Bitevní mág

The Souls Of Wrath #1

by Peter A. Flannery

Svět podléhá spalujícímu stínu Posedlých a pouze moc bitevního mága ho může zachránit. Ale prastaré pouto mezi mágy a draky selhává. Příliš mnoho draků je černých.

Černí draci jsou nepřáteli lidstva.

Černí draci jsou šílení.

Falco Danté je churavý kluk ve světě válečníků, a co hůř, je synem vraha. Hnán touhou porozumět svému otci se odhodlá k činu, který ho dožene na pokraj beznaděje. Najde způsob, jak spasit svou duši před věčnými plameny pekla?

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Epic Fantasy, Dragons, Fiction, Magic, High Fantasy

792 pages, Hardcover

First published February 20, 2017

Reviews

[Bibi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insanely long, epic fantasy, and one that I simply could not put down.

First off, my gratitude to Peter Flannery for giving us a complete story in a single volume because, in a way, I'm certain that's the reason the story arc and exposition is so cohesive and authentic. You can tell this is an author who cares more about giving the reader a great experience instead of simply churning out serials with a drawn-out plot.

Secondly, this book is long and it took three days of concentrated, immersive reading before I even got close to the end. Yet, I couldn't skim because the varied plotlines were interconnected, culminating in an epic battle.

Lastly, the narrative was both complex yet effortless and seamless. Likewise, the villains were nuanced enough without resorting to the usual derivatives.

Overall, an excellent book that, IMO, beats Sanderson's Oathbringer. So, bravo, Mr Flannery!

[Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch my video review by clicking here.

Wildly entertaining standalone that feels like an entire epic fantasy series packed into one well sized book.

[J.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Battle Mage is surprisingly a great story. I'm surprised that there's only over 300 reviews. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a good job.
There's everything you'd want in an epic fantasy. Magic, Demons, Possessed soldiers, Dragons and a pinch of romance, well, less than a pinch. It's all battle and action. I was pretty engaged with the audiobook because this stand alone novel is non stop great moments and events. I recommend it to all who truly love a battle of good vs evil. If this is Peter A. Flannery first novel, I'd say he started off great.

[David Estes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Battle Mage is reminiscent of everything I loved about epic fantasy sagas like The Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time, and it's the first time in a long time I have been truly captivated by a book from start to finish. If you love epic fantasy with coming of age heroes and heroines, dragons, good vs. evil and PLENTY of action, check out this book. LOVED IT.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hasn't got many reviews, and I'm a little suspicious when I see only a few '5-star' reviews. So I'm adding mine, to help convince you it deserves it.

This is 858 pages long (although, I'm reading it on Kindle) and it hasn't really lasted me particularly long, because it's been hard to put down. (I did put it down, because I need to work and sleep, but I haven't wanted to).

The lead characters are interesting and engaging. I was able to empathise with and appreciate them. They're also not prone to creating tension due to being stupid or naive, which I greatly appreciate.

The story is interesting, and engaging. There's a good mix of character development, with some mystery to explore about the world.

here's battle scenes that feel quite clearly drawn and understandable (there's a real tendency I find to having 'battles' that end up really hard to follow from a narrative sense). They're not overdone, but they pressing threat and menace of the demons and the Possessed is ever present.

This book is well worth picking up, although I'd advise that perhaps you don't start reading when you've anything pressing for the next few days...

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5-stars.

I quite enjoyed this stand-alone novel. This book manages to fit an entire story into 600+pages. It has the world-building that so many people seem to enjoy. It has action and magic, and it has humans and dragons who share some of their powers via a link. It also has a demonic set of enemies for the humans and the dragons to fight against.

There is clearly an art to writing stand-alone novels that many writers (including me) do not have the knack. I enjoy series of books but I prefer to have the whole story in one volume, if at all possible.

So it's a big "well done" to the author for this one.

Thanks for reading.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm calling this one at 50%. I started doing some serious skimming at 25% but I've come to the dreaded conclusion that I no longer care what happens to these characters and their stinky world.

The most redeeming quality of this book is it's lack of made up fantasy proper nouns. The character's names were archaic but not nonsensical, which I appreciate. I just really hate fantasy names. I just would like a fantasy story with a wizard named Jim and maybe a warrior named Steve. Do we really need so many ridiculous names?

The pacing of the story was awful. It was constantly stopping and starting and for the most part was painfully slow. I felt like I was getting too much information about one thing and then almost none on some others.

Then there was the constant change of POVs. It's bad enough that the MCs were boring and two dimensional but then we kept shifting to other more boring characters for unnecessary information. Then by 50% the plot had just become so overcomplicated that I just gave up.

Here's how the story should have went: Kid figures out his a battle mage. Kid overcomes adversity to become a battle mage. Looming demon threat ensues followed by sick battle mage action. Battle mage rocks out triumphantly. THE END.

You're welcome.

Skip this one, friends and neighbors.

[kartik narayanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much Magic. Many Demons. Wow Battle Mage.
Excellent Book.

[Patrycja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solidna porcja fantastyki 👌🏻

———————————————

[ współpraca reklamowa @fabrykaslow ]

“Mag bitewny” to jednotomowa historia autorstwa Petera A. Flannery’ego. Historia, w której królestwo Furii nękane jest nieustannymi atakami armii nieumarłych. Dowodzone przez demona siły są przeogromne i mogą unicestwić królestwo. To w tym świecie żyje nic nie znaczący Falko, który będzie musiał przejść niejedno, żeby zawalczyć o losy tak wielu.

“Mag bitewny” nie jest historią wybitnie oryginalną na tle gatunku. Wręcz przeciwnie. Autor wykorzystuje wiele elementów znanych dobrze fanom fantastyki, takich jak motyw “od zera do bohatera”, walkę dobra ze złem, czy wątek akademii. Jednak Flannery robi to wszystko nad wyraz dobrze. Na przestrzeni prawie 1000 stron kreuje bohaterów, którymi losami można się przejmować. Tworzy świat pełen politycznych układów i w bardzo odpowiednim dla mnie tempie prowadzi fabułę do przodu.

Osobiście jestem ogromną fanką motywu akademii, więc nie będzie to dla nikogo niespodzianką, że ta część powieści podobała mi się najbardziej. Co jednak było dla mnie niemałym zaskoczeniem, to sceny bitewne. Flannery bardzo dobrze buduje podczas nich napięcie, a jego styl pisania sprawia, że śledzi się je z łatwością. Zazwyczaj nie są to moje ulubione elementy fantastyki, tak tutaj moim zdaniem wyszły naprawdę świetnie. Nade wszystko podobało mi się to, jak autor dzielił szeroki obraz pola bitwy na punkty widzenia poszczególnych bohaterów.

Choć jest to książka dosyć długa, nie czułam podczas niej nudy i cały czas byłam ciekawa dalszych losów postaci. Była to dla mnie naprawdę solidna porcja fantastyki na dobrym poziomie, którą polecam wszystkim fanom tego gatunku.

[Gard Pedersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is just under ok.
How it has gotten such a high rating is beyond me. It looks like most people give it an extra star because it is long, and yes it feels long because the story stops and starts all the time. But this is not my main issue with this book. The main problem is that all the characters are the same. They might want different things, but they go about in the exactely same way to solve their or the worlds problems. There seems to be only 1 way to solve the ending of the world.... running straight into combat, and having a strong will. Running stupidly into every combat possible is here misconcieved as bravery. This book has no cunning unfortunately. The main problem with the countless demons and possessed seems to be thick armour, but not one person has ever used a xbow or a ballista. (or even set a decent trap(happens 1 time) I would advice against this book.
So short summary: if you like little to no cunning in a world where everyone behaves the same way. Where "bravery" and a strong will is all you need then this book is for you.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

When a book starts with a bam, there are two options:
1- you can't put the book down until you finish the last page
2- the book slows dramatically after the first "arc" and you end up taking weeks to finish it.

The second case happens the most often and sometimes, in the last quarter of the book, the author redeems the book. Flannery didn't.

I was looking forward to reading this book quite a lot. It has a high rating and many positive reviews. It started very well and I finished the first 15% rather quickly (this book according to goodreads is 650 but it surely felt like reading 1000 pages).

Then, after the first sequence of events was concluded and the main characters moved to the second part of the story, it became boring. Unending. Excessive.

So what were my main issues with the Battle Mage?
- the writing. It felt like reading a middle grade book with very simplistic characters and writing. I did NOT sign up for middle grade and in no review I read, this was mentioned. It truly does feel like reading one of the earlier fantasy books to be published.
- the characters. They were so... bland. So black and white. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind black and white sometimes but the characters in this book truly lacked depth beyond their description. I do not need the author to tell me how graceful and intelligent is the queen whenever she does anything! It's like the author was feeding us with a spoon the characteristics of his characters.
- the multiple perspectives. Every person in this book you might meet and maybe their mothers had a passage at least written from their point of view. To make matters worse, sometimes multiple perspectives were combined together. I hate it when we have too many perspectives especially if the character is someone of no importance to the story. The way it was done also made it worse since it was all mashed up in one chapter.
- the pace. The pace was very uneven, the first part of the book was fast paced and then it slumped. 50% onward, I started skimming through the book since I couldn't finish it. I simply wasn't able to read more than a few pages in one sitting. There was an interesting bit around 60% but that was it.

