your new friend he is being an ass, or she shouldn't worry because it will all work out.

I don't want to get into more detail than this because I think everybody needs to experience this story with no warning of whats to come. Grab a copy, dive in, and enjoy the ride with your new best friends!

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: The Other Magic
Author: Derrick Smythe

Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 17
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 17 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
17 thought the cover was good or excellent.
13 felt it was easy to follow.
16 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
15 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
17 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
“You will have to work hard to keep on top of who is who and where the story is happening. But it’s worth it! This is a solid fantasy with fully developed characters and a clever magic system. I think this could be the start of a fab set of books.” Male reader, aged 50
“A little slow to get going, but at the 30% mark, it picks up and it’s full steam ahead to the exciting ending. Too many characters? Possibly. But the author works hard to help the reader get to know them. I will be reading other books by this author.” Female reader, aged 28
“You can always tell a good fantasy writer when they can show off the fantasy world they created but, at the same time, keep up a strong pace. It’s not a short novel which most fantasy readers will love. Amazing characters and the magic made sense!” Female reader, aged 42
“If you enjoy compelling fantasy novels with complex plots, this is for you. I enjoyed it very much.” Male reader, aged 38

To Sum It Up:
‘A cleverly plotted fantasy novel packed full of memorable characters. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading epic fantasies and this was no exception. It’s an incredible debut novel. I loved all of the lore, history and general world building in this book.

All of the characters are very different, and this makes them all very intriguing in their own way. I enjoyed reading from all three characters’ perspectives. Aynward in particular was quite frustrating at times — his character is incredibly arrogant and I often didn’t really understand why, but this worked really well. It’s exactly how others in the novel also feel about him! I liked that he starts to grow and change throughout the book, too. I also really liked Sindri’s character and finding out more about her past and her motivations.

This is quite a long book at over 600 pages. But it’s definitely not a slow burn — this book is full of action and adventure! There is a lot happening throughout the book, in all three stories, that kept me interested throughout. My favourite part was when all three characters are in the same city and you ‘see’ encounters through their different points of view.

The Other Magic is a great book and I recommend it to fans of authors like Robin Hobb and Brandon Sanderson. There is so much here that I think I will need to re-read it, just to absorb it properly! I can’t wait to read the next one in the series and learn more about this vast, immersive world!

[J.D.L. Rosell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unforgiving world is overcome by unrelenting characters and thrilling magic.

I read The Other Magic several months back now, but it's a testament to the story that it still solidly sticks in my mind!

Kibure and his journey are especially vivid. The hardships he endures, yet is never quashed by, makes him an instantly likable character. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his magic!

I also love how Sindri's backstory unfolds and plays into her every action. I won't give anything away, but I think others will also enjoy her chapters.

While I enjoyed aspects of Aynward's chapters, I'll admit to being less enthused when they came along. The university setting was fairly unique among the books I've read—only occurring in The Kingkiller Chronicles, as I recall—yet the stakes felt less dire compared to the other points of view. That being said, the characters and stories in them give plenty to enjoy, and the stakes definitely grow as his plotline moves along!

And diving into Grobennar's mind in his chapters was fascinating. Smythe executes his self-rationalization perfectly, thus making for a compelling antagonist.

All in all, you can't go wrong reading The Other Magic. It's just the beginning of the series, and I'm excited to see where our characters go next and which of the many mysteries in this world they uncover!

[A.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first scene had me very worried that I would hate this book, so imagine my pleasant surprise to discover the best epic fantasy I've enjoyed in a long, long time.

Kibure, the slave boy whose magic ability is something people will murder him for, Sindri a priestess who has been outcast for trying to save her brother, Aynward the supposedly arrogant princeling who comes off as being a sweet dufus and gets into all kinds of ridiculous trouble. And the big bad also makes small appearances, just enough so that we can see he is, or was, motivated by reasons he believes to be right and just.

If you enjoyed Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and E Feist's Magician then don't walk, run to get your copy of The Other Magic by Derrick Smythe. It's an epic roller coaster of a read (with a lot of pages, so yes, a couple of spots where maybe it could have been tighter, but the kraken battle more than makes up for that) with complex world building and characters, and an ending that was both satisfying as it neatly tied up the hanging plot points and also made me want to keep on reading—I can't wait to find out what happens next.

[Dee Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Other Magic (Passage to Dawn Book 1)’ is the debut novel of Derrick Smythe’s high fantasy adventure series. Told through the eyes of two young protagonists; one born to royalty, the other to poverty. Aynward is a highborn arrogant prince, sent to a strange land to be schooled in the art of humility. Kibure is a naive slave, with childlike fear and curiosity of his new found supernatural powers. It is a tale of two boys divided by social status and distant locals, brought together by the evil powers within the realm of mystical making.

Even in his fictitious universe, Derrick Smythe creates relatable characters; heroes with flaws, as well as villains with redeeming qualities. Rich in virtual texture and detail, his world building skills rival those of George R. R. Martin and Michael J. Sullivan. At a little over 600 pages, this was not a quick read, yet it kept me up late each night eager to discover what would happen next. ‘The Other Magic,’ is an epic adventure filled with suspense, action, a dash of humor … and most important … magic.

[Andrew Freeman-Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books like this: The Cycle of Arawn, Wheel of Time, Licanius Trilogy.

TLDR: A classic action/adventure that sets the stage for the series to come. A slow start but a very entertaining end, this series has the potential to go far if the quality and pacing of this book’s latter half is the basis for those to come.

