Starship's Mage: Omnibus

Starship’s Mage #1

by Glynn Stewart

A ship that cannot leaveA Mage that will not stayA meeting of desperationsIn a galaxy tied together by the magic of the elite Jump Mages, Damien Montgomery graduates into their numbers—only to discover that without connections, he can't find a ship and is stuck in the Sherwood system.Pirates attacked David Rice's jump freighter, leaving him with a dead Mage and a damaged ship—stuck in Sherwood, where a grieving father has blacklisted him from hiring a replacement Jump Mage.When their desperate needs meet, Damien Montgomery is drawn into a conflict with the most powerful criminal organization in the galaxy—and to the attention of the Mage-King of Mars himself!

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Space Opera, Magic, Fiction, Space, Audiobook

432 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2014

About the author

Glynn Stewart is the author of over 60 books, including Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible–but only because of magic.

Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Southern Ontario with his partner, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.

Reviews

[Alfred · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glynn Stewart's writing is not great. He does not have a gift with words or with story telling. His narrative is flat and boring. I was put off from the start by the way he reminds us about events that just happened one chapter ago, or by some premise he explains again only tens of pages after he introduces it. And then again, and again, as if he does not trust his readers to be able to remember things for longer.

The plot is equally simplified, for the forgetful reader. In chapter one Damian cannot get a job because of all the other "birthright" fresh graduates. In chapter two, a birthright mage dies saving his ship and his all-powerful father is so upset that he bans the surviving ship and crew from ever getting a birthright mage. In chapter three Damian and the ship's captain are put together to solve each other's problem.

The entire book is equally simple. I am looking at the big ratings people gave this book and I simply fail to understand what is it that they liked.

One thing the author is good at is world building. And he is quite imaginative at that. But the plot, the characters, the story telling, the phrasing, the choice of words, and generally speaking the literary style in this book are uninspiring.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second magic and technology novel I've read of late. I must admit while this one delves deeply into the fantasy side of things and tells a very "brain-candyish" story I think I actually enjoyed it more. It gets a 5 star rating based on the enjoyment factor.

In a universe where starships are "jumped" across interstellar distances by mages who somehow manage to teleport them through time and space Damien Montgomery is a mage and wants to be a Jump-Mage. Sadly the family of the Mage King has a lot of members on his home world and getting a position as a Jump Mage doesn't seem to be in the cards...that is it doesn't seem to be in the cards until the ship the Blue Jay gets black listed by the Mage Governor and can't get a Jump Mage. While it could mean trouble Damien really wants to be a Jump Mage so....

From there we launch off into an event filled story that drew me in and held my interest from the first and I have the second Omnibus book (these were apparently first released in segments).

I like this one and while it may not be at the top of my 5 star books I thought I really had to go above the 4. Recommended, enjoy.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Stars
The world-building was definitely the best part of this novel. As a piece of science fiction with elements of fantasy, this story reminded me a bit of Star Wars. Unfortunately, the characters were very weak, particularly the females. Overall, it was a decent escapist read.

[Oren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hot damn this was bad, the dark skinned man said.

[Soo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini-Review:

3.5 Stars

An interesting start to a new series & opening for a new SF world. Magic is a part of technological advances and a key part of enabling space travel. Damien just graduated as a Jump Mage but he has little luck in finding a ship to take him on. Eager to become what he has trained to be, Damien signed on with a blacklisted ship, Blue Jay. A series of misadventures with good intentions had the whole crew running across the universe. Solid characters and a good build for the world setting. The events were well thought out but marred by jumpy transitions.

I want to know more about the magic system. This should be a fun little series to add onto my TBR.

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the story, characters, and world building were a solid 4 stars. The copy editing, however, seems to be absent all together. Therefore I am forced to take a full star off for this minor but consistent irritant that only serves to pull the reader out of the story and leave them wondering what in the world the author was thinking to release this into the wild like this. It feels unfinished because of the copy editing, and that's just sloppy.

