The Alex Verus series of urban fantasy has been recommended to me repeatedly, so finally got around to it.

What to Expect

Expect a well-written, original take on urban fantasy themes. TRhe story is told from the point of view of Alex, a mage living in London. While he’d like nothing more than to run his magical shop in peace and quiet (and avoid the unavoidable demons from his past), he naturally gets drawn into power struggles between light and dark mages as their forces struggle to gain control over a mysterious ancient artefact.

And why is Alex such a key pawn? Because of his unique talent. He doesn’t have much in terms of raw power, and could easily be turned into an oily smear by the battle-mages trampling around, but Alex is a diviner. That lets him see possible futures, and hopefully make better choices.

What I liked

Alex is a very likeable character, and his world and powers are very original. The story progresses at a good clip, with some obvious-but-fun plot twists. This fits well with other urban fantasy like Harry Dresden and the Iron Druid (and there’s even an homage to Dresden), but different enough to stand on its own right.

What to be aware of

There are the usual issues and tropes with ‘dark mages’ who are ruthlessly evil to anyone around them and ‘light mages’ that aren’t much better. The plot isn’t that complicated and some of the twists can be seen a mile off, and neither are the side characters overly complex. There’s also a basic key question (without spoilers, why one particular character found a key) that is never addressed.

Felix’s Review

Felix thought that Alex’s powers were wildly interesting, and the magic system quite refreshingly different. That said, the politics and relationships in the novel left him flat, and he thought some aspects of plot and themes were immature.

Summary

It’s a fun read, not too heavy, and lighter entertainment in the urban fantasy canon. Makes for a good read when you’re in the mood.

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Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He’s the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome.

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