This book started of slow, dangerously slow. Of the four main characters we were introduced to at the beginning, only one had a storyline that really hooked me in, and I nearly threw in the towel. However, as has happened a fair few time now, I stuck with it and am so glad that I did, because by the halfway mark I was entertained and by the end I was engrossed.
So what happens in this book? Well, the backdrop is the story of how a nation of religious fanatics are trying their damnedest to destroy all other forms of magic while also planning their massive invasion to spread their particular brand of bigotry to all corners of the world. Our four main characters fall into this story with one being a prophesised saviour sent to destroy the evil empire, another being the high priest sent to track and kill said saviour, an ex-priest who wants to capture said saviour for her own personal reasons, and finally there is a prince of a neighbouring kingdom who is being sent off to study at university. Of the four, it was the prince’s storyline that I found engaging enough in the beginning to keep me listening, but as the story progresses, so too does the action, intrigue, and entertainment.
The writing style is solid. Derrick Smythe neatly avoids the sin of blathering purple prose whilst crafting an engaging universe with a deep history that all adds up to set a solid foundation for the rest of the series, neatly providing enough information that everything in the book makes sense. I was never lost in this book despite a lot of info being fired at me at times. It takes genuine talent to walk that fine line, and Smythe appears to have done it well. There are also couple of other standout aspects of the book which I think are worthy of drawing some attention to.
First are the chapters from our mage-hunting high-priest. The portrayal of a fanatic that isn’t just some tropey caricature of your generic religious nutjob was wonderful. This is a three dimensional person whose motives and objectives are neatly explained, meaning that when he does the horrible things that he inevitably will do, we understand his justification and, although being unlikely to agree with him, we can relate at least to some degree as to why he is doing them. One of the other standout moments of the book that I have to mention is (without giving too much away) a fairly small part that tickled my personal preferences no end. So many times in other books, something bad will be happening to a character and we as listeners/readers (or at least me personally) will be left wanting to scream at said character not to just sit back and take the bad thing lying down, to do something about what is happening even if it ends up way worse for them down the line. There was one such moment in this book, a moment where I was left thinking that there was no need for said character to meekly take the beating he was about to get just because everyone else was, only for my wish to be wonderfully fulfilled as if said character could hear my inner yearning. Refusing to take the beating may have worked out poorly for said character in the end, but by god it was glorious to listen to. The single greatest aspect of a book that I can personally look for is producing within me a sense of satisfaction, and this reversal in the beatdown was one of the most satisfying payoffs I’ve ever listened to. Bravo.
Now for some of my pet peeves. As I said, slow start, and then throughout there isn’t a whole bunch of action. I know that my craving for action is an entirely personal preference, but I love a good fight scene and there were very few until the end of the book. And after all the build-up of armies massing and what not, we aren’t even given a decent battle. Missed a trick there I think. Next is the length of the chapters. I know, this is really pedantic, but because every time the character perspective shifted there was a new chapter, I was left thinking multiple times that some of these chapters couldn’t have even been a page long. I think Smythe should have just bitten the bullet and had a couple of perspective shifts in the same chapter. The characters are well written enough that it would take little effort to ensure that the audience knows there has been a switch, and it would make the whole novel flow just a little easier.
In summation, not a wild ride of a book but (at least by the second half) it is more than engrossing enough to keep you listening and listening and listening. I loved the world that Smythe has built and, as is the ultimate seal of approval in these matters, I will definitely be buying the sequel as soon as it is released, mainly because the book up and ends just as it is getting to the really, really good stuff. A book well worth a listen.

As for the narration, well, I actually wasn’t all that keen on this one. I don’t want to be disparaging, because the level of talent it takes to voice so many characters to really high standards is astounding, but I just didn’t gel with Greg Patmore’s performance. It often sounded like his characters were unable to open their mouths fully, like they had a small collection of pebbles in their cheeks that they were desperate to keep concealed. And often it seemed like the only difference between some of the character voices was the quantity of said pebbles within their cheeks. There were some brilliant voices in this book, however this only drew even more attention to those that were, at least in my opinion, a little sub-par. By the end I had grown accustom to all his portrayals, but it took a long time and did reduce my overall enjoyment of what was otherwise a very entertaining novel.

Personal Score: 3.75 stars
Professional Score: 4 stars

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Smythe's debut novel is a captivating adventure situated in a rich fantasy world with multiple POV characters. Kibure is a slave boy who feels his magic powers blossom; Sindri is an outcast priestess with her own agenda who finds and guides him; Grobennar is a middle-aged priest who raised the promised God Emperor (read: dark lord) since his birth/hatching and is trying hard to guide the monster he unleashed; and, last but best, Aynward is a sanguine prankster / princeling from a small kingdom, and a first-year student at a university. The author weaves these four plot arcs through twists and turns, shenanigans and intrigue, and a pinch of good old-fashioned questing towards a grand finale that covers the entire spectrum of emotions. I am eagerly looking forward to the second book in the series.

[Kris10 · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the best books do, this book starts out slow and steady, loading you up with backstory and history. Some of the characters are hard to sympathize with in the beginning, but by the end of the book, you're rooting for their success. This was a wonderfully written fantasy with incredible world-building and great characters. After I finished it, I read it to my son and he thoroughly enjoyed it as well!! We can't wait to dive into the next in the series!!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book with great characters and a lot of intense moments. Really enjoy how all the characters eventuality end up coming together. Kibure trying to figure out about his magic and who he is. Aynward a very arrogant prince but he realizes his friends are more important than his wellbeing. Friends will be gain but some will be lost. Lots of twist and turns in the book that will keep you reading till the end. I really enjoyed the book and looking forward to the next in series.

[Colby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hopeful


I hope this fleshes out. Has the base to turn into a cool story. Characters just aren't seeing any growth.

[Stephen Levesque · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like it to slow for me and so very boring.

[Pb Gedd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read!!

I am excited to begin the sequel to this very entertaining, smart and engrossing story. Derrick Smythe has been added to my list of authors to follow..