This was not the first Andrew Rowe novel I read. Actually I started with Sufficiently Advanced Magic. But there was some characters in that that came from this series so I thought I’d better read it.

If you’re like me then let me just say, it’s not necessary. There’s a decent amount of background and details that you might miss but ultimately everything important is covered when it becomes relevant in the other series. It’s not a bad trilogy though so feel free to read on.

And if you’ve come here fresh then absolutely read this.

It’s a fun adventure in a D&D kind of spirit. You have characters blundering around, sorting problems while causing a lot of others. The plot is fast and bouncy, leaping from plot point to plot point and a decent rate. There’s sword fights and duels, misunderstandings and magic.

It’s got a neat magic system, not wildly imaginative but done well. There’s Dominions of various types, like earth, fire, knowledge, life, etc, and a sorcerer can reach out and draw upon them. However they also have to give up something in return. For example casting fire magic saps the warmth in your body, using knowledge magic means giving up tiny bits of your memories. It’s nice and balanced and I do like a magic system that has drawbacks as well as advantages.

All in all, it’s a fun book. I just preferred everything that Sufficiently Advanced Magic did. And, to its detriment, it’s the first book in a trilogy that I don’t think ended well. But all in all, it’s pretty harmless.