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Republic Of Magic
FREEDOM FIGHTER IN A WORLD OF MAGIC!
Dan Zee is determined to bring democracy to ancient Pacesacre, but that makes him a threat to the mages and tyrants vying for power in the lawless land. The shadowy Cabalmaster of the Vampyren Empire, the cruel High Priestess of the Death Goddess, even Dan’s liege, the beautiful half-elven Stara Romasai, each wants to rule the kingdom. No democracy needed. But Dan is Ruskiya, a tribe known for honesty and courage, so the lies and brutality only make him more determined to bring freedom to his people.
Can he start a democracy in a world that has never supported one? And even if an election IS held, amid the growing chaos, won’t the tyrants simply cheat to win?
REPUBLIC OF MAGIC
Read this fast-paced epic of intrigue, danger, and courage by the author of Disk Of Dragons !
Dan Zee is determined to bring democracy to ancient Pacesacre, but that makes him a threat to the mages and tyrants vying for power in the lawless land. The shadowy Cabalmaster of the Vampyren Empire, the cruel High Priestess of the Death Goddess, even Dan’s liege, the beautiful half-elven Stara Romasai, each wants to rule the kingdom. No democracy needed. But Dan is Ruskiya, a tribe known for honesty and courage, so the lies and brutality only make him more determined to bring freedom to his people.
Can he start a democracy in a world that has never supported one? And even if an election IS held, amid the growing chaos, won’t the tyrants simply cheat to win?
REPUBLIC OF MAGIC
Read this fast-paced epic of intrigue, danger, and courage by the author of Disk Of Dragons !
458 pages, Paperback
Published August 9, 2023
About the author
P.M.F. Johnson
22 books19 followersI've always liked to mix things together that have never been put together before. So while I've aimed to make my epic fantasy novels fun and fast-paced, I also want them to have some depth, to last in the memory, maybe even to deepen the soul a little.
The best stories aren't just about facing troubles, I figure, but also admitting why we got into trouble in the first place, finding the courage to change, and getting back out again, somehow.
This work has resulted first in my Saga of Sinnesemota series: Disk of Dragons, Trollen Rose, Call of the Labyrinth, and most recently Dark Alley Magic. These novels follow the challenges, failures and successes of Rev Caern, Gabryal Lansdon, and their friends as they battle the evil that threatens their world.
I'm very happy about my most recent fantasy, Dark Alley Magic, where a young mother, Yusi Capulo, battles to free her children from a corrupt world of dark magic. She is in a medieval mobster family, and struggles to get out. It's a different theme than most fantasies, but the tension keeps growing, especially when Yusi meets Gabryal, acting as a prosecutor for the king. Gabryal wants her to testify against her family. That would be almost suicidal, except that Yusi is charged with murder, so Gabryal has leverage over her. It's a fast-paced tale, and I think you will enjoy it.
In a more casual vein, I started to think: what would cowboys be like in a fantasy world, living the frontier life while battling monsters? The result was my two weird western novels, Drifter Mage and Desert Mage.
Finally, I have three books of poetry out. A Life In The Day tells of the adventures of a life's pilgrim. Adding The Subtractions details the time of my father's passing. And closest to my heart, Against The Night tells of my life-long love for my wife, the writer Sandra Rector. In it, poems tell the tale of a long love, with joys, challenges, and surprises.
I hope you enjoy all of these books.
The best stories aren't just about facing troubles, I figure, but also admitting why we got into trouble in the first place, finding the courage to change, and getting back out again, somehow.
This work has resulted first in my Saga of Sinnesemota series: Disk of Dragons, Trollen Rose, Call of the Labyrinth, and most recently Dark Alley Magic. These novels follow the challenges, failures and successes of Rev Caern, Gabryal Lansdon, and their friends as they battle the evil that threatens their world.
