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Immortal Quest: The Trouble With Mages
It’s London, England, and Detective Nick Wilson finds himself confronted by a burglar who insists that Nick is his best friend suffering from amnesia, and that he, the burglar, is a 500-year-old immortal mage. Logic and reason force Nick to believe that this is simply impossible. Complicating matters further is the burglar’s claim than an evil mage named Vere has just been released from limbo, and wants three objects of power that could destroy humankind.
264 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2010
3 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Alexandra MacKenzie
4 books7 followersI'm an author and illustrator who loves history, mystery, fantasy, and nature. I'm an avid birdwatcher and am owned by two dachshunds.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 14, 2017
**EXTREME SPOILER ALERT**
The prose in the first chapter is choppy and distracting. If the short sentences were intended to deliver a sense of urgency or Marlen’s uncertainty, they fell short of the mark. The flow evens out as the book gets going, but the novel is still strewn with noticeably awkward spots.
The whole set up for the “villain” plot is delivered in one completely deadpan, straightforward paragraph of exposition. There is no sense of discovery or mystery. The set up is about as interesting as a shepherd NPC of an RPG delivering the history of the area and asking the player to find his lost sheep.
The characters come off as flat. I did like Marlen, even though he suffers from scatterbrain. Nick boomerangs between emotions quick enough to give me whiplash, which discredit the sincerity of any of his emotions, particularly those of affection or guilt toward Marlen. I find it hard to believe that during their journey he actually developed any sort of liking toward him. In the end, his realization that he loves Marlen feels contrived and fake feel-good. Georgina is perhaps the most interesting, Duncan is dull, Brian seems like an unnecessary cardboard cutout of a tactical mastermind, and Vere, the “villain”, is uninspired and unfrightening. I wasn’t worried about what she’d do and I wasn’t scared of her. Before the plot twist, I half expected her evil plot to get derailed after she developed an inescapable addiction to MMORPGs.
Her lack of threat as a villain meant there was no urgency to the characters and no urgency in the plot. Everyone just sort of plodded along, moseying around to find the three objects of power. This murders the plot twist, and the minor thread of extreme sexism thrown in is just strange. Overall, Duncan, the true villain, had motivations that were weak and unsatisfying.
Additionally, there’s issues with the Kindle version of the book. Flashbacks are inconsistently italicized, which isn’t a huge problem, but is sloppy and noticeable. My actually beef with how the Kindle version is formatted is that there is no break between paragraphs or sections when changing between character POVs. The next POV is in the next paragraph with no sort of visual indication at all. It takes me a moment each time to realize we’ve changed and reorient myself. Perhaps the biggest issue I have with this is that it takes whatever suspense the final lines/cliffhangers of each person’s section creates and completely destroys it. It would be much more impactful to linger on the final paragraph or line or a section and then mentally reset to move onto the next section, but this doesn’t happen.
The prose in the first chapter is choppy and distracting. If the short sentences were intended to deliver a sense of urgency or Marlen’s uncertainty, they fell short of the mark. The flow evens out as the book gets going, but the novel is still strewn with noticeably awkward spots.
The whole set up for the “villain” plot is delivered in one completely deadpan, straightforward paragraph of exposition. There is no sense of discovery or mystery. The set up is about as interesting as a shepherd NPC of an RPG delivering the history of the area and asking the player to find his lost sheep.
The characters come off as flat. I did like Marlen, even though he suffers from scatterbrain. Nick boomerangs between emotions quick enough to give me whiplash, which discredit the sincerity of any of his emotions, particularly those of affection or guilt toward Marlen. I find it hard to believe that during their journey he actually developed any sort of liking toward him. In the end, his realization that he loves Marlen feels contrived and fake feel-good. Georgina is perhaps the most interesting, Duncan is dull, Brian seems like an unnecessary cardboard cutout of a tactical mastermind, and Vere, the “villain”, is uninspired and unfrightening. I wasn’t worried about what she’d do and I wasn’t scared of her. Before the plot twist, I half expected her evil plot to get derailed after she developed an inescapable addiction to MMORPGs.
Her lack of threat as a villain meant there was no urgency to the characters and no urgency in the plot. Everyone just sort of plodded along, moseying around to find the three objects of power. This murders the plot twist, and the minor thread of extreme sexism thrown in is just strange. Overall, Duncan, the true villain, had motivations that were weak and unsatisfying.
