The Unsuspecting Mage (The Morcyth Saga, #1) by Brian S. Pratt

May 11, 2011 Eliza rated it 1 of 5 stars

I first discovered The Unsuspecting Mage while looking for new things to add to my Kindle. The blurb was interesting so I got it and read it. Although I made it through the story, it was a difficult trek. The first challenge was the awkward present tense that made the story feel like it was forcing you along with the characters and wasn't even consistent through the book. Another thing that I didn't like was the inconsistency of speech used by James who goes from talking like a modern teen-aged...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 23, 2012 Steve rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No One

If a high school student published his notes from the D&D campaign he was running, you would have this book. If he was failing English at the time. There is no central plot arc, just the main character (James) roaming around doing small quests (like a role playing game. Indeed, I have done many of the quests, such as "rescue so and so" or "find the bandits that raided this caravan" multiple times), so maybe it doesn't even qualify as that. D&D campaigns have actual goals. What little hin...more If a high school student published his notes from the D&D campaign he was running, you would have this book. If he was failing English at the time. There is no central plot arc, just the main character (James) roaming around doing small quests (like a role playing game. Indeed, I have done many of the quests, such as "rescue so and so" or "find the bandits that raided this caravan" multiple times), so maybe it doesn't even qualify as that. D&D campaigns have actual goals. What little hints of an larger plot there are seem contrived at best. Ostensibly, this is a world on the bring of war that will depend on James to save them all in future books. In that case, I feel for them because they are all doomed (or not, since James can do nearly anything he wants, more on that later).

I get that the book is self published, but it badly needs an editor for both substance and copy. Not even a paid editor, the author could have shown a friend or even bothered to proof read it again himself (like the teach you to do in middle school) and found the dozens of grammatical errors (like missing subjects and verbs), flow problems and plot holes in the story. The story is told in third person present tense, which doesn't really work, especially when it randomly switches to past tense. The writing style is very stilted and awkward. For example, a mountain pass is described as "the road becomes increasingly vertical as its vertical slope increases". In fact, a visit to the author's website (a thought-vomit 90's style eyesore in itself) reveals that he seems to revel in these problems, forgoing traditional elements like readability, plot, or descriptions for more "fun" as he puts it. Unfortunately, there is precious little of that.

There is serious need for a content editor as well. The world building is poor at best. There is no economy in this world. James becomes the equivalent of a millionaire in the new world from a bounty put up by a tiny hamlet after his first "quest". The characters are shallow and predictable (again like a stamped out RPG), and morality is very black and white. Stealing is wrong, unless James needs something. Breaking and entering is wrong, unless the door is in James' way. Killing is wrong, unless... You see where this goes. The MPCs, er, supporting characters speak common English using the same modern idioms as James. Pretty much all of them also know everything about the events of the larger world around them and are happy to share it with any random stranger, even when it is their job not to, as in the soldiers.

James is basically a demigod though, which is alternately funny and frustrating. James goes from being a self proclaimed bookish introvert that rarely leaves his bedroom, to a skilled woodsman, horse handler, and ruthless killer in about 3 days time... (he levels up quick completing all those simple tasks and fighting those low level ruffians I guess). Of course, that could be do to magic, since the magic system equates to "James can do whatever he needs to do to accomplish his goals with minimal thought or challenge". As a protagonist, James is neither likeable nor relatable. When he finds himself in a new world, faced with never seeing his family or the friend he left just on the other side of the door (amid a rash of local kids disappearing) again, his reaction? "Eh, they'll manage.". The rest of the book is filled with similar inexplicable reactions that make no sense other than to satisfy the latest McGuffin (which are WAY over used, being the only thing that advances the plot). This type of fiction requires the suspension of disbelief, I get that, but very little in the book is plausible, the world is a mish-mash of modern and antiquated concepts, and there is nothing for the reader to hang on to or identify with to keep them interested.

The book is almost worth the price (free), especially for the Young Adult market, but the goal of this business model is to hook the reader with the first free book to get them to buy the rest of the series. In this, the book fails miserably. I think I put more time into editing this review than Mr. Pratt did into editing his book. This is honestly one of the worst books I have read in years and I doubt I would read the others even if they were free.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 11, 2013 Herman Gigglethorpe rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: so-bad-it-s-good

The Unsuspecting Reader

I don't even play tabletop RPGs, and this book is obviously a thinly-veiled Dungeons and Dragons game. A fantasy and D&D nerd named James suddenly falls into a generic fantasy world after answering a cryptic newspaper ad, and has to go on a poorly defined quest. Pipeweed is even directly ripped from Lord of the Rings! I didn't know this at the time, but the city of Trademeet is better known as a location in Baldur's Gate 2.

