What do you think?
Rate this book
Convergence #1
The Summoned Mage
Sesskia, talented thief and secret mage, has spent the last ten years traveling the world, searching for ancient books that will teach her magic forbidden in her country. When she is magically transported to another world where magic is not only permitted, but celebrated, she wonders if she ever wants to return. With new friends and a chance at a new life, Sesskia feels as if she’s finally come home.
But catastrophe is coming. Her new home Castavir and the world of her birth are coming inexorably together, heralding near-total destruction for both.
The mad God-Empress of Castavir intends to take advantage of the crisis by conquering both worlds—whatever is left of them. Sesskia must work with the Castaviran mages to combine their radically different magics to prevent the convergence from happening and save both her worlds.
But catastrophe is coming. Her new home Castavir and the world of her birth are coming inexorably together, heralding near-total destruction for both.
The mad God-Empress of Castavir intends to take advantage of the crisis by conquering both worlds—whatever is left of them. Sesskia must work with the Castaviran mages to combine their radically different magics to prevent the convergence from happening and save both her worlds.
329 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 23, 2017
192 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Melissa McShane
94 books861 followersMelissa grew up a nomad, following her family all over the United States, and ended up living in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains with her husband, four kids, and three very needy cats. Her love of reading was always a constant during those uncertain years, and her love of writing grew out of that. She wrote reviews and critical essays for many years before turning to fiction, and was surprised at how much she liked it. She loves the fantasy genre and how it stretches the imagination.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 1, 2017
Kindle freebie, August 29, 2017. 3.5 stars. It's worth checking out if you like fantasy with a romance subplot, but fair warning that there's a cliffhanger ending. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
The Summoned Mage (2017) is the diary of Sesskia, a 27 year old thief and secret mage: secret because being a mage is viewed as an executable offense in her country of Balaen. But her magical powers have saved Sesskia’s life before, and in any case are a part of her very self that are both exhilarating and terrifying. So Sesskia wanders from place to place, seeking new magic spells (called pouvrin) and leaving clues behind her for other mages. So far Sesskia has gathered pouvrin for summoning fire and water, seeing through things, walking through walls, and moving objects with her mind.
Then one morning she is suddenly and magically hauled into a strange new world, where she recognizes no one and nothing. It soon becomes apparent that there are many more mages in this world, and magic is a respected craft, but life is still rough when you don’t understand the language and are being held as a virtual prisoner. Plus there’s a sarcastic chief mage (Sesskia calls him Smug Git in her diary) who manages to annoy Sesskia every time they meet. But Sesskia can’t understand why all the mages in this new country use gestures and writing to perform even the simplest magical spells.
As Sesskia learns the language of Castavir, she realizes that Castavir and her home land, Balaen, were once a single land that long ago was magically divided into two separate worlds, existing in different planes of reality. But now the two lands are converging again, a process that could wreak havoc on both lands and kill thousands. The mages of Castavir are trying to figure out a way to either stop the process or minimize the damage it will cause. And Sesskia and her magic ― pouvrin are unknown in Castavir ― could be key to that process.
Melissa McShane’s writing style is appealing and lucid, and it’s a pleasure watching Sesskia gradually integrate into this entirely new world and gain trusted friends (and fall in love) for the first time in her life. There are some intriguing political maneuverings to balance the magical and romantic plotlines. The characters in The Summoned Mage are well-rounded, with very human weaknesses. The Castaviran Empire’s lovely but murderously insane God-Empress is a unique character, and it’s terrifying when she takes a personal interest in Sesskia.
Sesskia ― true to her nature as a thief and wanderer ― spends a fair amount of time on illicit exploratory excursions. Those explorations, although a convenient way to find out more about the world she has landed in, got a little tiresome after a while. The magical system in The Summoned Mage was creative but somewhat confusing, particularly where McShane uses unfamiliar words like pouvra, th’an and kathana to describe different types of magical spells. It takes a little time to assimilate, for both Sesskia and the reader (a glossary at the end helps to clarify these and other unusual terms and place names). And while I always appreciate a good romance and was definitely into Sesskia’s love interest, the Castaviran culture has a rather strange take on marriage that didn’t entirely hold water for me.
The Summoned Mage ends with a cliffhanger, but the entire CONVERGENCE trilogy was published simultaneously, so there’s no need to wait until you can start the second book, The Wandering Mage. And I didn’t!
I received a free copy of this book from the author for review. Thanks!
The Summoned Mage (2017) is the diary of Sesskia, a 27 year old thief and secret mage: secret because being a mage is viewed as an executable offense in her country of Balaen. But her magical powers have saved Sesskia’s life before, and in any case are a part of her very self that are both exhilarating and terrifying. So Sesskia wanders from place to place, seeking new magic spells (called pouvrin) and leaving clues behind her for other mages. So far Sesskia has gathered pouvrin for summoning fire and water, seeing through things, walking through walls, and moving objects with her mind.
Then one morning she is suddenly and magically hauled into a strange new world, where she recognizes no one and nothing. It soon becomes apparent that there are many more mages in this world, and magic is a respected craft, but life is still rough when you don’t understand the language and are being held as a virtual prisoner. Plus there’s a sarcastic chief mage (Sesskia calls him Smug Git in her diary) who manages to annoy Sesskia every time they meet. But Sesskia can’t understand why all the mages in this new country use gestures and writing to perform even the simplest magical spells.
As Sesskia learns the language of Castavir, she realizes that Castavir and her home land, Balaen, were once a single land that long ago was magically divided into two separate worlds, existing in different planes of reality. But now the two lands are converging again, a process that could wreak havoc on both lands and kill thousands. The mages of Castavir are trying to figure out a way to either stop the process or minimize the damage it will cause. And Sesskia and her magic ― pouvrin are unknown in Castavir ― could be key to that process.
Melissa McShane’s writing style is appealing and lucid, and it’s a pleasure watching Sesskia gradually integrate into this entirely new world and gain trusted friends (and fall in love) for the first time in her life. There are some intriguing political maneuverings to balance the magical and romantic plotlines. The characters in The Summoned Mage are well-rounded, with very human weaknesses. The Castaviran Empire’s lovely but murderously insane God-Empress is a unique character, and it’s terrifying when she takes a personal interest in Sesskia.
Sesskia ― true to her nature as a thief and wanderer ― spends a fair amount of time on illicit exploratory excursions. Those explorations, although a convenient way to find out more about the world she has landed in, got a little tiresome after a while. The magical system in The Summoned Mage was creative but somewhat confusing, particularly where McShane uses unfamiliar words like pouvra, th’an and kathana to describe different types of magical spells. It takes a little time to assimilate, for both Sesskia and the reader (a glossary at the end helps to clarify these and other unusual terms and place names). And while I always appreciate a good romance and was definitely into Sesskia’s love interest, the Castaviran culture has a rather strange take on marriage that didn’t entirely hold water for me.
The Summoned Mage ends with a cliffhanger, but the entire CONVERGENCE trilogy was published simultaneously, so there’s no need to wait until you can start the second book, The Wandering Mage. And I didn’t!
I received a free copy of this book from the author for review. Thanks!
Read
May 23, 2017Okay, simply inhaled this fantasy--in so many ways the type I enjoy most.
Melissa McShane states up front that she riffed off the diary format after reading Andrea Höst’s Touchstone. I can see why: There is an immediacy to the idea of a lone protagonist finding herself tossed into another world altogether, where one cannot understand the language, and finding oneself amongst intimidating company of disciplined and powerful people—specifically a fairly inscrutable guy.
But there the similarity ends. Sesskia is in her twenties, having been on her own for years, after escaping what we begin to gather was a fairly dire family situation. She is a mage in a kingdom where mages are feared, shunned—murdered. So she perforce became a thief in order to steal what she needed to learn magic.
She falls in among the mages of Castavir, who are not the least like the elite Setari of Touchstone’s secret organization KOTIS. And finally, Cederic, the mage in charge, has only hardwired discipline and an unreadable affect in common with Ruuel.
So there the comparison ends, as the story progresses and Sesskia’s tale goes off in a totally different direction than Touchstone’s seventeen year old Cass slowly discovering her powers before tackling the scary Ena.