Additionally, there’s issues with the Kindle version of the book. Flashbacks are inconsistently italicized, which isn’t a huge problem, but is sloppy and noticeable. My actually beef with how the Kindle version is formatted is that there is no break between paragraphs or sections when changing between character POVs. The next POV is in the next paragraph with no sort of visual indication at all. It takes me a moment each time to realize we’ve changed and reorient myself. Perhaps the biggest issue I have with this is that it takes whatever suspense the final lines/cliffhangers of each person’s section creates and completely destroys it. It would be much more impactful to linger on the final paragraph or line or a section and then mentally reset to move onto the next section, but this doesn’t happen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2014
Review first published on Invincible love of Reading.
Synopsis:
Marlen is a five hundred year old mage with a problem. He has accidentally released Vere, a dangerous immortal, from imprisonment. He needs help from an old friend, a mortal named Nicholas Watson. The problem is Nick doesn’t remember Marlen, or all the adventures they’ve shared. Nick is a person who comes back after he dies, but doesn’t always remember his past life. In this particular incarnation, Nick is a detective sergeant. As Nick tries to come to grips with Marlen’s incredible story and visions from his past life, he is dragged on a quest through modern Wales and Scotland to find three objects of power that Vere created centuries ago to destroy the world. Yet are they battling the right enemy?
Review:
Immortal Quest: The Trouble with Mages is an inventive story dealing with the issues of reincarnation, magic, and immortality. There is an entertaining interplay between the straight-laced Nicholas Watson and the bumbling, somewhat irresponsible mage, Marlen. Those who like urban fantasy will find it enjoyable. However, the constant flashbacks in the story tend to be more of a distraction than help in advancing the plot. It tended to be overly sweet, and there were no overt breaks between shifts in points of view, which also proved distracting.
Synopsis:
Marlen is a five hundred year old mage with a problem. He has accidentally released Vere, a dangerous immortal, from imprisonment. He needs help from an old friend, a mortal named Nicholas Watson. The problem is Nick doesn’t remember Marlen, or all the adventures they’ve shared. Nick is a person who comes back after he dies, but doesn’t always remember his past life. In this particular incarnation, Nick is a detective sergeant. As Nick tries to come to grips with Marlen’s incredible story and visions from his past life, he is dragged on a quest through modern Wales and Scotland to find three objects of power that Vere created centuries ago to destroy the world. Yet are they battling the right enemy?
Review:
Immortal Quest: The Trouble with Mages is an inventive story dealing with the issues of reincarnation, magic, and immortality. There is an entertaining interplay between the straight-laced Nicholas Watson and the bumbling, somewhat irresponsible mage, Marlen. Those who like urban fantasy will find it enjoyable. However, the constant flashbacks in the story tend to be more of a distraction than help in advancing the plot. It tended to be overly sweet, and there were no overt breaks between shifts in points of view, which also proved distracting.
May 10, 2017
I can't remember who recommended this book to me, so I have no way of deciding who is ultimately to blame for this deeply mediocre experience, but I feel a little betrayed anyway.
It's rare that I finish books that underwhelm me as much as this one did but there was a sense of wanting to know if it could get any worse and also making a list of the ways in which the (clearly non-British) author would demonstrate that they didn't really know how life in the UK works. Particularly when you decide to send your characters off to a castle on a small Scottish island and then treat it like living there works like a big city - given the location of the island, the nearest Chinese takeaway is a 60-mile round trip, so your chances of delivery are less than good to say the least.
Anyway, clear lack of research aside (seriously, you would not 'stop off in Liverpool for lunch' if you're driving from Wales up to Scotland) part of the problem with this book is that I didn't actually care about either of the characters or their relationship. We get told a lot that one of the characters loves the other but it was massively unconvincing and I was extremely glad it only cost me £1.30 for the ebook. I still feel like I was overcharged and they ought to be paying me, I would even throw in a free list of all the things that demonstrated lack of local knowledge!
Anyway, it's not particularly clear when this book is set but a final word on the importance of doing your research if you want to write a book set in a foreign country: if your overall plot hinges heavily on people missing ferries, make sure the island in question wasn't connected to the mainland by a very large road bridge in 1995.
It's rare that I finish books that underwhelm me as much as this one did but there was a sense of wanting to know if it could get any worse and also making a list of the ways in which the (clearly non-British) author would demonstrate that they didn't really know how life in the UK works. Particularly when you decide to send your characters off to a castle on a small Scottish island and then treat it like living there works like a big city - given the location of the island, the nearest Chinese takeaway is a 60-mile round trip, so your chances of delivery are less than good to say the least.
Anyway, clear lack of research aside (seriously, you would not 'stop off in Liverpool for lunch' if you're driving from Wales up to Scotland) part of the problem with this book is that I didn't actually care about either of the characters or their relationship. We get told a lot that one of the characters loves the other but it was massively unconvincing and I was extremely glad it only cost me £1.30 for the ebook. I still feel like I was overcharged and they ought to be paying me, I would even throw in a free list of all the things that demonstrated lack of local knowledge!
Anyway, it's not particularly clear when this book is set but a final word on the importance of doing your research if you want to write a book set in a foreign country: if your overall plot hinges heavily on people missing ferries, make sure the island in question wasn't connected to the mainland by a very large road bridge in 1995.
November 30, 2019
A great science fiction LGBTQ romance, though there isnt a lot of romance. It was more about discovering one self and the pursuit of happiness. I like Nick and Marlen alot and want to know more about what comes next as well as more about the past. I feel like there should he more books.
August 15, 2011
This is a fantasy story about a relationship that has lasted for several centuries. It is also about the potential end of the world.
Nick Wright is a present-day London detective who, one night, is interrogating a burglary suspect named Marlen. He tells Nick that they have known each other for 500 years, and that Nick is on his eleventh lifetime. As a mage, Marlen is immortal. Nick is skeptical, to say the least. Marlen tells Nick things about himself that no one can possibly know. Nick slowly begins to beleive that maybe Marlen is not totally nuts.
Marlen attempted a spell to get Nick to remember the old days of partying all over Europe. Not only does it not work, but Marlen accidentally releases a powerful mage named Vere from her 700-year imprisonment. She wanted to bring the gift of immortality to all people, and was supposedly working on the ultimate spell. She infused three items, a cup, a ring and a stone with magical power, now hidden in widely different parts of Britain. If she ever got hold of those items, and completed her spell, the whole world would be in danger. At least, that is according to Duncan Phipps, head of the Immortal Society of Mages, who wants the three items for his own megalomaniacal purposes.
Meantime, Nick has gotten a job with DI6, Britain's domestic intelligence service. But, he has been shunted into the last place he wants to work within DI6, the PIS, or Paranormal Investigative Service. Nick would much rather investigate terrorists than Elvis sightings. His uncle Brian, who runs the PIS, tells Nick to stick with Marlen. The PIS has been investigating the Mages for years, and they need a real magical object to study. The relationship between Nick and Marlen is volatile, at best. Marlen tries, perhaps too hard, to get the "old Nick" back. Nick becomes fond of Marlen, but does not want to get into a relationship with him. Nick has tried very hard to suppress his homosexual past. Everything climaxes at an isolated castle in Scotland. Is Vere really as mean as her reputation says? Does Vere or Duncan get "eliminated?" Do Marlen and Nick come to any sort of understanding about their relationship?
This might be a rather quiet relationship story, but it's a good one. It is marketed as an LGBT novel, but the homosexuality is pretty subtle. It's recommended.
Nick Wright is a present-day London detective who, one night, is interrogating a burglary suspect named Marlen. He tells Nick that they have known each other for 500 years, and that Nick is on his eleventh lifetime. As a mage, Marlen is immortal. Nick is skeptical, to say the least. Marlen tells Nick things about himself that no one can possibly know. Nick slowly begins to beleive that maybe Marlen is not totally nuts.
Marlen attempted a spell to get Nick to remember the old days of partying all over Europe. Not only does it not work, but Marlen accidentally releases a powerful mage named Vere from her 700-year imprisonment. She wanted to bring the gift of immortality to all people, and was supposedly working on the ultimate spell. She infused three items, a cup, a ring and a stone with magical power, now hidden in widely different parts of Britain. If she ever got hold of those items, and completed her spell, the whole world would be in danger. At least, that is according to Duncan Phipps, head of the Immortal Society of Mages, who wants the three items for his own megalomaniacal purposes.
