The War of Spells (The Averot'h Saga Book 2)

Author George Mazurek sent me a print copy of The War of Spells for review.

The War of Spells is the second book in the Averot'h series. I don't know how many books are planned for the series, but if they are all as good as the first two, I trust there will be many more to come.

No spoiler, the book (as is its predecessor) is about a world where magic is commonplace. What I really enjoy is the way magic is treated as just a fact of life. Other stories I have read in the genre have made magic such a big to-do that it can overshadow the true story. We don't have paragraphs leading up to the actual casting of a spell, they just do it, and get on with the story.

The War of Spells supports and expands the story begun in book 1. It gives us some historical background of Averot'h as well as continuing the stories of the main characters. This is a lot to accomplish when the reader realizes the book is only 147 pages long. It is a taut well paced story that kept me engaged from start to finish. Although I don't think The War of Spells can be deemed a "stand alone", the story is sufficient unto itself to be read this way. But I will caution readers here that the experience will be so much richer if they read City of Wizards first.

Even though The War of Spells is a fast read, it does not lack for excitement, adventure and action. There is violence (sometimes graphic), sex (not too graphic), romance, love, honor, human (rather, wizardly I suppose) foibles and weaknesses, dishonor and deception and Dragons (I like dragons). Author George Mazurek does a fabulous job of moving the story along without the reader feeling rushed or cheated. He does not gloss over story line. He provides rich detail. Relationships are complex and the characters are well developed.

Jiri (George) Mazurek is a Czech writer still living in the Czech Republic. I mention this only because though not identified, who ever translated the original Czech language story into English did a fabulous job, it most definitely does not read as though it has been translated from a different language.

The War of Spells is an entertaining second installment in what is developing into a great fantasy series. I look forward to more from George Mazurek with this series. Give it a shot, and I'm confident you will too. Enjoy!

Mike