Under the Mist

by Jonathon McElhaney

For a time, in the not too distant past, magic once ran the world. Two nations, following distinct schools of thought and sorcery, powered their lands with the ether that flowed through every living creature. That is, until the madman, Amundus, set forth an experiment that brought their way of life to a halt, and the endless force that the people once drew upon ceased to exist.

Years later, as society finds itself struggling to hold itself together, let alone move forward, a young man named Rez is sent on a mission to understand how the world fell apart. Doing so will require for the people to evolve beyond their preconceived notions of magic and its schools. Instead, only by partnering with former enemies, can Amundus’ experiment be reversed, and order brought back to the world.


Rez will have to hurry, though, as his past reliance on magic may have already set his own fate into action.

35 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2020

About the author

Jonathon McElhaney is a US Army veteran, having served in the logistics division during the Afghanistan campaign. He is the author of the dark fantasy novel, THE SET STEALER, published by New Traditions Publishing, along with the three short stories The Definition of Insane, Multiple Minds and Frame of Magic. He is a loving husband to his beautiful wife and fantastic father to his two amazing kids. His imagination has no limits, so come and see what he's all about.

Reviews

[Robbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes this unusual is it’s a story of magic, without all the usual retinue of additional characters of evil witches, warlocks, elves, fae or several others that normally accompany magic, this is just a power that exists and is normal to everyone, with some tasked to operate or maintain it as a power for good. It’s easy to immerse yourself in a world of magic that isn’t used with extravagant excess, where ‘normal’ government exists and not the expected exalted gods, mages, kings and queens (evil of course). It took no time at all to fully get into the story of a world almost like our own. It’s also a story that illustrates the point Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[Abbi Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not exactly my cup of tea, but definitely an interesting, well-written afternoon read. 9/10 would read a sequel or novel of the same story :)

[Lori Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as a review copy, this is an honest review. With a mysterious pink mist have blanketed a torn country; reeking havoc on once powerful technology now obsolete. Rez is on a mission to find a way to bring the magic back. It's also personal because an implant is winding down and will kill him if Rez cannot find a way to change his fate. A wonderful adventure awaits in this story and worth the read, highly recommended.

[C.E. Cannery · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pink mist spread through the continent, sucking magic from every device and person. . . .
Nine years later, the two civilizations that relied on this magic are suffering. Rez Serator, a man with a literal ticking clock in his chest, needs to find out where the magic went before the nanite-magic battery in his chest dies.
With just 39 pages, McElhaney introduces us (I didn't read the first book) to old steam-magic powered civilizations that have fallen into ruin, nods to our own current pandemic, crazy wizards, guards that can't recognize their own president's seal, and commentary on power. Under the Mist is a short but definitely memorable book. I found the magic system (and the two differing ideas about the creation of magic words) to be creative. The plot is fast-paced and reads rather like a mystery, which I enjoyed. Though, and this is why I didn't give it five stars, I did think the plot relied too heavily on deus ex machina with Rez just pulling the solutions out of mid air. I feel like, from what I read, that the author has the ability to write those exploratory scenes out better, and I was disappointed that the author did not. I also thought descriptions were lacking, and I couldn't quite picture the world. That being said, I really enjoyed the dialogue and how quickly the characters were fleshed out and how realistically. The author clearly has a very good grasp of characterization, and it would have been nice to have some of those characters for longer. Overall, this was a pretty decent short read, and I did enjoy it.
(I received a free copy of this book from Sandra Lopez's Bookclub, and I gave this review voluntarily.)

[Nancy (The Avid Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mist has spread throughout the land. Everyone wears a mask in the mist. There is something hiding in the mist. Something that was lost long ago. Something very vital to some. When the mist began spreading through the land all their magic disappeared. The world became a dark and desolate place.

One man’s mission is too find out what happened to all the magic. His mission is to find the magic and hopefully bring it back. This man Rez has a personal stake in finding the magic and returning it to the people. Not having magic in his life is becoming very fatal for Rez. Rez only has a short time to find the magic again or life as he knows it will be no more.

A magic-less world has caused everyone to slip into a despairing place. It has left some nothing more than a husk of their former selves. Rez must talk to the one man who created the magic in the first place if he is to return the magic.

I think Under the Mist has more than one story between its pages to tell. Under the Mist has been a very deep thought provoking story for me. One in which I believe will stay with me for a long time to come. It is a very intense and intriguing story.