The creature who summoned him doesn't even te...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 21, 2013 Sean Randall rated it 1 of 5 stars

I can see why this book is free; surely nobody would pay for this sort of writing? The story is unoriginal, the characters thin, the plot meandering and as for the writing ... well: not many authors use the present tense, and if I were to write, reading this would put me off for life. It's a stream of almost drivel in places!

Characters are given names out of the blue, our hero is a goody goody yet glaringly deficient in some moral areas and there's a miasma of condescension about him that manife...more

like · see review

Jan 29, 2013 Teresa Garcia rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fantasy lovers and roleplayers

Shelves: fantasy

An introverted highschool student, with nothing overtly special about him, answers a mysterious job listing that his grandfather though right up his alley due to the need for someone experienced in roleplaying and fantasy. What sort of job could this be?

Said high school student goes through the door after reading the first page of a little book, expecting a quiz. Instead, he steps right into a world where roleplaying is real and he has "rolled" mage. He discovers that he has been summoned to com...more

like · see review

Dec 07, 2012 Don rated it 5 of 5 stars

The author is one of the few writers that realize they are in control of everything in the story, and don't have to conform to RULES laid down by English Teachers and Editors! I enjoyed not having to read pages of minute descriptions of each new scene, I rather like being able to use my imagination for this!

I really like that the hero always had plenty money with which to buy what he needs like food, horses, lodging etc. Also that he was very resourceful and knew how to live off the land when ne...more

like · see review

Mar 01, 2012 Joel rated it 2 of 5 stars

For what this is, it's fairly good. Unfortunately, what it is is the kind of book an agent or editor somewhere would reject as not-quite-good enough for publishing. I think it was self published, and thus we get a peak past the industry curtain at the embryonic novel.

The good: the reasonably likable main character has an adventure and wins in the end.

The bad: the plot is that of a video game and sometimes character interactions read like uninspired dialog trees.

Let me give you an example. Or he...more For what this is, it's fairly good. Unfortunately, what it is is the kind of book an agent or editor somewhere would reject as not-quite-good enough for publishing. I think it was self published, and thus we get a peak past the industry curtain at the embryonic novel.

The good: the reasonably likable main character has an adventure and wins in the end.

The bad: the plot is that of a video game and sometimes character interactions read like uninspired dialog trees.

Let me give you an example. Or hero, James, falls on his head into a land of myth and magic. He faces some low level monsters, gets a bit more powerful. Faces more monsters, gets his butt handed to him but is rescued at the last moment. Returns the favor by aiding his rescuer when the rescuer is attacked. Is rewarded. Finds another person in danger, rescues them, is rewarded. Moves on to the next town. On the way, finds another person in danger, rescues them, is rewarded. Reaches to the next town. Finds out that to learn more about his quest he must rescue someone. Rescues them...

You remember playing that campaign? Yeah, me to. The interactions with money lenders are particularly painful. I kept expecting to have to click some chunk of text to confirm I wanted to withdrawal the specified amount from my character bank.

That being said, I may checkout the sequels to this novel because I think they could be good as Pratt starts asking himself more questions about where the plot is going and how the minor characters are motivated. Take the first town. It's a small place that probably doesn't have the middle ages equivalent of big city amenities such as a blacksmith, miller, or doctor. War is looming in the distance (as it often is in video games). I'd think the citizens of a town like that would work pretty hard to get a mage to settle there permanently. His spells could easily clear up a lot of their day-to-day problems and when the war arrives he could throw fireballs. Do they point him at an abandoned house they could fix up? (The story does contains one no one else would want.) A pretty and eligible girl? Does he take the deal? After all he's chasing a very thin hint of knowledge with very little skill or equipment. Taking a month or year or two to prepare might be pretty smart. Or maybe the villagers are so scared of magic they try to kill him instead.

Either way the plot would be more interesting with that unpredictability and those relationships. But it's not a huge jump to make. This story has the basics: decent description, an acceptable protagonist. Maybe Pratt makes the jump in his next novel.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 29, 2010 Kathryn rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: fantasy, on-my-nook

The Unsuspecting Mage was a freebie on the Nook. The description sounded like fairly standard fantasy, and it was free, so I figured it was worth a read. While I did finish the book and enjoyed it for what it was, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, because its few strengths are far outweighed by the quantity and intensity of its weaknesses.

