Forged

Alex Verus Series, Book 11

By: Benedict Jacka

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Alex Verus faces his dark side in this return to the best-selling urban fantasy series about a London-based mage.

To protect his friends, Mage Alex Verus has had to change - and embrace his dark side. But the life mage Anne has changed too, and made a bond with a dangerous power. She's going after everyone she's got a grudge against - and it's a long list.

In the meantime, Alex has to deal with his arch-enemy, Levistus. The Council's death squads are hunting Alex as well as Anne, and the only way for Alex to stop them is to end his long war with Levistus and the Council, by whatever means necessary. It will take everything Alex has to stay a step ahead of the Council and stop Anne from letting the world burn.

©2020 Benedict Jacka (P)2020 Tantor

On the edge of my seat...

Every book has had me on the edge of my seat. The adventure, chaos, love and wit of Alex Verus has captured me. You will not be disappointed in the storyline. You are going to want the best for the main characters and the worst for their enemies. I love this book. I started listening two years ago and can not stop. The adventure in each book has been worth the wait. I hope they make this book into a movie. I love, Alex, Anne and Luna. They are worth ever minute you dedicate into listening to their story. I hope the next book comes out soon enough.

Setup for the climax

And thus we begin the ending of the series. Opposed by Richard Drakh, the Light Council, and Anne, and dealing with an affliction that might end up killing him, Alex has at last built a powerbase great enough to stand a chance.

While Verus has become very powerful, he isn't powerful enough to stand against the world on his own, and his allies have been suffering from attrition as well, so he will have to pit one enemy against another and divide and conquer.

This book is a bit heavy on the bloody revenge side of the scales. This can be satisfying, but after a while, it becomes a bit tedious. And of course we end on the setup for the climax.

Entertaining, and at points very good indeed.

Absolutely adore these!!!

One of the best narrators I have ever heard. Gildart has an amazing voice. I feel like he is Alex Verus so it makes the audio book even more interesting. Also my roommate loves to listen to these books as she sleeps. So comforting. I am so sad I have to wait another year to see what happens. I am so addicted to this series. Benedict Jacka has really made a uniquely thrilling world I can't get enough of.

great series

In the venue of the Dresden files, well performed and developed story telling that keeps me coming back to Verus books.

Tragically Good

This books picks up without skipping a beat. It is such a good story and I don't want any spoilers so I won't say much. I can't wait for Risen!

This and the previous book are where things take off

Threads come together, things that seemed to have little purpose prove to have great purpose, and the plotting of the series takes on serious and, to me at least, unexpected force. I can't stop now. there were a couple of books earlier in the series in which the plot seemed to flag. Don't stop there. Jacka is quite good, to give him suitably restrained British praise.

High praise goes to Gildart Jackson, who imbues Verus with personality and force of will. He does fine with the other characters. Because of him, the audiobook Verus series held my attention better than the text version, although that may be because of circumstances during my reading.

Best one yet!

This book really brings the series back to life. A lot happens bit it's worth it.

Leaves you wanting more

The character development, action-packed scenes, and overall intrigue of the magical world suck you in and don't let go. Can wait to start the last book.

Loved it!

Riveting, exciting, and fun! I like how the characters are evolving and how Alex has changed.

Another captivating story

I thought this was the end of the series until the last half of the last chapter. Great set-up to keep the adventure going!!!