Series: Planeswalkers | Publication Date: November 3, 2009
In this struggle for influence and power, for the keys to magical knowledge, everything you knew about novels based on Magic: The Gathering®is changing . . .
Jace Beleren is a planeswalker who has taken the path of least resistance. He is gifted and powerful, but chooses not to push himself. Part of an inter-planar consortium that deals in magical artifacts, Jace has some power and influence. He also has a certain amount of security. That’s all about to change.
When Liliana, a dark temptress with demons of her own (quite literally), comes into his life, she brings with her more possibilities, but also more problems.
Under attack from external interests, a friend dies because of decisions Jace made. Upset with himself and fearing for his life, Jace sets out to find who is behind this new threat. What he uncovers along the way, an inter-planar chase filled with peril, will alter everything he knows.
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On March 22, 1974, Ari Marmell was hatched out of an egg laid by a rooster on the night of the full moon. Due a mix-up, he wound up in the infant ward at a hospital in New York, where he was claimed as a (relatively) normal human and taken home. He and his family fled New York barely a year later, either because his father received a job offer in Houston, or because they were chased by angry mobs with pitchforks; reports are unclear.
For the next 27 years, Ari lived in Houston. His father told him bedtime stories when he was in preschool and kindergarten, stories without which he might never have become a writer. He received his first roleplaying game--the red Dungeons & Dragons boxed set--at age 9, and the AD&D Players Handbook followed less than a year later. He spent very little time on class work or studies for the next, oh, 13 years, instead spending his efforts on far more important things like fighting orcs, riding dragons, and rescuing extremely beautiful princesses.
Ari went to college at the University of Houston. He began in the Psychology program, but quickly changed his major to Creative Writing. It was in the first week of class that he met his wife-to-be, who goes by the name of George. (No, it's not short for Georgia, Georgette, Georgiana, or anything else that could possibly make sense.) It was also in college that he wrote his first novel, one that he is now determined will never see the light of day, and charitably calls a "learning experience."
In short, Ari graduated in late '96, married George in March of 1997, honeymooned in New Orleans, worked several jobs he hated for the next several years, and quit the last of them in 2000 due to ongoing health issues. During this time, he wrote four more novels, two of which are actually pretty decent. It was also during this time that he managed to break into the roleplaying industry, having attracted the attention of Justin Achilli (developer of Vampire: The Masquerade) with a project submission inspired by his trip to New Orleans.
He and George moved to Austin in mid-2001 so George could attend graduate school while Ari continued to work as a freelance writer. They live there today, along with a large orange cat named Leloo and a smaller gray cat named Pippin who seems unable to grasp the notion that strings, ribbons, and plastic bags do not make up a viable part of the food chain. His first published novel, Gehenna: The Final Night, appeared on shelves in January of 2004.
Today, Ari is shifting his focus from freelancing to more fiction and novel-writing. His second novel, Agents of Artifice, was released by Wizards of the Coast in February of '09. His third novel, The Conqueror's Shadow, was released by Spectra in February 2010. (This was his first published non-tie-in novel.)
Ari's forthcoming novels include The Warlord's Legacy (Spectra, early 2011), the Goblin Corps (Pyr Books mid- to late 2011), and Household Gods (Pyr Books, 2012). You can learn more about him, and keep up with his news and release schedule, at www.mouseferatu.com.
I have been reading Magic Novels from the beginning. I have read the Brothers War probably three times and most of the early novels more then once. The sad thing is Magic Novels have been dwindling in their quality since the newest creative team has taken over and I haven't been able to get into the characters and the setting were pretty mediocre.
Then this gem came along! This novel was excellent form th emoment I picked it up! I simply could not put it down! It flowed very well and the writing style of Ari is very, very nice to read.
The story itself is good also and makes me enjoy the characters very much. If you are looking for your next MtG novel or just looking to read a good fantasy novel then pick this one up!
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As the other reviewers have said, this book is very good for an MTG novel. I was surprised at how well the author balanced the exploration of sheer power that planeswalkers posses in the setting and the soul searching (though often adolescent) that the use of such power for personal gain can bring about. The main characters are well written; they have enough in the way of archetypes to make them readily understandable, yet have enough individuality to make them capable of surprising the reader.
All in all, the book was a light and enjoyable read cover to cover, though the structure of the first half (flashback technique) left me slightly confused for a bit.
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I had purchased this book at a Friday Night Magic session a few months back. By then, they had already sold out of the Jace cards (of course). Nevertheless, I picked up the book as well as the Divine vs. Demonic pack and went on my way.
I must say that the first chapter or so of this book is a bit tedious, but good things truly do come to those who wait. I very much like how the author incorporated multiple planeswalkers into his novel, even though my personal favorite doesn't make it in the end (or does he?), as well as how he develops Jace's character. Granted, some of the other characters are left somewhat incomplete, but this can be expected as they are not as vital to the story. Once I muddled through the first few chapters I couldn't put this book down!
On the whole, much better than the Shadowmoor book and even the Llorwyn and Morningtide books. I highly reccomend this book!
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