The most glaring weakness of the book is that it is written in present tense. While I will absolve Pratt of pretension (which is frequently the cause, or perh...more The Unsuspecting Mage was a freebie on the Nook. The description sounded like fairly standard fantasy, and it was free, so I figured it was worth a read. While I did finish the book and enjoyed it for what it was, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, because its few strengths are far outweighed by the quantity and intensity of its weaknesses.

The most glaring weakness of the book is that it is written in present tense. While I will absolve Pratt of pretension (which is frequently the cause, or perhaps the effect, of present tense), I found it very difficult to become immersed in the book because of how poorly the present tense is implemented. There are many places where Pratt inconsistently shifts to past tense or past perfect, and it was distracting because I kept trying to make sense out of why he had suddenly changed tenses. (It was usually because he was describing a past event, but he wasn't consistent.)

The next major failing is the lack of an editor. This lack shows up in two ways: minor typographical errors such as it's instead of its, and extraneous scenes and dialogue. For example, there's one scene in which the main character is describing something to another character. In the middle of the conversation, another character walks up, and the main character again describes the same events to this character. Then, another character walks up, and again, the main character describes the events to this character. So we got the same set of events described multiple times in a couple of pages - when we had just experienced those events along with the main character one page previously. I estimate that at least 50% of the dialogue in the book is unnecessary (i.e., doesn't contribute to either plot or character development).

Speaking of the main character, I haven't mentioned the plot yet. The book is a cross between lonely nerd wish-fulfilment (something I'm very familiar with) and a transcribed D&D campaign (again, something I'm quite familiar with; I swear, there were points at which I thought, "Make a Search check," or "You rest. Regain [level+CON mod] hit points per day"). The main character is a lonely nerd whose only friend is the one guy willing to play in the campaigns he runs (normally, campaigns have 3-5 players; a campaign with just one player is frankly kind of sad). When the main character sees a vague newspaper ad calling for people who are fond of fantasy and role-playing games (oddly, his grandparents, who have been pushing him to find a real job, are the ones who give him the ad. Um, what?), he naturally answers it, and finds himself magically transported to a magical world where he can magically do magic and is magically in the right magical place at the right magical time to go on a magical quest.

This is just the first book in a series, so he doesn't get all that far on his quest, which honestly reads like something out of a D&D campaign.

Just so this review isn't too mean, I will describe some strengths. While dialogue in general cannot be considered a strength since much of it is unnecessary, as mentioned above, and since much of it is, frankly, not something anyone would say, Pratt does do a good job of giving his characters individual voices. James, the main character, speaks more or less like a late 20th-century teen. The characters who belong to the sword-and-sorcery world, while they don't quite speak old-fashioned English, noticeably do not speak 20th-century English, and each does have his own voice.

Pratt has a good vocabulary and uses it correctly. There are one or two places where he uses a two-bit word when its penny equivalent would have sufficed, but in general, I felt that the diction of the work as a whole was consistent and effective.

The magic system is realistic. Pratt has obviously invested a lot of thought into determining what magic can and cannot do, and what James in particular can and cannot do. James's abilities are consistent, and their progression through the book, as he learns more about magic and his own limitations, is logical.

The plot - so sayeth the nerd and D&D player - was interesting enough to keep my attention despite the annoyances described above.

It was not, however, interesting enough to get me to pay anything for the remaining books in the series.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 27, 2013 Maki Kotone rated it 3 of 5 stars

I learned two things from reading this book: first, that "transcript of my D&D game" is apparently a genre and second, that if your story is essentially a transcript of a D&D game, nine times out of ten your main character is going to be a mage. It's much easier to explain how a person can suddenly use magic than to explain how they suddenly know how to pick locks, or wield a sword. It's the path of least resistance.

The entire book is written...weird. It's written in omniscient third per...more I learned two things from reading this book: first, that "transcript of my D&D game" is apparently a genre and second, that if your story is essentially a transcript of a D&D game, nine times out of ten your main character is going to be a mage. It's much easier to explain how a person can suddenly use magic than to explain how they suddenly know how to pick locks, or wield a sword. It's the path of least resistance.

The entire book is written...weird. It's written in omniscient third person (which is normal in most books), but in the present tense. The style definitely makes the book harder to read. The book ended up sounding like someone was telling the author a story, and it was just written down word for word. "And then, the main character hears some wolves, so he climbs a tree for the night to avoid them!"

That's another thing. James is terrified of fighting some wolves, and because he doesn't do anything, Seth, a kid he knows from school, dies. Yet just a few scenes later, James badly burns some bandits to save the life of a man he just met. And I'm sorry. I just can't bring myself to feel sorry for Seth's death. He had already been missing for a few days before James showed up...did Seth not once stop to realize that he'd be safer in a tree than on the ground at night?