Under the Mist is a story about people losing their magic, their happy place or more like having that magic taken from them and what it did to their souls and the dark place it pulled the world into. Its about power and control.

I am anxiously awaiting the next installment of Frame of Magic. The writing and the world building of Under the Mist is brilliant. Under the Mist is short read but has a whole of magic between its pages. Under the Mist is a great introduction into a brand new world of magic.

I highly recommend this little gem to everyone looking for a short and thought provoking read. One click your copy of Under the Mist to begin this fantastic little adventure!

[Marie Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago, a mysterious mist covered the land as magic abandoned its people. Rez only has a short time left, as the machine keeping him alive is dependent on the magic that is no longer available, and has devoted this time to figuring out how to bring magic back. This is a very short story, and could even be the first chapter of a full length book. More background information on the characters and world would be welcomed, but is not required to enjoy this story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cátia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really good.
It tells us the story of Rez in a world under a pink mist, that made the magic go away.
After some years in this state Rez decided go talk to Amundus, the man responsible for the mist and trying to resolve it... In AFS Rez meets Malik, a young Wizard, who will help him in solving the mystery around magic's disappearance.

Well written characters, a good premise and a touch of magic.. Who doesn't love this combination?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic once was in the world, but it has been broken by Amundus (a mad mage) who experimented with magic, and now some deadly mists hover over the world. Rez would like to restore magic to the world, but he will need to go through the heavy protocols to look for answers. I enjoyed this short tale, Rez has a vested interest in getting magic fixed and he can be a bit gruff at times, but he is an interesting character.
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received, and giving my thoughts and opinions on it.

[Tahnia Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story about magic that is perverted by an overly ambitious scientist from the Amalgamation of Free States. Eventually, the perverted magic is brought back to being clean again by a man from the Coalition of Unified Systems and a once magic user from the Free States who find the answer to the problem. The man from the CUS barters an uneasy alliance between the two governing bodies and all is back to "normal". Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first story by Jonathon McElhaney and the story is interesting and different. I didn’t realize this was book 2 in the series so that may have been part of the reason I didn’t understand more in the story. I would have liked to see more explanation about how things were the way the were in the story. It was well written but I really didn’t connect with the characters as much. It is a quick read and it is a good read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Charlene Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would call this a short story rather than a book or novella. I did not read book 1 but did not feel lost entering the story here. The author didn't beat us over the head with backstory, just provided enough clues to place characters and events in the story.
I liked first person for this one. We're right there along with Rez as events unfold, and they do in a spectacular fashion.
I don't want to give any spoilers, but I am interested in what happens next!

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under the Mist by Jonathon McElhaney is such a breath taking story that I have read. This is book number two in this breath taking series written by a brand new author for me to read. I can not wait to read the rest because now I am so hooked on this series. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about fantasy and Sci-Fi stories.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[CG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was book was part of a trilogy. But it didn't confuse me somehow I managed to understand where the story was going and what was happening. Under the mist is quick and easy to read. Anyone can read this book. I'm so excited for book three.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mary Brannian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under The Mist

"You won’t break me, you won’t break me, you won’t break me….
But everyone has their breaking point, I’ve found. The question was, who would be the one to break first, him or me? "- Rez

Rez has a choice.. Fix the world... Or die.

A captivating and compelling quick read!

[Oana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a nice book that I read in one go. It was small but it had such a good written action that we don't find it some bigger books. From the first page to the last I was engrossed in the story and I can say it's worth it. The way the magic is portrayed here is new to me and honestly it's refreshing.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one unbelievable fantasy story. Just beautiful magic until the end. Loved the characters and wished it never ended. Ready for more.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting short story

The world was run on magic. One day it disappeared and mist was everywhere. A need to make magic return was apparent. The process was not easily understood.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book from the author via voracious readers in exchange for an honest review*
Short stories and novellas are tricky to get right, you have to squish enough character development and good world building into a small package and I think Jonathon did a pretty good job at this. It was an interesting concept that could, in my opinion been made into an amazing full length novel.

[Alicia Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick yet very interesting read that leaves you wanting much more. I wish he would expand this into a novel! I liked the flow of the story but felt that I was missing so much! I would recommend reading this for an interesting take on magic and magical systems.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.