Lightbreaker (Codex of Souls) [Paperback]

Mark Teppo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Codex of Souls | Publication Date: June 23, 2009

Markham has returned to Seattle, searching for Katarina, the girl who, a decade ago, touched his soul, literally tearing it from his body. But what he discovers upon arriving is dark magick - of a most ancient and destructive kind! An encounter with a desperate spirit, leaping destructively from host to host, sets Markham on the trail of secretive cabal of magicians seeking to punch a hole through heaven, extinguishing forever the divine spark. Armed with the Chorus, a phantasmal chain of human souls he wields as a weapon of will, Markham must engage in a magickal battle with earth-shattering stakes! Markum must delve deep into his past, calling on every aspect of his occult training for there to be any hope of a future. But delve he must, for Markham is a veneficus, a spirit thief, the Lightbreaker...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Teppo's urban fantasy debut explores a dramatic premise bogged down by pretentious passages of overblown monologue. Landis Markham, magick user and manipulator of the world's energies, spots a human soul possessing a deer. He follows it, intrigued, and soon lands in the midst of a power struggle that could destroy the world. Using a chain of captured souls to enhance his abilities, Markham chases an evil magus around Seattle and its suburbs as he pieces together a complex plot and continues his relentless fight to save innocents and heal the darkness in his soul. Tighter writing could have made this a page-turner and created more desire for the inevitable sequels, but Teppo beats metaphors into the ground and segments of purple prose mire the plot and distract from the strong characters. (Sept.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Night Shade Books; 1St Edition edition (June 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597801380
• ISBN-13: 978-1597801386
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Anthologies
  • #28 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Short Stories

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Emo-fantasy, May 2, 2010

By 

merzbow - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lightbreaker (Codex of Souls) (Paperback)

The author sets his story in an interesting, if not especially original, urban-fantastical world. However, I could not get past the overwrought and terribly whiny protagonist. Perhaps there's a very good reason for his obsessive and increasingly annoying handwringing over a particular girl in his past, but I gave up in disgust before this could be revealed. I can't stand crybaby heroes...

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tepid Teppo prose, March 28, 2010

By 

Wendy S. Delmater - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lightbreaker (Codex of Souls) (Paperback)

I got a free copy of Lightbreaker as a publishers promotion. I was curious: what was there about this author and the planned series--the Codex of Souls--that was worth the expense of a WFC giveaway at the book table? I did not keep all the books that were offered at the 2008 World Fantasy, but the title and the art intrigued me, so I lugged this one home.

Much as I love the folks at Night Shade Books, I am NOT the target audience for a novel that repeatedly uses (sometimes sick) sexual imagery in dreams and interpretations of Tarot card readings. I admit that this worked well as a means of foreshadowing and misdirection, but things like a fat cherub beating a fish to death with its oversized engorged tool are enough to throw me right out of a story, okay? The readings and, especially, the dreams just went on and on and on and ON until I found myself skimming, which was not all that useful when said dreams and Tarot readings were referenced again and again as Our Antihero tried to untangle the skein of the mystery.

There were good, nay great moments like when (spoiler alert) the person he most wanted to hurt showed up as a fellow captive, and they settled their differences and worked as allies. It was also wonderful to see the main character go through an internal transformation where he dealt with his fears. And there were unexpected zombies, which worked very well. But the continual, magikal ecumenical "kumbayah" moments where the author tried to show that all forms of magik were the same, really the same! got dizzying in their multiplicity of traditions. Teppo tried to tie together too many forms of magic in one book.

Wendy S. Delmater, Editor
Abyss & Apex Magazine

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Main Character and Good Start to a Series, August 28, 2009

By 

The Mad Hatter "booktionary.blogspot.com" (NY State, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lightbreaker (Codex of Souls) (Paperback)

Lightbreaker is Mark Teppo's first entry in the Codex of Souls series and his debut Urban Fantasy effort, which sets a dark tone for the series well. From page 1 you join an exciting chase with the main character Markham as he follows a body jumping soul and Teppo more than keeps up the pace. Things are a bit cloudy with Markham's past, but Teppo quickly covers the highlights yet still leaves you wanting more. I had an immediate liking to Markham even when he sometimes goes about things not in the nicest manner. He is painted as a grey man and an outsider, which has allowed him to learn all types of magical techniques. The story is set in and around Seattle, which was a nice change up from most UF.

Lightbreaker effortlessly melds many styles of magic such as Hermeticism, Shamanism, and Western magick with a healthy dose of Aleister Crowley and tarot symbolism. The story gets bigger and bigger quite unexpectedly, especially towards the end. What starts as a unusual chase develops into a soul stealing cataclysm. The first section mostly has to do with Markham wanting to get revenge for a great wrong done him, which is quickly turned around on him a bit too easily. However, Teppo quickly made up for this flaw with a broader story and the introduction of great characters and some cool magic. One of the things I've loved about the past few Dresden Files is the magical politics, which Lightbreaker has in spades with more to come.

Lightbreak is a fine entry into Urban Fantasy that is sure to standout from the pack. I give Lightbreaker 8 out of 10 Hats. Fans of strong male protagonist Urban Fantasy are sure to have an immediate connection to Markham and the world Teppo has concocted. There are many plot holes left open, which I hope are address in future volumes. Regardless, the book does standalone on it own fairly well with a quite unexpected ending. Heartland, the second Codex of Souls book, is due out early in 2010 along with a third sometime in the future. I also enjoyed Teppo's short story in Paper Cities (reviewed here), which I recommend picking up. Teppo is an author with a bright future ahead of him and is sure to only get better.