I just realized that after that initial fight with the wolves, James never had problems camping in the open throughout the rest of the book. Maybe Seth was just unlucky in encountering the wolves.

The plot/progression of events felt like it would have been more at home in a video game than in a book. Every single encounter James has directly helps him move forward on his quest. He meets a bard who he later has to save. The bard just happens to know the man in charge of the royal library, which just happens to be where James needs to go to research a symbol. The librarian, in turn, gives James a book and letter to deliver to the librarian in a city under attack, and it's only because he has that book that he's allowed into the city. I've seen video games with subtler plot hints than this.

And then, there's the magic. Why make your magic run on rhyme and meter if you character is terrible at putting together rhyme and meter? Why not just use the whole "word of power" idea? That bothers me in the best of books, but it's made worse in this one by the fact that about halfway through, James realizes he doesn't have to use rhymes to create spells. If he never had to put together rhymes to make magic, why would you subject us to that? Why? [I'll admit he's a better poet than the chick from Prophecy of the Flame, at least.]

There's also a...trope, I suppose you would call it...that's recently started getting on my nerves. For lack of a better term, let's call it the "Wide-Eyed Factor". This is where a character gets brought in to a magical world from current day Earth - the character will try to explain something simple (like a flashlight) to a normal citizen of the magic world, and the citizen's response is to stare at the main character, "wide-eyed". Because clearly the world in which magic is a common-day occurence is FAR inferior to our own world.

I wouldn't harp on this so much in this book if it didn't happen ALL THE TIME. Every chapter after he meets Miko, James blows Miko's mind by telling him about things like "forensic science" or "how tornadoes work"...or, my favorite, "meteors are not magic, except that one might be".

For all of my complaints, I didn't hate this book. It's one of the better D&D style books I've read. I just had trouble getting over the above-mentioned points.(less)

like · see review

Feb 13, 2012 Fernando Zazueta rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I dare you to read this book. It is that bad. If you can get around how annoying reading in present tense is, a character which is as one dimensional as a character in an old video game and every cliche in the fantasy genre, you are still looking at a terrible story. The only thing this book needs to read as a dialogue for a video game are the words "HP" and "MP". May God have mercy on our souls.

5 likes · like · see review

Mar 05, 2011 Cath Shaw rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy and Roleplaying lovers!

Let me start out by telling you that i absolutely loved this book. The Unsuspecting Mage was a free book for the Amazon Kindle & i can never resist anything with the word 'free', so i downloaded it straight away, not really expecting anything great.

Brief Summary: (may contains spoilers)
(view spoiler)...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 01, 2012 Basia rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. There are some books that, despite being written in the present tense, manage to make you forget that the present tense is being used because the story is so wholly engrossing. This is not one of those books. The effect of the present tense is extremely unsettling, and the reader is constantly aware of it -- and not in a good way, if such a thing exists. As previous reviewers have said, it reads like the plot of an RPG game, which, upon reading a blurb describing another of Pratt's series, is ex...more There are some books that, despite being written in the present tense, manage to make you forget that the present tense is being used because the story is so wholly engrossing. This is not one of those books. The effect of the present tense is extremely unsettling, and the reader is constantly aware of it -- and not in a good way, if such a thing exists. As previous reviewers have said, it reads like the plot of an RPG game, which, upon reading a blurb describing another of Pratt's series, is exactly how his books are described.

Stylistically, the whole thing is a mess. Grammatical errors aside (and rest assured that they are numerous), the plot is disjointed and there are events that I expected to be more significant than they were, when really it seemed to have no significance at all. The campaign of the "overcoming hero" is nothing new, especially in a newcomer to magic, but perhaps the most annoying thing about it is that there is no gradient for James's magic usage; it either goes from infinitesimal power usage to him being completely exhausted and almost passing out or killing himself. Furthermore, the journal-keeping was particularly odious, and I was painfully reminded of video game journals. Furthermore, James himself is no prize. He may come across as the likable, sympathetic main character everyone wishes to see in a novel titled "The Unsuspecting Mage" (unsuspecting of what, exactly, I'm not entirely certain), but the fact is that James becomes more and more annoying as the novel progresses. What really grated on my nerves was his language; he goes from speaking like a normal teenager from the 21st century would be expected to speak to suddenly speaking like some medieval knight or advice-giving sage. He also ranges from behaving like a normal, uncertain outsider to some kind of godlike figure who is constantly expounding upon the wonders of "his world" to those of what is clearly meant to seem like an uncivilized society; I think was bothered me most was the scene where he discusses the need for water purification. His character, for the most part, I found to be completely unbelievable. He goes from being a relatively friendless, nerdy recluse who decides to answer what is probably the shadiest job advertisement in the paper (an advertisement that was found for him by his grandfather -- I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that one) to suddenly flirting with a girl in a caravan. Furthermore, he becomes annoyingly authoritative toward Miko as the novel progresses, and he also has this propensity of going off on moralizing tangents. When asked how someone may repay him for a favor, he responds to the effect of, "Just do something nice for two people less fortunate than you are." The idea of "pay it forward" is indeed admirable, but the way in which James is presented with this mentality is completely unbelievable. On another note about character development, I feel as if the strangers in this novel are entirely far too trusting, especially in situations where they most definitely should not immediately "relax" upon James introducing himself; his name clearly means nothing to them, so why should they be assured?

