With my usual dose of trepidation, I selected the newbie. 90% of all books written aren't worth ruining a peaceful day of fishing, but without wading in you just can't know if any given book, or author, is worth ruining the tranquility of the water and the pole. Given that this is the first book in an as (of now) incomplete series, with zero reviews, and the authors first book (self published), this should be a pile of trash. I try to refrain from reading too many "new" books, because they so often lead to disappointment. Let me count the ways I was disappointed.
~~
Ok, that was a short list, wasn't it? The fact of the matter is, this was a very good book, first effort or otherwise. This is not high fantasy, or epic, or world altering literature. It is a very serviceable YA coming of age story that touches on some themes of loneliness and social ineptitude that occasionally hit a little too close to home. There are fun moments, and although you know the author has plans for a series, a few moments towards the end that just might turn out very badly for one or more of the main characters.
I can't in good conscious rate this book at five stars - there were no scenes that gave me goosebumps or made me wonder at the amazing turn of events. I do however feel that in a world of one, two, and three star books, the occasional four star is exemplary, and only a few small steps from being among the absolute best there is. To that end, there were some textual errors. Some of the other reviews now out have mentioned those, and I have seen a comment from the author on a public forum that he is correcting them and uploading a fixed edition for all future readers. Otherwise, this is a fun, light, quick book, and once I started I was inclined to hurry up and finish the story so I could bask in the warm glow of finishing a good book.
Maybe the only questions now: Where do we go now that we have been "Into the Labyrinth," and how long do we have to wait for more of Hugh and his friends?
For those of us who number among the prudes:
Profanity was very light. There was one scene of heated anger towards the end with coarse language that didn't appear anywhere else.
Sex was not mentioned or even intimated.
Violence was light to medium. There were monsters exploding with ichor, and most of the main characters took wounds of one sort or another in the course of combat towards the end of the book. Also there are a few scenes of bullying against the protagonist.
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![Into the Labyrinth: Mage Errant Book 1 by [John Bierce]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/514sEWyqb8L._SX260_.jpg)
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Top reviews from other countries
George J
An easy and enjoyable mage school book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2020Cameron Johnston
A magic school story mixed with epic fantasy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2020
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