Overall, Battle Mage was a major disappointment. I honestly don't feel like reading High Fantasy soon because I'm dreading having the same boring-to-tears experience. It didn't help that the writing was simplistic as if the book is written for children (which isn't wrong but it's something that needs to be written somewhere and it has a lot of gore so I wouldn't say it's targeting children). I honestly wouldn't recommend reading this book if your taste in fantasy is anything like mine. I honestly can't find anything redeeming about this book and didn't rate it 1 star only because I did enjoy the first chapters.

[Ian Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a swords and sorcery book, it also a long book. No problem for me, but this is not for those who need to finish in 70 k words. It is also one of the best in this genre I have seen. The peoples of an imaginary continent are being invaded by the "Possessed", and they are anyone who has already been conquered and made possessed by a demon from Hell. The armies of the possessed must be faced by the armies of those who do not want their souls permanently in Hell, to be tormented forever. There is a catch. The armies of Hell tend to be led by demons, and only battle mages can deal with them. The story follows the fates of a group of young people as they have to flee their idyllic country village and go to the city of Wrath to train. We also follow Falco; a sickly youth who has the potential to be a battle mage. Think the "force" is strong with him, but he has no idea how to use it. The plot is a fairly common one: a young nobody must conquer his own shortcomeings, learn, and fight against terrible odds. If you can't see where this book is going, at least in general, after about a quarter of the way in, then you must have been living under a flat rock for most of your life but that is not the point.
While there are some minor twists to the plot, the strength of the book lies in the way it is written. The world building is excellent, and the author manages to get the emotional content more or less right to hold the reader to feel for that character. Besides the characters to follow, there is a mix of charatcers in authorities. Some are noble, but only too many are self-centred, or corrupt in terms of honour. The writing is clear, and the story progresses at just the right pace to hold your attention, and at the same time to have the reader anxious to move on. The battle scenes are excellent, and because Flannery takes along so many characters, the scenes feel as if there is really a major battle, and by switching between characters, even though each character has a very narrow view of the battle, there is an overall picture. Quite a gripping read.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amazing narration! Wow! A talented reader.

Told in third person, this is a stand-alone fantasy with a touch of romance. Main characters of both genders span a range of ages and include several physically impaired heroes.

A teenage boy, sickly, fearful, and ashamed, must overcome the past and unearth a big lie in order to come into his own worth as a Battle Mage and save the world from armies of the possessed, led by demons. He does so with the help of the blacksmith's son and other loyal friends, including some wise adults.

The main character is Falco Danté. “Simeon le Roy was the master of the villa on which they climbed. Falco had served him since the death of his father almost fourteen years ago.”
—-(But how old was Falco when his father died? At the end of the book, we finally learn he’s 20 years old).

Good story, but too lengthy for me. Too slow? Pacing issues. With so many pages, we never learn whether all the lost souls are freed from eternal suffering when their demons are killed. After all the sad descriptions of eternal suffering and baelfire, this felt like a major mistake. In all those 850+ pages, oh so many deaths and repetitive battles. I began to skim the battles.

The testing and summoning scenes were excellent, though.

Demons and possessions and eternal suffering but no religions, no gods mentioned in this world. Seems unlikely.

Commas are placed where none belong, which gets confusing, but the characters are textured and likable. I especially liked how Meredith developed.

Plus....Dragons!

Not great, but recommend for readers who gobble up this subgenre of fantasy. It’s an average read, similar in quality to The Battlemage: The Summoner book 3.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars
Battlemage is a standalone novel by Peter Flannery and I’m ashamed to say that it had been sitting on my tbr for quite a long time.
Honestly the story caught my eyes but usually I rather read sagas. But lately with a sleepless baby I was looking for something easy to read without a big commitment. So I read this book without knowing what to expect and the least I can say is that Battlemage was an amazing book with a few flams though minors.


The story of Battlemage is quite ordinary. A world on the verge of collapse under the yoke of a powerful enemy. Nothing new but the novelty is that the enemy have an army formed by the dead the more they killed the more their army grows and worse demon from hell ruled the army of the possessed . When the ordinary soldiers faced this army they succumbed to fear so centuries ago the first Battlemage came in the war game and with the strength of his will he took the fear of the army and allowed them to fight. But the Battlemage doesn’t fight alone but with a dragon, «  twinned «  with him.
The story begins about the story of a boy Falco Dante who lived in a small town. The boy is rejected by his own people because of action of his dead father and because since childhood he’s sick. Falco Dante will face two choices, either he will accept his fate as a failure or he will forge his own path.

Battlemage is more than just a book about war and battles. It’s a story about faith, love and loyalty. In face of darkness, in face of the unthinkable, Falco Dante will have to stay strong with the help of everyone he loves

[Blaise · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://undertheradarsffbooks.com/202...