I also personally felt like this book had no real climax. I kept waiting for something to come along and grab me by the throat, something that would finally signify that moment of, "Okay, this is it. This is the whole turning point." By the time I was 500 pages into the novel, I realized that I wasn't going to get any such thing. The entire novel is completely disjointed, with the author sometimes not even making new paragraphs when there is a change in speaker. I kept seeing the things that I expected would eventually come up; there are certain narrative staples to fantasy literature and, while I am not maligning them in any way, I felt like Pratt tried to use every single one of them, especially the fortune-teller and the annoying, impish character that shows up fortuitously to explain situations or to provide plot movement. But I'll comment on the impish character in a moment.

Lastly, and believe me when I say I am not stopping for lack of material, the book ended with no real resolution to any of the novel's problems. While the need to keep the mystery of some parts in order to extend the series is more than understandable, a book in a series should still be able to stand on its own. Instead, I was just as confused about everything that occurred in the novel as I had been at the beginning. And the entire premise of the ending was dreadful; ending with a siege, something the reader would expect to be exciting, perhaps a climax, really just becomes a rather boring reason for the character to run around town some more and become separated from his companion. The sequence that really left me confused, however, was the ending sequence in which James and his impish friend are somehow in Disneyland. The entire part felt like a terrible acid trip to me, and I am still confused as to its function within the novel.

On the whole, I feel like the novel had so much potential, but it fell far short of the mark. It needs to be heavily edited, and even then I am unsure if it can be salvaged.(less)

like · see review

Feb 02, 2011 Michelle Reynoso added it

Let's start with what works. The book is imaginative, easy to read, and filled with magic & adventure. I like the way the main character, James, learns how to use magic - it's done in a very realistic, believable way. I also like the easy flow in the language of the book. But on the same token, there are some issues. The book ends with no real resolution. The Unsuspecting Mage is book one of a series, but it should stand on its own, and I kept thinking as I was reading toward the end that th...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 25, 2011 Benjamin rated it 2 of 5 stars

i felt like i got what i paid for with this book. it was a free download and while it wasn't bad it certainly did nothing to impress me. first of all the plot is one that has been used repeatedly in the past. a socially awkward teenager mysteriously gets transported to a place still in the dark ages where magic is a very real thing. the boy becomes a man through the trials he must face and overcome in this strange new world. i love this plot but it has to be unique to warrant any credit. this pa...more

like · see review

Apr 24, 2012 LazerWraith rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Probably one of the lamest books I've ever read.

1. Very amateur writing. Tons of action verbs are used over and over (nodding, explaining, asking), and the sentence structure is a bit weird sometimes. "Okay" and other modern words were used frequently in this non-modern world. And the authors couldn't even be consistent in choosing "ok" or "okay."

2. The characters were 1/2-dimensional. There are two types of people in this world: Gruff and rude, and kind and polite. Almost nothing else.

3. Unr...more

like · see review

Aug 20, 2011 Mattr rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No One

If only I were 12 again. Willing and able to read a rambling, poorly described series whose protagonist (Mary Sue alert) is dumped into a magical world he alone of all he knows is capable of surviving. I would have empathized with his D&D skills, his possession of knowledge not practical in modern day to day life, etc.

Unfortunately, I'm not 12 and this book wasn't marketed as YA. I wouldn't even be able to recommend this to kids, because it wouldn't challenge them. Don't get me wrong - we a...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 26, 2012 Kurt Criscione rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I wanted this book to be more and i kept going back and forth on my rating... but the pros and cons just kept adding up to counterbalance one another.

