The Innocent Mage (Kingmaker Kingbreaker book 1)
I give this first book in the series 4/5 Stars ****
I try to pick up a new author every now and again, just to get a little something different. I picked the Innocent Mage by Karen Miller up on a whim because amazon told me I wanted it. (You know how amazon watches every thing you buy/look at / think, and then tells you what you want even if you don’t want it). Well…amazon was right. I wanted it.
This book turned out to be fantastic. The only gripe I have at all is that the ending leaves you hanging (or maybe falling is a better word). The protagonist is refreshing. The speech takes a little to get accustomed to, but I found myself rather enjoying Asher after 100 pages or so. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone, but I really enjoyed the magic system in this book, and I think that Karen does a good job of character development. Asher changes through the course of the book, and thats all I can tell you. There is enough intrigue and open plot to make you come back for more, as I’m sure I will have to read the next book.
TOR has announced that the final book in the Wheel Of Time series written by the late Robert Jordan will be finished by Brandon Sanderson. I think many people including myself are going to be running out (or going to amazon) to pick up a few of Brandon’s titles to see what kind of author they have chosen.
The fantasy series (Wheel Of Time) has sold over 14 million copies in the US alone, so Brandon has some very large shoes to fill. I can not make any comments on his style of writing yet, but I have already ordered a few of his titles, and will update my thoughts on his style and how he will fit into such a rich and established world as the Wheel Of Time.
Robert Jordan’s wife had this to say:
Harriet Popham Rigney, Jordan’s beloved wife and editor, said of her decision to have Sanderson complete the last book in The Wheel of Time series: “I have chosen Brandon Sanderson to complete Robert Jordan’s great work, and I am absolutely delighted that he accepted. I will of course be editing this book as I have all of the other books of The Wheel of Time.”
Sanderson credits Robert Jordan as a large influence in his writing, and if Harriet has chosen him, then I will believe based on her faith that he can deliver the goods and do Robert Jordan justice in the 12th and final book in the Wheel Of Time Series.
A book about a strain of ebola virus that can be genetically targeted to specific people based on DNA, what could be better? This was a very good read, Although I want to warn you that the book is more about the potential of the virus, and about the main characters, and really follows their struggles more than it follows the virus. The main characters are well done, and the assassin Atropos is so fascinating. You won’t ever be rooting for the bad guys, but you do get a good understanding of them, how they think, why they do what they do. The guy wears around a black gauntlet that he uses to carry out many of his assassinations, he only watches TV in scan mode, where the channel changes every few seconds, because it keeps his mind sharp. How is that not interesting? The book is really well paced, and I never found myself bored or disinterested. The CDC agent Julia has an amazing personality, and you cant help but be a little smitten with her. I recommend this book to anyone interested in this type of subject matter, and I plan on reading some other works written by Mr. Liparulo.