Meantime, Nick has gotten a job with DI6, Britain's domestic intelligence service. But, he has been shunted into the last place he wants to work within DI6, the PIS, or Paranormal Investigative Service. Nick would much rather investigate terrorists than Elvis sightings. His uncle Brian, who runs the PIS, tells Nick to stick with Marlen. The PIS has been investigating the Mages for years, and they need a real magical object to study. The relationship between Nick and Marlen is volatile, at best. Marlen tries, perhaps too hard, to get the "old Nick" back. Nick becomes fond of Marlen, but does not want to get into a relationship with him. Nick has tried very hard to suppress his homosexual past. Everything climaxes at an isolated castle in Scotland. Is Vere really as mean as her reputation says? Does Vere or Duncan get "eliminated?" Do Marlen and Nick come to any sort of understanding about their relationship?
This might be a rather quiet relationship story, but it's a good one. It is marketed as an LGBT novel, but the homosexuality is pretty subtle. It's recommended.
June 19, 2012
This was possibly one of the most magnificent books I have had the privilege to read. The characters themselves were far from perfect, but as it has been said, imperfection is perfection. Marlen, one of the main characters, is continually depicted as a lackadaisical reprobate, but you come to see that he is probably the only one who lives life the way he chooses and has no regrets about living for love. This book is more like an incredible maze than a story, with turns and secret passages that can't be predicted. It is abounding in ironies and manages to be entertaining while still being a suspenseful love story. Although Nick's reaction to hearing about his past lives is somewhat frustrating, as I want him to be more accepting, it is undoubtedly a more realistic depiction of what would occur when a person's whole life and identity is questioned. The whole book would appear to be just a run of the mill funny story about mages if a reader neglects to look slightly deeper, but in truth, I believe it is a story of accepting change and having the right to live life the way we choose to ourselves. No one has the right to decide what has meaning and importance in life and what doesn't, which might be what the author was trying to get at. I'm happy I had the chance to laugh and enjoy this great book, and I really hope other people will read it too.
This is a love story between two men, yes, as in homosexual (well, more like bisexual, I suppose), but I won't tell you not to read it beacuse you really should. You shouldn't let any foolish prejudices stop you from enjoying this beautiful book
This is a love story between two men, yes, as in homosexual (well, more like bisexual, I suppose), but I won't tell you not to read it beacuse you really should. You shouldn't let any foolish prejudices stop you from enjoying this beautiful book
September 24, 2012
It wasn't too bad... rather sweet... simple, predictable story of a gay relationship. There was some dramatic tension in the story with Vere, a bunch of remarkably immature immortals, and stubborn lovers who never got 'hot and bothered' together.
Basically, Nick had no memory of his prior-life relationships with Marlen, but still had the same emotional compatibility. However, he resists getting back together because he is afraid he will lose part of his personality. Marlen is in trouble because he is a walking disaster and has accidentally re-awakened an ancient, powerful wizard, Vere, who is looking to collect three magical objects she made. Marlen and Nick click and fight multiple times through the story - they met through a brawl in their first life - and also do battle against the evil wizards.
It ends with an implied Happily Ever After. Marlen is cute when he is playing the love-sick immortal, but otherwise it was a pretty boring read for me. Nothing objectionable, and somewhat pleasant, but not memorable.
Basically, Nick had no memory of his prior-life relationships with Marlen, but still had the same emotional compatibility. However, he resists getting back together because he is afraid he will lose part of his personality. Marlen is in trouble because he is a walking disaster and has accidentally re-awakened an ancient, powerful wizard, Vere, who is looking to collect three magical objects she made. Marlen and Nick click and fight multiple times through the story - they met through a brawl in their first life - and also do battle against the evil wizards.
It ends with an implied Happily Ever After. Marlen is cute when he is playing the love-sick immortal, but otherwise it was a pretty boring read for me. Nothing objectionable, and somewhat pleasant, but not memorable.
October 28, 2010
Just started this and so far it's very engaging. Every time I have to set it down to do something else, I look forward to getting back to it.
May 1, 2012
Fun read with enjoyable characters.
March 18, 2016
Very easy to read fantasy journey of two souls.
re incantation, magic, humor. I really enjoyed reading this novel.
re incantation, magic, humor. I really enjoyed reading this novel.
December 16, 2016
A fun adventure, an intriguing world, a hero who leaves a lot to be desired.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews