Wizard in Exile

Michael G. Manning

Mar 2023 · Michael Manning

About this ebook

Kelvin Wiltshire lives the life of a simple cook in a remote village on the far side of Trendham. The townsfolk think little of the man, and his son, and believe him to be just another refugee from the Terabinian war. On cold winter nights they share rumors of the bloody conflict and the mysterious death of Will Cartwright, the mighty mage who had the power to command storms. They like the new cook. They fear the fallen king.

But the two men are one and the same.

Haunted by nightmares from his past, Will has chosen a life of exile, hoping to erase the blood from his soul by forging a simple life. Service and family might ease his pain, but beneath his scars are deeper wounds. A queen and wife turned into a lich. Friends poisoned with hate. While he seeks peace in isolation, his absence has left a void, and an ancient foe craves a return to power.

Patient and malevolent, the enemy knows the nature of man, and anger is an oh-so-useful tool in the game of nations. As war looms, Will’s anonymity—and the life he’s built—are threatened, forcing him to choose between the friends of his past, and the friends of his present. To win, he’ll need what he left behind, the mantle of the Stormking.

Ratings and reviews

so I binged read the whole series of these and holy ****, I loved it I couldn't stop reading them. they made me laugh and cry, such amazing story telling I highly recommend! I can't wait for the next one the sooner the better haha

I've loved everything written by Manning this far. Actually reread the series and finished days before this released with no knowledge of it and was really depressed that I'd caught back up (even though it's a week later and here I am again). This was a great setup and change to the next phase of the story much like his break in the Blacksmith's Son series. I loved the book, but after reading so many of his, I see the parallels he's drawing and his twists aren't fooling me like last time! Either way, the world building is amazing and the depth of the way the world works is so meticulously thought out. Here I sit again, as I do a week or two after all his new releases, wondering when I'll get that itch and wind up starting again all over with a young Mordecai.

After the way the 1st series ended I was hesitant to dive back in. I'm glad I did anyway. I still have the usual nitpicks. Grammar and typos plus a new thing where something that was just reviewed a chapter or two ago is explained again, but those are probably my biggest problems. I feel Manning is doing a good job of finding more stuff for Will to do and more stuff to happen in this world. The characters feel as real as any I can think of (off the top of my head anyway) and while I have concerns, even serious concerns, about many of their actions (especially Selene's) they all feel accurate to the character in question. It's nice to see the gang getting a chance to just live instead of having to constantly stop this week's apocalypse. It's also nice getting a chance to watch them heal, at least a little after the stuff Manning put them through. Hats off to him though, he did it again. This might be my new favorite Will book.

About the author

Michael Manning spent his formative years in Texas, reading fantasy and science fiction, concocting home-grown experiments in his backyard, and generally avoiding schoolwork. Later at college his love of beer and role-playing games led to what he calls his ‘best year ever’ and what most of his family calls ‘the lost year’. Eventually he graduated and somewhat ironically, became a pharmacist.

 

Unfortunately, Michael was not a model pharmacist. Being free spirited was not a particularly good trait to possess in a career focused on perfection, and the letter-of-the-law. He wound up working in pharmacy informatics (for the safety of the public) but after ten years or so, he grew tired of that and wrote a book. One thing led to another, and after a while he gave up trying to live two lives (much to his mother’s chagrin). Thus far he’s written several series and can’t (or won’t) stop writing.