Darkmage – Book Review
4/5 Stars – Darkmage – M.L.Spencer
Darkmage is a debut fantasy novel by author M. L. Spencer. Like many first novels, there are a few things that could use a little refinement, but in this case the positives outweigh the negatives, making for an enjoyable journey through a dark and well-imagined world.
Darien Lauchlin is the black sheep of a powerful magic family. After he’s betrayed by a loved one, he finds himself the only person standing between his world and damnation. The plot centers around the Well of Souls, a gateway to hell which is unlocked in a diabolical magic ritual. Facing a host of demonic invaders, Darian’s only hope is to betray his oaths and turn to the dark side.
Before I had a chance to bond with any of the characters, we plunged into multiple action scenes, which came a little too soon, and were a little too long for my tastes. For me this was the low point of the book. But even at the outset, there were already some intriguing elements that kept me turning pages.
I really enjoyed the world building in Darkmage. The magic system has some unique elements with the oath that are central to the story. But beyond that, I almost immediately felt like this world had a sense of history and depth beyond what was written on the page. The Well of Souls is a really cool artifact, and Spencer’s vision of hellish forces really had the x-factor that “cool magic” needs to make fantasy sing.
There were a few characters that were not very well differentiated in my opinion. Royce, Corbyn, Proctor, and Devlin all swam together for most of the book. Even with POV sequences none of these characters came to life for me. In fact, for most of the book I couldn’t tell them part. Darian started slowly, lost in the frenetic early action sequences, but by the end I was definitely invested in his struggle. It was Kyel Archer I enjoyed the most though. Whereas Darian is sort of a Superman that I never really suspected was in danger of failing at anything, it always felt like a big win when Kyel overcame the odds stacked against him.
One minor issue that caused some confusion was “the enemy.” Up north there is a Night’s Watch sort of group that protects the civilized realm of Rhen from the blighted lands beyond. Those who dwell in the black lands are called “the enemy.” In the book, it is described as a place where nothing grows. Perhaps I took this too literally, but it made me think that they must be inhuman in some way to live where no food can grow. It felt like they were intentionally lacking physical description, that the writer was withholding something for a pay off later in the book. But it never happened.
A few times, emotions were told a little overtly for my taste, but in general it was a smooth read with concrete descriptive language and good flow.
The big allure for me was setting, the feeling of rich history, cool villains, and a unique world. I’ll definitely continue on to the sequels. By the end of dark mage I felt like I had discovered a story with an intriguing central premise and I’m invested. Not everyone will enjoy a story about a character’s fall from grace, but those who enjoy fantasy with a dark side will love it.
