John Bierce is a fantastic fantasy writer. He currently as one main series that he’s complete, The Mage Errant series, and a stand along book called The Wrack. His main selling points in my opinion are this strong world building and his interesting approaches to magic systems, where even the simplest of them tend to have interesting twists. I think geologists will especially appreciate how some of these magics work because even with my passing interest in the subject I was enthralled. His characters are not always the most unique or special but they are well created and developed, with a good amount of depth. He’s also very inclusive, with characters from all across the LGBTQA and Neurodivergent spectrums represented and represented well, which is not always the case.
His stories take place in a shared multiverse, The Aetheriad, but there is currently no cross over, so you don’t have to worry about missing anything between series. Though admittedly there is currently the one series and one standalone so that might change.
The Mage Errant series
This series takes place on the continent of Ithos, in the world of Anastis. It followed Hugh of Emblin and his friends in a series of adventures that start in the magic school of Skyhold but which eventually take them all over the place. The books in this series are, in order:
Jewel of the Endless Erg (2019)
The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells (2023)
The Wrack (2020)
This is a great standalone novel about a plague in a fantasy world that had the misfortune to come out in April of 2020. The plot is told through a collection of short stories. I’d heartily suggest gibing this a try and I think it’s a wonderfully written book with unfortunate timing.
Library of Alexander 