A corrupted power stirs from beyond the grave. The Necromancer Queen will rise again.
The future of the world lies in peril, and fate pivots on the strength and conviction of one man…
Anskar DeVantte, knight-inferior of the Order of Eternal Vigilance, has survived his deadly training, ancient ruins and potent beings buried in The Wastes, inimical demons from the Abyssal Realms, and the clutches of the Tainted Cabal. But his true testing has only just begun.
As Anskar marches with a contingent of knights to the Thousand Lakes, he searches for more clues to create divine alloy and forge the Armor of Divinity. But as his knowledge of sorcery grows so too does the corrupt reach of the Necromancer Queen Talia, and Anskar fears her spirit heralds only danger and deception.
As Anskar battles the forces thrown at him and desperately struggles to escape his fate, he will discover secrets long hidden, and ancient and cataclysmic forces poised to destroy mankind.
For the Necromancer Queen is not the only dark shadow of evil reaching forth…
An immersive and ambitious new series from the Aurealis Award-winning author of A Crucible of Souls.
When he was eleven, Mitchell Hogan was given the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to read, and a love of fantasy novels was born. He spent the next ten years reading, rolling dice, and playing computer games, with some school and university thrown in. Along the way he accumulated numerous bookcases' worth of fantasy and sci-fi novels and doesn’t look to stop anytime soon.
His first attempt at writing fantasy was an abysmal failure and abandoned after only one page. But ideas for characters and scenes continued to come to him and he kept detailed notes of his thoughts, on the off chance that one day he might have time to write a novel. For a decade he put off his dream of writing until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He knew he would regret not having tried to write the novel percolating inside his head for the rest of his life. Mitchell quit his job and lived off dwindling savings, and the support of his fiancé, until he finished the first draft of A Crucible of Souls.
He now writes full time and is eternally grateful to the readers who took a chance on an unknown author.
A Crucible of Souls won the 2013 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel.
Mitchell lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife, Angela, and daughters, Isabelle and Charlotte.
King Aelfyr of the Thousand Lakes, has asked for help from the Order of Eternal Vigilance against the Soreshi, known to be strong sorcerers, who have been invading his villages and killing his people. Unknown to him, the Soreshi is only part of the problem and not the real threat to his people. Anskar DeVantte, is part of the contingent sent to aid the king, and thus his education of the tides continue as he meets new allies along the way. Josac the Warrior Priest, Braga the the smithy, Zek the Soreshi, and Brother Bonavir all add colorful conversation and knowledge, helping Anskar find his true path, only naming a few influences. Along with positive comes the negative, with Gann brother of an old foe, Castellac , Uspeth, and another unwelcome acquaintance of the Tainted Cabal. Meanwhile, Carred and Orix, guided by Queen Talia speaking through Noni, are on there own quest to retrieve the Armor of Divinity, which involves following instructions from an unembodied head. Anskar can be a frustrating character to follow at times, as he bonds easily to people and then has a profound loyalty to them, which often sways his beliefs one way or the other. He'll turn from his upbringing one minute, then something happens to sway him back the next, but it is all a learning experience for him and the reader. As of yet, I've to figure out if there is a right path for Anskar to follow, as they are all tinged with corruption. Guess, I'll have to wait for the next installment to see. My thanks to the author for the ARC for an honest review.
I think this is the end of the series for me. Anskar is a super annoying main character and I just couldn't find it in me to truly care anymore. In the first book he had really strong character growth but that has been the extent in 3 books. He hasn't grown at all since the first book and it's just frustrating to read his POV. The world building is the only thing saving this series because it is at least interesting. Overall this book is fine.
This was a great continuation of Anskar's story and that of Queen Talia. Anskar and his fellow knights are sent to go against the Soreshi sorcerand their Tainted Cabal allies, while Orix, Noni, Carred and the rebels continue their search for the armour of divinity. I won't say more to avoid spoilers (but damn, that ending! ). This book was really well written, and it interesting. We also learned some new things about the world of Wiraya and that's something I really liked. If you've read the previous books (and you really should, despite the super detailed prologue included here), you'll know what you're getting and you know you'll love it. I'm genuinely excited to find out what happens next!
The author continues with his tale of Anskar, true prince of Niyas, who grudgingly accepts his necromancer roots and shade of a mother. Subversion is a complete story and can be read on its own. But, I recommend you begin at Book 1. This story contains considerable violence. So, do not share this read with a tween. Otherwise, Subversion is perfect for teen and adult fantasy sorcery and swordplay lovers. There are lots of battles, demons, monsters, sinners, and saints. I definitely recommend Subversion as a Summer 2021 read and Books 1-3 as a Xmas stocking stuffer. I'm looking forward to Book 4. Enjoy!
A nice continuation of a great new series by one of my favorite authors Mitchell Hogan. A well written book that fleshes out the characters and adds more to the story but for me it also seems to be just more chapters and doesn't stand out on it's own.
Excellent expansion of the world created in Books 1 and 2. Everything feels bigger and the stakes higher. Hogan's excellent character development continues as he really captures the 'work-in-progress' nature of our protagonist who is still very much figuring it all out.
For me this was the quote on quote filler book in the series, nothing new, a few misadventures, but ultimately ehh. I would honestly skip and wait for the fourth and enjoy the first two.
The story is good with some good characters. Ansgar continues to be an annoying teen and unfortunately he does not mature much in this book. I really hope he develops more in the next installment. I also hope for the return of Niclas.
Another great addition to the Tainted Cabal world. Anskar is very close to becoming man he should be. And maybe the necromancer he should be. Can’t wait to see how this part of the story ends.