Sorcerer's Feud

The Runemaster #2

by Katharine Kerr

Art student Maya Cantescu has always had secrets to keep -- her mysterious disease that has turned her into something like a vampire, her father’s obsession with ritual magic, her own talents for the occult. Now, however, she has a secret far more dangerous than those: in self-defense, she killed a man with magic.

Can her lover, the wealthy, powerful runemaster Tor Thorlaksson, protect her from the consequences? He has dangers of his own to face, because his family’s evil past haunts him. A powerful spirit from the mists of time is hunting Tor down, in hopes of taking him away from Maya and making him her own -- forever.

Genres: Fantasy

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Born in Ohio, 1944. Moved to San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and has lived there ever since. Katharine Kerr has read extensively in the fields of classical archeology, and medieval and dark ages history and literature, and these influences are clear in her work. Her epic Deverry series has won widespread praise and millions of fans around the world.

Reviews

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the author, in ebook format to proof/read/edit for this particular ebook format.

This is the second entry in the Runemaster series. As usual, it's very well written, fast paced & kept me riveted throughout. I highly recommend this series. I'll be impatiently waiting for the next book.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Disclaimer: I read this book twice in beta and was sent a copy by the author when it was finished. My opinions are my own.]

***There are no spoilers in this post, unless you have not read book 1, in which case what are you doing?? Go read it now!!***

In the second installment of the "Runemaster" series, Maya and Tor are dealing with the aftermath of the accidental murder of Tor's uncle Nils. The book picks up almost immediately after the last book ended, with Maya worrying that the police are going to figure out she killed Nils, and come after her. Not to mention her brother is still in the hospital and not progressing with his recovery, she has a final project for her degree to work on, she's finally engaged to Tor, and they make the discovery that Nils had kids, one of whom makes contact with Tor regarding the will.

On top of all of that, there's a frost giant who keeps showing up in the driveway demanding the gold plaque that Tor won't give back, Tor is still a were-bear, and Maya is finally confronting the memories that can unlock her heritage and her powers. And Nazis! *dun dun dun*

Let's get one thing straight: This series is fan-freaking-tastic! I loved reading it all three times, and even in my final read I discovered new things and saw some minor changes that really illuminated the plot. I always have fun reading about Maya and Tor, they are a great couple of characters. And the addition of Joel, Tor's cousin, was a great way to show how Maya is becoming entrenched in the magical world. His disbelief was once hers, but now she's so involved that it's like she was never a "normal" person. Her heritage is even more engrossing, because we finally learn where she's from and how she got her "disease."

Obviously it's not true urban fantasy, and the author says as much in the note at the beginning. It doesn't really fit into any one genre, at least not completely. I consider it simply fantasy set in the modern world (which I normally don't like to read as much, but I find this set wholly entertaining). The writing style is pretty easy to read, because you can end up reading a huge chunk of the book and not realize how much until you check your page count! And it never gets boring. I highly recommend this series (definitely start with book 1, Sorcerer's Luck) to anyone who enjoys a fun but intense story about magic, runes, old gods, and some spicy romance.

[Isca Silurum · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

"He turned me round and took me from behind"

Deveryy an excellent series, this seems like rubbish, irritating to boot!

[Trevor Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sorcerer's Luck and Sorcerer's Feud are incredible stories and must read books.  They have enough new material to be new stories and at the same time have the shadows of some of the threads from her old stories so while not the same are an echo of something familiar resonates in the back of your mind as you read these books. The characters are new, the scenarios are new and the setting is new yet and only the philosophy of telling a good story about characters who are believably real remains intact. Leaving the readers wanting more of the story of Maya Cantescu, an art student in the San Francisco, of Tor Thorlaksson, a sorcerer and runemaster and the lost history they shared in a previous life and the way this and the way events from this previous life came back to haunt them in this one

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carries on pretty directly from the previous book, with Maya struggling to come to terms with who she is and what her abilities might mean. Maya is an engaging heroine and I like the way she calls out Tor on his crap. This was an odd book to read this week, in the wake of Mike Brown's murder in Ferguson, because there is a very strong awareness of the treatment people of colour receive in American society - both from the police and from other institutions. It made it feel very contemporary, even while the story dips into the recent and ancient past. I felt that some of the secondary characters were a bit under-realised, which is why this didn't get the full five stars.

[Redqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm liking this series a lot. A nice change to use Norse magic rather than the usual Celtic or ritual magic. The characters are fun and realistic, the story twisty and fun. Recommended for fans of urban fantasy.

[Dion Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to Sorcerer’s Luck the story picks up where the last one ended. Maya is feeling guilty for killing Nills even though it was self-defence. Tor has received inheritance which includes some magical objects. Unfortunately, one of those objects is stolen and the real owners want it back.

I have always enjoyed Kerr and I have read the majority of what she’s written. This book can loosely be described as an urban fantasy yet it dips a little into classical fantasy. I like the style and while some readers may find the pace a smidge slow, I don’t mind an author taking their time to tell a story. It’s unusual yet very readable. I liked the characters and I like the ties back to Norse mythology and Iceland. If anything, I would have like a little more of this. I think this book would appeal to anyone who enjoys broad spectrum fantasy. I will certainly be reading more from this author once it is released.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

15 Meh. Not the enthralling book that I was hoping for. Very difficult to follow without having read the first one. But I was losing the will to live towards the end of the month when the hero has to justify not having intimate relationships with a she bear and then having to clean the room astrally.

[C.A. Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine Kerr is a favourite author of mine and this book didn't disappoint me. Loved the characters and story line.

[Trevor Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sorcerer's Luck and Sorcerer's Feud are incredible stories and must read books.  They have enough new material to be new stories and at the same time have the shadows of some of the threads from her old stories so while not the same are an echo of something familiar resonates in the back of your mind as you read these books. The characters are new, the scenarios are new and the setting is new yet and only the philosophy of telling a good story about characters who are believably real remains intact. Leaving the readers wanting more of the story of Maya Cantescu, an art student in the San Francisco, of Tor Thorlaksson, a sorcerer and runemaster and the lost history they shared in a previous life and the way this and the way events from this previous life came back to haunt them in this one

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the actual story with two specific caveats.
1) This didn't need Nazis. Why were there Nazis? I'll admit, I'm a bit sensitive to sudden Nazis, but come on! What did that add to the narrative?
2) Kerr solved my objection to Tor and Maya by making her as domineering as him. So, yeah. He's still an insecure example of toxic masculinity and he doesn't get better. I'm not sure if her sudden willingness to be controlling and angry as well does anything other than make me dislike her...which I guess works. I don't resent the paring.
Which is enough to knock this out of a 3 into the realm of 2.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst this installment was better than the first, I still don't get why it has a 4.5 star rating. It's a mess. The writing is atrocious and the editing is even worse.

The story line is what saves it. The Norse magic is not your regular 'run of the mill' fantasy fiction. The idea of image magic was absolutely captivating and the only reason I'm awarding it 3 stars.

Maya has got to be one of the most irritating protagonists I've ever read.

If you want to read something different and can look past the clumsy writing it's only 255 pages so what the hey...

Roll on the next book for 2015...