Ed McDonald's Reviews > Darkmage

I decided to give Darkmage a try after asking for recommendations in a Facebook group, having heard the series mentioned a number of times in the past with a consistently positive reception.

Darkmage is a fun epic fantasy that holds it own against other contemporary works. The world has depth, and from the very beginning there is a great sense of epic background and history. The character's feelings about their allegiances and oaths are well expressed. This is really important, as the oath taken by the magic users is something of a baffling one (refusing to harm anyone else, even as their own city is being annihilated), and had their own sense of zealousness failed to come across effectively it would have been an issue. As it stands, however, the Sentinel's bindings are made believable by the legends and history of the world. This world feels deep.

Spencer's word crafting is polished, clipped and practical. The prose reminds me of a faithful palfrey in the best possible way. It's not an overburdened packhorse, slogging on with too much baggage, and neither is it a flamboyant showhorse, prancing for attention. It carries the reader from A to B at just the right pace without causing distraction, which for me is the best option. The writing style allowed me to get on with the story, and that's what I tend to want with this kind of story.

I don't think that I would like to live in the Rhen, and I certainly don't want to have to go and guard the border. There is a feel of bleak, impending doom, where ultimately the castle must fall. The nations that comprise the Rhen seem to not bother supplying their guardians with anything except criminals, who are all then given rusted weapons to fight with alongside a promise that they won't survive more than a couple of years at best. Although I wouldn't call Darkmage a grimdark book necessarily, there are certainly some bleak elements!

I would recommend Darkmage to fans who enjoy big epic fantasy, getting to grips with a magic system from the inside, and impending doom. Elements reminded me of Gemmell's Legend and Jordan's Wheel of Time and if that's your bag, then Darkmage may be the book for you.