Sesskia’s magic works completely differently from that of the Castiri, who are under time pressure that Sesskia gradually learns about. She slowly makes friends (something a loner has to learn to do) as she begins to comprehend the Castiri situation—and how it threatens her own world. She also has to deal with the enigmatic Cederic, with whom her relationship gets steadily more complex.
Before any of them are remotely ready, they are summoned to the capital, where the impatient God-Empress is awaiting them before taking the action she prefers—wholesale invasion. At first, I was bothered by how Sesskia unquestioningly accepts the judgment of the mages about the empress—until we meet her.
Things suddenly get a whole lot more dangerous as they are all swept toward the event that no one really understands. Clashes of power, personalities, magic, politics, all draw to climactic action. Meanwhile we get an excellent example of one of McShane’s strengths: relationships between intelligent adults who talk to each other. It’s a real pleasure to watch a new relationship unfold with interesting emotional dynamics, striving for communication and compromise, even in the midst of deadly threat.
Beware! Though this is actually a good breaking place for a long-arc story, this particular volume ends on a stunning cliffhanger.
Advanced Reading Copy provided by author.
Melissa McShane states up front that she riffed off the diary format after reading Andrea Höst’s Touchstone. I can see why: There is an immediacy to the idea of a lone protagonist finding herself tossed into another world altogether, where one cannot understand the language, and finding oneself amongst intimidating company of disciplined and powerful people—specifically a fairly inscrutable guy.
But there the similarity ends. Sesskia is in her twenties, having been on her own for years, after escaping what we begin to gather was a fairly dire family situation. She is a mage in a kingdom where mages are feared, shunned—murdered. So she perforce became a thief in order to steal what she needed to learn magic.
She falls in among the mages of Castavir, who are not the least like the elite Setari of Touchstone’s secret organization KOTIS. And finally, Cederic, the mage in charge, has only hardwired discipline and an unreadable affect in common with Ruuel.
So there the comparison ends, as the story progresses and Sesskia’s tale goes off in a totally different direction than Touchstone’s seventeen year old Cass slowly discovering her powers before tackling the scary Ena.
Sesskia’s magic works completely differently from that of the Castiri, who are under time pressure that Sesskia gradually learns about. She slowly makes friends (something a loner has to learn to do) as she begins to comprehend the Castiri situation—and how it threatens her own world. She also has to deal with the enigmatic Cederic, with whom her relationship gets steadily more complex.
Before any of them are remotely ready, they are summoned to the capital, where the impatient God-Empress is awaiting them before taking the action she prefers—wholesale invasion. At first, I was bothered by how Sesskia unquestioningly accepts the judgment of the mages about the empress—until we meet her.
Things suddenly get a whole lot more dangerous as they are all swept toward the event that no one really understands. Clashes of power, personalities, magic, politics, all draw to climactic action. Meanwhile we get an excellent example of one of McShane’s strengths: relationships between intelligent adults who talk to each other. It’s a real pleasure to watch a new relationship unfold with interesting emotional dynamics, striving for communication and compromise, even in the midst of deadly threat.
Beware! Though this is actually a good breaking place for a long-arc story, this particular volume ends on a stunning cliffhanger.
Advanced Reading Copy provided by author.
Read
November 27, 2023This book has a long, complex history. I developed the core of it--two worlds that had once been one, two kinds of magic, and a woman transported from one to the other--in late 2013. I had an initial scene--that woman crouched in a ring of fire, surrounded by robed figures--and then I drew a blank. It just wasn't going anywhere.
Then in January of 2014 I read Stray by Andrea K. Höst. I loved the Touchstone trilogy, of course, but I loved a lot of other books that year. It wasn't until July that anything came of it. I had just failed to write the sequel to Burning Bright, and failed miserably. I needed a distraction. And I thought it would be fun to see if I could write a book using the main character's diary as a conceit, as Höst had. I stumbled on the concept I'd developed nearly a year before and figured it would be a fun mind-clearing activity.
The moment I wrote the first line, Sesskia's voice was loud and clear in my head. It took four weeks to write the first draft, and very little of it has been changed in revision. I loved writing it--and even better, when I finished I was able to write the sequel to Burning Bright with no difficulty. So it not only did what it was supposed to do, it was a lovely story as well.
When I finished writing the trilogy, I had the idea of serializing it on my blog. That was fun, and it gave me content for the blog. But about a year in, I started getting antsy. After all, the whole thing was finished, and I was afraid the twice-weekly pace was too slow. So I decided to publish the series as Convergence, all three books at once because this really is one long story, despite how well the three pieces work individually.
Sesskia is one of my favorite characters. She's a thief, which is one of my favorite character types, and she's had to learn to survive in a world where she could be killed for being able to use magic. In transporting her from her world to a different one, I was able to explore what it's like to suddenly have something that's defined her for ten years become something positive. I like her developing friendships, though my favorite of her friends doesn't show up until The Wandering Mage. I'm pleased with her relationship with Cederic Aleynten, the brilliant mage for whom Sesskia's friendship solves a lot of problems. And the villain, the mad God-Empress, was so much fun to write. I know the format will be strange to some readers, but I hope the story is enjoyable enough to make it work.
Then in January of 2014 I read Stray by Andrea K. Höst. I loved the Touchstone trilogy, of course, but I loved a lot of other books that year. It wasn't until July that anything came of it. I had just failed to write the sequel to Burning Bright, and failed miserably. I needed a distraction. And I thought it would be fun to see if I could write a book using the main character's diary as a conceit, as Höst had. I stumbled on the concept I'd developed nearly a year before and figured it would be a fun mind-clearing activity.
The moment I wrote the first line, Sesskia's voice was loud and clear in my head. It took four weeks to write the first draft, and very little of it has been changed in revision. I loved writing it--and even better, when I finished I was able to write the sequel to Burning Bright with no difficulty. So it not only did what it was supposed to do, it was a lovely story as well.
When I finished writing the trilogy, I had the idea of serializing it on my blog. That was fun, and it gave me content for the blog. But about a year in, I started getting antsy. After all, the whole thing was finished, and I was afraid the twice-weekly pace was too slow. So I decided to publish the series as Convergence, all three books at once because this really is one long story, despite how well the three pieces work individually.
Sesskia is one of my favorite characters. She's a thief, which is one of my favorite character types, and she's had to learn to survive in a world where she could be killed for being able to use magic. In transporting her from her world to a different one, I was able to explore what it's like to suddenly have something that's defined her for ten years become something positive. I like her developing friendships, though my favorite of her friends doesn't show up until The Wandering Mage. I'm pleased with her relationship with Cederic Aleynten, the brilliant mage for whom Sesskia's friendship solves a lot of problems. And the villain, the mad God-Empress, was so much fun to write. I know the format will be strange to some readers, but I hope the story is enjoyable enough to make it work.
May 23, 2017
I received an ARC of this book, and that makes me really lucky.
This is one of those books where when I first cracked it open I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I admit it. I've read diary (epistolary) form before and I've always found it a little hard to get into and been a little disappointed, so it was putting a damper on my desire. In fact I put it off and read something else, then came back and took a deep breath and dove in. Within a few pages the form proved itself as the right choice as it carried Sesskia's voice better than I think either straight third or first could have done.
I loved the various characters we meet in this volume from the enigmatic Cederic to the bug nuts crazy God-Empress, and it's interesting to see Sesskia's growth at each step.
I would suggest having book two on hand when you read this because you'll want to keep going as the story continues to unfold in fun and surprising ways.
This is one of those books where when I first cracked it open I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I admit it. I've read diary (epistolary) form before and I've always found it a little hard to get into and been a little disappointed, so it was putting a damper on my desire. In fact I put it off and read something else, then came back and took a deep breath and dove in. Within a few pages the form proved itself as the right choice as it carried Sesskia's voice better than I think either straight third or first could have done.
I loved the various characters we meet in this volume from the enigmatic Cederic to the bug nuts crazy God-Empress, and it's interesting to see Sesskia's growth at each step.
I would suggest having book two on hand when you read this because you'll want to keep going as the story continues to unfold in fun and surprising ways.
