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The Undying Magician #1
The Arcane Academy
How would a true immortal with average talent in magic fare within a world where magic is everything?
In the world of Aria, only a small fraction of the population are classified as magicians.
These magicians are able to use magic through the manipulation of the mana they are born with and are the core of the military strength within every nation.
However, one nation in particular uses magicians to an even higher extreme than the others.
This nation is known as The Republic of Arcania.
The largest power in Aria.
Our story follows Nathan Fox as he graduates from high school and is sent to the Arcane Academy for his required training as a magician before he eventually serves his ten year term in the military.
Nathan has been a true immortal ever since he got a semi-magical disease that makes any damage done to his body instantly reverse itself, bringing him back to his top form on the day that he became an immortal.
Death is an impossibility for Nathan. But there are worse things in the world than death.
And if the power-hungry magicians of the world were to learn of Nathan's true immortality?
Then he might just experience those things for himself.
Nathan must navigate his way through the military academy without giving away his secret. But when the entire world falls into chaos due to a revolt by the most powerful beings on the planet, how will he keep his secret safe?
That has yet to be foretold.
In the world of Aria, only a small fraction of the population are classified as magicians.
These magicians are able to use magic through the manipulation of the mana they are born with and are the core of the military strength within every nation.
However, one nation in particular uses magicians to an even higher extreme than the others.
This nation is known as The Republic of Arcania.
The largest power in Aria.
Our story follows Nathan Fox as he graduates from high school and is sent to the Arcane Academy for his required training as a magician before he eventually serves his ten year term in the military.
Nathan has been a true immortal ever since he got a semi-magical disease that makes any damage done to his body instantly reverse itself, bringing him back to his top form on the day that he became an immortal.
Death is an impossibility for Nathan. But there are worse things in the world than death.
And if the power-hungry magicians of the world were to learn of Nathan's true immortality?
Then he might just experience those things for himself.
Nathan must navigate his way through the military academy without giving away his secret. But when the entire world falls into chaos due to a revolt by the most powerful beings on the planet, how will he keep his secret safe?
That has yet to be foretold.
377 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2022
1507 people are currently reading
2855 people want to read
About the author
Shane Purdy
33 books127 followersShane Purdy is a college graduate with a Bachelors in Computer Science. At a young age he became fascinated with Fantasy books after reading the Wereworld series by Curtis Jobling, which led to a love of reading that continues to this day.
When he was younger you could almost always find him with a book in his hand (when he wasn’t busy with Band activities that is). As he got older, he started reading online webnovels as well. In June of 2021, after reading thousands of books, he decided to take the plunge and write a book of his own, starting with his first series, Dungeon from the Void.
He writes both high and low progression fantasy novels of varying genres, including Dungeon Core, LitRPG, Cultivation, Sci-Fi and more.
He does not use any sort of social media for his books other than Reddit, he has no Facebook pages, and his Facebook account is private and not public. Therefore if anyone finds public Facebook or other social media accounts outside of Reddit or Discord claiming to be him, they are fake.
When he was younger you could almost always find him with a book in his hand (when he wasn’t busy with Band activities that is). As he got older, he started reading online webnovels as well. In June of 2021, after reading thousands of books, he decided to take the plunge and write a book of his own, starting with his first series, Dungeon from the Void.
He writes both high and low progression fantasy novels of varying genres, including Dungeon Core, LitRPG, Cultivation, Sci-Fi and more.
He does not use any sort of social media for his books other than Reddit, he has no Facebook pages, and his Facebook account is private and not public. Therefore if anyone finds public Facebook or other social media accounts outside of Reddit or Discord claiming to be him, they are fake.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
December 27, 2022
This is a CW teen drama.
The training aspect is flimsy, the academy setting is basic and flat. The character interactions are just bad. Given the description and cover art, the first half is incredibly slow. The whole thing is just a forced set up. If it was an eighty page prequel, it would be okay. Not good, just okay. As a book one in a series, it does not cut it.
The training aspect is flimsy, the academy setting is basic and flat. The character interactions are just bad. Given the description and cover art, the first half is incredibly slow. The whole thing is just a forced set up. If it was an eighty page prequel, it would be okay. Not good, just okay. As a book one in a series, it does not cut it.
January 2, 2023
Started out decently and showed promise, but in the end a few things made it so I just could not continue.
What it does well:
- There is minimal info dumping. You learn a lot of things along with the main character instead of the main character telling you how the world is. The few info dumps are done in form of flash backs, which is much better reading material.
- Small, seemingly inconsequential details mentioned here and there make the world feel that much more believable. For example the list of classes the students are going to have to choose from, number of students in each programme etc.
What it does not do well (for me):
- There came a point where the MC's constant moaning and moping about someone finding his secret started getting on my nerves. Every new thing that he might have to do is followed by "but what if they learn about my secret?", or "that could be a problem with my secret", or "I'll need to avoid attention to keep my secret". Whats hilarious is his 'secret' is the most broken trait anybody could have. The whole staying under cover thing is the author's way of trying to convince us readers that its no big deal, and maybe even more harm than good.
- Despite hearing this constant moping, and in truth as is expected, the author pretty much blows the MC's 'secret's cover the very first chance he gets. Then inserts a pretence that a three legged donkey wouldn't believe. And after that we're back to the MC moaning and mentally whining that nobody should discover his secret.
- Finally, and this is purely down to taste, the magic system just wasn't for me. The author tries to mix C programming with magic, and in my opinion, it falls flat on its arse. When I compare it to The Irregular At Magic High School's system which also has programming as the basis of using spells, at least over there the author has taken a sensible route in that the programming can be done separately. All the magician has to do is channel his energy into that programme (which is installed in a gadget thats basically a techno-wand), and thats it.
Over here, the magician has to write the programme every time (?!?!) until it becomes "muscle memory" (?!?!). Apparently no one though that would be cumbersome (?!?!). Its just bizarre. There are also other, what feel like random, mechanics to the system that have just been added to give perception of extra layers of complexity.
Overall it was like a shot on goal where the ball starts on target, but curves away and ends up row Z.
