The Voyage of the Forgotten

The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings #3

by Nick Martell

In this twistingly beautiful and epically thrilling conclusion to the fantasy trilogy The Legacy of the Mercenary King, Michael, the infamous Kingkiller, and Serena, the Hollow Queen, race against the odds to have the future they’ve worked so hard to protect…or risk bringing about the end of the world.

Michael Kingman has discovered his destiny, but the distance to what he wants, namely a life with Serena, the queen of Hollow kingdom, is as wide as the world, and just as cruel.

Meanwhile, Dark, the realm’s most fearsome mercenary, Michael’s sometime mentor, and son of his nemesis, Angelo, is trying to keep Michael in line, for his own purposes as he too has a hidden agenda. Michael comes to realize that he is outclassed by powers that have been working for centuries to bring about a fresh end to the world filled with those he loves. But when has merely being overpowered ever stopped Michael from getting what he wants?

To prevent what may bring about the end times Michael must gather his remaining allies and push himself to achieve the impossible because the alternative is worse than he can imagine: it’s not just the beginning of the end of the world, it’s being alone and forgotten.

In this epic conclusion, The Voyage of the Forgotten brilliantly wraps up the stories fans have fallen in love with as the characters struggle against odds that seem impossible to overcome.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, High Fantasy, Adult, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

592 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2022

About the author

Nick Martell was born in Ontario, Canada before moving to the United States at age 7. After graduating high school on Long Island, he majored in Creative Writing at Pennysylvania’s Susquehanna University. He started writing novels regularly in fifth grade, and his debut novel, The Kingdom of Liars, sold when he was 23 years old. Currently, he lives outside Allentown. Follow Nick on Twitter, @macmartell or at nickmartell.com

Reviews

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but…

for some reason I wasn’t enjoying this book as much as I expected to. It took me a while to figure out why that is. At first, I thought it was the prose, which indeed was a minor factor, but it turns out I just didn’t like Michael, the protagonist and main viewpoint character.

In the first book, he was so infuriating it seriously marred my enjoyment; in the second book I could deal with him as his character development showed improvement; in this final book, it wasn’t so much his actions that were questionable, but his entire behavior that drove me up the wall, for example his attitude in conversations with more powerful characters. He was just so cocky and irreverent and full of himself I just couldn’t connect with him. And since my investment in a book mostly hinges on my love for the MC, I sometimes had a hard time pushing through this book. Towards the end, things finally got more interesting and retroactively there was a good reason for Michael to be so obnoxious. That doesn’t make up for my feelings along the way, however, but his behavior does make more sense.

I read and simultaneously listened to the Graphic Audio adaptation and I never thought I would have to say that the adaptation made the book better. Some passages and even entire brief chapters were cut, but these were sometimes awkward or ridiculous so it was for the best. Applause for the editor!

All in all, I‘m not sure how to feel about this novel, about this series. The first book had a mystery to be solved (did Michael’s father really kill the 9-year-old prince and if so why?), a great frame (Michael being sentenced to death for killing the king), and compelling world building (magic whose cost is a person’s memories) so that it was intriguing despite Michael being an obnoxious idiot. The second book was not all that memorable, the ending underwhelming, but at least Michael had grown and was notably less annoying. Book 3 was really slow until about the last third, which was when things came together; a shocking truth was also revealed.

Surprisingly, despite me wanting this book to be over occasionally along the way, the ending made me sad it was over; I really want to know how events proceed from there. Despite my issues, I will also definitely read a sequel if there is one. So, thinking it all over, I find that despite my issues I am not sorry I read this trilogy and listened to the Graphic Audio adaptation.


——————-
Spoiler below!


As revealed in the end, magic abilities (like throwing lightning or making your skin turn into metal), can be passed on to others when a magic wielder’s blood is ingested – theoretically one person could accumulate all existing abilities this way. That really bothered me; how has no one in a millennium, since magic first appeared, ever discovered that collecting powers of others is possible and that easy? And now that the cat is out of the bag, imagine the destruction that would follow… I need a sequel that addresses that and a couple of other loose ends. Like Michael‘s fate. That ending sure hints there may be other books.

[Lydia Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick Martell you are a great author. What an end to the Trilogy. Martell is an amazing writer who clearly will be a force in Epic fantasy for decades to come. This end of the trilogy shows his depth and strength of a writer and story teller. I loved the dragons. Highly recommend.

[Lezlie The Nerdy Narrative · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't like endings. If you look at the books I've read, you'll see more than a few series where I've read all but the last book. Some of these worlds I love living in - I form attachments to characters - I don't want to say goodbye.

There are times when a story is too good and you're helpless except to continue.

This is one of those stories.

If you prefer video reviews, you can watch my video review here: https://youtu.be/jh3XYRMRQAY

"The world needs a villain to reset it, so I am here to play the role with a smile and a bow."

THE VOYAGE OF THE FORGOTTEN is the finale of Nick Martell's action/adventure epic fantasy trilogy, The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings. What began with a boy trying to live up to the legacy of his family's name ends with a man who finally discovers who he is. The question is: Is he the hero of this story? Or the villain?

I loved the first book. I thought okay, this is what I can expect for the next two. Then Nick Martell surprised me by adding a few more elements and aspects for me to fall in love with. I thought I was ready for what he would throw at me in the finale - oh gosh, I wasn't! The magic system and its scope was so much bigger than I imagined. Behemoths. Immortals. GOD. I just....I'm shaking my head in amazement as I write this because I literally can't contain this in my head, it's too small.

I made the mistake of reading the last 3 chapters in public. We were attending one of the last nights of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios and got there early to get in line.

I cried.

I cheered.

I jumped up and down once, covered my mouth with one hand to muffle myself HOLLERING in victory.

I cried at the end because it was over.

I looked at those around me, (they were looking at me like I was crazy) looked at my husband and told him I'd have to reread the whole trilogy. He asked why on Earth would I do that - I'd literally just read it. BECAUSE - now I need to read the story knowing how it ends so I can take joy in all the twists, turns, and heartache that it took to get here.

What a phenomenal ending to a fantastic story! I admit, I thought this was the weakest of the three books - UNTIL the last third of the book. When I finally saw the bigger picture emerging and how everything was coming together, how freaking clever the author was crafting this massive tale of intrigue - it just blew me away.

This trilogy may be about the legacy of Michael (dumbass) Kingman, but it also gave birth to the start of the legacy that is Nick Martell.

[Maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

might write down some thoughts later

[Zandt McCue · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Kingdom of Liars was a book that stood out for me when other books in the genre started becoming redundant. I don't think there's an age where you generally outgrow fantasy, but I've been pulling away steadily for the past few years. Yet, Martell is an Author that I come back to. It is not because I have a story to finish. I've left plenty of series behind. It's because Martell has something to say. And when he speaks, we should listen.

I hesitate to call this the conclusion. Certainly, it fulfills the groundwork laid in The Kingdom of Liars and The Two-Faced Queen. However, we've seen in recent years how these series tend to go. A story is concluded. The Author may work on other things. Then down the road, we get a surprise sequel series. I believe Martell has left enough open for us to warrant that.

I'm a fan of the ending. I'm going to borrow this from Glow Up because the fourth season has just come out but it ticked off every box and to Martell, I say "Ding Dong!" Great job. Martell gives us twist after twist but never backs down from the story he wants to tell. This is fearless storytelling. Flawed characters fighting against fate. Martell delivers an emotional, supercharged epic.

If you've been along on this journey, be prepared.

There are some writers we read just to fill time. Martell's work reminds us why we read in the first place.

[Jamedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full text review: https://jamreads.com/reviews/the-voya...

"I'm a persistent idiot, not a hero"

The Voyage of the Forgotten marks the ending of Legacy of the Mercenary King saga; and what an ending. Honestly, knowing that this was the last book was a little bit sour, but I can say that this is a perfect farewell to a set of characters that I love, especially Michael Kingman.

Michael's determination will be proven, and he will have to fight against everything. Finally, he accepts his paper as the Kingman for Serena, showing how his destiny is bound to hers; and for fulfilling his role, he would have to be against forces that he cannot even comprehend.

Differently from the previous two books, the action of this novel goes far away from Hollow, showing a world whose secrets we are starting to unveil. Several cities, islands, and ruins get visited, especially after the real journey gets started. While I loved the scope of limiting most of the novels to Hollow, I have to admit that I enjoyed discovering more of the secrets Martell had for us; partly, this is why I'm kinda sad knowing this was the final book of the trilogy, as I felt we just started unveiling the lore behind those books.

Martell has been really brave writing this novel, using different resources to stay away from the classic fantasy story, and introducing details that made reading it much more interesting, such as how the chapters are numbered or breaking the fourth wall at some points.

While it is a good wrap-up for a trilogy I loved, I must say that it felt a little bit rushed toward the end, probably as a consequence of being planned as a five-book series. Said that, I have to say that it was highly emotional how Martell wrapped up the saga, and that it's one of those endings where crying felt really appropriate. A big clap, I couldn't imagine a better way to say farewell to this group of characters.

The Voyage of the Forgotten is a perfect way to finish our story with Michael Kingman. Do yourself a favour, and read the full saga if you like epic fantasy. And hopefully, at some point, Martell will take us back to this world, as I feel there is much more to explore.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

Was finally able to push through and finish this quite bad trilogy with one of the most truly unlikeable main characters I've ever read.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up ....

The Voyage of the Forgotten is the third and final book in The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings trilogy - yes, that's true. For me, it also felt VERY different than the first 2 books in the series. But it also showcased what Nick Martell can do in a ways that I've never seen before in writing. This is a book (and a trilogy) about love in all of its forms, family (both blood and found), legacy, religion and belief, and in a nutshell, life and death.
It had me questioning not only the events and characters of the series throughout this book, but life in general also. Martell took themes from the "real world" and fictionalized them in his fantasy world, while also making them feel like they only existed in his world.
Right from the start, I noticed things would be different in this book - not only because of what happens in the first 2 chapters, but also ... the chapter numbers went backwards, which was completely unique (at least from what I can remember from books) but also made it difficult to buddy read and talk about. There were SO MANY twists and turns throughout this book that I never knew what to expect in the next part, chapter, or even page. It kept me on my toes on every page, and I love it when a book forces me to pay attention to it. It demanded my undivided attention.
I ended up giving it 4.5 and not a full 5 stars because there was just something about how different it was than the first 2 books that has stayed in my head. Also the ending - while it was incredible and spectacular and all that. It also felt like yes an ending to a book, but not quite the ending to a series. It was closed but also open ended. And so I assume there will be a spin-off series maybe following some different characters after the ending of this book but also it just felt like there needed one more chapter - but maybe that was me just wanting more, also?
Anyways.... I loved it. I love this series. A new favorites series for me. Nick Martell does some truly creative and inspiring things in this book that deserve the praise.

[Cass (the_midwest_library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Overall I would recommend this series. It was exactly what I was in the mood to read. Super cool use of dragons in the world. Fast paced, enjoyable characters. I had a fun time with these.

The series is a bit chaotic in this last installment. I think there were just a lot of good ideas and so some felt too convenient or rushed. There are some concepts that I think should have been introduced far earlier than book 3 and because so much was being revealed, some of the actual REVEALS fell a little short for me simply because they lacked impact. But overall a really fun time. Great for classic fantasy lovers as well!!

[Sifa Poulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.

THE VOYAGE OF THE FORGOTTEN is a book that takes Michael's reckless determination to do what he thinks is best to achieve his goals (and his run of good luck) and turns it up a notch. It's an action-filled book full of secrets revealed and mad plans.