I'm very happy about my most recent fantasy, Dark Alley Magic, where a young mother, Yusi Capulo, battles to free her children from a corrupt world of dark magic. She is in a medieval mobster family, and struggles to get out. It's a different theme than most fantasies, but the tension keeps growing, especially when Yusi meets Gabryal, acting as a prosecutor for the king. Gabryal wants her to testify against her family. That would be almost suicidal, except that Yusi is charged with murder, so Gabryal has leverage over her. It's a fast-paced tale, and I think you will enjoy it.
In a more casual vein, I started to think: what would cowboys be like in a fantasy world, living the frontier life while battling monsters? The result was my two weird western novels, Drifter Mage and Desert Mage.
Finally, I have three books of poetry out. A Life In The Day tells of the adventures of a life's pilgrim. Adding The Subtractions details the time of my father's passing. And closest to my heart, Against The Night tells of my life-long love for my wife, the writer Sandra Rector. In it, poems tell the tale of a long love, with joys, challenges, and surprises.
I hope you enjoy all of these books.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 14, 2023
Politically Charged High Fantasy
This book is an incredibly well written and profoundly inventive work in the Fantasy genre, and is Part 4 of a longer series. It is a deep and thought-provoking work, and very much imbued with political philosophy, given the quotations cited at the start of every chapter from some mysterious and ancient tome, which help to lend the novel a real epic feel.
The world-building is intricate and highly evolved, immersing the reader amid creatures and entities as diverse as vampyren, orcen, elves, wolven - and mortal humans. The world has its own dating system, its own days of the week, and a lavish pantheon of gods and goddesses with their diverse powers, and the nine "artefacts" - mysterious objects conferring power and wisdom, of which the Rose of Understanding, wielded by Emperor Elect Stara, is one.
The novel accompanies virtuous orcen Dan Zee as he attempts to install democracy amid increasingly warring and diverging factions, from the power-hungry Hopys to the sinister Var to the bloodthirsty priestess Il Vatra. The novel can become at times over-embroiled in detail and the constant political campaigns and electioneering became repetitive, as did some of the battle scenes towards the end. I did at times struggle to remember who was who and who belonged to what group, which might be my fault. However, a good thing was that there was no over-indulgent or gratuitously graphic violence in the novel, though there are some battle scenes. The more personal scenes about the relationship between Dan, his girlfriend Jalala, and stepson Budh are tender and moving, but can occasionally be repetitive.
Some of the scenes involving ritualistic sacrifice, possession, or the veneration of a god or goddess are profoundly epic, and give the novel a flavour of ancient legend. With all its different creatures, its sweeping world-building combined with its Machiavellian political machinations, the novel could almost be described as Lord of the Rings meets House of Cards.
This book is an incredibly well written and profoundly inventive work in the Fantasy genre, and is Part 4 of a longer series. It is a deep and thought-provoking work, and very much imbued with political philosophy, given the quotations cited at the start of every chapter from some mysterious and ancient tome, which help to lend the novel a real epic feel.
The world-building is intricate and highly evolved, immersing the reader amid creatures and entities as diverse as vampyren, orcen, elves, wolven - and mortal humans. The world has its own dating system, its own days of the week, and a lavish pantheon of gods and goddesses with their diverse powers, and the nine "artefacts" - mysterious objects conferring power and wisdom, of which the Rose of Understanding, wielded by Emperor Elect Stara, is one.
The novel accompanies virtuous orcen Dan Zee as he attempts to install democracy amid increasingly warring and diverging factions, from the power-hungry Hopys to the sinister Var to the bloodthirsty priestess Il Vatra. The novel can become at times over-embroiled in detail and the constant political campaigns and electioneering became repetitive, as did some of the battle scenes towards the end. I did at times struggle to remember who was who and who belonged to what group, which might be my fault. However, a good thing was that there was no over-indulgent or gratuitously graphic violence in the novel, though there are some battle scenes. The more personal scenes about the relationship between Dan, his girlfriend Jalala, and stepson Budh are tender and moving, but can occasionally be repetitive.
