Rise of the Mages

The Age of Ire, Book 1

By: Scott Drakeford

Narrated by: John Skelley

“This book commits almost every crime against heroic fantasy that I can imagine … and I have not been able to put it down.”—Glen Cook, bestselling author of The Black Company

A young warrior and his improbable band of allies face impossible odds as they seek to rescue his brother from the servants of the Fallen God.

Emrael Ire is a student of war with lofty ambitions, despite being so poor his boots are more hole than leather. He and his talented younger brother Ban work hard to build themselves a better life at the Citadel, a school that specializes in both infusori Crafting and military arts. Their lives are upended when the power-hungry Lord Governor of the neighboring province invades the school with the help of a sinister sect of priests devoted to the newly awakened Fallen God of Glory. Many of the infusori Crafter students are captured―including Ban. Though Emrael stands little chance against the Lord Governor and his armies, he’s desperate to save his brother―even if that means accepting the help of allies with uncertain motives, or becoming a practitioner of a forbidden magic.

There is nothing he won't sacrifice to save his brother, but what happens when the cost of success is not his to pay?

©2021 Scott Lofgren Smith (P)2023 Recorded Books

Hero is impulsive but it’s in script

Loved this book and will read the next one. I didn’t mind all the violence or heroic immaturity insteroids

Pretty Good

I don’t usually write reviews but here I good. The story was really good and I like the premise but Emerald’s ego and irrational decisions often made it hard to keep listening. There didn’t seem to be any true character growth in him throughout until almost the very end. I’m not sure if I’ll continue the series but will probably give the next book a chance when comes out.

Great new fantasy series; narrator does not disappoint!

I couldn’t be bothered to read the hard copy that’s been on my nightstand for over a year, and I’m not all that disappointed - John Skelley did a great job and really brought the story to life. Loved diving into a new world with a well thought out plot, magic system, politics, and characters that you love to love and love to hate. Really excited for The Fate of Silent Gods!

Best I’ve Come Across In Some Time

As others have noted, the MC is an impulsive fool at times, but it does fit with the story. Ignore the nonsense about this being full of unexpected plot twists. While I very much enjoyed the book, nothing that happened was particularly surprising.

Regardless of all else, I enjoyed this more than any other fantasy novel I’ve read or listened to in quite some time and I highly recommend picking it up.

Really good narrator, fast paced story

The narrator is easy to listen to and does great voices throughout the book. The book itself is somewhat simple, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. It certainly has fantasy elements, but felt more realistic than many modern fantasy stories.

Surprised Me

At first glance, Rise of the Mages seemed like a madlib of recycled Epic Fantasy tropes, but the further I got, the more I realized that the book undercuts and twists those tropes in exciting ways that really served the fast-paced plot. It started as a 3-star for me and quietly kicked off to a 5-star that I couldn’t stop listening to.

Great narrator. Great book. Can’t wait for the next one.

Epic fantasy at its finest!

RoM tells a great epic fantasy tale about loss, struggle, pain, and war. But it has some great twists on classic fantasy tropes, and the characters’ emotions and motivations are tangible. Can’t wait for Book 2!

A Worthy Tale of Growth and Vengeance

Rise of the Mages reminds me (in the best possible ways) of the best works of David Gemmell written for the modern reader. Competent main characters in terrible circumstances find ways to prevail against overwhelming odds and unlocking powers not seen in ages. Loved every minute!

A good Epic Fantasy but not much new

I just finished The Rise of the Mages written by Scott Drakeford- A coming-of-age epic fantasy novel with creative world-building and an interesting Magic system that reminded me somewhat of Sanderson's Mistborn series. The book follows the main character Emrail in his quest to rescue his brother.

The book is nonstop action and battle. I felt that the amount of action and the number of times the main character almost died, detracted from the story building and character development. Overall, the characters are likable but Emrail is annoying, often demonstrating a stubborn impulsive nature more akin to a young teenager than a 23-year-old trained warrior. This can somewhat be explained by the influence of the magic system, but I get why many readers were turned off by his actions.

I listened to the Audible version narrated by John Skelley and he kept things interesting. Overall, I would give this book 3.4 stars. Will I read the sequel? Yes. I want to know where this story goes and I hope that the author will expand the characters more.