Do you remember I took a break from listening to the Book of the Ancestors? I needed a story a little less intense to follow. Michael G. Manning’s books proved to be just the ticket. The Blacksmith’s son and The Line of Illeniel are the first two of a five book series of the Mageborn. Action, adventure, some romance, and a skill development through problem-solving. Add in horses, medieval style warfare and living and you have a nice little world of magic to play with.
The Basics: The Blacksmith’s Son and The Line of Illeniel
Okay, so I listened to these books as a break from a more intense series, The Red Sister. These two books are a much easier listen and are written by Michael G. Manning.
The Blacksmith’s Son and The Line of Illenel are the first two in a five book series called Mageborn. The Blacksmith’s Son introduces us to Mordecai. A young man raised as the son of a blacksmith but growing skills in mage craft. He has questions that need answering.
The Line of Illeniel takes us further into the life of Mordecai, one that will end up setting up strife between him and the king. Skills development, some answers found, and tragedy happens.
Michael G. Manning grew up in Texas reading fantasy and sci books while engaging in free-spirited activities. This was his lot in life while delving into the world of pharmaceuticals and networking. Eventually he started writing books, and thus The Blacksmith’s Son was born.
These fantasy books are developed in a middle ages framework where sword and sorcery are part of living. One must defend themselves and others with honour. But plenty exist that don’t hold to an honour code at all. And therein lies the angst of The Mageborn. Each books runs 250-300 pages. And are available on Kindle, paperback, and audio. I read using Kindle Unlimited.
Looking Deeper
An easy read with predictable plot in many ways. You know that he’s going to learn he’s a mage and that his folks cared about him. Just as you know he’ll develop those gifts, develop some friendships, build a love life, and more. Mystery will be part of his life. Enemies will need to be faced, and hopefully defeated.
The story is fun to be honest. Listening as I went about my daily chores, it was good to not have to pay close attention and know things will go okay. I did admittedly play back a couple of times as I lost something pivotal when cats would demand my attention.
I did get a bit annoyed that this 16 year old boy was able to defeat a pretty bad bad guy fairly easily. Many of the stressful events that happened seemed to be resolved fairly easily with just some cleverness on his part. So many pieces fit too neatly into place in lots of ways.
Yet, sometimes bad things happened and people were hurt. His love interest felt juvenile in many ways due to lack of clear communication or protectiveness from both ends.
In the end, I wanted a light read with the odd twist and turn, and Michael G. Manning delivered. Both The Blacksmith’s Son and The Line of Illeniel proved to be a fun listen. A read that intrigues me enough that I’ll get the rest of the books in the series. Ultimately I want to know how the story of Mordecai turns out.
Leave a Reply