Warmage by Terry Mancour
There are times that you grab the next book in a series without question. Kind of like binge watching on Netflix, you slide through a series about as fast as you can, moving from book to book. There are other times you realize that you can’t stomach the book and can’t continue with the series. This book had me on the edge. Sitting trying to decide.
The last book I loved in many ways, yet i found some sections offensive. Sexual innuendo and situations, violence that seemed excessive. Yet I really loved the story, I loved a story that was not meant for me as a 13 year old. Something for me as an adult and in adult situations.
So I decided to move onto the next book, Warmage. It did not disappoint, and it did.
The Good
Man the story is good. I do get tired of people that tell a story with two timelines. We start in the fall and in command of an army, and jump back to him months in the past trying convince the duke that he needs to form an army. I hate that kind of story writing, however, it works. Mostly because a lot of that is politics. It is the story behind the battles. That would take up a good portion of the book, and though it is interesting, it can be slow. The solution is breaking it up into two stories that come together later on.
So I will not complain too much. I love the story line where he is gaining power, he is needed. Slowly people start moving around him. There are spoilers ahead, so be aware.
I loved the battles, and the intrigue. There is so much about him becoming part of “The Family”. The family is the spy group that is working for the Duke. (there is no kink). The common argument is that there is no way to overthrow the bans against magic by a Duke. Only the king has that kind of power, and there has not been a king for centuries.
One of the five Dukes is maneuvering himself to be king. He is willing to call for an emergency, and waive the bans on magic. Why? The spellmonger tells him the magi will only help if they relax the bans on magic. Well, he is told that he will get what he wishes, if he saves the duchy. (that is the short story of the long many chapter discussion)
So off he goes, as the commander of 10-20,000 fast moving troops. He will lead the battles and proove he is worth the Dukes faith.
The Bad
He is whiny at times. That gets on my nerves. He is supposed to be smart, yet he seems to need others to tell him what to do. I do understand, the writer wants to explain political situations yet not really drag it out. Make the main character dumb, and you can explain a lot.
Yet dozens of people should trust him because he is smart and wise, or not. He is smart or not. So those sections seemed to get on my nerves.
The Disturbing
I have read a number of books, and one of the images is really disturbing. When he goes to investigate a destroyed villages Minalin casts a spell to find out what happened. It was bad. That section has haunted me along with some of the Terry Goodkind sections. Torture is rough to cover, and the need to declare how evil the group is that you are fighting was there. I think those images move into the shadow of horror, and it has stuck with me many books on. Well the village was killed in a horrible way. It works for the book, but it can disturb.
He does open with him having an affair. It is used heavily in future books, so there is a reason. He technically is not married, but he plans to marry, and his bride to be is far away and pregnant. He also has multiple dalliances. I am sure these things happened in the dark ages, lots. However it is disturbing to think of too much.
My Final Thoughts
I liked the book. Nearly as much as the first one. I think it is better than this book, so if you disliked that one, I am not sure you should go on. It is darker, grittier, and just more of the rough stuff around the edges.
However it is still a book that tells a better story. Most stories have battles and lives that are so clean. This is darker and rougher. Evil is incarnate. There is black and white, but this book shows more shades of grey in society.
I liked it. Though it is rough, it is a good book. I would recommend it to anyone.