1. I LOVE the premise, always have... as a LONG time gamer i like the idea of a Role Player Transported to a fantasy world and using his Gamer knowledge to survive. Joel Rosenberg did it fantastically well and I've always been on the look out for a story that equal or exceeds his Series. This falls short. Also the fact that he decides to make it a...more I wanted this book to be more and i kept going back and forth on my rating... but the pros and cons just kept adding up to counterbalance one another.

1. I LOVE the premise, always have... as a LONG time gamer i like the idea of a Role Player Transported to a fantasy world and using his Gamer knowledge to survive. Joel Rosenberg did it fantastically well and I've always been on the look out for a story that equal or exceeds his Series. This falls short. Also the fact that he decides to make it a Rhyming Mage as well... well Christopher Stasheff has the BEST (IMO) series of a Rhyming Wizard ever... so again two big sets of shoes to try and fill.

2. I dislike that the book is in Present tense, it is a real pain to read... especially when every once in a while it will shift into past... and when the character has a flashback...which should be in PAST tense... that was also in PRESENT. Editing overall needs to be done on the book... I Copy Edit for a Digital Publisher, so once you start looking through books for errors it is near impossible to turn it off, still there were formatting issues which on the Kindle make the book appear... wonky.

3. The write up of the book says that the author wanted to have little or short description and to leave it all to the reader... i can go either way with that idea... i find that a book in a modern setting needs little description but believe that fantasy needs to have it all painted for the reader, at least broad strokes of 'color'. That said i think the book suffered from 'bloat' as much as Pratt has removed some of the description he still gives these "itemized passages"... for example he will devote a sentence to each item the character is stuffing into his backpack, including how he wrapped his food, and what goes where. You end up with a full page of a single paragraph of just the packing, most of that could have been trimmed. Every time the character enters an Inn we are treated to the stabling of his horse and the full menu of the place and... just a bunch of wasted words.

4. While it is great that James' mastery of a RPG gives him an edge... i think they swung that too far into comfort... he automatically uses the monetary system of his game and all the conventions of his game as a matter of fact... for example he uses the monetary system from his books and has no problem adapting to his situation. That might seem like a little thing... but man it would have been nicer to get him trying to mesh his rules knowledge with the actual worlds workings instead of having a menu in every inn and him stabling his horse (incidently when he does learn to care for a horse it is mostly glossed over in a few paragraphs and then we get long prose on traveling and scenery, meh.)

5 The book did have some good action and i will admit that i liked some of James' spells and rhymes, again i've been a role player for over 20 years and this is the something i love, and this is the type of book i want to read... just with an overhaul.

6. My final point... to much of the book had me slogging (pushing through the prose) while waiting for the nugget of good... I hit the half way point and stopped to read some other books and work on my Copy-editing at that point in the story we still have no idea HOW James came to the world, WHO was responsible, WHAT was going on, and the story was little more than "random adventure". James is just traveling toward whatever catches his fancy... i had no inkling what the overall story was... i have no villain, i have nothing other than a wandering kid.... i think part of the problem is the bloat mentioned above, i don't want to slog through filler prose looking for the story i want the story to be present throughout. IN the 2 days i put the book aside i ended up getting hooked on another fantasy book... i ran through its 400+ pages in no time. My kindle says the unsuspecting mage is about 350 pages... its taken me most of a week to get through it and i still haven't finished the last bit, probably won't.

I had high hopes and with a better editor this book and the rest of the series (i can't believe that there are 5...6??) more books in the series... then again if a lot of the book is filler prose and Inn menus and random wanderings (i would assume not as the back cover on those books has James as an established hero) then i guess you could bloat it out to many many volumes.(less)

like · see review

Feb 11, 2011 Renee rated it 2 of 5 stars

I obtained this book free through Barnes and Noble on my Nook. While I appreciate the elements of the story, I do believe the author would have benefited from an editor. The grammar and style errors were somewhat distracting, especially the author's tendency to shift points of view between characters in the middle of scenes (sometimes paragraphs!) with no transition, so it becomes a somewhat confusing read. Also, an editor would have really helped in trimming some of the repetitive and meanderin...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 18, 2010 Teri rated it 4 of 5 stars

This author is self-published and I can't believe that for as long as this book has been out, I haven't heard more about the series or the author. I downloaded this as a free "teaser" for my Kindle and was introduced to the fantasy of Brian S. Pratt and what appears to be a 7 volume series of the Morcyth Saga.

