SERIES: The Artifice Mage Saga, Book 1
AUTHOR: Jeffrey Bardwell
ISBN-13: 978-1-943289-24-0
GENRE: epic fantasy / steampunk
FORMATS: epub, mobi
WORDCOUNT: 106,000 + appendices
PUBLISHER: Twigboat Press
SYNOPSIS
Destiny in one hand. Doom in the other. Which will destroy him first?
Artificers are the gilded princes of the Iron Empire. Mages are violent criminal outcasts. Devin competes to become the best artificer in the empire . . . but he's secretly a mage.
Devin, a young skilled apprentice, dreams of becoming the master of his craft if he can only resist the sinuous allure of magic. His secret grows heavier as he claws his way to the top of his competitive, cutthroat guild. Friends and rivals start taking notice when Devin glorifies in the persona of the dragon and builds mechanical armor to match. He's also started hearing voices in his head: the stout words of the being he calls 'the artificer' and the sly, oily voice of 'the mage.' How long can Devin be satisfied with fake dragon armor when the promise of true arcane power whispers in his ear?
Embark on Devin's dark, epic journey in Book One of The Artifice Mage Saga. Join the fantasy steampunk brawl of metal vs. magic where sorcery is bloody, science is greasy, and nobody's hands are clean.
Spoiler Alert
My Thoughts
As this metal versus magic novel begins we see Drusilla breaking into Gildmaster Huron’s padlock and we learn her home life has been anything but good. We see this as she prays to the 5 Gods after thinking she wouldn’t mind seeing her father dragged screaming to the dungeons.
Bardwell makes us aware Drusilla wants to be more like Devin and we see she longs for the old Devin she knew. To her, the new Devin is much like a puzzle box she feels she needs to unlatch.
Traveling back in time, admittedly, Devin’s dream was to join the artificer’s Guild. However, Devin’s Mom, a tailor, could not afford those fees so Devin spent time working as a craftsboy earning some money. These earnings he would combine with his Mother’s savings.
We see Devin is whimsical. While he’s working, he’s imagining drilling into the moon. Devin keenly studies objects in play. When pieces break down, he courageously rebuilds them, though a little sweat is involved.
Devin knows he must barter bits and pieces and a few of his mother’s textiles in his quests to obtain screws and rivets. So, he packs his satchel and drags his sister along to the village square. Lining up behind the carts, he recalls, “Tis the duty of the young to redress the follies of their elders.”
To hone his machine, Devin keeps busy at work hardly eating or sleeping. His Mother reminds him, “Even metal fatigues and breaks if you keep bending it.” And, she tells him if he doesn’t show for meals or rest his tools will be melted down to become part of her tailoring necessities.
Devin does as he is told, honing his invention with his touch of magic. When Devin resumes a place at the square, Coriolo is impressed with the 'artificer quality work’ but not its presentation. Coriolo agrees to share the machine with friends in the city and reminds Devin of the importance of style being applied to the craftsman as well as his machine.
Devin is reminded that an apprentice main function is using their skills to service machines.
Soon after, a group from the Artificers Guild request to view Devin’s workshop. And, when the test is administered, Devin receives the offer of a full scholarship for a perfect score.
Fast forward and Devin still has two voices in his mind which are constantly at battle even during part of a troubleshooting game played by fellow Guild members who sometimes forget the guild is first and foremost a team of peers.
Yes, it is said you can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation and here we see that Drusilla is clever. Undoubtedly more clever than the braggart Benson. She's helped Devin prepare for a battle he may win with a bit of Rotten Magic.
In closing, Bardwell skillfully uses alliteration to creatively write a fun and educational narrative that has this reader scrambling to learn more details of this metal versus magic universe.
See more about author Jeffrey Bardwell in my Author Spotlight.