Dark Apprentice: Fall of Magic Book One

Val Neil

May 2021 · Fall of Magic Book 1 · Living Relic Press

About this ebook

A psychopathic wizard. An immortal mage. An epic battle of wills.

Nikolai doesn’t want much out of life: sex, immortality, and the power to disembowel anyone who crosses him. But with dark magic forbidden, his only option is Medea–a mage so deadly even the Enforcers give her a wide berth. Despite dire warnings that her apprentices don’t survive, Nikolai won’t stop until she agrees to train him. After all, he’s a killer himself.

Barbaric and brutal, the training is a far cry from what Nikolai expects. When a mysterious illness strikes Nikolai down, he suspects he’s found the secret to Medea’s longevity. He resolves to find out what happened to her previous apprentices. If he can locate the source of her power, he can turn it against her.

Medea swore off training dark wizards–none of them take the craft seriously and the ungrateful bastards always try to kill her. This one definitely seems the backstabbing type, but magic is dying out and she hasn’t felt such magical strength in centuries. If she can control the boy, show him that magic is more than curses and necromancy, he might obtain the power he desires. If not, well...

What’s one more dead apprentice?

If you enjoy dark fantasy with quirky, morally grey characters and humorous banter (but no romance), this is the book for you!

Contains:

- swearing, violence, some gore

- some sex (not graphic)

- no romance

- manipulative protagonist that could be triggering to some

- two neurodiverse leads (psychopathic and autistic)

Ratings and reviews

I will avoid Spoilers, but the title alone lets you know this is a tale of an apprentice. The trope is common enough in fantasy, but Neil does a fantastic job of creating a character that you wish to see develop from the onset. The world-building is done in a roundabout way that doesn't bog down with narrative detail, instead, it unfolds through the character's interactions. The misogynistic, and sociopathic main character is perfectly reviling from his first introduction and I found myself enjoy each of his interactions, both successes and failures. I've not rooted for a 'bad guy' since Dexter. A quick and easy read for pleasure, but with just enough intrigue to keep my brain thinking. I will look forward to the sequel. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

About the author

Val was diagnosed with autism at the age of forty-one and couldn’t be happier to have her weirdness professionally validated. She lives in California with her ADHDer spouse, three children (two neurodiverse and one undecided), a normal number of dogs, and an abnormal number of birds.