What it does well:
- There is minimal info dumping. You learn a lot of things along with the main character instead of the main character telling you how the world is. The few info dumps are done in form of flash backs, which is much better reading material.
- Small, seemingly inconsequential details mentioned here and there make the world feel that much more believable. For example the list of classes the students are going to have to choose from, number of students in each programme etc.
What it does not do well (for me):
- There came a point where the MC's constant moaning and moping about someone finding his secret started getting on my nerves. Every new thing that he might have to do is followed by "but what if they learn about my secret?", or "that could be a problem with my secret", or "I'll need to avoid attention to keep my secret". Whats hilarious is his 'secret' is the most broken trait anybody could have. The whole staying under cover thing is the author's way of trying to convince us readers that its no big deal, and maybe even more harm than good.
- Despite hearing this constant moping, and in truth as is expected, the author pretty much blows the MC's 'secret's cover the very first chance he gets. Then inserts a pretence that a three legged donkey wouldn't believe. And after that we're back to the MC moaning and mentally whining that nobody should discover his secret.
- Finally, and this is purely down to taste, the magic system just wasn't for me. The author tries to mix C programming with magic, and in my opinion, it falls flat on its arse. When I compare it to The Irregular At Magic High School's system which also has programming as the basis of using spells, at least over there the author has taken a sensible route in that the programming can be done separately. All the magician has to do is channel his energy into that programme (which is installed in a gadget thats basically a techno-wand), and thats it.
Over here, the magician has to write the programme every time (?!?!) until it becomes "muscle memory" (?!?!). Apparently no one though that would be cumbersome (?!?!). Its just bizarre. There are also other, what feel like random, mechanics to the system that have just been added to give perception of extra layers of complexity.
Overall it was like a shot on goal where the ball starts on target, but curves away and ends up row Z.
February 12, 2023
There’s a good story here. But the author needs to tighten up both their prose and plotting almost to the point of a full rewrite. Like others have mentioned, the first third of the book is decent. Characters are introduced, there’s a lot of intrigue. Then those characters are barely mentioned for the rest of the book. All the tension that was set up about him flying under the radar is cut so quickly.
It would be like if in the first 4 episodes of the TV show Dexter his sister knew he was a serial killer.
There’s also like 3 chapters near the end of the book where the MC and his crew of Mary Sues goes and kills over 100 people on the battlefield. And any mixed feelings about this by anybody addressed in like one sentence. The MCs personality could be described as extremely bland but he immediately attracts a devoted friend group that he barely participates in.
The magic system is vague to the point of not mattering (the excuse MC has for healing after damage is a mysterious fire spell?)
I liked the idea of combining programming with spells - but it’s not explained well. And apparently everybody is just programming their own spells instead of using frameworks or premade spell scripts.
The one plot hole that bothered me the most is that the battle simulators are programmed to teleport people away if the danger is going to be fatal. But every time MC gets a fatal wound it doesn’t teleport him, which is a big part of how he gets exposed. So this standard duel practice spell is somehow able to detect this unprecedented magical effect he has and know he will locally reverse time and heal?
Another plot hole, early in the book he mentions he is 22 but looks 16. Then later says his real age is 18. It’s the laziest writing I have encountered in a while.
The world building doesn’t make sense. WHY are all these nations at war with each other? What resource are they fighting over? And the book just casually mentions that if you aren’t a mage your chances of getting drafted and dying as cannot fodder are super high, like almost 100%. Who is running society then? What is the ratio of magicians to non magicians?
There's also one more thing I dislike about this book - that's so random but I think worth including. For some reason, every chapter starts with a date. Like "Year 2084 Month blah blah Day blah blah" But the entire course of the book doesn't even cover half their first semester at the school. I think the entire thing happens over 20 days. So the date doesn't matter. There's not a complex timeline at play. I think I also remember there being a map at the beginning of this book, which is also hilarious.
It would be like if in the first 4 episodes of the TV show Dexter his sister knew he was a serial killer.
There’s also like 3 chapters near the end of the book where the MC and his crew of Mary Sues goes and kills over 100 people on the battlefield. And any mixed feelings about this by anybody addressed in like one sentence. The MCs personality could be described as extremely bland but he immediately attracts a devoted friend group that he barely participates in.
The magic system is vague to the point of not mattering (the excuse MC has for healing after damage is a mysterious fire spell?)
I liked the idea of combining programming with spells - but it’s not explained well. And apparently everybody is just programming their own spells instead of using frameworks or premade spell scripts.
The one plot hole that bothered me the most is that the battle simulators are programmed to teleport people away if the danger is going to be fatal. But every time MC gets a fatal wound it doesn’t teleport him, which is a big part of how he gets exposed. So this standard duel practice spell is somehow able to detect this unprecedented magical effect he has and know he will locally reverse time and heal?
Another plot hole, early in the book he mentions he is 22 but looks 16. Then later says his real age is 18. It’s the laziest writing I have encountered in a while.
The world building doesn’t make sense. WHY are all these nations at war with each other? What resource are they fighting over? And the book just casually mentions that if you aren’t a mage your chances of getting drafted and dying as cannot fodder are super high, like almost 100%. Who is running society then? What is the ratio of magicians to non magicians?
There's also one more thing I dislike about this book - that's so random but I think worth including. For some reason, every chapter starts with a date. Like "Year 2084 Month blah blah Day blah blah" But the entire course of the book doesn't even cover half their first semester at the school. I think the entire thing happens over 20 days. So the date doesn't matter. There's not a complex timeline at play. I think I also remember there being a map at the beginning of this book, which is also hilarious.
July 22, 2024
Ich glaube das ist einfach nicht mein Genre… die Beschreibungen des Magie Systems waren somehow viel zu lang und gleichzeitig unverständlich. Die Beschreibungen der Waffen und Kriegs-Taktik-Besprechungen waren equally as boring und es gab irgendwie keine stakes. Ich wünschte die Charaktere wären nur mit halb so viel Sorgfalt created worden, damit mich wenigstens IRGENDWAS an dem Buch interessiert. Leider hat es mir absolut nichts gegeben.
January 15, 2023
Boring and immature
The story isn't written very well, the author spends every other sentence reminding you the mc is immortal and not much else. There are glimpses of the environment the mc is developing in but the author didn't really flush out the type of world the story is taking place and, kind of, makes it up as he goes along. There are also to much twisting of mc to fit a plot than makes sense, either he's smart and attentive to details or he's naive and easily manipulated, its hard to be both. If he was smart he would have never entered the school in the first place and would have left the kingdom that likes war because of the higher probability of his secrecy being known not only to the current kingdom but whoever they are is a dispute with. Also, the doctor seems the worst sort and I'm sure anyone tortured as the author often eludes to would at least attempt to get away from especially as an adult given he's 22. There are a number of inconsistency in this book on top of being poorly written so I would not suggest this book to others.
The story isn't written very well, the author spends every other sentence reminding you the mc is immortal and not much else. There are glimpses of the environment the mc is developing in but the author didn't really flush out the type of world the story is taking place and, kind of, makes it up as he goes along. There are also to much twisting of mc to fit a plot than makes sense, either he's smart and attentive to details or he's naive and easily manipulated, its hard to be both. If he was smart he would have never entered the school in the first place and would have left the kingdom that likes war because of the higher probability of his secrecy being known not only to the current kingdom but whoever they are is a dispute with. Also, the doctor seems the worst sort and I'm sure anyone tortured as the author often eludes to would at least attempt to get away from especially as an adult given he's 22. There are a number of inconsistency in this book on top of being poorly written so I would not suggest this book to others.
January 5, 2023
Move over MC and let someone interesting have the spotlight
Not a terrible story, but extremely slow. I really had to push to finish. The main issue is that the MC is totally unremarkable. He is barely average amongst his peers. His only standout quality is that his body resets after any injury. (Not a spoiler because it is revealed in the first couple of pages). He is attending a war mage school and can only wins fights because he can't die, not because he can actually fight. There is no reason to read about the MC. Maybe in 60-70 years after he actually grows into something.
Not a terrible story, but extremely slow. I really had to push to finish. The main issue is that the MC is totally unremarkable. He is barely average amongst his peers. His only standout quality is that his body resets after any injury. (Not a spoiler because it is revealed in the first couple of pages). He is attending a war mage school and can only wins fights because he can't die, not because he can actually fight. There is no reason to read about the MC. Maybe in 60-70 years after he actually grows into something.
January 15, 2023
This novel was unusual in that its first third is actually quite good (within the genre), with a little mystery and good imagery and characters (other than the fact that all characters are described by their hair and eye color), but then it falls off of a cliff and never recovers.
It’s almost like the author got tired of writing it and did just the bare minimum required to fill out an outline. Characters stop making any sense. The “system” is mushy and confusing Dues ex machina and unlikely plotting takes over. Combat is not great. The prose becomes childish and at times incomprehensible, and copyediting is lacking.
Ultimately I read the entire thing but won’t read the next.
It’s almost like the author got tired of writing it and did just the bare minimum required to fill out an outline. Characters stop making any sense. The “system” is mushy and confusing Dues ex machina and unlikely plotting takes over. Combat is not great. The prose becomes childish and at times incomprehensible, and copyediting is lacking.
Ultimately I read the entire thing but won’t read the next.
February 25, 2025
I love the premise of a newly created immortal trying to fly under the radar in a modern world of war and programable magic. The execution wasn't bad either. My only complaint is that Nathan seems like a bland protagonist... simply liking mint Ice-cream does not fully describe a personality.
I'm looking forward to more of the story arc. It looks promising. This book is so short as to be a teaser, rather than a novel. Let's see more substance next time.
I'm looking forward to more of the story arc. It looks promising. This book is so short as to be a teaser, rather than a novel. Let's see more substance next time.
July 12, 2023
I really had high hopes for this one since the core concept is interesting and I like academy novels. It just didn't land with me though and it was a struggle to finish; so I'm having to rate it low.
The easiest way I can think to summarize this book is "Boring." Nothing in particular stands out as remarkable to me.
The writing as whole just needs more work I think. It's very concise and consistent, and has no grammatical or spelling errors; but it was just...bland?
As a result of the writing, the characters end up suffering a fair bit. The main character doesn't read as being that remarkable even though he finds himself in a unique situation. There is almost a complete lack of tension surrounding his unique condition. The story and MC reiterates the worry about his secret, but between the lack of actual "conflict," actions by the character, or even just internal struggle by the MC; you don't actually see that worry play out in any way.
I'm also still undecided if I think the MC is an edgelord or not. He leans heavy into the "I'm a loner!" kind of vibe, even though plenty of side characters pull him away from it. His weapons are a rare-ish(?) sword and a sniper rifle (seriously). There is also constant reminders on the pain/trauma that he goes through; and he's lacking in reaction to a lot of things (smirks and shrugs aplenty though) to the point that he comes off as an emotionless sociopath (I don't think he is, its just how he's written).
The side characters aren't much better, and I swear that many of them are just tweaked anime -dere archetypes. In terms of background and personality though, they at least feel a bit more alive than the main character. But, because this is first person and we are glued to the MC most of the time, AND because there is little dialogue between the MC and other characters; the story doesn't go very deep on the side characters.
The world building is probably the stronger point in the story, but its not without its own problems as well. The magic is kind of a standard affair of "elemental based" stuff, but the author tried to incorporate "programming" into how it functions -- don't worry, you won't actually be seeing code save for one instance. That said, as a professional software engineer myself, I find how "coding" is used with this magic system to be...weird and almost suspension-of-disbelief breaking. Writing and running code to cast a spell is a stretch but Okay; but then there are also "code libraries" that are used to aid in casting but its never explained where they come from -- in real world coding, libraries are pre-written code that help you do a specific task without you having to write the code from scratch. I think it gets a little more difficult to swallow when you hear that experienced mages need no support devices to do casting.
Moving on from that the only other major world building thing I'm still scratching my head on is the geopolitics/war taking place. Since it doesn't seem like the world has "monsters" to fight, the story revolves around humans vs humans. This is fine, but either I missed it or it was very briefly covered why everyone is fighting in the first place. Speaking of war, the characters (all 18 yr olds w/o any boot camp experience) are all way too blazé about killing other humans.
