Battlemage
Age of Darkness, Book 1

Name: Battlemage
Brand: Hachette UK
Availability: InStock
Author: Stephen Aryan
ISBN: 9781405534277

Author: Stephen Aryan

Series: Age of Darkness #1

Narrator: Matt Addis

Unabridged: 15 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Published: 09/24/2015

Categories: Fiction, Fantasy, Epic

Synopsis

'I can command storms, summon fire and unmake stone. Animals have nothing interesting to say and no one can see the future, because it has not been written,' growled Balfruss. 'It's dangerous to meddle with things you don't understand.'

WHEN YOU FIGHT MAGIC WITH MAGIC, NOTHING IS CERTAIN.

Balfruss is a battlemage, one of a vanishing breed, sworn to fight and die for a country that fears and despises him.
Vargus is a soldier, and while mages shoot lightning from the walls of his city, he's down in the frontlines getting blood on his blade.
Talandra is a princess and her father's spymaster, but the war may force her to take up a greater responsibility, and make the greatest sacrifice of all.

Known for their unpredictable, dangerous power, society has left battlemages untrained and shunned. But when a force unlike anything ever imagined attacks their home, the few remaining magic users must go to war - to save those who fear them most, and herald in a new age of peace, built upon the corpses of their enemies.

About Stephen Aryan

Stephen Aryan was born in 1977 and was raised and educated in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear. After graduating from Loughborough University he started working in marketing, and for some reason he hasn't stopped. A keen podcaster, lapsed gamer and wannabe forest ranger, when not extolling the virtues of Babylon 5, he can be found drinking real ale and reading comics. He lives in the West Midlands with his partner and two cats.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Charlie on June 12, 2016

Enjoyed this fantasy hamburger quite a bit because it was incredibly palatable. Loads of familiar tropes, an easy well paced writing style that is not overly wordy, a worthy villain and protagonists that are worth reading about. There are some good revelations and twists that keep the excitement goi......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on October 26, 2015

Review from Tenacious Reader: [URL not allowed] 3.5/5 stars Battlemage is a bloody battle ridden book that is fun in the familiarities and interesting for its differences. It is a classic good versus evil story, complete with a mad emperor, religious zealots and lots of battles.......more

Goodreads review by Jonathan on December 30, 2016

What I love about fantasy is world building and a good magic system. Nothing is better than learning about and exploring an interesting and well developed world. While this book was a good gritty fantasy story, I felt like it didn't really build a world, instead it was just a story happening in a la......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on October 12, 2015

A ton of fun.. really digged it. Full review to come.......more

Goodreads review by G.R. on March 07, 2018

I listened to this as an audiobook. I enjoyed the narration and the story. It ended well and I've started the second book already.......more

Quotes

Stephen Aryan puts the epic into Epic Fantasy. This is a ground-shaking debut, full of fiery promise

Aryan's battle scenes are visceral masterpieces that transport the reader deep into the melee. Read. This. Book.

Awards

David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy Fiction