Some of the scenes involving ritualistic sacrifice, possession, or the veneration of a god or goddess are profoundly epic, and give the novel a flavour of ancient legend. With all its different creatures, its sweeping world-building combined with its Machiavellian political machinations, the novel could almost be described as Lord of the Rings meets House of Cards.
December 12, 2023
A story of faith and deception
Republic of Magic follows Dan Zee, an orcen warrior turned political instigator in his bid to bring democracy to a newly conquered land.
After a slow, somewhat repetitive, beginning where the main character's dialogue focusses almost entirely on his need for democracy, the story grew into something interesting and entertaining. The author explores the difficulties of multi-species society and the delicacy of politics keeping everyone happy, while building a democracy from scratch. All the while, evil forces try their best to prevent democracy from working.
Republic of Magic follows Dan Zee, an orcen warrior turned political instigator in his bid to bring democracy to a newly conquered land.
After a slow, somewhat repetitive, beginning where the main character's dialogue focusses almost entirely on his need for democracy, the story grew into something interesting and entertaining. The author explores the difficulties of multi-species society and the delicacy of politics keeping everyone happy, while building a democracy from scratch. All the while, evil forces try their best to prevent democracy from working.
October 14, 2023
Good book! The lore is interesting and the characters are intriguing. I particularly like Jalala and Budh. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter are great, too. They offer a sense of history and really add to the world-building.
There are numerous editing errors though. At times, it really hurts the overall experience of reading the book. Still, I'd recommend reading it.
There are numerous editing errors though. At times, it really hurts the overall experience of reading the book. Still, I'd recommend reading it.
January 20, 2024
First the good; Republic of Magic is one of the most imaginative books I've read in a long while. Johnson starts out on a very different world populated by a vast managery of characters and immediately places you in the action, which is quickly followed by character and story revelation through crisp narration and dialogue. If Johnson wrote the scenes throughout the book in one pass, I'm giving up authoring. It would take me considerable work to populate that rich a universe with names and places which are perfect fits for the story being told. The story, characters, events, and court/palace intrigue are worthy of any ancient empire from Babylon to the Persians to the Q'ins to the Aztecs to Holy Roman to Tudor England.
Bravo!
Now the not so good; the story keeps moving that way until about half way in. It still moves, simply not as well. The slide is gradual and I doubt most would notice, but it is there until page 400 or so (the book is 441 pages long) where the court intrigue starts coming together and drawing the reader to a satisfying conclusion.
A definite not so good was points of confusion in the story. More than once I had to go back a few pages to figure out what I missed. Sometimes POV shifted, sometimes the language lacked (Johnson's naming of creatures and places is spot on. I believed them. I scratched my head at some of Johnson's names for magical elements/power objects as the terms seemed cliche and the language fell flat) More than once I lost track of who was doing what, and in a few places I experienced gender confusion (I didn't know queens could become emperors, things like that). Lastly, while most of the language was strong and confident, some of the metaphors/similes lacked the poetic power of the rest of the manuscript.
And in the end, a worthy read.
Bravo!
Now the not so good; the story keeps moving that way until about half way in. It still moves, simply not as well. The slide is gradual and I doubt most would notice, but it is there until page 400 or so (the book is 441 pages long) where the court intrigue starts coming together and drawing the reader to a satisfying conclusion.
A definite not so good was points of confusion in the story. More than once I had to go back a few pages to figure out what I missed. Sometimes POV shifted, sometimes the language lacked (Johnson's naming of creatures and places is spot on. I believed them. I scratched my head at some of Johnson's names for magical elements/power objects as the terms seemed cliche and the language fell flat) More than once I lost track of who was doing what, and in a few places I experienced gender confusion (I didn't know queens could become emperors, things like that). Lastly, while most of the language was strong and confident, some of the metaphors/similes lacked the poetic power of the rest of the manuscript.
And in the end, a worthy read.
December 22, 2023
I really enjoyed Dark Alley Magic, one of P.M.F.’s previous novels. This one … unfortunately not so much.
Yusi, the protagonist of Dark Alley Magic, was a great character. Strong-willed and ready to overcome anything life decided to throw her way. Dan Zee had the potential to be just as interesting (he’s a reptilian warrior turned politician which sounds pretty cool, right?), but I never really felt a connection to his struggles. This was perhaps not helped by long sections of dialogue that failed to hold my interest and his relationship with Jalala which came across as a bit too wooden.
In fact, none of the characters were particularly engaging. I found there wasn’t enough excitement to the political sparring, though that’s perhaps because I wasn’t really invested in Dan and his quest for democracy.
What I did like was how the book was written. P.M.F.’s prose is nice and easy to read, never overly descriptive or self-indulgent. He had the difficult task of building a complicated world containing multiple species each with their own histories and religions, and he managed to do so with panache. I especially enjoyed the little epigraphs at the start of each chapter that added some context to past events or the culture.
P.M.F. also knows how to write a good action scene, either individual stand-offs or larger, full-scale battles. I found myself caught up in these moments far more than the slower, more political elements.
It’s always hard to take the cutting knife to one’s own material, but I believe that with a bit of trimming and a reworking of some of Dan’s dialogue, this could be a really great book. As it stands, it’s a good one, and worth a try if you’re a fan of deep, fully-fleshed-out societies and plenty of political intrigue.
Yusi, the protagonist of Dark Alley Magic, was a great character. Strong-willed and ready to overcome anything life decided to throw her way. Dan Zee had the potential to be just as interesting (he’s a reptilian warrior turned politician which sounds pretty cool, right?), but I never really felt a connection to his struggles. This was perhaps not helped by long sections of dialogue that failed to hold my interest and his relationship with Jalala which came across as a bit too wooden.
In fact, none of the characters were particularly engaging. I found there wasn’t enough excitement to the political sparring, though that’s perhaps because I wasn’t really invested in Dan and his quest for democracy.
What I did like was how the book was written. P.M.F.’s prose is nice and easy to read, never overly descriptive or self-indulgent. He had the difficult task of building a complicated world containing multiple species each with their own histories and religions, and he managed to do so with panache. I especially enjoyed the little epigraphs at the start of each chapter that added some context to past events or the culture.
P.M.F. also knows how to write a good action scene, either individual stand-offs or larger, full-scale battles. I found myself caught up in these moments far more than the slower, more political elements.
It’s always hard to take the cutting knife to one’s own material, but I believe that with a bit of trimming and a reworking of some of Dan’s dialogue, this could be a really great book. As it stands, it’s a good one, and worth a try if you’re a fan of deep, fully-fleshed-out societies and plenty of political intrigue.
November 6, 2023
This is an interesting novel that I enjoyed more as I read along. Characters are always introduced with a block of description, which I at first found stilted, but as I read on I realized it started making me feel like I was reading an ancient heroic tale.
And talking about tails, there are characters who have tails. I love when SF/F novels have characters that are not human, and this novel does. Not only do characters have tails, but these tails are actually portrayed as useful and regular body parts. It's really well done and is one of the things that adds to the fantasy feel.
I abhor spoilers, but suffice it to say there's a deep love story, lots of politics, and intriguing characters. There are scenes that I really admired in which the fantasy elements were given just as straightforward a treatment as the more mundane elements. Meaning, magic and ritual was treated as a part of the characters' life, which conversely makes the entire tale (there's those tales/tails again) seem more steeped in the fantastic.
I believe this novel could use some more editing and/or workshopping. There were lots of exciting situations that could have been dramatized but were just relegated to a few paragraphs in narrative, leeching the situations of their excitement. Conversely, there were scenes that could have been summed up in a few paragraphs that were fully dramatized. There were similar conversations between the love interests, for instance, that happened several times and yet nothing seemed to progress.
Overall, I was impressed with the novel's scope and the passion and love with which the author treated his tale and his characters.