Almost all of the mysteries are resolved or explained in a way that makes sense why they wouldn't be solved in world. There's a lot of forgotten and hidden truths to shift through. A major secret of Michael's is revealed (complete with a fourth wall break) that makes a lot of sense of how he manages to get out of a lot of scrapes.

Unlike the previous two books, this one is not set in Hollow, but in the world beyond. It was nice to see further (and thus makes more sense to get some of the mysteries answered rather than one city containing all the solutions!) There are a lot of locations in this book, from devastated islands to coastal cities and stone titans-cum-land. As you might have guessed from this descriptions, this is a book that revolves around water in many ways.

This is an interesting series ending. On the one hand, the majority of the major goals are achieved (some are not, in a way that feels realistic to the world) and the mysteries are answered more or less. However, if it wasn't for the press release with the copy saying "finale to the trilogy", I would have been convinced that there was another book as the ending leaves with the feeling that there are more stories to tell.

It's an ending I think I'll have to sit with for a while to work out my thoughts on. I do like it when it feels like the world and characters exist beyond the scope of the story. But I do also feel like there was a fair bit left unresolved and the epilogue is the main thing that does this! If it had ended on the final chapter, then I think I would have come down a lot more firmly on the "good series ender that surprises the reader while staying true to the world" side. However, that epilogue felt like it undid a fair bit of that sense of resolution, as if setting up another book with more mysteries and tugging on as many loose threads as possible.

Maybe the author is leaving the door open for another book? Or perhaps they wanted a less traditional ending. Either way, and regardless of what I end up deciding about the ending, I think an ending that leaves you thinking and turning it over is no bad thing.

[Jonathan Koan]

Boy will this be a challenging review. I picked up the Nick Martell's first book "The Kingdom of Liars" because I saw him on Brandon Sanderson's youtube channel and I thought that his story was utterly captivating. I thought I'd give a new author a chance, and I quite enjoyed the first book. I read the third book and was overall frustrated by it. I now find myself in a very frustrated place with this finale.

The way to describe this book is like cooking a meal. There are elements that work well. Maybe a side dish here or the flavor of this piece of meat tastes good. And when it tastes good its quite satisfying. However, when you judge the totality of the meal, it really falls flat, feeling like a negative experience almost. That's what this book is like. There were elements and scenes that I enjoyed, but as a whole I did not like reading the book. That hurts me to say because of how much I enjoyed book one. But I don't feel that this book was handled properly at all.

The first and biggest problem with this book is it's size. The book is entirely too long, it should have been 200 pages shorter, a substantial amount! Several subplots and characters should have been cut from this book. Martell really wanted this book to be close in length to the others and to give it the scale of epic fantasy that his fellow writers deliver. However, this story did not warrant it.

Part of the issue with the scope of the book is its problem of a detailed magic system and unlikeable characters. I am willing to go along with a detailed magic system, but ONLY if I am heavily invested in the characters. That is why I can stand Sanderson's heavy magic systems, and even then that's pushing it for me. But I don't love any of the characters, because they all are rude, they are all vulgar, and they have little sense of morality or true justice. Everyone is out for themselves here. I never felt excited to find out what would happen next to the characters, and didn't mind when different characters died.

This is made worse when the book is just flat out confusing. There are so many worldbuilding and magic elements of this book (and trilogy really) that just don't make sense to me. How some characters keep coming back to life and why other characters don't simply kill other characters was lost on me.

Finally, I think Martell wanted this to be a 5 book series and was crammed into 3 books. I think he also was starting to get bored of Hollow and that's why he branches out here. It means that the book feels tonally similar to the other books, but elements of it feel really weird. This cover shows just one example of this.

I will say that I believe that this trilogy would work better as a "Binge". By this I mean you should read these books fairly close together. Maybe read each book and read 1 or 2 in between. But I waited 1 full year between books 1 and 2 and almost 6 months between books 2 and 3 and I think I lost a lot of the information it provided. Perhaps one day in the future, I might be willing to try this and give the series another go, but not for a LONG time.

Overall, I am very frustrated with this book. Because it is an author whom I want to support and an author that has such a small following, I will refrain from providing a rating on Goodreads. But my personal view is that this book deserves a 4 out of 10. Sorry Martell, this one just missed the mark.

I am still interested in reading future books by Nick Martell, and this doesn't sully my view of the first book too much, but I hope Martell writes a standalone and makes it a little shorter.

[Philip Gipson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Any promise from the first book (The Kingdom of Liars) that survived the uneven second (The Two-Faced Queen) was rapidly squandered by this, the terrible third.

All the author's restraint seems to have disappeared, as every chapter brings yet another absurd plot development (or revelation about this world's history/magic) that tries desperately to ratchet the intensity up another notch. All the characters, who had such humble beginnings in book one, are now magical shapeshifting superheroes who fight immortal shapeshifting supervillians to prevent an apocalypse. A lot of these fights still involve just punching or shooting each other, though.

Ridiculous plots could be forgiven if the characters were interesting, but they are not. Michael Kingman, our protagonist and point-of-view character, proclaims "my superpower is being annoying!" quite literally throughout the book, and I could not agree more. The remaining characters are an indistinguishable bunch: the author seems to have exactly one personality he gives the male characters (e.g. Kai, Trey, Simon, Sirash, Liam, etc) and one he gives the females (Alexis, Naomi, Chloe, Gwen, etc).

One thing I thought was well done was the reveal that Michael has been an immortal the whole time. It ties together the one interesting part of the magic (losing memories) with having Michael as an unreliable narrator.