September 4, 2019
I got an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review :) the first thing you need to know about this book is that it's the first story in a trilogy... and I do mean a trilogy in a sense that we follow the same character and all three books tell one big story... because you need to be prepared for that cliffhanger at the end of this installment ;) I knew it was coming, but it still surprised me... mainly because it happened about 86 % into the story :) I was in the middle of my commute to work and then BAM! the story ended and I almost fell off my chair :) #TrueStory :) but then we got a little bonus, more about it later, and I was very happy :) fortunately for all of you guys, all three books are already available, so you can totally binge-read them if you want :) now how about I will finally tell you a bit more about this fantasy trilogy and our main character ;)
The whole story is told from Sesskia's point of view :) she is a thief, who's trying her best to learn magic... magic that is forbidden and feared in her world, but which awakened in her... sounds cool, right? :) I think so too :) what is even more interesting, is that the whole book is written as Sesskia's journal... so we discover things and see certain events from her perspective only... :) to be honest, it does take a moment to get used to, and the same thing can be said about the new world she finds herself in, because... yeah... at the very beginning of the book she is transported into this whole different world... she doesn't know anything about it, she doesn't even speak the language, and we are as confused as her :) but slowly, once we learn more, it gets better :) it definitely helps with the overall understanding what is happening, because we are not given all the informations in the span of a chapter or two :) so definitely don't be discouraged by the fact that you don't understand everything at the beginning, because all of that will be explained in time :) I don't really want to tell you more about what's happening after Sesskia arrives in this new world, because I truly believe it's better for your reading experience to figure stuff out as you read :) trust me, those surprises along the way will be much better if you're not prepared for them :)
Originally I gave this book 4 stars... or to be more precise, I gave the story 4 stars, but then I read the bonus scenes... *sighs dreamily* I mentioned before that the whole book is written from Sesskia's perspective because we are reading her journal, but those bonus scenes are told from someone else's point of view... I'm not gonna say who, but it was a lovely surprise :) they are also the reason why I bumped my rating to 4,5 stars :) I really liked Sesskia as a main character :) she started off really good, and then got even better when she grew as a character :) there is also a whole bunch of very interesting secondary characters, but again, because I don't want to actually spoil you who is important, I won't share any names... ;) and I mean the good ones, as in Sesskia's new friends, as well as the villains of te story... although it's not as easy to categorize them like that... trust me, the whole story is more complicated than that... :) the more I read this book, the more I was pulled into all the action... and now I am eagerly looking forward into continuing this story with the sequel :) so if you are looking for an original fantasy story with surprising turns of events, interesting characters that actually act like adults... well, throughout the most of the story anyway ;) and fantastic writing style, definitely give this trilogy a try :)
XOXO
A
The whole story is told from Sesskia's point of view :) she is a thief, who's trying her best to learn magic... magic that is forbidden and feared in her world, but which awakened in her... sounds cool, right? :) I think so too :) what is even more interesting, is that the whole book is written as Sesskia's journal... so we discover things and see certain events from her perspective only... :) to be honest, it does take a moment to get used to, and the same thing can be said about the new world she finds herself in, because... yeah... at the very beginning of the book she is transported into this whole different world... she doesn't know anything about it, she doesn't even speak the language, and we are as confused as her :) but slowly, once we learn more, it gets better :) it definitely helps with the overall understanding what is happening, because we are not given all the informations in the span of a chapter or two :) so definitely don't be discouraged by the fact that you don't understand everything at the beginning, because all of that will be explained in time :) I don't really want to tell you more about what's happening after Sesskia arrives in this new world, because I truly believe it's better for your reading experience to figure stuff out as you read :) trust me, those surprises along the way will be much better if you're not prepared for them :)
Originally I gave this book 4 stars... or to be more precise, I gave the story 4 stars, but then I read the bonus scenes... *sighs dreamily* I mentioned before that the whole book is written from Sesskia's perspective because we are reading her journal, but those bonus scenes are told from someone else's point of view... I'm not gonna say who, but it was a lovely surprise :) they are also the reason why I bumped my rating to 4,5 stars :) I really liked Sesskia as a main character :) she started off really good, and then got even better when she grew as a character :) there is also a whole bunch of very interesting secondary characters, but again, because I don't want to actually spoil you who is important, I won't share any names... ;) and I mean the good ones, as in Sesskia's new friends, as well as the villains of te story... although it's not as easy to categorize them like that... trust me, the whole story is more complicated than that... :) the more I read this book, the more I was pulled into all the action... and now I am eagerly looking forward into continuing this story with the sequel :) so if you are looking for an original fantasy story with surprising turns of events, interesting characters that actually act like adults... well, throughout the most of the story anyway ;) and fantastic writing style, definitely give this trilogy a try :)
XOXO
A
February 12, 2018
I read Melissa McShane's Extraordinaries series last year for r/fantasy's Fantasy of Manners Bingo square, and I really enjoyed it - the characters, the magic system, the world building...all of it felt really fresh and well thought out. This book feels like its almost, but not quite, there yet.
