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A review by nice_frogboy
An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
i loved the Alex Verus series, and i think Benedict Jacka is definitely getting off on the right foot with this new series. the two are quite similar, but there's a few key differences -
1) i think the worldbuilding here is much more interesting. Jacka begins by asking the question, "what if 'mana' for magic was a finite resource that is tied to property ownership," and then he thinks through what the consequences of this would be, and what that world would look like. this is cool, and i see potential for this to blossom as a setting as we get more books in.
2) the protagonist is not quite as smart as Alex Verus, and not quite as paranoid. that was something i always really liked about the Alex Verus series - Verus is always thinking like a rat, because he's forever one or two bad dialogue choices away from just getting killed. this universe feels a lot less lethal, and i'm not sure whether i like it or not.
3) the magic system here seems equally well-developed as Alex Verus, but unfortunately, it seems perhaps a bit less well explained. i think part of this is because the main character does not know the details himself, but also, i think the nature of this magic system may be that a "full" explanation would necessarily begin to take on a lot of the weight and feeling of an electrical engineering seminar. i'm the kind of guy who would really like that, but i know there are many who would not.
1) i think the worldbuilding here is much more interesting. Jacka begins by asking the question, "what if 'mana' for magic was a finite resource that is tied to property ownership," and then he thinks through what the consequences of this would be, and what that world would look like. this is cool, and i see potential for this to blossom as a setting as we get more books in.
2) the protagonist is not quite as smart as Alex Verus, and not quite as paranoid. that was something i always really liked about the Alex Verus series - Verus is always thinking like a rat, because he's forever one or two bad dialogue choices away from just getting killed. this universe feels a lot less lethal, and i'm not sure whether i like it or not.
3) the magic system here seems equally well-developed as Alex Verus, but unfortunately, it seems perhaps a bit less well explained. i think part of this is because the main character does not know the details himself, but also, i think the nature of this magic system may be that a "full" explanation would necessarily begin to take on a lot of the weight and feeling of an electrical engineering seminar. i'm the kind of guy who would really like that, but i know there are many who would not.