I'm told the next book is pretty bad for copy editing, too. I liked the world well enough to soldier on with it, but it's like finding a gold nugget and realizing you have to stick your arm in a dirty sewer to get it.

[Sven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This an "ok" book. It's perfectly enjoyable but doesn't completely live up to it's potential.

What I liked...
- When it focuses on the Mage himself, Damian Montgomery, it's good.
- Achieves a smooth blending of magic with Sci-Fi.
- The setting is well thought out and interesting.
- Great ending.

What I didn't like...
- Wastes a lot of potential by spending too much time telling the story from the perspective of a standard copy and paste "on the edge of the law" space ship captain.
- Weak supporting cast in general.

There is a lot to like in the Starship Mage. The way the story works Fantasy into a Sci-Fi setting is similar to the way Star Wars does it with Jedi and allows for that blending to feel completely natural. The universe it's set in is also pretty interesting place and Damian Montgomery is an easy hero to like. Who doesn't want to read about Space Jedi?

Unfortunately, a lot of these elements are wasted throughout most of this story due to the focus placed on the fairly vanilla smuggling ship he finds himself on, the Blue Jay, and that's where things don't go so well. A lot of time and effort is spent trying to making ship captain David Rice as much a part of the story as Montgomery and that never really works (or at least it didn't for me). The same can pretty much be said for the rest of the crew and a tacked on love interest.

On the upside it ends with a very exciting twist that gives futures books a lot of potential.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, Starship's Mage: Omnibus. I bought this book because Starship's Mage: Episode 1 was free from Amazon on a day I went looking for something new to read in the SFF zone. Free can be a chancy thing: I've gotten a fair number of free books from Amazon that were ... good efforts, to be gracious.

However, with Starship's Mage: Episode 1, author Glynn Stewart sucked me into his universe, made me care about his characters, and gave me a cracking good read. That got him a four star review, but I needed more. More to the point, I needed to know if Stewart was going to be able to maintain a good tale over the longer run.

That has been satisfactorily answered. This serial novel, Starship's Mage: Omnibus, is excellent. It's well-written, fun tale that I enjoyed immensely. Importantly, the book is edited with a considerable eye to both detail and continuity. I only tripped over one error in the entire book (and I'm notoriously nitpicky about such things).

Glynn, I want MORE! And according to the Afterword, I might get some more Damien Montgomery in this very year. That's good. I hope that I get some more time with David Rice and his crew, as well.

For others who might be wondering whether to read this, and WTF is magic doing on a star cruiser ... Well, it's very well done. The reasons for the magic, and the limits on it, mean that you can have a good tale where the magic doesn't just automatically save the good guy at the last minute. Or, not necessarily, at least. There's good tension, good writing, and and a captivating read awaiting you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

[Ay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just read 4 of these back to back.

It’s good solid space opera. The writer is clearly a fan of David Weber. Also of people like Heinlein and Asimov.

The nice thing is that it was written by a Canadian just a few years back, so it’s very multicultural. And in book 3 he starts introducing queer characters here and there, treating it as completely normal.

I’m deducing that these were released as a series first - so there is a bit of repetition in explaining things.

This reminds me a bit of Nathan Lowell - but less individualist. Maybe post Nathan Lowell?

[Debrac2014 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, action packed story! Due to his captains actions Damien, a novice mage, has his hands full!
I enjoyed the mix of magic with technology!

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slatko sam pročitao ovaj sajens fantazi samizdat. Reč je o pravoj milka čokoladi fantastike, što će reći da je hranljiva vrednost nepostojeća, štetna je po organizam ali ima odličan ukus i posle nje bi da drmneš nešto hladno i gazirano.

