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Time of Judgment Trilogy #3
Judgment Day
Ascension Is At Hand
A war for reality has raged unabated for centuries between mages of the mystical Nine Traditions and the authoritarian and rational Technocratic Union. Each side has held up the standard of universal enlightenment, but each has fractured and cracked the very nature of reality in a constant quest for victory. Now, as entropy takes a final hold and forced ascension envelops the universe, there remains only for the weight of sins to be judged before all returns to its primal state.
Three disparate mages are thrust center stage in this process by agents of the mysterious Rogue Council. Can the fate of Creation lie in their hands?
Mage: Judgment Day is the final act of the Time of Judgment, telling the story of a wide-ranging Armageddon among the supernatural entities of the World of Darkness.
A war for reality has raged unabated for centuries between mages of the mystical Nine Traditions and the authoritarian and rational Technocratic Union. Each side has held up the standard of universal enlightenment, but each has fractured and cracked the very nature of reality in a constant quest for victory. Now, as entropy takes a final hold and forced ascension envelops the universe, there remains only for the weight of sins to be judged before all returns to its primal state.
Three disparate mages are thrust center stage in this process by agents of the mysterious Rogue Council. Can the fate of Creation lie in their hands?
Mage: Judgment Day is the final act of the Time of Judgment, telling the story of a wide-ranging Armageddon among the supernatural entities of the World of Darkness.
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 30, 2025
This book, just like Mage the Ascension itself, is a wonderful story that has to wrestle with complex and fundamental questions about the universe.
Our trifecta of protagonists create a really broad and satisfying representation of the world of M:TA, and it is satisfying to get a little personal time with the Rogue Council, right at the end of everything.
I was particularly moved by the profound sadness and grief that came about once Ragnarok was in motion, it felt like a very realistic portrayal of the lead up to the end.
Unfortunately, the ending of the book devolves into some serious navel-gazing about the concepts behind the game, as well as the core concepts of death and rebirth. It was a difficult and easy to skip ending for a book that was a gripping and very personal tale up until that point.
Our trifecta of protagonists create a really broad and satisfying representation of the world of M:TA, and it is satisfying to get a little personal time with the Rogue Council, right at the end of everything.
I was particularly moved by the profound sadness and grief that came about once Ragnarok was in motion, it felt like a very realistic portrayal of the lead up to the end.
Unfortunately, the ending of the book devolves into some serious navel-gazing about the concepts behind the game, as well as the core concepts of death and rebirth. It was a difficult and easy to skip ending for a book that was a gripping and very personal tale up until that point.
August 19, 2015
I thought this was a very good book. It's limited because White Wolf were ending the whole Classic World of Darkness line. (A big mistake IMHO.) Because of this, the book is basically a story of the end of the world, which is a real shame as the characters in it are presented excellently and I would have liked to see more stories featuring them. I left this book feeling a little cheated as I liked the them and the setting and I wanted more.
It tells its story, primarily, through the experiences of three very different characters; Robert; a shaman, William; a technocratic union technician Ming; and a Chinese Ghost/Spirit whisperer. All three characters are very well fleshed out and presented brilliantly. They also contrast one another with their perspectives on the world and how to deal with the impending end of things. Having a 'villain' Technocrat as one of the primary characters is a touch of genius because you get to read about things from their perspective and see how the Union works. (Briefly.) Robert is a more convention Mage and although it doesn't say so I would guess he's a Dreamspeaker (from The Traditions with Mage The Ascension); but one very different from the classic stereotype. I like his totem, Rubbish, and how he interacts with the spirits is very well written. Lastly, Ming is yet another excellent character; probably the best. She is based in China and deals with the spirits of the Dead. The Eastern spirit world and China are marvellously presented and it's worth reading the book just for her segments.
I'm aware that there are meant to be connections to the two previous books in this line and I think I can see where they are referenced but as I haven't read them I can't be certain. I'm sure it makes the series more enjoyable if you've read all three though.
On the whole, this book is excellently written with marvellous characters but it all leads to the end of the world, which simply becomes overly confusing and too complicated to begin to explain. In truth, the end was very disappointing for me but, obviously, not unexpected.
It tells its story, primarily, through the experiences of three very different characters; Robert; a shaman, William; a technocratic union technician Ming; and a Chinese Ghost/Spirit whisperer. All three characters are very well fleshed out and presented brilliantly. They also contrast one another with their perspectives on the world and how to deal with the impending end of things. Having a 'villain' Technocrat as one of the primary characters is a touch of genius because you get to read about things from their perspective and see how the Union works. (Briefly.) Robert is a more convention Mage and although it doesn't say so I would guess he's a Dreamspeaker (from The Traditions with Mage The Ascension); but one very different from the classic stereotype. I like his totem, Rubbish, and how he interacts with the spirits is very well written. Lastly, Ming is yet another excellent character; probably the best. She is based in China and deals with the spirits of the Dead. The Eastern spirit world and China are marvellously presented and it's worth reading the book just for her segments.
I'm aware that there are meant to be connections to the two previous books in this line and I think I can see where they are referenced but as I haven't read them I can't be certain. I'm sure it makes the series more enjoyable if you've read all three though.
On the whole, this book is excellently written with marvellous characters but it all leads to the end of the world, which simply becomes overly confusing and too complicated to begin to explain. In truth, the end was very disappointing for me but, obviously, not unexpected.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews