Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsVolume one was good; volume two is better
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2021
This is old-fashioned science fiction with a dash of magic, and as an old guy, I enjoy every page.
You've got your interstellar empire. You've got your bad guys. You've got your good guys. You've got a narrative that transcends each book. You've got a likable hero, maybe a little too noble. You've got a convincing villain (or two).
And unlike a lot of authors, Glynn Stewart doesn't devote 200 pages to misery and suffering and 50 pages to positive developments -- in fact, that ratio is pretty much reversed, which makes (for me, at least) a fun read.
Oh, the details. Damien Montgomery is a powerful mage, but didn't come from a family with a genetic predisposition to abilities that, among other things, allow space flight. In the first volume, he took out some bad guys and come to the attention of the Mage-King of Mars, who is essentially the galactic emperor.
In this book, Montgomery has completed his basic training under the Mage-King and is sent off to deal with problems on the planet Ardennes. The plot is reasonably complex, there are some unexpected happenings, but in the end, justice is served (as it should be in these kinds of books).
Bottom line (literally): I'll be ordering volume three very soon, which is pretty much the highest praise any reader can give.