Zaista i ovaj roman je takav. Pristupio sam mu bez ikakvih očekivanja, nakon što mi je već godinama čučao na kindlu, sve se nadajući da ću dobiti fan service limunadicu - što sam i dobio. U "Magu zvezdanog broda" sadržan je DNK serijala o Honor Harington, raznoraznih drugih perjanica Bejn Buksa, nekoliko ljubavnih pisama upućenih na adrese stare škole fantastike, poput Hajnlajna, poneka mrvica savremene politike i taman fina merica klanjanja monarhističkom autoritetu s jedne i sumanutom libertarijanizmu s druge strane da prija svakome ko je voleo da gleda "Staršip truperse". Štaviše, ne bi me čudilo da je i naslov ovog kompozitnog romančića zapravo omaž Hajnlajnu.

Kažem "kompozitnom" jer je ovo zapravo omnibus novela, koje je Stjuart objavljivao zasebno tokom godinu dana koliko mu je trebalo da napiše ceo serijal/roman. Ovo ne samo da nije ništa strašno, već je i način na koji je izdavaštvo funkcionisalo bar dvestotinak godina i koji štaviše pozdravljam. Malo je dosadno što je autor počesto trošio i svoje i čitaočevo vreme na podsećanje šta je bilo pre pedesetak stranica, ali to se u svetlu serijalizacije romana i može oprostiti.

Naravno, protagonista je Meri Su, ili kako se to već kaže za muškarca, napredak u karijeri mu je munjevit, blablabla. Sve stare dobre trope jeftinog SF-a su tu. Pisanje nije odlično, ni vrlo dobro - ali jeste dobro. Svakako na nivou velike većine savremene YA ponude, pa čak i vodećih autorki u tom segmentu, pa to shvatite kako god hoćete.

Ocena koju ću dati ovom romanu neće obećavati - bilo bi krajnje nerealno da dobije bilo šta preko 3*. Međutim, ocena koju ću mu dati nikako nije merilo uživanja koje mi je priredio. Sasvim sigurno mu se neću vraćati, ali sa zadovoljstvom ću nastaviti da pratim ovaj serijal koliko odmah.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stewart, Glynn. Starship’s Mage: Omnibus. Starship’s Mage No. 1. Faolan’s Pen, 2014.
I picked up Starship’s Mage because Nathan Lowell, one of my favorite authors, said that Stewart is a comfort read for him, even though Stewart’s brand of space opera fantasy was what Lowell’s novels reacted against. Stewart cranks out genre fiction at a prodigious rate. This omnibus edition was originally published in five novella-length episodes. In the last four years, Stewart has produced nine more full-length novels in the series. At the same time, he is been producing several other series of science fiction novels. The premise of Starship’s Mage is simple. At some point in the recent past, human beings have discovered how to use rune-based magic to power interstellar spacecraft and other technologies. Every starship needs a mage to cast the spell that will jump them between stars. OK. I know. But it is either that or wormholes and tachyons. Some mages can use spells in combat, others can use them to control the minds of others, and some can do it all. There is now an interstellar empire run by the Mage King of Mars. Our hero, Damien, is a starship’s mage who does not come from one of the aristocratic magical families. He is thus a cross between Harry Potter and Horatio Hornblower. As his skills develop, it turns out that he can do it all. So. Add an adventurous plot, and there you have it. A comfort read. At least it is better for you than hotdogs and beer.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It is full of adventure, magic, and scifi. There are three reasons why it did not receive 5 stars.
1. Characters of different races are only described by their skin tones. There are no personality descriptions, no other physical descriptions. I think one was described as a small slim build, but I do not recall any further details aside form constantly referred to as "dark skinned" or "brown skinned". There was a Sikh and we were constantly reminded of his turban. We do not know if they have any habits or quirks, if they had a crooked nose, or if they were grumpy or funny.
2. Women in this book are grossly underrated. They are means for sexual gratification or vehicles for the plot. The only strong female in the book has zero plot, no personality, and minimal scenes. I really would have liked to know more of her story, but again, she is just a vehicle.
3. Hero complex galore. The main characters are both good guys who are only trying to save lives (maybe a bit of work in between). Maybe I just enjoy a dash or moral greyness in my characters. Maybe I enjoy it when the hero can't always save the day. Or maybe I just expect more substance from my characers.

Again I wanted to love this book especially when there are so many books in the series.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first volume of a series but works on its own. It's also a compilation of independent episodes, which can be discerned by occasional repetition of information on "what has gone before."

An SF story where we can reach the stars with FTL -- which is magic. Not figuratively. One mage is desperately looking for a job as a Jump Mage because he has no family connections, and one ship, attacked by pirates, lost its mage in a heroic sacrifice to get them away, and is blacklisted from hiring a Jump Mage by his family.

It involves why the pirates were after the ship, various kinds of smuggling, an alcoholic beverage illegal on many worlds, working with runes, the mage having a power that most don't, bounties, and more.

[Zad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started to read this series because I like Glynn Stewarts Castle Federation series, and his writing style. I had my doubts about merging magic and fantasy with sci-fi and technology. I must say that I was thoroughly surprised. This is a very well written book and when Glynn writes about channeling excess magical energy through a fire spell to a spaceships heat sink I immediately became a fan of this series too.

I highly recommend this book.

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll write this review in the style of Glynn Stewart's writing: "The gray haired woman and the short young man asked the wiry black man what he thought of the science-fiction book. He, along with his friend who was a red headed woman with small eyes, frowned. 'It was ok for a time waster', he said quietly. 'My mother and I felt that his writing was just too full of needless adjectives and adverbs, though', he gruffly added. His mother was a black woman."

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

STARSHIP'S MAGE is a book that has been sitting on my Kindle for some time and I am kicking myself for not reading it sooner. It is a book that I strongly recommend on the basis of simply being a fun read that provides a simple but consistent space opera setting. I have some issues with the book (technically omnibus of four novellas) but it is, overall, one of the better things you can pick up on Kindle Unlimited.

The setting is a universe where magic is the secret of faster-than-light travel and Jump Mages are an essential part of any starship's crew. Damien Montgomery is a mid-tier mage with no family connections that finds out his special gift is about to make him one of the most wanted men in the galaxy. Having joined up with a blacklisted shipping crew, his attempts to save them from pirates results in them both surviving as well as finding themselves sheltering him against forces far beyond their control.

Damien has a sort of Shinji Ikari-esque quality of being extremely down on himself and emotionally withdrawn. Despite being in his mid-twenties, he looks like he's sixteen and doesn't have much faith in his prospects. You have to wonder what sort of treatment our protagonist got at home and at wizard's school to turn him into someone that even mage-hating human supremacists think he is too hard on himself.

Damien's anime hero-esque quality is contrasted sharply against David Rice, who is a determined merchant captain who just wants to deliver his cargo but is unwilling to abandon his Jump Mage to trumped up charges. Whereas Damien is willing to resign himself to death, David Rice is willing to upend his entire career in order to try and stay one step ahead of the law. I also liked the other members of the crew, especially the engineer Damien develops a relationship with.

This is a very easy-going story where our heroes keep getting into massive amounts of trouble but manage to punch their way out of it due to the immensely powerful amplifier that Damien turned their engine into. This isn't the kind of story where the heroes winning is ever in doubt but it's the journey rather than the destination that matters.

The setting isn't overly complex with the Martian empire controlling most of organized space and many people resenting their power due to the near-monopoly they have on mages. We get a backstory of Eugenicists that created the mages initially and were later overthrown. It's enough to easily get the gist of everything without any confusing digressions. I also like the various wretched hives and outlaw ports we visit.

The ending is entertaining but also closes the book of what I enjoyed most about the book, which is the relationship between Damien and the merchantman crew he befriends. I won't spoil how the book ends but it seems like that plot is unlikely to continue. Still, I'm definitely going to pick up the sequels.

[Julianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim after seeing a post about the author on Reddit. I thought, why not? A self pub author can be fun

And I did have fun in the first chapter. I didn't have much fun the rest of the read, which is a huge let down. I am always ready to back up a 'Chosen One' orphan whose down on his luck. Except Damian didn't have as much personality as I would like.

At times, the reading was incredibly dry. There was a lot of the story told through the eyes of the captain. The truly interesting stuff IS the magic system, with the runes and symbols and how they have to be carved into things with a specific mixture of 'ink'.

I have a lot of small nitpicks, specifically introducing an EXTREMELY cool character with cybernetic enhancements... then immediately telling us readers that she can't bare children. Because that's DEFINITELY important to her characterization? There's so much more to womanhood than being a human incubator, sigh.

But it really was the crew falling into more and more situations to wiggle themselves out of, but I probably enjoyed having to break Damian out of space jail the most. Unfortunately, that was one of the earlier plot points after he joined the crew.

[Daniel Bensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book went its entire length without ever getting quite boring enough to make me quit. I was really hooked by the premise: the royal monopoly on magical warp-drives has intentionally crippled the spaceships it sells, so that if it ever comes to a war, the Mage King will have an overwhelming advantage over his clients. Except an outsider mage jailbreaks his ship, turning it into a major threat and a target of the Mage King and every pirate, gangster, and planetary government who wants to learn its secret.
But then Stewart keeps failing to deliver. The scary warlords and witch-hunters turn out to be reasonable people who were never really a threat. I was disappointed.

[Esme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come later.

[Mettesknit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook narrated by
Jeffrey Kafer
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fantasy sci-fi that will keep you on the tip of your seat.

I will definitely continue this series.

[Becky ♡The Bookworm♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

❖ ❖ ❖ BR of ebook and Audio w/The Hubster! ❖ ❖ ❖


As The Hubster and I continued our exploration into the world of Space Opera, this little gem popped up on our radar. Starship's Mage: Omnibus contains the first five short stories of the Starship's Mage series. We knew it was a 'must read' the moment we perused the story summary and two words hooked our adventurous minds: Jump Magi.

Who are these Jump Magi you ask? In this fascinating world, they are magically gifted individuals, usually (but not always) born from the noble Mars families. Their purpose is to use their 'mage gift' to active a spaceship's jump drive, therefore allowing it to travel vast distances in the blink of an eye. While the ship provides the technology, the magical spark that powers it comes from the jump mage. Without a jump mage, well... it's a lot like being stuck in a traffic jam while everyone else uses a magical transporter to get to the same destination.

Spaceships and magic. Who could resist?! Certainly not us!

Meet Damien Montgomery, a very talented Jump Mage. Unfortunately, he wasn't born into one of the noble houses of Mars; therefore, he lacks the support of a socially elite family to recommend him to an equally impressive ship. By the time Damien finishes his training, the wheeling and dealing between the nobility and the captains was complete. He would still be able to work, but the burden of finding an 'impressive' ship would fall directly on his shoulders. Damien gets his ship, but it's nothing like what he expected. What he finds aboard the Bluejay leads to a series of events that will hold you spellbound until the very last page!

To say we enjoyed this book would be an understatement. The story, the characters, the action and battle sequences, even the world building, all of it was outstanding! I liked that the story didn't get bogged down with overly complex terms or long information dumps. However, The Hubster (being a rocket scientist/engineer) did have to utilize more of the creative side of his brain, meaning the physics of space travel aren't exactly realistic. I say it's fantasy...go with it, but everyone is different so if you like a little more detail and reality with your space opera, be aware. That being said, he still rated it five stars.

Overall, this is an easy enough story to follow, but it's not boring. The author's talent to write a creative story within a unique world will keep you guessing about what happens next.

Let's talk about the Characters...

We aren't going to tell you any more about Damien or how he finds his ship. We want you to enjoy that experience on your own. However, we have a very interesting villain here. He's just the type to give you the creeps and make you scream "RUN!" at your e-reader! This guy has no boundaries as far as getting what he wants. Then we have the mob ... that's right, the mafia is alive and well on their own little asteroid. They are hilarious and a bit unexpected. In some ways, they were my favorite surprise in the book.

Of course no story would be complete without an authority figure in the mix. Based on an incident that happens very early in the book, we meet the Hand of the King. She wants to find Damien and the Bluejay and she wants it done now.

The Ending ... d

Whoa! That was just ... WOW! If we had our grubby little hands on the second book in the series, we would've started it immediately, but we are waiting on the library hold and it's killing us! Just a heads up! Grab book one (the Omnibus) and book two, Hand of Mars. You'll be glad you did.

If you enjoy science fiction, The Expanse Series, or just want to go on a space adventure with some fascinating characters, we highly recommend this book! As we said, grab book two while you're at it so you don't find yourself waiting for your next fix ... like we are.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the combination of using magic to get ships from star to star, a neat way of explaining interstellar travel. Magic and space battles and a pretty decent plot, though not unoriginal. Looking forward to the sequel.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok this was fine. Totally fine. But the thing about sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic holds true in reverse... sufficiently explained magic is indistinguishable from technology. I miss Ishmael.

[Espai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Style ennuyeux, tous les personnages se ressemblent. L'histoire d'amour en arrière plan sort comme un cheveux sur la soupe et brutalement (alors que le personnage principal ne semblait pas intéressé...) et il est donc difficile de s'y intéresser. Les péripéties s'enchaînent sans tension.

Le concept de mélange SF/Magie est sympa, mais j'ai lu de bien meilleurs livres sur le sujet...

Je ne comprends pas la moyenne des notations.

[Maria Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing blend of space travel and magic. I've never read anything like it. Complex plot with awesome world building and likeable characters. Definitely recomment this one.

[Jennifer]

DNF @ page 130. I really tried, but if I find my attention wandering to two separate other books while trying to finish this one, I’d rather not fight the impending DNF. The writing style is not for me and the MC was a bit underdeveloped and boring.

[Mettesknit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook narrated by
Jeffrey Kafer
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sci-fi-fantasy with a mmc.
It's not my normal read, but I really enjoyed this.

I will definitely jump to the next book in this series.
Get it?
Jump...
No?
Then, read the book 😇

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

This reminded me why I only read xianxia and not fantasy anymore. Tension and conflict is achieved through characters making stupid or unexplained decisions. Worldbuilding is two-faced. An insufferable read.

Here's all you need to know: "The best way to avoid a trap, in his [mc's captain] experience, was to walk into it with your eyes wide open." -quote from book.

Characters: 3/5 I liked them
The characters are pretty decent. The ones closest to the main character do seem to have some depth, and the mc is likable enough.

Story: 1/5 I disliked it
Conflicts are created due to random chance and stupidity. Main character says "lemme stop people from looking at my dangerous stuff that can get me arrested and killed" and the captain says "I order you not to do that" and then everyone is surprised when someone looks at the dangerous stuff and the mc gets captured and killed, giving the story content for a prison break arc that is hilariously unexplained. The idea that the world's most powerful fighting force running a prison guarded by ultra-super-epic-magicians can be broken into by a bunch of freight truckers is ludicrous. Then the main character and the 80 other people on the ship say "I know we are in the most valuable ship of the century, but lets go down to the planet to eat dinner together, because nobody would attack our ship while we are all away and have taken our mage, the most powerful defense of the ship" and then they act all surprised when their ship is attacked. It's cheap literature trying and failing to be something greater.

World: 1/5 I disliked some parts, and liked others
Great concept. I liked the concept of fusing mages and a sci-fi universe of interstellar travel, and the idea that mages run the ftl is unique and incredibly interesting.
Bad soft magic system. The soft magic system, so soft that a mage is like Gandalf: completely mysterious with a few specific actions (like collapsing a bridge under a Balrog), makes the story unenjoyable, because conflict is often solved by saying A WIZARD DID IT, and if not, we don't know when that will be the case. As stated by Sanderson and many others, stories are about conflicts and resolution, and the better you know the capabilities of the heroes, the more engaged you will be with the problem solving of the story. Here, conflicts are usually clearly defined: missiles inbound, a person in a jail cell, enemy troopers shooting, etc. However, because we know nothing of what magic can't do, we cannot engage fully with the resolution of the problems, because there is always the possibility that magic could solve it in a hundred ways that we are not aware of (and magic is used to solve problems like that half the time.)
Bad, half-arsed hard sci-fi. Tying into what I said just now, the attempt at hard sci-fi further defines problems, leading to more confusion and unhappiness as the reader wonders why people don't use other solutions that surely exist in this realistic universe. They mention laser weapons and missiles, but where are the railguns???? Maybe it's that antimatter engines, with delta v proportional to engine max temp ratings, have enough acceleration and delta v to dodge any incoming projectile... but that's not stated. (just checked the book and the protagonist's ship is using fusion engines) Where is the composite armor?? These people have a captain with a bounty and regularly face pirates. They also have the most valuable ship in the galaxy. However, the idea of slapping some layers of spaced armor to deal with incoming lasers (which are often a big problem for them) is alien I guess. Readers don't know why things are the way they are, and they never receive any explanations either. The idea that I have to stay on the Atomic Rockets website just to feel immersed in the world is ludicrous, and the fact that many conventional solutions to problems are never interacted with further stops the reader from engaging with the conflict.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Space fantasy is a bizarre and wonderful little sub-genre that isn’t as prolific as it should be (particularly given that certain a series from a galaxy far far away is essentially space fantasy). So, coming across the description of Stewart’s Starship’s Mage: Omnibus, in which jump mages are the essential component to interstellar travel I was rather intrigued. The series of novellas follows the exploits of the recently graduated Jump Mage Damien Montgomery as he takes a position upon the merchant ship the Blue Jay. The Omnibus edition I listened combines them all seamlessly however there are some odd repetitive quirks, typically summarizing events that just occurred, leftover from the book’s original format.

The Starship’s Mage Omnibus does an excellent job a laying the groundwork of the world that Stewart has created wherein the powerful Mage King of Mars has united a multitude of planets under his rule. Bound to the authority of the Mage King the magic-users of these worlds enjoy a privileged position. The book delves a little deeper as it explores the bureaucracy of Mage’s Guild and its treatment of unregulated magic; a fact that is particularly vexing for Damien as his actions early in the series see him on the outs with the Guild. Damien’s outcast status is sort of inherited by the rest of the crew of the Blue Jay and their exile’s journey takes them to hardscrabble worlds who have rejected the rule of mages.

This is a light a breezy book that tends to focus harder on action and adventure over characterization. Most of the heavy lifting in the characterization arena falls on Damien himself and readers will learn quite a bit about the young man’s personality. The rest of the characters don’t get quite as well-rounded a treatment. While Damien often struggles with the feats he pulls off in order to survive there were times when things felt a bit too easy. While there are certainly losses amongst the crew of the Blue Jay during its journey there is little direct loss that seems to impact Damien himself. It would have been nice to see a bit more hardship for our hero.

Starship’s Mage: Omnibus shows a lot of promise and many of its shortcomings can be attributed to Stewart’s relative inexperience and quirks of the novellas original release schedule. It is still an enjoyable read that blends familiar tropes from both science fiction and heroic fantasy into a cohesive whole. Thankfully, Glynn Stewart has expanded on his world with the recent release of Hand of Mars set 3 years after the events of the Starship’s Mage: Omnibus. The audiobook version, procuded by Tantor Media and narrated by Jeffrey Kafer, is quite excellent with a quality performance and top notch production quality. If you are look for a fantasy book that is a little different I high recommend you give Glynn Stewart’s Starship’s Mage Omnibus a chance.