The Summoned Mage is the story of Sessika and her summoning to a parallel world. It is written in the form of her diary, a detailed account of her experiences in this new world. The format works well given the premise - we are just as lost as Sessika in this new world she's been pulled into, and the format allows the reader to get into her head and figure things out as she does. I liked Sessika, she's pretty badass, strong, independent and very capable, with enough of a sense of humour to lighten the tale. She makes new friends, falls in love, and learns about magic and scholarship in this new world, and finally finds a place she belongs. My only quibble with her character is that we don't learn enough of her non magical life (although that makes sense given that it's her personal diary). But it left me feeling like her character was half drawn - I'd feel more connected to her if I got a better sense of who she is outside of her experiences with and around magic. For instance, she writes that she didn't have any friends in her home world, but nothing in her early interactions with people in the new world shows us her underdeveloped social skills.
On the other hand, most of the secondary characters, Teleral (sp?) and the God-Empress in particular, are well developed. McShane gives us a good villain in the God-Empress, one who is insane, intelligent and unpredictable. For around half the book, she pops in and out of the narrative, terrifying Sessika, who is never certain what to expect. The diary format works well in capturing how scary the God-Empress is in her insanity, and I'm looking forward to see more of her shenanigans in the rest of the series.
The hero, Ceadric, is not a bad character exactly, but he isn't anything new - you know he's going to be the hero the minute Sessika starts calling him Smug Git, and the whole stoic, mysterious, self contained thing is over done in pretty much every genre I've read. However, I appreciate the fact that the romance isn't front-and-centre right from the start of the book, and Sessika's diary isn't filled with Ceadric from the very beginning (although I worry that neither of these is going to be true of the sequels!).
The magic system is one of the strongest elements in this book. 'Pouvrin' from her home world is unknown in Castavir, and 'Th'an / Ma'than' from Castavir are completely new to Sessika. We get a pretty good introduction to both as she describes understanding one system, and her experiences with the other. However, (I should probably stop comparing, but it's difficult not to!) the magic system descriptions are not as...scientific as those in the Extraordinaries. Again, it felt a bit unfinished, but not to a point where it hurts the story in any way. I'm hoping there's more discussion on what the magic is and how it works in the next two books.
My only real problem with this book is that the world building feels unfinished. Unlike the Extraordinaries, which is set in our world (but with magic) during the Napoleonic wars, the Convergence series is set in an all new world, and I think McShane handled the integration of magic in 19th century Europe / India far better than she did the creation of a whole new world. The world didn't feel as fully realised as it should have, and that takes away a bit from the excellent magic system and premise. While the next two books promise more exploration of the world, world building is not the kind of thing that one should have to wait for book two, y'know? Maybe one of the problems was that most of Sessika's experiences are limited to two settings - the academy and the palace, so we don't get enough of an idea of what makes this place unique. Ugh I'm doing a really terrible job of explaining why I think the world building is lacking...
McShane's writing style, or Sessika's, is very clear, to-the-point and simple. The format by necessity gives us only one person's viewpoint, but Sessika is engaging enough that it doesn't detract from how entertaining the story is at all. Overall, The Summoned Mage is a very readable novel, with quick pacing, especially in the second half. The magic system and premise of the book are intriguing, and the cliffhanger ending makes me eager to read more. So while this wasn't as good as the Extraordinaries, I'm looking forward to book two.