And talking about tails, there are characters who have tails. I love when SF/F novels have characters that are not human, and this novel does. Not only do characters have tails, but these tails are actually portrayed as useful and regular body parts. It's really well done and is one of the things that adds to the fantasy feel.
I abhor spoilers, but suffice it to say there's a deep love story, lots of politics, and intriguing characters. There are scenes that I really admired in which the fantasy elements were given just as straightforward a treatment as the more mundane elements. Meaning, magic and ritual was treated as a part of the characters' life, which conversely makes the entire tale (there's those tales/tails again) seem more steeped in the fantastic.
I believe this novel could use some more editing and/or workshopping. There were lots of exciting situations that could have been dramatized but were just relegated to a few paragraphs in narrative, leeching the situations of their excitement. Conversely, there were scenes that could have been summed up in a few paragraphs that were fully dramatized. There were similar conversations between the love interests, for instance, that happened several times and yet nothing seemed to progress.
Overall, I was impressed with the novel's scope and the passion and love with which the author treated his tale and his characters.
February 20, 2024
Ahead of a vital election, a number of factions are jostling for power, some ruthless, some pragmatic, some idealist. Excellent, looks like we’re in for some Dune-like intrigue, deception and cold-blooded murder. But instead they keep going round in circles arguing the same arguments, without actually getting round to just stabbing each other in the back. Dan is desperate for democracy, but seems to have very little gravitas or negotiating nous, and keeps hoping for the intervention of magical forces (which doesn’t sound all that democratic, but hey).
I have to admit I was quite confused about the political system: the people get to vote but there’s an Empress who seems to be already chosen and the vote can be for either a democratic system or a dictatorship. As there are a number of species involved, I’d assume everyone would just vote for their own species leader regardless?
The stakes are raised a good way into the book, making me wonder why the book didn’t simply start there. But then it all kind of drags until the violence truly begins. Whew.
All in all, it was hard to get behind Dan no matter how virtuous his ideals. I’d have enjoyed the book more if it had been from the viewpoint of one of the nastier characters, who I could have got a guilty thrill out of supporting – while looking forward to a grisly end for them. And while I know this book is part of a series, as a newcomer to it I’d have enjoyed more references to the historical and cultural backgrounds of the different species – and how they might have affected the political dynamics.
I have to admit I was quite confused about the political system: the people get to vote but there’s an Empress who seems to be already chosen and the vote can be for either a democratic system or a dictatorship. As there are a number of species involved, I’d assume everyone would just vote for their own species leader regardless?
The stakes are raised a good way into the book, making me wonder why the book didn’t simply start there. But then it all kind of drags until the violence truly begins. Whew.
All in all, it was hard to get behind Dan no matter how virtuous his ideals. I’d have enjoyed the book more if it had been from the viewpoint of one of the nastier characters, who I could have got a guilty thrill out of supporting – while looking forward to a grisly end for them. And while I know this book is part of a series, as a newcomer to it I’d have enjoyed more references to the historical and cultural backgrounds of the different species – and how they might have affected the political dynamics.
December 21, 2023
Republic of Magic is the story of a city transforming from one ruled by warlords to a democracy. And that word is used hundreds of times in many conversations between the characters. The overall plot is interesting and the world full of diverse sentient species with their own unique cultures and motivations. The dragons were particularly fun. The mythology is described well and important to the story, in particular the magic Artifacts.
The book is longer than it needed to be, due to the repetitive arguments about democracy and many scenes of fighting in the streets between warring factions. The main character Dan was dull and didn't have much depth. I didn't relate to any of the characters.
This epic fantasy would be appreciated by readers who enjoy stories about the nitty gritty of empire building.
The book is longer than it needed to be, due to the repetitive arguments about democracy and many scenes of fighting in the streets between warring factions. The main character Dan was dull and didn't have much depth. I didn't relate to any of the characters.
This epic fantasy would be appreciated by readers who enjoy stories about the nitty gritty of empire building.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews