The Mage's Code

by Daniel P. Mayer

Magic is a dying art, and most of the world has no idea it exists. A young detective named John begins investigating an elusive criminal with a talent for disappearing. A college student named Vivian makes an incredible discovery hiding in plain sight. Both find themselves clashing with the same mysterious man, a sarcastic stranger in a black bowler hat, and he's not the only danger they face.

The Mage's Code (book 01: search) is a fantasy adventure novel full of suspense and mystery. The story is intended for a young-adult to adult audience, and contains some profanity and suggestive themes. This is the first in the book series The Mage's Code by Daniel P Mayer. The second book in the series will be published at a later date, unless this one just doesn't sell at all, in which case I'll devote my time to better things. There are a lot of good books out there to read these days.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery

238 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2021

About the author

Dan Mayer lives in upstate New York where he works in Information Technology. He's been writing sci-fi and fantasy as a hobby for over 15 years and is thrilled to finally publish his debut novel. When he's not crafting immersive fictional worlds populated with loveable characters, he can be found playing board games with friends or hiding in his room from social obligations.

Reviews

[WhatShouldIRead]

This book is told in the 1st person from multiple people. I should have paid more attention to the chapter headings. That will give the reader a clue as to who is talking and take you right back into the story.

But even after reading 100 pages this book didn't hold my interest so I will pass on finishing the rest.

[Sharon Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

UP FRONT Alert - I received a free copy.

I totally enjoyed this book. The writing was good and the character development was good. I look forward to more books by this author.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Much different than I expected. When I read that it was about magic, I thought it would be about something like Harry Potter, but it was not at all like that. It was about a Mage (someone who uses magic) in the real world. Two humans battle some Mages and how the relationships form between all the characters.

This is Mr. Mayer's first book and he does a fine job with the story. Each chapter is told by a different character. This gives each character's side of the story without slowing down the flow of the novel.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes books about Magic or Witches. A fun read with others coming in the future.

[Vier (Ri) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from being captivating, the book also has hints of humor dropped at the right timing, making it even more entertaining. This is the kind of story that makes the audience forget the time as it carries them away. It is spooky but exciting, and despite it being a wild ghost hunt, there are parts where it goes deeper to tackle social issues.

Read the full review here .

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mage's Code is a detective fantasy mystery novel. Detective Powers may have encountered a ghost, or more likely, a reclusive mage who may be responsible for a strong line of small crimes within the city. Working with the police department, he has a sense of strong justice and wants to bring the man in, what he doesn't realize is that the suspect may be even older than he thought. At the same time, working girl Vivian has found herself wrapped up in a tangled web of lies when she is sent on mission to capture said suspect, despite her lack in magical abilities. Both Vivian and Powers find out that maybe the mysterious stranger is not their main concern when it's revealed that they may be darker forces waiting in the wings, and the stranger may be their only other help they could get.

Slow at the start, Mage's Code quickly builds itself up to a bigger conspiracy early on where there are immortal mages whom are hiding beneath the layers of human civilization. The further the story goes, the more mystery is added towards the characters and the plot. Who is the stranger? Who is the master behind the inhabitants of the museum? Are there other mages waiting about too? These questions kept me to read on, hoping to see some reveal, which I found one clue pretty easily early on. The writing style is also simple enough to remain in interest without the feel of being overburdened with excess details. But how this book ends, clearly means there's more to the story and I would jump onboard to reading more to see where the plot goes on from here. As it shows, the mystery behind all of this is just beginning.

[Ramona Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Powers was a new detective and he had just been assigned the case to investigate when he saw a man with a black bowler hat walking down the hallway. He had been looking for this gentleman because he was sure that he was a petty thief. His boss informed him that he was now a part of what Is called the Paranormal Crimes Provision. He was the only detective assigned because everyone else would think that the chief was crazy. Though he was going to get an intern to help them with the paperwork. This is an interesting book written by Mr. Mayer and I couldn't put it down I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. I highly recommend this book as it is good...