If I had to sum up the world building, I'd say it feels haphazard.
The easiest way I can think to summarize this book is "Boring." Nothing in particular stands out as remarkable to me.
The writing as whole just needs more work I think. It's very concise and consistent, and has no grammatical or spelling errors; but it was just...bland?
As a result of the writing, the characters end up suffering a fair bit. The main character doesn't read as being that remarkable even though he finds himself in a unique situation. There is almost a complete lack of tension surrounding his unique condition. The story and MC reiterates the worry about his secret, but between the lack of actual "conflict," actions by the character, or even just internal struggle by the MC; you don't actually see that worry play out in any way.
I'm also still undecided if I think the MC is an edgelord or not. He leans heavy into the "I'm a loner!" kind of vibe, even though plenty of side characters pull him away from it. His weapons are a rare-ish(?) sword and a sniper rifle (seriously). There is also constant reminders on the pain/trauma that he goes through; and he's lacking in reaction to a lot of things (smirks and shrugs aplenty though) to the point that he comes off as an emotionless sociopath (I don't think he is, its just how he's written).
The side characters aren't much better, and I swear that many of them are just tweaked anime -dere archetypes. In terms of background and personality though, they at least feel a bit more alive than the main character. But, because this is first person and we are glued to the MC most of the time, AND because there is little dialogue between the MC and other characters; the story doesn't go very deep on the side characters.
The world building is probably the stronger point in the story, but its not without its own problems as well. The magic is kind of a standard affair of "elemental based" stuff, but the author tried to incorporate "programming" into how it functions -- don't worry, you won't actually be seeing code save for one instance. That said, as a professional software engineer myself, I find how "coding" is used with this magic system to be...weird and almost suspension-of-disbelief breaking. Writing and running code to cast a spell is a stretch but Okay; but then there are also "code libraries" that are used to aid in casting but its never explained where they come from -- in real world coding, libraries are pre-written code that help you do a specific task without you having to write the code from scratch. I think it gets a little more difficult to swallow when you hear that experienced mages need no support devices to do casting.
Moving on from that the only other major world building thing I'm still scratching my head on is the geopolitics/war taking place. Since it doesn't seem like the world has "monsters" to fight, the story revolves around humans vs humans. This is fine, but either I missed it or it was very briefly covered why everyone is fighting in the first place. Speaking of war, the characters (all 18 yr olds w/o any boot camp experience) are all way too blazé about killing other humans.
If I had to sum up the world building, I'd say it feels haphazard.
January 22, 2023
I read the author's Winter Wolf series and enjoyed it. I hadn't know that he had released a new book until recently.
Nathan Fox is a teenager who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I won't explain what happened as it's key to the story. Because Nathan has magic he's sent to the arcane academy. Just like a lot of magic academy stories, Nathan finds a group of like minded friends, a professor who takes him under his wing, and people who are very much against him. Nathan goes to classes to learn magic and weapons training, since the country he's in is constantly at war with all the other countries that surround it.
The academy takes up most of the book. It's fine, but it's almost like Nathan and his friends aren't a part of the place even though they go there. They don't eat with everyone else, and while he does have antagonists, they're muted and not in his face like we would see in other books. Also, I failed to understand why Nathan's professor would go out of his way to help him so much.
Which brings us to the next problem. Things really aren't explained all that well here. Nathan and Aidan are best friends, but they really don't hang out that much with each other. Nathan's secret which he is terrified of having revealed is pretty much known by everyone by the time we get to the end of the book, even if they don't understand how it's happening. The strange doctor doesn't explain anything.
Nathan is a likeable character, but he doesn't have a spine. He doesn't push back against anything the professors ask of him. I don't know. I wanted to like the story, and if I turned my brain off I did. The only problem with that is that my brain knows where the on switch is located.
The editing is better than the Winter Wolf series, but still isn't all that great. There are no stats here to speak of although a system is implied as the magicians all have different grades (E through S). The magic arcs was an interesting development, but it's never explained how they work either.
I'm giving this a meager 4/5*. Hopefully book two will be better. PS: there are a lot of different map builders out there. The one in the book is beyond basic.
Nathan Fox is a teenager who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I won't explain what happened as it's key to the story. Because Nathan has magic he's sent to the arcane academy. Just like a lot of magic academy stories, Nathan finds a group of like minded friends, a professor who takes him under his wing, and people who are very much against him. Nathan goes to classes to learn magic and weapons training, since the country he's in is constantly at war with all the other countries that surround it.
The academy takes up most of the book. It's fine, but it's almost like Nathan and his friends aren't a part of the place even though they go there. They don't eat with everyone else, and while he does have antagonists, they're muted and not in his face like we would see in other books. Also, I failed to understand why Nathan's professor would go out of his way to help him so much.
Which brings us to the next problem. Things really aren't explained all that well here. Nathan and Aidan are best friends, but they really don't hang out that much with each other. Nathan's secret which he is terrified of having revealed is pretty much known by everyone by the time we get to the end of the book, even if they don't understand how it's happening. The strange doctor doesn't explain anything.
Nathan is a likeable character, but he doesn't have a spine. He doesn't push back against anything the professors ask of him. I don't know. I wanted to like the story, and if I turned my brain off I did. The only problem with that is that my brain knows where the on switch is located.
The editing is better than the Winter Wolf series, but still isn't all that great. There are no stats here to speak of although a system is implied as the magicians all have different grades (E through S). The magic arcs was an interesting development, but it's never explained how they work either.
I'm giving this a meager 4/5*. Hopefully book two will be better. PS: there are a lot of different map builders out there. The one in the book is beyond basic.
February 24, 2023
I tried really hard to continue reading the story, to finish the story, but I just couldn't get through it. DNF at 60%. The very first thing that stuck out to me is the fact that the story is written in first person and present tense, and this sort of writing doesn't make sense outside of real life conversations or maybe role playing games. The style itself is awkward even if with decent writers, and unfortunately, the writing overall is mediocre from narration, world building, and characterization. Adding on the awkwardness of the narrator, Nathan, focusing too much on something to narrate for the reader only for someone to comment on Nathan spacing out, it just wasn't working for me.
Because of how the narration goes, there isn't any room for proper world building or character building, except when it is there Nathan is pointing it out because it is so obvious of course we need to know. The author definitely has a clear idea of exactly what is happening in each scene and what the cause and effects are of from everything, but those get hyper focused on and the narration continues to feel awkward.
I didn't find Nathan to be an interesting character. I was really hooked on the idea of an immortal character going through a magic military academy, but instead the story is more like slow fun high school (even though they're 18+) rom-com? When I tried adjusting my expectations for the story, it still wasn't doing anything for me. Nathan wasn't doing anything for me.
Other reviews have gone into this, but the magic system is ... Look, I've read other series where the magic system is based on coding or formulas, but this one seemed too inspired by a computer programmer's college classes. When an actual example of the code was included in the book with a footnote that no other code would be shown in the story, I audibly laughed because it was so absurd to include from the beginning, let alone have it as the magic system.
Anyway, after Nathan's secret was revealed the second time, I couldn't hang on anymore.
Because of how the narration goes, there isn't any room for proper world building or character building, except when it is there Nathan is pointing it out because it is so obvious of course we need to know. The author definitely has a clear idea of exactly what is happening in each scene and what the cause and effects are of from everything, but those get hyper focused on and the narration continues to feel awkward.
I didn't find Nathan to be an interesting character. I was really hooked on the idea of an immortal character going through a magic military academy, but instead the story is more like slow fun high school (even though they're 18+) rom-com? When I tried adjusting my expectations for the story, it still wasn't doing anything for me. Nathan wasn't doing anything for me.
Other reviews have gone into this, but the magic system is ... Look, I've read other series where the magic system is based on coding or formulas, but this one seemed too inspired by a computer programmer's college classes. When an actual example of the code was included in the book with a footnote that no other code would be shown in the story, I audibly laughed because it was so absurd to include from the beginning, let alone have it as the magic system.
Anyway, after Nathan's secret was revealed the second time, I couldn't hang on anymore.
June 3, 2023
Immortality sounds amazing once you get over the pain, experimentation, loss of control of your life
A teenager often enjoys their solitude and some people never want to give those moments up. Sadly, that could cause you to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and have your life derailed by seeming immortality. Enter Nathan Fox.
Which is then discovered by a medical professional who uses his curiosity and personal power to experiment on the young man in question for quite a long time. Endless pain as he was dismantled so that the doctor could watch time reverse as he was reassembled to the exact physical condition his body was in at the moment of the accident.
Now he’s heading to the Academy with his friends and about to make more while trying to hide his secret from everyone around him. Nathan soon discovers that the doctor is an even scarier magician than he ever imagine while being experimented on by him, as his name scares Class C Magicians. (Classes go from E at the bottom to Class S at the top in power levels.)
At the mercy of the mysterious doctor and those with more power than him, he is subjected to horrendous training as he continues to master pain through his immortality or aging disease as one cover story says. However he makes great strides as he can train harder and without fear as even taking his head off is reversed by his condition. However, none of those involved want the council to catch wind of his immortality so a cover story is setup of a new spell that may just cause more trouble than anyone thought as it is suddenly brought to a council member’s attention by a jealous family member in another political game.
Nathan just has to learn as much as he can as fast as he can before his secret is out and he has to disappear from the Academy and his own government’s attention.
Thankfully he has a couple childhood friends with him and makes a few interesting new friends.
A teenager often enjoys their solitude and some people never want to give those moments up. Sadly, that could cause you to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and have your life derailed by seeming immortality. Enter Nathan Fox.
Which is then discovered by a medical professional who uses his curiosity and personal power to experiment on the young man in question for quite a long time. Endless pain as he was dismantled so that the doctor could watch time reverse as he was reassembled to the exact physical condition his body was in at the moment of the accident.
Now he’s heading to the Academy with his friends and about to make more while trying to hide his secret from everyone around him. Nathan soon discovers that the doctor is an even scarier magician than he ever imagine while being experimented on by him, as his name scares Class C Magicians. (Classes go from E at the bottom to Class S at the top in power levels.)
At the mercy of the mysterious doctor and those with more power than him, he is subjected to horrendous training as he continues to master pain through his immortality or aging disease as one cover story says. However he makes great strides as he can train harder and without fear as even taking his head off is reversed by his condition. However, none of those involved want the council to catch wind of his immortality so a cover story is setup of a new spell that may just cause more trouble than anyone thought as it is suddenly brought to a council member’s attention by a jealous family member in another political game.
Nathan just has to learn as much as he can as fast as he can before his secret is out and he has to disappear from the Academy and his own government’s attention.
Thankfully he has a couple childhood friends with him and makes a few interesting new friends.
August 9, 2023
This author didn't really decide whether to have this story in a fantasy world, the real world or in a Sci-Fi world. I mention this because the author has "High-Schools" alongside "Magic-Schools", Magic skills and abilities alongside sniper rifles. There is no integrity to the story and it seems not to be going anywhere. Carl Sagan one of this world's best "futurists"/Astronomer/Cosmologist, was of the opinion that if we as Earthlings ever discovered or traveled to another world, nothing would be similar to our world because every origin of life is totally different and unimaginable. So, that means no food found here would be someplace else (no burgers, no fried eggs, no pizza, nada). No humanoid species, and especially no sniper rifles, high-schools or authors so ignorant about fantasy worlds, they can't tell the difference or have any semblance of authenticity/integrity/etc.
To place things we know for sure will not be anywhere near another fantasy world is crass, naive and silly. I am embarrassed for this author and there are limits to what any reader can tolerate, because we can perceive the lack of research, the lack of quality of the writing found in this book and books like this one. I can't understand how a book like this one can find an editor/publisher. Before, when books were printed, the cost of having to print 1000-10,000 books made the editors not risk their money on books like these. Now, with the digital revolution, the cost of a book like this one is the closest to none (zero-cost) that it has ever been. Too bad for us readers though. We lose our time, we lose our motivation to continue reading. While authors/publishers like this one continue to publish/sell us bad books.
To place things we know for sure will not be anywhere near another fantasy world is crass, naive and silly. I am embarrassed for this author and there are limits to what any reader can tolerate, because we can perceive the lack of research, the lack of quality of the writing found in this book and books like this one. I can't understand how a book like this one can find an editor/publisher. Before, when books were printed, the cost of having to print 1000-10,000 books made the editors not risk their money on books like these. Now, with the digital revolution, the cost of a book like this one is the closest to none (zero-cost) that it has ever been. Too bad for us readers though. We lose our time, we lose our motivation to continue reading. While authors/publishers like this one continue to publish/sell us bad books.
June 24, 2023
Disjointed and ridiculous
I ended up giving the book 2 stars because while I enjoyed the world the author is trying to build, the execution of it is beyond ridiculous.
The main character has the emotional range of a spoon. His only claim to emotion is his eyebrows like he is the lost child of the rock. Raising one, or god help everyone both, of his eyebrows is about the extent of his emotions. This is further compounded by his best friend actually being an emotional and outgoing person.
Now for the elephant in the room. I don’t care how oppressed or scared an entire society is, no parent is going to agree to and accept someone ruthlessly and horribly torturing their child simply because person is too strong to stop. They’re not going to easily drop him off for experiments like a damn day care. The idea that their son is “immortal” and will be fine is an idiotic excuse since they don’t know at what point it could stop working or what he couldn’t heal from! Absolutely no parent who loved their child would accept this and it is shown his parents care about him. We’re also apparently not going to go over the fact that this kid has been tortured for who knows how long and is fine with it. No emotional problems other than he is just there. I honestly think it shows just how the author has no idea how to expound on emotions. Almost all the character know how to do is express fear and indifference.
Honestly the overall world is interesting but the main character is about as interesting as burnt toast. I can’t say I will continue reading the next book because this one felt like such a train wreck.
I ended up giving the book 2 stars because while I enjoyed the world the author is trying to build, the execution of it is beyond ridiculous.
The main character has the emotional range of a spoon. His only claim to emotion is his eyebrows like he is the lost child of the rock. Raising one, or god help everyone both, of his eyebrows is about the extent of his emotions. This is further compounded by his best friend actually being an emotional and outgoing person.
Now for the elephant in the room. I don’t care how oppressed or scared an entire society is, no parent is going to agree to and accept someone ruthlessly and horribly torturing their child simply because person is too strong to stop. They’re not going to easily drop him off for experiments like a damn day care. The idea that their son is “immortal” and will be fine is an idiotic excuse since they don’t know at what point it could stop working or what he couldn’t heal from! Absolutely no parent who loved their child would accept this and it is shown his parents care about him. We’re also apparently not going to go over the fact that this kid has been tortured for who knows how long and is fine with it. No emotional problems other than he is just there. I honestly think it shows just how the author has no idea how to expound on emotions. Almost all the character know how to do is express fear and indifference.
Honestly the overall world is interesting but the main character is about as interesting as burnt toast. I can’t say I will continue reading the next book because this one felt like such a train wreck.
March 18, 2023
I couldn't finish it but I struggled to about halfway through and it was definitely a struggle.
On an elevator pitch level, this book is exactly right up my alley- teenagers in a magical school, a protagonist with a big secret, modern day setting with programming-assisted spellcasting. Either traditional or interesting ideas. Unfortunately the text is garbage. Its even difficult to decide which part to criticize first because its bad on every level.
The author seems to have fundamental trouble using the English language to express even the most basic of ideas and also has absolutely no understanding of programming or software development. Imagine my shock upon reading that they're actually a native speaker studying computer science. I can only assume Purdy never attended any classes because not only does he know nothing about writing or coding but the classes in this magical college have no relation to how anything works.
The narrative flow is virtually nonexistent. We get treated to repetitive short sections describing each single individual lesson the character attends (five lessons per day, six days a week) but most of them are completely pointless. No one, not the protagonist or the other students or the teachers, ever acts like a real relatable person for even a moment, they are paper-thin cutouts going through the motions except there isn't even any plot for them to act out. Every remotely meaningful bit of information in the first half of the novel could easily fit in ten pages.
I usually try to write balanced reviews but this is one of the rare books I have literally nothing good to say about.
On an elevator pitch level, this book is exactly right up my alley- teenagers in a magical school, a protagonist with a big secret, modern day setting with programming-assisted spellcasting. Either traditional or interesting ideas. Unfortunately the text is garbage. Its even difficult to decide which part to criticize first because its bad on every level.
The author seems to have fundamental trouble using the English language to express even the most basic of ideas and also has absolutely no understanding of programming or software development. Imagine my shock upon reading that they're actually a native speaker studying computer science. I can only assume Purdy never attended any classes because not only does he know nothing about writing or coding but the classes in this magical college have no relation to how anything works.
The narrative flow is virtually nonexistent. We get treated to repetitive short sections describing each single individual lesson the character attends (five lessons per day, six days a week) but most of them are completely pointless. No one, not the protagonist or the other students or the teachers, ever acts like a real relatable person for even a moment, they are paper-thin cutouts going through the motions except there isn't even any plot for them to act out. Every remotely meaningful bit of information in the first half of the novel could easily fit in ten pages.
I usually try to write balanced reviews but this is one of the rare books I have literally nothing good to say about.
January 31, 2023
I dropped the novel after roughly 40 pages. The writing and storytelling are atrocious. The protagonist tries super hard to be the brooding edgy teenager and the the interactions with people are completely unrealistic and forced.
The fact that we are also not introduced to the world, characters or anything at the start of the story and just dropped into what seems to be the first day at an academy, where NOTHING is explained either, is an absolutely dumb decision on the author's part.
All we are told is that apparently the MC goes to magic university, where he is assigned a magic power value of 3, intermediate, but he is also immortal, but they (his family?) told them (who? no idea!) that it was just an "accident" and .. what? You do not understand? Exactly, neither did I.
The explanations do not exist, the introduction to characters, the world, and the magic system are completely missing and the reader is just dropped into the story without any knowledge whatsoever. For some reason the author seems to think that will work out.
It does not.
The fact that we are also not introduced to the world, characters or anything at the start of the story and just dropped into what seems to be the first day at an academy, where NOTHING is explained either, is an absolutely dumb decision on the author's part.
All we are told is that apparently the MC goes to magic university, where he is assigned a magic power value of 3, intermediate, but he is also immortal, but they (his family?) told them (who? no idea!) that it was just an "accident" and .. what? You do not understand? Exactly, neither did I.
The explanations do not exist, the introduction to characters, the world, and the magic system are completely missing and the reader is just dropped into the story without any knowledge whatsoever. For some reason the author seems to think that will work out.
It does not.
April 16, 2024
It’s Alright
It takes 90% of the book to get through 7 days at the academy. The way the military and their weapons use are described makes no sense. This is presumably a modern magic world with technology similar to our own. (Computers, cars, missiles, artillery, nukes)
Yet the solders have random weapons that seem to be chosen at random. Ex. Solders in the desert with pistols and SMGs and 2 rifles no one is using, even though this type of open ground long range environment is ideal for rifles and not pistols/smg’s.
Again, this is supposed to me a modern society that is constantly at war, but there seems to be no actual military training or tactics for the military. No training for the MC on being an actual sniper. Just work at your own pace target practice on a shooting range. Also, somehow he gets instantly spotted by the enemy at distances over a kilometer.
The concept of the book is cool, but the application could have been (and should be) polished.
It takes 90% of the book to get through 7 days at the academy. The way the military and their weapons use are described makes no sense. This is presumably a modern magic world with technology similar to our own. (Computers, cars, missiles, artillery, nukes)
Yet the solders have random weapons that seem to be chosen at random. Ex. Solders in the desert with pistols and SMGs and 2 rifles no one is using, even though this type of open ground long range environment is ideal for rifles and not pistols/smg’s.
Again, this is supposed to me a modern society that is constantly at war, but there seems to be no actual military training or tactics for the military. No training for the MC on being an actual sniper. Just work at your own pace target practice on a shooting range. Also, somehow he gets instantly spotted by the enemy at distances over a kilometer.
The concept of the book is cool, but the application could have been (and should be) polished.
January 14, 2023
Very little magic, but still good.
Before going in I'd like to say I will be reading book 2. This book is like a love child of the dungeon slayer series and The My vampire system web novel. Shane Purdy is a great author and this book is just the beginning. Many won't like it becuase it's a book based on magic that comes of very militaristic. The MC is a fire Mage but his main weapon is a sniper rifle. By the end of the boo he is bearly into a semester or two of his 1st year in the academy and can only use pretty much one spell.
I'd continue reading because of the potential of the MC he has many advantages with his undying body and I am looking forward to see the opportunities that creates.
The 1st novel is just the 1st. Don't expect a major antagonist like demon lord. It's really all about the MC adjusting to the school life.
Before going in I'd like to say I will be reading book 2. This book is like a love child of the dungeon slayer series and The My vampire system web novel. Shane Purdy is a great author and this book is just the beginning. Many won't like it becuase it's a book based on magic that comes of very militaristic. The MC is a fire Mage but his main weapon is a sniper rifle. By the end of the boo he is bearly into a semester or two of his 1st year in the academy and can only use pretty much one spell.
I'd continue reading because of the potential of the MC he has many advantages with his undying body and I am looking forward to see the opportunities that creates.
The 1st novel is just the 1st. Don't expect a major antagonist like demon lord. It's really all about the MC adjusting to the school life.
April 16, 2023
Ah, an academy book. These can run too YA for my taste, me being well past the ages of the protagonists, but this one skirted that line.
The MC however is a problem. He's immortal, essentially un-killable, which presents problems, as he doesn't have the power to stop amoral magicians from experimenting with him. There's the plot. Viable, as a hard counter for an OP ability is necessary to keep things interesting.
The problem is that the MC is moody and boring. I'm not sure if this is intentional, as the older, established magicians are the interesting characters. Maybe there's a plan for the MC to develop a personality as the series progresses, but without a central character to care about I'm not certain that I can go much further without losing interest.
The MC however is a problem. He's immortal, essentially un-killable, which presents problems, as he doesn't have the power to stop amoral magicians from experimenting with him. There's the plot. Viable, as a hard counter for an OP ability is necessary to keep things interesting.
The problem is that the MC is moody and boring. I'm not sure if this is intentional, as the older, established magicians are the interesting characters. Maybe there's a plan for the MC to develop a personality as the series progresses, but without a central character to care about I'm not certain that I can go much further without losing interest.
February 22, 2023
No where near as polished as his other books
This book was a bit rough and unpolished. Some of the chapter transitions were abrupt and the change from serialized story to novel wasn’t smooth.
How could several A rankers match a S rank if the S ranks can rend reality itself? And I’m a bit surprised that the Council only got a visit from one S rank after they specifically targeted the group.
Nathan is an interesting MC, since he just wants to be mediocre and slip under everyone’s radar, but isn’t being allowed to do so. Will Nathan continue to just be a pawn in the games of the powerful? Can his abilities be replicated?
This book was a bit rough and unpolished. Some of the chapter transitions were abrupt and the change from serialized story to novel wasn’t smooth.
How could several A rankers match a S rank if the S ranks can rend reality itself? And I’m a bit surprised that the Council only got a visit from one S rank after they specifically targeted the group.
Nathan is an interesting MC, since he just wants to be mediocre and slip under everyone’s radar, but isn’t being allowed to do so. Will Nathan continue to just be a pawn in the games of the powerful? Can his abilities be replicated?
January 14, 2025
I love the concept of modernizing mage school. This story seemed simple and little character development so I wouldn’t say it was terribly exciting. Also all the mini paragraphs throughout the story made it odd like it was used to fill up pages. I would have liked to see more character development between friends. This was a fast read and it flowed nicely, I also appreciated how excited the main characters were at wanting to learn and not flooded with trauma whining despite what he had gone through as a -child-. It reads as fan fiction. Entertaining enough for me to want to start the 2nd book.
Read
February 10, 2023Sorry Shane
This book is an introduction book for the series. I realize that, however it didn't go anywhere. After reading it I just did not care about the characters I felt that the structure of the created civilization was completely impossible. I have not read any of the other books this author has written I hope they are more grounded than this book was. I do intend to read the next book in this series in hopes it is more developed. Let's face it even Asimove, and Heinlien wrote a bad book in their time.
This book is an introduction book for the series. I realize that, however it didn't go anywhere. After reading it I just did not care about the characters I felt that the structure of the created civilization was completely impossible. I have not read any of the other books this author has written I hope they are more grounded than this book was. I do intend to read the next book in this series in hopes it is more developed. Let's face it even Asimove, and Heinlien wrote a bad book in their time.
February 21, 2023
The first thing that got my attention was the book cover and then the summary. It was an interesting read. I liked that everything was well explained throughout because if there is a book 2 coming soon then the reader will not be lost in book 2. The story was very interesting and different from anything I’ve read and I really enjoyed the characters. The main character was not driven by his ego or anything like that. He was just an “ordinary” boy. I am looking forward to the second book in the series.
April 28, 2024
Wonderful writing but not Epic
This was a truly satisfying story. When I give a rating, I tend to fall short of five stars if there's one thing that leaves me feeling a bit unsatisfied. Usually the cause is much worse than in this book, so I may change my mind and make this five stars. For now it is simply that the book is about as mellow as Slice of Life even while having lots of action and an interesting story line. There is no epic buildup no Grand last battle and no clear approach towards an objective. I'll leave the spoilers to you. Enjoy!
This was a truly satisfying story. When I give a rating, I tend to fall short of five stars if there's one thing that leaves me feeling a bit unsatisfied. Usually the cause is much worse than in this book, so I may change my mind and make this five stars. For now it is simply that the book is about as mellow as Slice of Life even while having lots of action and an interesting story line. There is no epic buildup no Grand last battle and no clear approach towards an objective. I'll leave the spoilers to you. Enjoy!
June 17, 2024
Mary Sue defeated by poor writing
Let me start by saying I initially thought this was a translated work. It is not, and it does not improve in subsequent books. The concept had potential, but the story itself fails to compensate for the writing. If you want a synopsis, try " This happens to MC, but he's immortal!" The entirety of each book is just a reminder, literally, of how he's immortal and the brute force that it entails. He's not social. Interactions are a minimal, so don't expect a range of interesting characters and their relationships. I only read the second and third as an Unlimited member while I still had hope. So save yourself some time and grief and just move along.
Let me start by saying I initially thought this was a translated work. It is not, and it does not improve in subsequent books. The concept had potential, but the story itself fails to compensate for the writing. If you want a synopsis, try " This happens to MC, but he's immortal!" The entirety of each book is just a reminder, literally, of how he's immortal and the brute force that it entails. He's not social. Interactions are a minimal, so don't expect a range of interesting characters and their relationships. I only read the second and third as an Unlimited member while I still had hope. So save yourself some time and grief and just move along.
January 30, 2023
decent
This was a neat take on magic and scaling. The scaling is obviously an exponential increase based on descriptions which is interesting. The biggest downside being that the mc is kinda dumb. Granted he’s underpowered and makes nearly no progress the whole book. But he’s stated that he doesn’t need food or drink and literally can’t die. So why is he mindlessly agreeing to everyone’s demands? He’s just kind of a pushover and it made several parts kinda frustrating
This was a neat take on magic and scaling. The scaling is obviously an exponential increase based on descriptions which is interesting. The biggest downside being that the mc is kinda dumb. Granted he’s underpowered and makes nearly no progress the whole book. But he’s stated that he doesn’t need food or drink and literally can’t die. So why is he mindlessly agreeing to everyone’s demands? He’s just kind of a pushover and it made several parts kinda frustrating
March 16, 2023
The typical high school graduate goes to academy story line. The teachers are not all that interesting. The main character is less and less interesting as the plot slowly moves along.
There are mysteries that will lead readers to boredom in later books. The world is described thoroughly and the general outline is okay. The political setup is weak and guaranteed to lead no where fun.
The writing isn't bad but a lot of plot design was needed to be done before the writing.
There are mysteries that will lead readers to boredom in later books. The world is described thoroughly and the general outline is okay. The political setup is weak and guaranteed to lead no where fun.
The writing isn't bad but a lot of plot design was needed to be done before the writing.
March 26, 2023
KU Review
As the author mentions in the afterword, this book seems to be an introduction to the MC and important characters to come. Interesting plot and it will be fun to see how the MC develops with so many roadblocks.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
As the author mentions in the afterword, this book seems to be an introduction to the MC and important characters to come. Interesting plot and it will be fun to see how the MC develops with so many roadblocks.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
June 25, 2023
only an ok story nothing special
The characters didnt engage me enough to care about them. The most intriguing character is Leo, the instructor. The MC’s friends didnt draw my attention. Im not sure about his relationship with the girls on his team, so its too ambiguous. The councils politicking is unclear other than they want to control the class S mages, which aint gonna happen.
Just not interesting enough to continue reading more.
The characters didnt engage me enough to care about them. The most intriguing character is Leo, the instructor. The MC’s friends didnt draw my attention. Im not sure about his relationship with the girls on his team, so its too ambiguous. The councils politicking is unclear other than they want to control the class S mages, which aint gonna happen.
Just not interesting enough to continue reading more.
January 2, 2024
Bad writing, unrelatable characters horrible read
I hate giving bad reviews because that means iv wasted time and money on reading and buying crap. So i post this review so you will not do the same. It honestly was so bad after reading it to 85 percent i had to just stop i should have stopped at 50 percent, but i really really try to read the entire book if i start one. But this one was not possible to finish.
Don't waste your money and mist importantly your time on thus.
I hate giving bad reviews because that means iv wasted time and money on reading and buying crap. So i post this review so you will not do the same. It honestly was so bad after reading it to 85 percent i had to just stop i should have stopped at 50 percent, but i really really try to read the entire book if i start one. But this one was not possible to finish.
Don't waste your money and mist importantly your time on thus.
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