Note: This copy of Mage Mangler was provided by NetGalley

Mage Mangler by Kevin Sinclair was much better than I expected it to be. That’s not to say I expected a bad book but that with most LitRPGs these days there is usually a formulaic path that very few stray from. While this book doesn’t necessary stray far off the usual tropes, there is something about its execution that had me riveted throughout the course of the book.

The book follows a pair of brothers in a world which is soon exposed to a much larger universe than they can fathom. The younger brother Adam Henshaw is in the army hoping to channel a lot of the rage and violence of his childhood into something that would serve the greater good. The older brother Earl Henshaw is a disgraced recluse who is the unfortunate reason for most of Adam’s childhood trauma. Vicious and borderline psychopathic, Earl is a loose cannon and Adam is happy to no longer have to deal with him as a adult. That all changes when a portal opens up where Adam is stationed, and the encroaching monsters decide to take Adam back through. The government are fearful of the portal, as they should be, with any personnel sent nearby being eliminated. So they try for a last ditch effort of sending in people who nobody would miss, and who are basically written off from society. Earl, luckily for them, not only fits this category but is also Adam’s brother, and has a monstrous tendency to always go for the kill. Seems like the perfect fit to throw against ruthless aliens. Best case, he finds out more about what happens on the other side of the portal while its open, and rescues his brother. Worst case, he dies and the world will actually feel a little safer even if being invaded by aliens.

The book alternated between the two brothers’ povs. While initially expected to become slaves, both the brothers are taken to the other side of the portal as the captors seem to sense some latent potential within them. Potential that could be molded to serve their puprose. Obviosuly the initial phase involved a lot of torture to get them to acquiesce, and eventually see the benefit of these gains. Adam agrees as he sees it as a way to use the power of the enemy to get stronger and ultimately escape back through the portal while it stays open. Earl on the other hand doesn’t really agree but enjoys the fact he gets to kill combatants in the arena and get stronger while doing it.

Adam follows the path of what would become a combination between a warrior and a mage. His scenes are typical of the protagonist with untapped potential who is given the opportunity to study at a prestigious university to further his skills. Earl on the other hand is thrown into the fighting pits where he too slowly improves his skills, albeit as a warrior with no ability to cast magic. Two different paths for the brothers but very likely scenarios considering their personalities. While these have been seen in the past, it was quite nice to see both happening simultaneously in the same book. The litrpg tropes aside, the relevance of the character stat sheets and how it isn’t shoved in our face constantly was a breadth of fresh air. Despite the foul and acerbic nature of Earl’s character, I throughly enjoyed his storyline more than the more academia setting of Adam’s. Adam’s storyline does not allow for much in terms of the alien species that are interacted with. While they are mentioned as being different, there is very little physiological differences from a humanoid being that makes it easy to forget they are not, in fact, human. Earl’s story and fights allow for a greater appreciation of the diversity in the species we encounter, and I hope this bleeds through more going further in this series.

The character interaction are pretty standard, and while the plot and pacing were good enough to keep me engaged, there is a lot about this universe the author has created that isn’t expained in this first book. There is a larger plot, a grand scheme if you will, that speaks to a rebellion against the ruling powers of this empire, and while you can easily deduce that the two brothers will be on either side of this, I do hope we get a little more context and information about this conflict in the coming book(s). Only because, I find myself invested in this universe and how these two brothers will affect the course of whatever machinations the powers on either side have in play.

The book reminded me of the movie Warrior with Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, who would be Earl and Adam respectfully, and that may also have been a factor on why I was so engaged in this book since those two faces were the mental images I had for these brothers. All in all, this was a surprsingly engaging read that I quite liked. Definitely recommended for fans of fantasy, and while the litrpg genre may not be strong, I suppose that it would be a nice place to start for those looking to dip their toe in. Excited for the next book in the series.

Links:

• Goodreads: Mage Mangler – Kevin Sinclair