I really like the way the book is written in present tense and how it follows James in his journey to a new magical land. The details make it easy to get lost in the world and feel as if y...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 25, 2011 Sebastien rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fan de roman légé et fantaisiste

Recommended to Sebastien by: Internet

Shelves: high-fantasy

Pour vous mettre en contexte, cette critique sera sur ma deuxième lecture de ce livre. Car à l'origine, quand je l'ai acheté, j'avais beaucoup d'attente. Sur les site de critique on me parlait d'un nouvel auteur qui avait lu plus de 1000 roman de fantasy, qui était un fan du genre et qui en plus aimais les jeux RPG de type dongeon and dragon. On me parlait d'un auteur qui avait pris toute son expérience et écrit une histoire comme un fan, pour les fan et comment lui aurait aimé que soit fait un...more Pour vous mettre en contexte, cette critique sera sur ma deuxième lecture de ce livre. Car à l'origine, quand je l'ai acheté, j'avais beaucoup d'attente. Sur les site de critique on me parlait d'un nouvel auteur qui avait lu plus de 1000 roman de fantasy, qui était un fan du genre et qui en plus aimais les jeux RPG de type dongeon and dragon. On me parlait d'un auteur qui avait pris toute son expérience et écrit une histoire comme un fan, pour les fan et comment lui aurait aimé que soit fait une histoire de fantasy. Plusieurs critiques parlait d'une histoire de mage puissant, de dieu en colère, de bataille épiques et d'une quest incroyable où un maniaque de jeu de rôle et de roman de fantasy se retrouve dans un monde magique où il peut non seulement faire de la magie, mais en plus il sait utiliser à son avantage ce qu'il a lu dans ses roman.

Avec une prémisse comme celle là, je m'attendais à lire le "king of the book". Alors quand j'ai lu le livre pour la première fois, je n'avais pas encore beaucoup d'expérience de lecture (je parle d'auteur de qualité ici) et j'avais bien aimer le livre, je lui aurait donner au moins 4 étoiles. Mais j'ai attendu d'avoir la série complète pour la lire d'une shot, ce qui représentera la critique actuelle.

Donc pour reprendre la critique, après ma première lecture j'étais satisfait de cette lecture bien que je trouvais qu'il n'y avait pas de quoi s'arracher les cheveux de sur la tête. J'ai donc attendu pour lire la suite et me procurer les 7 livres de la série et c'est quand j'ai reçu le dernier que j'ai commencer à lire ce livre pour la seconde fois mais cette fois-ci après avoir lu La Belgariad, Malazan Book of the Fallen, Sword of Truth et Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever que je n'avais pas lu auparavant.

J'ai trouver le livre très difficile à lire cette fois-ci. Car pour un auteur qui a lu plein de livre et un héros qui est supposé abuser du fait qu'il en a lu lui aussi, ce premier livre manque la mire de manière magistrale. Avec un bassin de classique comme les Tapisseries de Fionavar, Lord of The Ring, Wheel of Time et toutes les séries que j'ai cité ci-dessus, je ne vois pas en quoi la lecture de ces classique a aidé l'auteur à écrire un roman comme celui-ci. Le héros n'est pas tant géniale que ça et en plus il vie la vie douce pas mal dans ce premier volume. Il arrive, il aide des gens, il se fait donner l'or des malfrat et un cheval en plus et il part à l'aventure. Assez ordinaire merci.

Donc à ma deuxième lecture j'ai trouvé que sa manquait de puissance, d'imagination et surtout d'intrigue. À la fin son amis, un jeune garçon appeler Miko (encore des enfants, my god les enfants ne font pas des bonne fantasy)qui se fait enlever et le personnage principal James décide d'aller le chercher. Je call même pas un spoiler sur ça. C'était écrit dans le ciel qui arriverais malheur au jeune garçon. Donc aucun punch pour le livre, juste une ballade dans la campagne et un peu d'action venant d'un mage qui a accès à tous les sort de Donjon et Dragon, mais qui semble toujours oublier leur existence.

En plus l'auteur écris l'histoire au présent et parfois il oublie et passe au passé. On voit clairement que l'oeuvre à été auto-publié et qu'il n'y a pas eu d'éditing. Je dois quand même dire pour la défense de l'auteur qu'il est plus constant dans son écriture que des auteurs a grand succès. La prose est simple mais efficace.

Un peu décevant, en espérant que les prochains livre seront meilleur. Il ne faut pas oublier que c'est une série pensé sur 7 livres, donc peut-être que l'auteur voulais nous ménager et nous faire découvrir son génie dans les prochaines oeuvres. Ça sera a voir, lisez mes critiques si vous voulez en savoir plus. Sinon emprunté ce livre ou achetez le en format E-Book, car vous pourriez être déçu.

(less)

like · see review

Dec 02, 2011 Jeffrey Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This book was a difficult read. I enjoyed the story line and the character development but found several issues that kept it from being and outstanding book. There were several incongruities that just nagged at me as I read the story. I found several references in the story that just seemed out of date. One point in particular was when the youth was comparing his surreal experience to 'The Twilight Zone'. I sincerely doubt that a youth of today, especially one that spent nearly all his time read...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 12, 2012 Sandra Pulliam rated it 2 of 5 stars

I hate to say this however I could not finish this book:( At first it seemed like I was going to like it. It was interesting and kept my attention. Well, after about 1/4 way through the book I started drifting. There is a little saying "sometimes less is more" that totally applies to this book. There was WAY too much description of everything happening in the book that I got frustrated. From him walking up the stairs and turning right then walking down the hall to whatever room number he had. Th...more

like · see review

Aug 14, 2012 Q. rated it 3 of 5 stars

One of the most startling discoveries you make when you are through with the first two chapters is that the whole book is written in a present continuous tense which in the case of this book gives it a very good flow. This is the the first book in the Morcyth Series and I was expecting a little more. The book initially comes across as a little childish and over simplistic as the writer takes his time to set out the scenery, describe characters and lay the groundwork for the story to come. Howeve...more

like · see review

Jan 20, 2011 Scott rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm a big fan of the everyday young American being transported to a fantastical world and discovering he has magical power type story. That's what this is and I really wanted to like it. But it's written at about a third grade reading level and has far too much mundane dialog to really make it enjoyable. Coupled with an awkward present tense structure, and naive head-hopping, I REALLY had to struggle to finish it. If I wasn't counting books I finished reading this year, I wouldn't have finished...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2013 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mmm-2013-michelle-c

I really enjoyed this book up until the end. I know that this is book one of a series (at least 7 in the series) but I HATE it when the author pulls a "Who killed J.R.?" on you at the end of a book. While I want to know what happens to James and Miko, I'm not sure I want to read any of the rest of the series if this is the way they will all end. The author could have kept the reader invested in the series and wanting to read the next book to find out what happens without leaving me with this hor...more

like · see review

Jun 18, 2012 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-free

The plot got better over time, but in many places I found it to be lacking. It seems like the work of someone who hasn't quite figured out the intricacies of what detail needs to be included and what detail can be left out. He just didn't push far enough. There are some details that really didn't make a whole lot of sense either, such as how a main character with the particular set of experiences and attributes that James had could know and accomplish some of the things he did, even if he did re...more

like · see review

Jul 24, 2011 Sack Boy rated it 1 of 5 stars

I started it, and loved it for about 200 pages. And then I realized that the plot was going no where for about all 900 pages of the book. Which was disappointing because I love the concept. The writing style is unique, but I didn't mind it one bit. In a way it was refreshing. Unfortunately, I just couldn't give this book a good rating because I couldn't find a plot. Now, I know the author was trying to mimic the style of a dungeon crawling RPG game. Cool, but as a player of said dungeon crawling...more

like · see review

Nov 04, 2011 Karen rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, e-books

I am the sort of person who will read almost anything all the way to the last page regardless. It takes quite a bit to get me to give up reading something mid stream. That said, I couldn't finish this. The tense and the writing style just drove me up the wall. The concept was an old standby....modern kid gets dumped into alternate/fantasy reality and has to cope. It was refreshing that some of the mundane issues inhearent in such a situation were not glossed over. Unfortunately, I just could not...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 25, 2013 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars

While reading this book I had a strong feeling that prior to publishing, an extra rereading and editing would have done wonders. While the plot is certainly interesting, unfortunately it really shows that the author was not able to reach a fully professional level, yet.
Many times I had lost focus while paying attention to word redundancy, the unexpected use of past tense and the passive, or the extremely simple reasoning and naivity of the characters. Admittedly, it is also visible that the auth...more

like · see review

Jul 30, 2011 Willis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good role-playing/fantasy book. Reads very much like you are in a role-playing game. The text and plot seem like the author took a role-playing game and wrote a novel based on it. The biggest complaint that I have with this first book of the series is that the author tends to tell you what a character is going to do, show the character doing it, and then has the character tell another character about it. (The second book in the series goes a long way in correcting this distracting characteristic...more

like · see review

title link	preview: The Unsuspecting Mage
avg rating	preview: The Unsuspecting Mage Goodreads rating: 3.48 (1039 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5980364-the-unsuspecting-mage?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328033468l/5980364.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5980364-the-unsuspecting-mage?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt[/url]

The Unsuspecting Mage (The Morcyth Saga #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (5)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Brian S. Pratt

Books by Brian S. Pratt

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Unsuspecting ...