[Cla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book overall but the ending kind of ruined it for me.
First for the things I did like. Michael and Dark were as great as always. They're my favorite relationship of the series. Their interactions were fun to read about. I liked how Michael thanked him for his help, and how he even saw him as an older brother figure of sorts. I did want them to care about each other but I knew that wasn't going to happen. So this was as good as they could get. I'm glad Dark survived in the end and got his mom back. Hopefully he can be somewhat happy with his mom with him. I'd love a sequel with happens with him and his mom at the end of the series.
Michael was still an enjoyable and relatable character. He still cares deeply about his legacy even though he's trying not to. I enjoyed his friendship with Naomi. They both care a lot for each other. The scene where they're just sitting at the beach watching the sunrise was such a beautiful scene. The scene where Michael kicks Dark into the volcano was hilarious. Such a great scene. And the scene where Michael catches the piece of the moon and becomes the mercenary king was amazing. His messy relationship with Simon was also very fun. I'm glad Symon survived from his fall last book.
The part of the book that talks about how Michael was suicidal as a kid was very well done. I honestly wasn't expecting him to have struggled with that. Showing how difficult it was for him was so sad to read about.
And for the things I didn't like. The romantic relationship was a big one. Michael and Serena's romance was very boring to me and the least interesting relationship in the series. There was way too much focus on it and it wasn't fun to read about. And the story frames their romance as this grand epic thing but it didn't work because the romance felt so dull. One thing I really loved about this series was that it focused on friendship and family over romance. But in this book the romance was more important so that sucked. Michael kept putting her above everyone else even though he hadn't in the other books.
I really disliked Serena as a character. She was very unlikeable. And while I sympathize with her not wanting the throne she came across as incredibly selfish and irresponsible. Her personality was very grating. And she slapped Chole and never apologized for it.
The story also had the typical anti revenge storyline and I didn't like that. I've seen the same storyline in dozens of books. And there was nothing new said about it in this one. I liked that Michael didn't want to forgive the king but this book kept pushing the idea that he had to.
The main thing I didn't like about the story was how Michael was completely forgotten in the end. His whole story is about wanting to be remembered and to have a legacy. And not only does he not get that but everyone forgets him, including himself. It just seems way to cruel an ending. I know the author said the story was going to be a tragedy but this is too much. Michael's story is about him learning that the love of his family and friends is more important than his legacy. But he doesn't even get that in the end. He gets nothing. He deserves to have the legacy he wanted and his loved ones to remember him. I thought his tragedy would be that he would die and not get as big of legacy as he wanted, not this. The ending just seems way too harsh and I really don't like it. The only good thing is that there's a possibility that Serena might find him at the end. Overall this was a series I really liked but the ending did make me like the series less.

[Cory · Rating 3 out of 5]

When The Kingdom of Liars came out, I was telling absolutely anyone who would listen to me to pick up a copy and enter the Hollow and follow the story of Michael Kingman. I could not put the first two books down and having to wait for the third to come out felt like torture.

Then, as things tend to happen, time moved on. I read other stories and somehow totally missed the release date for this third story in the series. As soon as I realized my mistake I called the local bookstore and ran to grab a copy to add to my collection.

For all the excitement and passion I felt for this series - this book felt…corny when compared to the first too. I felt like Nick Martell was trying too add as much as he could to Michael’s legacy and in doing so actually pushed the character development backwards. Is Michael intelligent and strategic, or does he just bumble his way through every encounter? Yes. Does Michael at times speak as if he is in a medieval fair reenactment and at times speak like an 8 year old? Yes. His character also at one point straight up deus ext machina’d the readers to change canon because ‘he forgot what really happened in earlier stories’ and changed it.

The most appealing part of the world was taken away in this book. Magic came at a cost. You lost memories each time you used powers and could become a forgotten remembering nothing of your life. In this book, Martell flips that all on its head and memories just start reappearing and saving the day. At multiple points in the story Michael just so happens to have a memory come back to him at the exact point he needs to stop a thousand year old mystery. Also; this dude is like 18 so why does he have so many ‘world breaking’ memories.

At one point Michael is traveling on a boat and just so happens to discover EXACTLY the secret behind how all forms of magic work that only one other person alive has known and it’s a Wolven King??? It made no sense. Also the amount of times Michael just reacts with no plan and as soon as he starts moving everyone in his party is on the same page and knows exactly what he is planning to do despite ZERO communications as to what he’s planning.

The story was still interesting overall but I felt Martell tried to fit three stories into one book and I am sad to say it just doesn’t work like the first too. He tried too hard to make Michael flawless and instead I found I barely could even root for him this story.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild end to this series. My reading suffered a bit for having lost some of the details in the prior books — this is one that would have benefitted from a more robust summary at the beginning to remind the reader what happened. There was one, but it was in a character’s voice and not as helpful as it could have been.

3.5 rounded up!

[Whitney M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this world. That being said I could have had a few more books to delve farther into the magic system. This book was fast paced with a lot of action and I’m here for it. I liked the ending. It wrapped up everything nice and tidy but again I wouldn’t mind taking another trip into this world.

[Blake Kauffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic ending to this trilogy. Dragons, immortals, gods, magical mercenaries, and personal sacrifices? What more do you want? Nick Martell wrapped up this story exceptionally well. I would not mind returning to this world again if he ever added to the series. I will be reading it again eventually.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot of stuff going on. Way too much stuff. And I feel like I didn’t get all the answers I wanted, or a solid explanation beyond “he had found it out by thinking and then forgot”.

But it was still really fun and gripped me for the entire book

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

So happy to have gotten a copy of this book. I wish I had time to reread the first two books first as there are so many different characters to remember. But it may be better rereading the whole trilogy knowing how it ends. I missed some clues and I usually dont miss clues. Overall loved this series and eager to find out if there will be more to follow.Does the ending mean there will be more books or is it just showing how history repeats itself and follow the theme of the thin line between hero/villian? I received an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

fairly grim ending to a great trilogy.

[John Mendez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series began with 'The Kingdom of Liars,' which I read a few years ago. I read 'The Two faced Queen' a few weeks ago. If you have not read this series and want to know my suggestion: READ THIS SERIES. Every book is better than the last. Book 3 is easily the best in the series.

Spoilers below. As the saying goes, 'unasked for critique smells like three-day-old-fish.' It's easy for a reviewer to point out mistakes, but it's HARD for an author to avoid those mistakes. I'm writing this review in good faith, as one author reviewing another's book, trying to balance positives with negatives.

WHAT IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE? WHAT GENRES? WHAT MAJOR TROPES?

LOTS of magic systems. This series had like 5+ magic systems, only one of which got any fleshing out. Think of it as a magical kitchen sink.

Mystery, intricate plot

Backstabbing, political plot

Monsters from Ancient History returning, with a vengeance.

IF YOU ARE IN THE TARGET AUDIENCE, OR THE GENRES/TROPES SOUND INTERESTING TO YOU, SHOULD YOU READ THIS?

Yes

MY EMOTIONAL RESPONSE/ FUN FACTOR

This book, and series, attempted to do something fairly unique in the setting. It didn't have a traditional story structure, but instead focused on uncovering mystery after mystery, secret after secret, trying to discover the truth at the heart of it all. I found this plot fascinating, but I'm not entirely sure it accomplished what it set out to do. Regardless of this book being a bit rough around the edges, I had fun the entire time.

And finally, I LOVED the ending. It ended on just the right note to make the entire series sing. I will 100% be reading more by this author. He is clearly very talented, despite the roughness. I'm looking forward to his next books.

Overall, I give the story's Emotional Resonance: (4/5 Stars)

Note: I default to giving 3 stars to good books. 4 stars for me is a marker of great books. 5 stars is a marker of excellence, and I usually only hand it out to two or three books a year.

BIASES STATED

To put this review/study in proper context, you must know my starting point.

None to speak of. I came into this series blind, and had some no-nonsense good fun reading it.

SIMILAR BOOKS

The author's storytelling vibe reminded me of a slightly less-polished Brandon Sanderson, combined with Will Wight.

It focused on numerous, in-depth magic systems, combined with a deep and intricate plot.

CONCEPT AND EXECUTION

The protagonist Michael is the descendant of a famous bloodline of warriors and heroes. The legacy of countless generations rests on his shoulders, to live up to the example set by his ancestors. Only, before Michael can partake in any heroism, his father assassinates the Crown Prince. Michael's father is executed, and Michael is branded as a traitor, and exiled from polite society.

But not all is as it seems. As the trilogy progresses, the innocence of Michael's father is revealed, revealing conspiracy after conspiracy, set up by various opposed factions, all intent on either saving the world, destroying the world, or creating a new world to replace the old one. Michael must regain his family's honor, live up to his legacy of heroism, and hopefully find some love in the process.

This concept was decently well executed upon; not the best, not the worst. I'll go into deeper details below, but I'll summarize it here: the book was great fun, but it felt like the series had a few rough edges. However, the rough edges were in no way an obstacle to enjoying it, and indeed added charm to the final product. I highly recommend this series.

Now, I will complement the author as well. The author noticeably improved in characterization from book 1 to book 3. Speaking of which...

CHARACTERS, CHARACTERIZATION AND DIALOG

I left the first book in the series feeling like the author needed to work on improving his characterization. After reading book 1, I barely had an impression of any of the characters. By book 3, I had gained that impression. The protagoninst Michael in particular was very well done. I enjoyed how much of a chip on his shoulder he had. Michael, as the final descendant of a line of heroes, feels the NEED to live up to the example set by his ancestors. And when fate comes calling in this series, Michael steps up to the plate with gusto. He was the constant underdog while fighting dragons and demigods, but through sheer grit and ingenuity he comes out the winner in the end.

I liked the twist involving Serene, Michael's love interest. At the beginning of book 3 Serene becomes a complete amnesiac, completely reverting their relationship to square 1. I can't remember the last time I saw an author take such a brave step in their storytelling. And it worked. By rebooting her character, the author was able to explore her personality in a whole new way.

If I were to list a flaw which stretched throughout the series, it'd be the fact that all of the antagonists consistently underestimated Michael and verbally put him down despite his many accomplishments. I really HATE when books do this, because it undermines the intelligence of the villains involved. Mild spoiler here, but Michael killed a dragon in book 1; the bad guys still underestimating him after that makes the bad guys look really really stupid. This is an example of bad characterization.

Another minor flaw I'd list is that pretty much all the characters spoke dialog with a modern voice. For example, a queen used the word 'asshole' in conversation. A queen should be a member of high society, raised not to use coarse language; her using that word took me out of the story.

But overall, the characters all served their roles in the story very well. I enjoyed them.

PACING AND STRUCTURE

This book had an unusual storytelling structure/genre. Instead of being a classic story structure like 'Hero defeats Big Bad' or 'Hero goes on Quest,' this series took a different tract. The genre of the story was the uncovering of secrets involved in various ancient conspiracies, trying to discover the truth at the root of it all, which maybe no one is aware of. I don't know if I've ever read anything with a similar concept.

Pacing wise, this series was fast-paced throughout. This was somewhat strange, given how long the individual books are that there are not any significantly slow points.

PLOT, STAKES AND TENSION

As said previously, this book was very intricately plotted, with lots of fun twists and turns, secrets and secret-reveals. I don't want to say much, because basically anything I say will be some manner of spoiler. Overall, it was a wild ride and I enjoyed almost every minute of it.

In earlier books I complained that it had a lot of twists-for-the-sake-of-twists, but in this final book a lot of those twists actually became relevant to the finale. I'm tempted to re-read the series just so I can spot all the hints and clues located in earlier stories. Suffice it to say, if you read my prior reviews, disregard the parts where I complain about all the twists; they all paid off. I'm going back to edit those reviews now.

I will say that the ending of the series was magnificent. This series ended with style.

This series had very good, end-of-the-world stakes. Referring to the cover of the first book, the moon was shattered in the distant past, nearly causing a world-ending apocalypse, an apocalypse the world barely recovered from. There is another moon, and over the course of this series the second moon is at risk of shattering and destroying the planet again.

Complementing these end-of-the-world stakes are personal stakes. In book 2, a serial killer is on the loose, threatening to kill the protagonist's loved ones. By grounding the stakes in something so personal to the characters, the story never seemed to get over it's skis.

The series' tension was good, especially in the first book. Multiple important characters died in the first book, adding weight to the narrative. I felt the tension fade in books 2 & 3 due to a lack of important character deaths. However, this was offset by the fact that pretty much half the cast is immortal. I call it a wash.

AUTHORIAL VOICE (TONE, PROSE AND THEME)

Tone and Prose wise, this reminded me of Sanderson and Will Wight. See the next section for my thoughts.

Theme wise, this series discussed topics of loyalty and betrayal, truth and lies, and how much does one's memories make a person. There were also themes of grief, love and letting go.

Probably the best theme was memory loss. Amnesia was the main conceit of the main magic system. Fabricating makes you forget memories as a cost to use magic, so over time as a person uses their magic they forget things.

As a spoilery example, in the third book a mirror demon was introduced who eats memories. What made this demon interesting was that it would steal important memories, in such a way as to make targeted changes to a person's personality. The demon stole Serene's memories of Michael, deliberately ruining their relationship. Further, when Serene became a full amnesiac, her personality completely changed. She started as a cool and controlled queen, who was famous for her machinations like a spider in a web (hence her title, 'The Two Faced Queen.') After losing her memories, she became a damsel who'd visit pubs to sing with sailors, with a more forthright attitude, outright scorning her past life. This was a good exploration of the theme of memory loss, and how it might affect a person.

SETTING, WORLDBUILDING AND ORIGINALITY

This book's setting/worldbuilding style reminded me of a mixture of Brandon Sanderson and Will Wight. It had Sanderson's focus on a cost-effect based magic system, where magic is treated as a system with pseudo-scientific precision by in-world characters. It had Will Wight's grab-bag, anything goes attitude of worldbuilding and new magic systems. We have dragons! Mirror demons! Pain magic! Exploding void balls! And more! And more! And MORE!

The setting was fun, but I didn't fully click with it. I think part of the problem was that the final reveals of the hard magic system were revealed in the last few chapters of the final book. This was a conspiracy based book, and even the magic was a secret. The problem I had was that it was too secretive. I feel like the reveal of the linkages between the magic systems should have been revealed in book 2, or early book 3. Because we had so few answers for basically the entire story, the magic system felt like a soft magic system, as opposed to a hard magic system. I don't think that was what the author intended.

But overall I had great fun with this book's worldbuilding. It was vast and broad and innovative, twisting back in upon itself, making everything connected in the end.

AUDIOBOOK NOTES

The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job for helping me enjoy the text. Probably added a full star to my enjoyment, from 3 stars to 4 stars.

LESSONS LEARNED

As an author, I want to improve my own writing/editing skills. To that end, I like to learn lessons from every story I read. Here's what I learned from this story:

This series contained a metric ton of twists and plot reveals. While at times I got a little frustrated that there were so many twists, making them all hard to track, by the end of the book they mostly all paid off. The lesson is all in set-up and pay off. Foreshadowing is key.

SUMMARY

This is a great series. You should read it, if you haven't already.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a 4.5 if I'm being honest, but I'm stingy with rounding up to 5 stars.

The thing I've liked about Michael Kingman (the protagonist of this series) from the beginning is that he is absolutely not the typical fantasy hero. He's also not an annoying anti-hero like Eric Draven or Logan from other famous franchises.

He's a thrice-damned liar who would be a solid Chaotic Neutral on the D&D alignment chart. A lot of negative reviews I've seen on this site regarding Martell's trilogy complain about not liking the protagonist.

Look. I probably would not care much for him if he were a real person and I knew him or even knew OF him. Speaking purely in terms of fiction, he's refreshing and entertaining as hell.

(The following exchange between Michael and an opponent who appears to have him sorely outmatched made me simultaneously laugh and whoop out loud. It's not really a spoiler, but it occurs about 75% of the way through the book):
Zarack growled, "The deal is off."
"It was never on, since I never even listened to your terms."
"I'm going to kill you."
"Get the fuck in line."

Catharsis. Martell, for a writer just completing his first ambitious trilogy, is able to skillfully build the stakes where that exchange both excites and amuses in equal measure. And maybe I just need to read more, but I can't recall the last time I read a book where the protagonist claps back like that. He interrupts monologuing villains and parades through constant misadventure with a devil-may-care attitude. Maybe some would call it one-note, since his disrespectful approach never changes, though his direction and reasoning does. But, if we're honest, many fantasy characters we adore don't change all that much (Gandalf, Drizzt do'Urden [30+ books], Rand al'Thor, et al) and we still love them.

Where the book drags is the constant pining of love. Since we're largely stuck in the main character's first person point of view, there's no escape from it. It's fine to mention it, but the rule is almost always "show, don't tell." Yes, Michael loves Serena. Yes, Michael would reshape worlds for Serena. Yes, Michael would BREAK the world for Serena. Can I turn the page now?

There were some early encounters that were fun to read, but broached the suspension of disbelief boundary (which can be tough to do in a fantasy novel). A plot twist is revealed later that helps resolve that - a bit of a deus ex machina, but it's clear it was plotted from the beginning - but in the moment, I was thinking, ok...no way that actually makes sense. Heck, maybe Martell is inventing his own subgenre called "FUNtasy," because this tome in particular was a blast to read. Slow-reading me killed it in a weekend (having COVID helped).

I was most impressed with the construction of this book. Again, maybe it's just a case of needing to read more, but I don't remember reading a book where the chapter numbers counted DOWN. It was practically the first thing I noticed. And when he pretty much starts the novel with "30 days until the final death of Michael Kingman," you've got kind of a double countdown going on.

The book is also subdivided into 5 "parts," which bear the titles of each stage of grief (there's a bonus 6th part, which falls as more of an epilogue). Since the whole thing is setting up as some sort of "long goodbye" for someone, it's fitting, even though I didn't really feel Michael or anyone going through those particular stages in their respective "parts."

There are some clever interludes that drop into the 3rd person as we check on a couple of other characters that are not our lead.

One of my favorite details is how Michael's memories are being taken from him without him really being aware for example, he forgets his own brother after a time of it.

He also sets up the possibility of more stories emerging from this world he's created, though it's not guaranteed. If this is truly the end-end, I found it quite satisfactory.

However, this edition does bear one major editing gaffe - Page 321 - the character of Sebastian is referred to as "Symon" in the first paragraph. Symon isn't even on the boat...oops.

But, man, this was fun. After plodding through the last couple of novels I've read, I was glad to feel that "joy" again.

I will be among the first in line for the next of Martell's efforts, whether they be in this fantasy world or another.

[Unseen Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of The Voyage of the Forgotten from Hachette Australia to review.

One of the very last books I read in 2022 might be one of the very best: the latest epic novel from Nick Martell, The Voyage of the Forgotten, which showcases just how much of an impressive, rising talent this outstanding author truly is.

After proving his father’s innocence and restoring his family’s place in Hollow society, Michael Kingman should be happy. However, the closer he comes to victory, the more tragedy and defeat he suffers. Not only is the love of his life, Serena, the queen of Hollow, engaged to a merchant prince with his own elaborate agenda, but dangerous conspiracies centred on Michael seem to emerge from around every corner. His sister is enslaved to an immortal Wolven King who seeks war with his soon to be freed brothers, while his mercenary mentor, Dark, is becoming one of the most dangerous creatures in existence, using his stolen dragon magic to wreak havoc and destruction in the name of love. However, his true enemy remains Angelo Shade, Dark’s father, who seeks to bring back his dead wife and will burn the world, and everything Michael loves, to achieve it.

Thrust once again into this deadly battle of forces outside his league or ability to comprehend, Michael only has his wits, his barely trained magic ability, and a few dedicated friends to fight against the immortal schemers who have spent years bringing their elaborate plans to fruition. However, Michael is well used to being outclassed and underestimated by everyone he goes up against, and he resolves once again to make everyone pay to keep those he loves safe from harm.

Gathering his allies, Michael embarks on a foolish quest to fully understand all the world’s secrets that have long been hidden from him and ensure that he has the weapons to survive. But his course of action will put him at odds with the deadly mercenaries of Regal Company, all three of the ancient Wolven Kings, and even his own mercenary company. Defeating all of them seems impossible, but that has never stopped him from trying before. Can even the legendary stubborn Michael Kingman succeed and achieve his goals of becoming a Mercenary King when fate itself seems set against him? And even if he succeeds, is he willing to pay the terrible price that victory demands?

Wow oh wow, what an epic book. Nick Martell continues to deeply impress me with his captivating story writing ability as he brings this trilogy to a powerful and momentous end that I was instantly addicted to. The Voyage of the Forgotten was a truly exceptional read, loaded with amazing characters, elaborate fantasy lore and an intense story that refused to drop my attention. I can find no higher praise for this book than the fact that I named it one of the best books of 2022 well before I had even finished it; the first half was that damn good.

To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2023/02/25/...

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

[*AGatheringOfBooks* · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Voyage of the Forgotten, the final installment of the Mercenary King Legacy's trilogy, was an epic masterpiece. In a fast paced plot that intertwines lies and truths, secrets and mysteries, enemies and love, facing a destiny forces bigger than him have set into motion and that he cannot escape, Michael Kingman will experience all the five stages of grief, from denial to acceptance of a fate he didn't want for himself nor for the ones he loves.

But if destiny cannot be escaped, it can at least be challenged, and the fool Kingman will try everything to make things go not as they were planned. He'll challenge mercenaries and immortals to retrieve the love of his life, travel to the end of the world to restore her memories and to the afterlife to stop two horrible, cruel, yet hoplessely in love monsters from destroying a world that, although rotten at its core, can still be a place where he can belong, where he can live a happy life with his loved ones.

In an attempt to do the impossible, something Michael excels at, he'll find out the deepest secrets of his world, of magic itself, of his enemies and -maybe the hardest ones to learn- of himself, revealing a truth he hid in the deepest of his mind, locked behind a door that always tempted him but that he always refused to open until the last moment.

Many names he was given: he was called a liar, a king killer, a dragon slayer, a world breaker, a mercenary, a villain, a fool for love; but all he ever wanted was to live up to the Kingman's name, to be a hero like his ancestors, to be someone his family could be proud of, even if that meant making choices that would make him look like a selfish monster in the eyes of a world that cannot understand his reasons.

Luckily the reader, alongside those who truly loved him, knows his true legacy. And with the last choice of his deathless life, Michael proved that he was the most selfless person to ever walk on a selfish world. In his selfish desire to be remembered as a hero, to live his life at his own rules, he did the most selfless act of love: he decided to trade the memories the world has of him in order to save the one he loves; and when confronted with the possibility to come back to life, with the love of his life at his side, he chose to give that life back to someone who couldn't grow and experience the things he was able to experience.

Love, in the end, has always been what moved Michael Kingman. Love, in all its forms, was all he had looked for; to belong, amongst his friends and family, amongst the people he loved and that loved him, all he ever wanted. He was not a fool for love. He was simply full of love.

"Did you do good? Did you do bad? Did you make mistakes? Did you learn? Did you cry? Did you smile? Yes? Then you have lived a beautiful life" (King Isaac Hollow)

[Terry Rudge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed this series by Martell and I really am disappointed this series has come to an end. I think the author did a fantastic job in the first two books, of setting off 10s of little threads, subplots and character relationships. I did feel that some of these threads and relationships didn't get the full arc they deserved and wrapped up too sharply and without the quality that was set in the earlier books. I am aware the author had originally planned for this series to be five books and i think if that opportunity had played through, people would be discussing this as one of the best fantasy series out there.

What the author did achieve in this book is however astonishing. The series so far, lives and dies on the continuously changing plot, twists and turns. This book was no different. Right up to the final chapters, I still really didn't know where this book was going and actually how i felt about Michael !

The book and magic I would say is quite complex. The use of memories, alternate timelines, dreams, and life and death means you have to be focused on the book and open yourself to really living the story. I think this is actually easy to do,due to the quality of the worldbuilding and character writing.

I really enjoyed the themes within the story. What would you do for the ones you love, how far would you go? Is the greater good more important than your self and your own dreams? How much light do you need to conquer the dark?

I did think this book really excelled in the final third as the threads of the story pulled together. The author built in so many levels of intrigue and interest it was impossible to stop reading as the end loomed.

I think Martell is going to be an exceptional writer and will continue to write phenomenal books

[Jordan Stivers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely fantastic wrap-up of the Legacy of the Mercenary Kings trilogy. Michael continues to be a favorite fantasy ‘hero’ of mine, which I only put quotes around because he struggles with that idea himself. His characterization is complex and his journey is complicated but very satisfying in the end and a joy to read. He’s surrounded by complex side characters that shine both with and without him. I find the dialogue in this book to be particularly enjoyable. It’s quick, witty, and dramatic, never taking itself too seriously but not trivializing the big moments. Perfectly spot-on.

I loved the huge world-ending stakes we get in this final installment which gave a fantastical air to the plot and the action is well-placed. Compared to other epic fantasies, there is no downtime in this book. The hits just keep coming the whole way through leading to a solidly-built, satisfying ending that manages to not just wrap things up but somehow leave enough things open that if there is a second trilogy to come along in this world (please!) I wouldn’t be surprised.

My only complaint is more of a recommendation. This is definitely best read back-to-back with the other books. I wasn’t patient enough to go back and read books 1 & 2 which I’m sure dampened some of the experience because the cast is *big* and the emotional impact of some things was lost by my not remembering the previous books well enough. So, read all three is what I’m saying. You won’t regret it. I’m *very* excited to see more stories from this author in the future after absolutely loving this entire trilogy.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick Martell’s The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings series is one of my all time favorites. I was so looking forward to the third book and it definitely did not disappoint. The Voyage of the Forgotten was such a massive conclusion and although this was the final book there was room for more books. Like Domet, Katherine, etc. talking about how unsuccessful Dark was. Katherine offering to help him get revenge seemed like an opening for more in series or maybe a prequel series….

The banter back and forth between Michael, Dark, Serena and the rest of the group was the best part of the series. Michael’s sense of humor and dark wit always killed me. The aspect of Serena becoming a forgotten and Michael trying out a way to fix her took up much of the story. I don’t know what it is about her but in this one she really bugged me. It seemed to me that it was a case of Michael being more into her than she was to him she seemed very manipulative.

Maybe she was all along and I just didn’t pick up on it. I would have preferred if she had stayed a forgotten instead of becoming the Mercenary queen. Michael got the short end of the deal… but he doesn’t exactly live a charmed life. Where was Lyon! though he was one of my favorites. He got married had a kid then disappeared off of the face of the earth…. I was so surprised about Dark’s ending. All the blood, death and destruction for him not to get his happily ever after (again). With his love Zhara was crushing. Even though he’s an ass i still really enjoy his twisted relationship with Michael.

I loved Voyage of the Forgotten I wish there was more. P.S. Domet? Is there more we need to know??!

[Jenn F · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t even know what to say about this book/series.

It was an exercise in perseverance with a really pointless character arc and unsatisfying/unfinished ending. It feels as though the author wrote a whole bunch of nothing and then got tired of writing - like Game of Thrones season 8 but without the epic build up. Not sure if this was fantasy or steam punk or what, but it was difficult to figure out where you were in time and space. For an alternate, fantastical universe there was very little world building, and almost no character development; but you get dropped right into the middle of massive political intrigue and magical fantasy that gets teased out - somewhat - but never culminates in a point. The battle scenes were engaging - but there were so many - and none of them seemed to serve a purpose to the overall story. None of the characters were likable. Not a one. And there were a lot.

I kept thinking it would get better and it never did. Or that the author would bring it all around to a point, but he never did. He ended like he started: dropped us into the middle of a story line and then jumped right back out without finishing the tale.

The stylistic choices were….choices. It’s told largely from the perspective of Michael Kingman and randomly interjects the perspective of other characters - with even the author himself breaking the fourth wall.

Save yourself the irritation and boredom.

[Juliette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating : 2,5 ⭐
I think I might have enjoyed this series more if I had binged it, instead of reading the first two and then waiting for the third one. I feel like my ambivalence is a result of the circumstances in which I read the books, rather than the fault of the books themselves. The way information is conveyed in this story doesn't click with me, and I don't know if I simply didn't notice it before or if it's an issue with this book specifically. I feel like everyone was uncharacteristically forthcoming just so every world-building detail could be crammed into this final book. While I appreciate the complexity of the world the author created, it made every interaction seem like an info-dump to me. I also felt disconnected from the characters, I don't think they were as well-realized as they should have been. They seemed more like vehicles doing the things required for the plot to move towards the series conclusion. Especially when it comes to the main character, a lot of the big realizations he came to felt unearned. Ultimately, I think the conclusion was the right way to end this story, and in that sense it is a very effective finale.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

So my friend recommended that I start this series. I read the first book, love. I read the second book, love. Then there was a long wait for this third book. I forgot the storyline a little, and got into other series. This book came out and I was super excited. I grabbed it on NetGalley and couldn't wait to start. The beginning was great, very fast start and then.....slow. Slow Slow Slow. It just took FOREVER to go anywhere. I understand why certain things were being done. I understand why characters were doing what they were doing but I was not entertained. and I was disappointed. I was so excited to fly through this and it didn't work that way. I went through periods of not wanting to read. Finally, I spent the time and the ending picked up and ended pretty well but man was it boring at times. Hopefully if this isn't the end, the next book is a little more fast paced.

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Shuster, and Nick Martell for providing me with an advanced reading copy.