Product Description

"The Innocent Mage is come, and we stand at the beginning of the end of everything."

Being a fisherman like his father isn't a bad life, but it's not the one that Asher wants. Despite his humble roots, Asher has grand dreams. And they call him to Dorana, home of princes, beggars?and the warrior mages who have protected the kingdom for generations.

Little does Asher know, however, that his arrival in the city is being closely watched by members of the Circle, people dedicated to preserving an ancient magic.

Asher might have come to the city to make his fortune, but he will find his destiny.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8513 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 672 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Miller, and Hachette's new mass market imprint Orbit, debuts with a solid epic that posits political intrigue, ethereal prophecies and a rags-to-riches hero against a vivid if familiar fantasy backdrop (sure to provoke déjà vu in fans of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire). Fisherman's son Asher seeks his fortune in the capital city of Dorana, home to the royal family and the magic-using race called Doranen. After a chance encounter, Asher begins working in the palace as assistant/apprentice to Crown Prince Gar; meanwhile, an underground sect watches Asher and secretly guides his fate, believing him the key to an ancient, apocalyptic prophecy. The erudite Prince Gar, meanwhile, has concerns of his own: flagging popularity (over his decision to take lowly Asher under his wing) and his combative sister's inheritance, the weather-controlling magic that keeps their kingdom secure. Though Asher's cynical salt-of-the-earth act is overused, and characters can be frustratingly pouty, Miller's prose is earnest and engaging, and his complex story accelerates nicely toward a brutal cliffhanger finale. Hints of an epic confrontation to come will leave readers eager to find out, in forthcoming installments, where Asher's destiny leads.(Sept.)
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About the Author
Karen Miller was born in Vancouver, Canada, and moved to Australia when she was two. Over the years she has held down a wide variety of jobs, including horse stud groom in Buckingham, England. Find out more about Karen Miller at www.karenmiller.net.

Customer Reviews

High Fantasy
Both this book and its sequel had me enthralled from the start. The world that Ms. Miller has created is very well thought out and complex. The scope of the story, the history tidbits that drive the modern action, and the depth of the characters all combined for a very satisfying read.

The kingdom of Lur is hidden behind a magical wall separating it from the howling evil to the north, an evil unleashed by the mage wars six centuries before. Those wars drove the surviving Doranen into Lur where they met the native people, the Olken. By the laws set down at the time, the fair Doranen rule and maintain the wall with their powerful magics and weather-working, ensuring a paradice for all under the schedualed sky. The apparently magicless Olken live apart from their rulers, but in contentment.

Enter Asher, a fisherman from the south who travels to the capital city to make his fortune so he can buy his own boat, returning home in triumph to keep his father employed and not divide the heritage of his six brothers any further. His plans go awry, of course. And he soon finds himself moving among the Doranen as well as Olken, and not having a good time. Throw in a secret society of Olken magicians, a cardinal crime punishable by death, and Asher's life will be anything but clam sailing.

While I wish more was said about the nature of magic in this world, that was the only issue I had with this very well thought out and written series.

Worst grammar I have seen in a published work.
I feel that I may have been too generous giving this book 2 stars. There are some interesting bits, and I plan on reading the sequel, but the grammar is horrendous! I don't think I was able to read a single page throughout the whole book that did not include at least one, and most often multiple, sentence fragments. Please, if you're going to work in the publishing business (either writing, proofing, or editing), make sure you know the language!

Fisherman's son destiny
Asher is a fisherman's son, the youngest of seven brothers who doesn't have anything but whatever left from their brothers, which is virtually nothing. He runs away from his home hoping to earn some money in the city to come back one year later and buy a boat for his dad and himself. There is indeed a lot of money waiting for him along with a big adventure, big power and the destiny of the whole country in his hands.
It is enjoyable read, make you turn the pages. The reason of cutting 1 star is because the story is a little too slow and much less magic happening than I expect to see in this first book. Lets hope it get better for the second one.