An unholy demon and its army of possesed are on the march to destroy the human race. This has been the cycle for hundreds of years. An unlikely hero who is looked upon as a weakling, untrust worthy, and the son of a traitor. The only way to win is to fight the fear released by the demons and look for the strength not only within but in that of the legendary Battle Mage. It should be noted that I did listen to the audio version of this book as it is a huge doorstop of a novel. Written in a classical fashion, this standalone epic is everything you could ever want in a book and a top 5 read of 2022 for me!

Before we get into the plot and characters it is essential that I provide the proper backround for this tale. For over four hundred years the demons have been rising to the surface to cause fear and death to the human race. The only thing that can fight these demons is a Battle Mage. We do have normal mages in the story as well but the main difference being how each can use magic. Mages need days or even weeks to store enough energy to unleash an attack while Battle Mages can do this instantly.

After a Battle Mage completes his or her training and trials, they are granted the gift of a calling. The calling is where the Battle Mage is accompanied by several mages to the mountains to call forth a dragon from a foreign land. Dragons can be many different sizes and colors from yellow to blue to red to black. There are three events that can happen during a calling: The call goes unanswered, a dragon appears to be a comrade to the Battle Mage, or the dragon has to be killed if the color is black. Black dragons are mad with hate and vengeance for the human race. They can not be allowed to live which is why the mages are present to distract the dragon before the Battle Mage can kill it. This is just the tipping point of the worldbuilding but lets move on to the characters.

A tournament has come to the main town of our three main characters to determine who will travel to city of Wrath to join the queens army. Malaki is the son of the local blacksmith and although not of royal birth, is known to be the best fighter in town. He is loyal, steadfast and strong to find his place among the knights of Wrath. Brenna is a skilled archer looking for her place of fame in the army. Determined to make her father proud, Brenna has an underdog story all readers will grow to love. Finally we have Falco Dante, son of the traitor battle mage who killed his fellow knights and mages for refusing to kill his dragon once it turned black. I should mention that over time all dragons will eventually turn black and mad with rage. Falco's father was killed for his betrayal with the son to forever live in the shame and misery of the father. Falco is also very weak as he has a sickness from when he was very young that affects the lungs. When the town is attacked by a demon horde and no Battle Mage in sight, the warriors are all trembling with fear and horror. All except for Falco who resists the demons powers until the day is saved by the queens forces. It is determined that Falco has the traits and skills to come to Wrath and start his training to be a Battle Mage himself and thus his journey has only just begun.

First of all, I must say right off the bat that this is a very long book that takes its time in building the world and character interactions. Although there are several battles and fights along the way don't expect this to be a quick read. The character moments drained every single emotion out of me along with the trials and epic size battles. Peter Flannery does something similar to Steven Erikson in that he will switch view points in each chapter quite frequently. In some cases, you will read a section from a random character on the battlefield. This will take some time to get use to but I loved this approach to the story and it added another element of depth. We also get to learn a great deal about the Battle Mages and the connections they have with the Dragons. I don't want to get into spoilers but these scenes are so vivid in my mind that I can't imagine them not staying with me for a long time. Battle Mage is essentially a combination of Dragon Mage by M.L. Spencer and Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter. Both of these novels are among my favorites in the genre and now Battle Mage has joined the company.

This standalone epic has joined the company of To Ride Hells Chasm by Janny Wurts as my top two standalone epic fantasy novels on the market today. Battle Mage already has hundred of reviews on both amazon and goodreads as it is well deserving. If you need a complete story on a epic scale, this is the book for you. I could ramble on for pages and pages but that will take time away from you reading the book. I will be recommending this book for the rest of my days as a blogger and you will too!

Cheers!

[Flying Monkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ STARS!!

Incredible, Epic, Heart-wrenching, Glorious. I absolutely loved Battle Mage. It is a stand alone novel, but impressive enough that I think everybody who reads this will be begging for a sequel. I'm very excited to see what Peter Flannery comes up with next as Battle Mage was amazing.

[The Jolly Elf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3/5 (no spoilers)
Αυτό θα πει να είσαι στην μειονότητα. #unpopular opinion
Χωρίς πλάκα 87% των μελών έχουν βάλει 4-5 αστεράκια (εκ των οποίων επισημαίνω ότι το 67% έβαλε 5/5)

Θετικά που σκέφτηκα

Μου άρεσε που είναι stand-alone και η ιστορία δεν συνεχίζει σε άλλο βιβλίο.

Η φιλία του Falco με τον παιδικό του φίλο και αργότερα όταν μπήκαν στο παρεόνι και τα άλλα τρία άτομα μου άρεσε αρκετά.

Έχει πολύ δράση.

Έχει δράκους.

Αρνητικά που σκέφτηκα

Να το πάρουμε από τον κακό της ιστορίας ο οποίος είναι δαίμονας. Με μια πάπια να τον αντικαθιστούσαμε δεν θα άλλαζε απολύτως τίποτα. Ποιος είναι ο στόχος του και γιατί κάνει ό,τι κάνει και πώς έφτασε σε αυτό το σημείο και γιατί σε ένα βιβλίο 800+ σελίδων είναι guest star και κάνει 2-3 cameo στις μάχες??????????? Οκ πες ο στόχος είναι να σκοτώσει όλους τους ανθρώπους. Ωραία ΚΑΙ ΜΕΤΑ? Μας λέει ότι θέλει ψυχές ζωντανών συνεχώς για να διατηρήσει τον στρατό. Αν τις έχεις πάρει όλες τις ψυχές τι κάνεις μετά?
Δεν είχε προσωπικότητα γενικά. Ακόμα και ο στρατός του είχε περισσότερο ζουμί και το μόνο που κάνει είναι να σφάζει και να πεθαίνει.

Περνώντας στους χαρακτήρες, ούτε εκείνοι έχουν προσωπικότητα, όλοι είναι ίδιοι (είτε άντρες είτε γυναίκες) και διαφέρουν στο όνομα και λίγο στους στόχους τους. Βέβαια για να εκπληρώσουν αυτούς τους στόχους αρκεί να κάνουν ακριβώς το ΙΔΙΟ πράγμα: να τρέξουν head-on σε κάθε μάχη και να έχουν θέληση τα οποία τα ονομάζουν θάρρος και όχι βλακεία.

Ως προς τον κύριο πρωταγωνιστή, ναι ήταν ο μοναδικός που είχε κάποιου είδους ανάπτυξη (μαζί με ένα που τον λένε Meredith αλλά δεν θα αναφερθώ.) και με ενδιαφέρον παρελθόν όμως και πάλι τα έχει όλα στο πιάτο ρε φίλε. Είναι ο καλύτερος στα πάντα. Άντε πες πάει στο διάολο η μαγεία, είναι άλλος τομέας. Δεν γίνεται να μου λες ότι μέσα σε 1-2 μήνες γίνεται ξεφτέρι στη ξιφομαχία γιατί ήταν καλός όταν ήταν 5, παρόλο που από τότε δεν ξαναέπιασε ποτέ του σπαθί. Σε μια μάχη μας λέει έφτασε το full potential του (γκουχ γκουχ μετα από έναν χρόνο) παρόλο που δεν έχει εμπειρία και πριν μας είπε ότι τώρα μαθαίνει να πολεμάει παρέα με τον δράκο του.

Έχει τόσα πολλά POV χωρίς να χρειάζονται τα ¾ από αυτά. Και δεν είναι ότι συμβαίνει κάτι ενδιαφέρον στον καθένα που βοηθά την πλοκή. Βλέπουμε το ίδιο γεγονός σε μια μάχη από 3 διαφορετικές πλευρές ξανά και ξανά και ξανά. Απλώς διάλεξε το πιο δυνατό και περιεκτικό POV και δείξτο μας από εκεί μέσα. Επίσης έχωνε μέσα και POV από άκυρα άτομα αλλά η γραφή το έκανε να μοιάζει λες και είναι σημαντικοί (που δεν ήταν) και ότι πρέπει να δώσουμε προσοχή (που δεν είχε νόημα) με αποτέλεσμα να εκνευρίζομαι με προοδευτικό ρυθμό.

Να αναφερθώ στο ότι είναι γεμάτο γαλλικές φράσεις και αναφορές στο ότι οι δαίμονες είναι σταλμένοι από τον Άδη όταν είμαστε σε έναν κόσμο που ούτε η Γαλλία υπάρχει για να δικαιολογεί την γαλλική γλώσσα ούτε Έλληνες για να υπάρχει ελληνική μυθολογία και θεοί. Κάτι τέτοια με πέταγαν εντελώς έξω από την ιστορία.

Για ένα βιβλίο με μεγάλη έμφαση στους στρατούς και τις μάχες, η στρατηγική ήταν για τα μπάζα. Ένα απίστευτα απλό παράδειγμα είναι ότι ξέρεις ότι οι δαίμονες έχουν δυνατή πανοπλία πχ αλλά εμείς έχουμε μόνο τόξα και σπαθιά. Που είναι όλος ο υπόλοιπος οπλισμός σχεδιασμένος βάση την εμπειρία έχουν εδω και τόσα χρόνια που θα αφαιρέσει τα πλεονεκτήματα του αντιπάλου. Και γιατί να τους βάλεις να τρέξουν κατευθείαν στην μάχη όταν μπορούν να οχυρωθούν στο βουνό και να τους ξεπαστρέψουν από ψηλά. Ίσως αυτά τα προσέχω μόνο εγώ γιατί είναι το αντικείμενο σπουδών μου τι να πώ.

Γενικές σκέψεις

Είχα αρκετές προσδοκίες για αυτό το βιβλίο και θεωρούσα ότι τα αρνητικά rating ήταν κυρίως από όσους το ξεψαχνίσανε ή δεν ικανοποιήθηκαν οι προσωπικές τους επιθυμίες.

Είναι γεμάτο trope που έχουμε ξαναδεί και μάλιστα δεν τα συναντάμε πλέον στην μοντέρνα φαντασία τουλάχιστον όχι στην ακατέργαστη μορφή τους. Είχε πολλά vibes Άρχοντα Δαχτυλιδιών και γενικά κλασικής φαντασίας όπου δεν βρίσκεις την περιπλοκότητα και την έμφαση στη διάκριση των χαρακτήρων που βλέπουμε σήμερα.

Γενικά ήταν διασκεδαστικό από την άποψη ότι δεν ζητούσε μεγάλη συγκέντρωση και καλή μνήμη εκ μέρους μου. Αυτός είναι και ο κύριος λόγος που έβαλα 3 και όχι 2/5 καθώς έλειπα παράλληλα σε ταξίδι και δεν ήθελα απαιτητικό βιβλίο μαζί μου. Μέχρι περίπου τη μέση είναι πολύ ωραίο βασικά αλλά από εκεί και πέρα άρχισε να γίνεται βαρετό, να κάνει πολλές επαναλήψεις και η ιστορία είναι σαν να έμεινε στάσιμη σε ένα σημείο.

Θα το ξαναδιαβάσω? Όχι. Να το διαβάσετε εσείς? Εάν θέλετε old-school φαντασία χωρίς όμως να έχει την κουραστική γραφή των παλαιότερων θα σας αρέσει. Πιστεύω παίζει ρόλο απο το τι ζητά ο καθένας απο το βιβλίο.

[M.L. Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed for BookNest.eu

I believe there is something very special about Battle Mage by Peter Flannery. Very special.

This novel has enjoyed immense success, which is why I wanted to read it. I wanted to find out what the secret ingredient was that made thousands of fans give it such high praise. I could tell by the cover that it was on pointe with all the typical fantasy tropes. They’re right there in the name. “Battle.” Check. “Mage.” Check. Guy in armor holding a magical sword surrounded by flames. Check. And so the tropes continued into the interior. Underdog hero, dragons, possessed monsters out to take over the world. A mystery that goes unanswered until late in the novel and keeps the pages turning. A story structure that is the embodiment of the Hero’s Journey mapped out on paper.

And yet, I doubt that’s what won Battle Mage so much acclaim.

More than anything else, this story is about the heart.

Faith, Hope, Love. Those are the themes that are explored in this novel. They are introduced on the first page, in one of the most compelling prologues I have ever read. They are the embodiment and strength of this world’s champions, who defend their lands against the Possessed with these three virtues as their most powerful weapon. Indeed, when courage begins to fail and hope collapses into despair, it is a Battle Mage’s faith, hope, and love that sustains every desperate soul behind him.

This novel is about Falco Danté, a sick, weakling boy whose heroic father had gone mad, slaying all the magi of his village when his dragon turned black. For black dragons are mad, and they must be killed—but Aquila Danté sided with his dragon, a decision which ended in tragedy.

Now, everyone is afraid his son will follow in his father’s footsteps. Falco has the ability to become a Battle Mage, but should he be allowed to train as one? When Falco commits a mistake that sends a young Battle Mage and his dragon to their deaths, it would appear the answer to that question is no. But the world is in grave need of a champion with the heart and courage his father had.

The greatest strength of this story is the bonds between its characters. Falco’s relationship with his friends, his compassion and caring, are what gives this novel its heart and sets Battle Mage apart from other novels of its kind. I was not expecting to find this in a book with a knight swathed in flames prominent on the cover.

Battle Mage is more about faith than it is war. That, and the love of a hero for the friends he fights for.

[Cesária · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cóż to była za przygoda! Pomimo przydługiego początku i cegłowej objętości czytało mi się tę książkę wspaniale. Poczułam się, jakbym wróciła do ulubionych książek moich nastoletnich lat. Wszystkie elementy tu do siebie pasują, wskakują na odpowiednie miejsca we właściwym czasie, a na koniec wychodzi z tego piękny obrazek.
To jest bardzo dobra książka warsztatowo - nie można jej nic zarzucić, jest po prostu idealnie poprawna. Nie próbuje być na siłę oryginalna, po prostu dowozi to, co obiecuje i to jest wspaniałe.
W tej książce znajdziecie:
- Bohaterów, którzy są dosyć jednoznaczni i reprezentują konkretne archetypy, a mimo to się ich lubi.
- Świat, który nie potrzebuje dużo, by porwać czytelnika.
- Fabułę, która niby niczym nie zaskakuje, a jednak jest satysfakcjonująca.
- Tempo opowieści, które nie przyspiesza na siłę, a mimo to sprawia, że trudno się oderwać.
- Narrację, która prowadzi czytelnika pewną ręką - niezbyt odkrywcza, lecz wyjątkowo spójna.

Na pewno pewnego dnia wrócę jeszcze zarówno do autora, jak i do tej książki.
Choć jest to w zasadzie młodzieżówka, to polecam ją zarówno młodszym, jak i starszym. Każdy znajdzie tu coś dla siebie - albo powrót do ulubionych historii z dawnych dni, albo wciągającą przygodę na bite parę godzin. Tak, czy inaczej - warto. Jednak należy mieć z tyłu głowy jedno - to nie jest książka, która aspiruje do odmienienia waszego życia. Ale z pewnością może wam zapewnić solidną rozrywkę.

P.S. Dodatkowe punkty za tłumaczenie, a właściwie lokalizację - to, jak zostały oddane wzajemne dogryzki bohaterów jest genialne. W pozostałych aspektach tłumaczenie jest wręcz przezroczyste, co dla mnie w przypadku tej książki jest zaletą. Dzięki temu płynie się przez tekst swobodnie, mogąc dać się ponieść historii.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Battle Mage

What a fantastic book!
I wish there was a Book 2 coming!
This writer knows how to tell a story!
Definitely a must read for fantasy lovers.

[N Islam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it had a promising start, there is just too much that is uninspired. Furthermore, the names make no sense, the obsession with french military mannerisms, titles and other such trivialities really infuriated me. Furthermore, there are lapses in the illusion of this world, for example there is one quote saying something to the effect that the possessed come from Hades himself.

There are no greek gods, because there are no greeks. Small things like this, really break the illusion, and therefore really makes this a hard book to read or enjoy.

Furthermore, the narrator for this book was just pure shit.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it :)

[Gancu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Choć „Mag bitewny” nie jest dla mnie lekturą przełomową, to pozostaje dziełem pełnym wyobraźni i pasji. To właśnie ten entuzjazm autora, widoczny na każdej stronie, sprawia, że książkę czyta się z przyjemnością i można dać się porwać jej atmosferze. Oceniam ją na 4/5, co w moim odczuciu oznacza dobrą, solidną lekturę, którą warto polecić fanom klasycznego fantasy zwłaszcza tym, którzy kochają magię, smoki i opowieści o odwadze rodzącej się w najmniej spodziewanych bohaterach.

Autor potrafi wciągnąć czytelnika w mroczną, a zarazem barwną rzeczywistość, gdzie obok grozy i bitew zawsze jest miejsce na przyjaźń, lojalność i odwagę. Smoki dodają tej opowieści epickiego wymiaru, a niektóre sceny niosą ze sobą prawdziwe napięcie. To książka, w której nie brakuje zarówno emocji, jak i widowiskowych momentów, a rozwój postaci drugoplanowych czyni tą historię bogatszą i bardziej różnorodną.

Przyznam jednak, że moja ocena wynika również z momentu, w którym sięgnąłem po tę książkę. Tuż wcześniej czytałem Z krwi i ognia i to porównanie nie wypadło na korzyść „Maga bitewnego”. Tamta historia po prostu mnie za bardzo wciągnęło. Może powinno być 5 ale jak w przypadku Z krwi i ognia brakuje mi tu czegoś czegoś fajnego.

[Steve Naylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating 5.0 stars

This book is going straight to my favorites list. I have been reading a lot of LitRPG books and campy fantasy books for most of the year, but this book reminded me how much I love Epic fantasy (notice the capital E). This story deals with warriors and demons and has every element of a great fantasy novel: hope, despair, loss, love, sacrifice, duty, redemption, betrayal and forgiveness. Reading books like this I always wonder if I would have the moral courage to do what is right, simply because it is right even though it would hurt me in the end. How many times does a person actually get tested in real life and make that choice? This book was filled with people who made that choice over and over again.

The story involves the people of the world fighting against a demon army. That army by itself is terrible, but when it is lead by an actual demon, the fear that the demon inflicts on the human army is so paralyzing that the human army can no longer fight. The only being in existence that has the willpower to oppose a demon and protect the human army from the fear is a battle mage. The battle mage takes the fear onto himself to protect the enemy. It is said that a battle mage is a fearsome warrior but a battle mage and a dragon are all but unstoppable. The problem is that there are very few battle mages left in the world and about 400 years ago something happened to the dragons. Now, when dragons become black they go insane and try and kill the humans it once loved and protected. The worst thing in the world is when a battle mage summons its dragon and it ends up being black. That dragon needs to be killed right away.

The story follows the life of Falco Dante. He is the son of a battle mage who's dragon turned black but instead of killing the dragon, he fought along the dragon's side until they both were killed. His father is considered a traitor, but no one can figure out why he did it. Falco has been a sickly boy for most of his life. Saying any more would be a huge spoiler. He goes to the summoning of a dragon for a new battle mage despite it not being allowed. The dragon was black and needed to be destroyed but Falco couldn't bear to see it happened so he warned the dragon on instinct, and the dragon and battle mage were destroyed. That ended up being a huge problem as a demon and his army were coming and the only chance they had was that battle mage who died. Things happen and it turns out Falco is also able to resist the fear from a demon. It also turns out that Falco has suffered from a fungal infection all his life instead of the disease everyone thought he had. He is cured from his illness and is accepted to be trained as a battle mage. Since he was sick his entire life, he is by far the weakest person at the war college. This story basically has 3 parts. The first part is when Falco is sick, the second is when he is being trained at the college, and the third is when he is a true battle mage.

The worst thing about the demon's and their army is that they don't just kill the human populace. They take their very souls. They can also stop a person from dying so that they continue to suffer for eternity. Imagine fighting an enemy in which one of the best outcomes is that you die so your soul can be free. Every other outcome is so much worse: being turned into the enemy so that you now fight your loved ones, being kept alive to suffer unbelievable pain forever, and then finally to get your soul damned to hell.

There is a point toward the end of the story that I thought the author made things just a little too hopeless. There has to be a balance struck between hope and despair. Having the odds against you is one thing, but always having the odds against you in every confrontation no matter what can be a little too depressing. Overall though, I loved this story.

[Russell Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book since it sounded like a pretty interesting fantasy story and I figured the 1200+ reviewed 5 star rating compensated for my fear that the story would be as generic as the title and cover art.

I'm so glad that I picked this book up because it was utterly fantastic. This was a coming of age story, but definitely more than a standard one. It had the elements of the coming of age story, but cloaked them under so many layers of reality and humanity. I was thoroughly immersed in the story. The plot kept a steady pace and the characters were diverse and realistic in their thoughts, desires, and reactions.

The world had me hesitating at first, because it seemed like some real-world history was being leaned on like a crutch. I would honestly rather authors just make stuff up entirely rather than this, but very quickly I ignored the names of the countries and their obvious origins and got sucked into the unique elements of the world. The way the war played out was very taut with suspense and had extremely well-defined mechanics.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy specifically or even just coming of age stories generally. This book is just an experience of humanity that I feel most anyone can connect with.

[Rick Frady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Flannery's book Battle Mage was on my radar for quite some time before I actually sat down to read it. I'm not sure why the hesitation but I'm glad I got around to it. Battle Mage was exactly the kind of book I love with heroes, dragons, struggle, and love. It wasn't perfect but I've only read a very few books in my lifetime that were. Battle Mage was well written with a great story and wonderful characters. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves fantasy or just a good story.

I know the author said that the book took a long time to write and i appreciate that, but there were some loose ends left in the story and the world and main characters already built. So let's get off our arse and get cracking on book two.

Please?

[Phillip Murrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Equal parts grimdark and YA

I should have liked this book more. It started strong with Falco making serious mistakes. Then the middle act was a boring Harry Potter clone with the key players training. The ending was ALMOST good. It had great battles, but (as per usual) major characters had plot armor. Only red shirts and minor characters die. Worse yet, all characters feel the same. The heroes are all virtuous and brave. The villains, when not literal demons, are mustache twisting evil. Everyone is hyper competent at his or her job. Malaki actually gets two superpowers as knight and blacksmith. What started in the vein of an HBO series quickly devolved into CW trite.

[A.C. Cobble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Battle Mage takes the Hero's Journey and all of the classic tropes of a good fantasy yarn and reminds us why we love them in the first place. Compelling characters, a well-thought out world, creative magic systems, and a story you just cannot stop reading. One of the best stories I've read in years, seriously.

[Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Phew, just finished this looong epic fantasy free with Prime Reading. The usual premise of a sickly youth training at the Academy of War in order to save the world from demons. Oh and there's dragons too. Altogether an entertaining read.

[Robin Musch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author needs greater vocabulary

Too much repetition. Too easy for protagonist. Not enough detail in the reasons for the war, or why humans and dragons would be friends. Somewhat boring