The Summoned Mage is the story of Sessika and her summoning to a parallel world. It is written in the form of her diary, a detailed account of her experiences in this new world. The format works well given the premise - we are just as lost as Sessika in this new world she's been pulled into, and the format allows the reader to get into her head and figure things out as she does. I liked Sessika, she's pretty badass, strong, independent and very capable, with enough of a sense of humour to lighten the tale. She makes new friends, falls in love, and learns about magic and scholarship in this new world, and finally finds a place she belongs. My only quibble with her character is that we don't learn enough of her non magical life (although that makes sense given that it's her personal diary). But it left me feeling like her character was half drawn - I'd feel more connected to her if I got a better sense of who she is outside of her experiences with and around magic. For instance, she writes that she didn't have any friends in her home world, but nothing in her early interactions with people in the new world shows us her underdeveloped social skills.
On the other hand, most of the secondary characters, Teleral (sp?) and the God-Empress in particular, are well developed. McShane gives us a good villain in the God-Empress, one who is insane, intelligent and unpredictable. For around half the book, she pops in and out of the narrative, terrifying Sessika, who is never certain what to expect. The diary format works well in capturing how scary the God-Empress is in her insanity, and I'm looking forward to see more of her shenanigans in the rest of the series.
The hero, Ceadric, is not a bad character exactly, but he isn't anything new - you know he's going to be the hero the minute Sessika starts calling him Smug Git, and the whole stoic, mysterious, self contained thing is over done in pretty much every genre I've read. However, I appreciate the fact that the romance isn't front-and-centre right from the start of the book, and Sessika's diary isn't filled with Ceadric from the very beginning (although I worry that neither of these is going to be true of the sequels!).
The magic system is one of the strongest elements in this book. 'Pouvrin' from her home world is unknown in Castavir, and 'Th'an / Ma'than' from Castavir are completely new to Sessika. We get a pretty good introduction to both as she describes understanding one system, and her experiences with the other. However, (I should probably stop comparing, but it's difficult not to!) the magic system descriptions are not as...scientific as those in the Extraordinaries. Again, it felt a bit unfinished, but not to a point where it hurts the story in any way. I'm hoping there's more discussion on what the magic is and how it works in the next two books.
My only real problem with this book is that the world building feels unfinished. Unlike the Extraordinaries, which is set in our world (but with magic) during the Napoleonic wars, the Convergence series is set in an all new world, and I think McShane handled the integration of magic in 19th century Europe / India far better than she did the creation of a whole new world. The world didn't feel as fully realised as it should have, and that takes away a bit from the excellent magic system and premise. While the next two books promise more exploration of the world, world building is not the kind of thing that one should have to wait for book two, y'know? Maybe one of the problems was that most of Sessika's experiences are limited to two settings - the academy and the palace, so we don't get enough of an idea of what makes this place unique. Ugh I'm doing a really terrible job of explaining why I think the world building is lacking...
McShane's writing style, or Sessika's, is very clear, to-the-point and simple. The format by necessity gives us only one person's viewpoint, but Sessika is engaging enough that it doesn't detract from how entertaining the story is at all. Overall, The Summoned Mage is a very readable novel, with quick pacing, especially in the second half. The magic system and premise of the book are intriguing, and the cliffhanger ending makes me eager to read more. So while this wasn't as good as the Extraordinaries, I'm looking forward to book two.
September 24, 2021
Very enjoyable fantasy, following Sesskia and her travels (some unintentional). There’s magic and foreigners and crazy leaders and the potential end of the world. I also enjoyed that is was written in the form of a journal. That kept events feeling fresh and newly experienced.
May 25, 2022
3.5 stars
August 26, 2017
I vaguely recognised the name Melissa McShane when I picked this up, and eventually realised that I'd read, and enjoyed, her Napoleonic supers book Burning Bright. I enjoyed this one too, a portal fantasy with the twist that both worlds concerned (the one the protagonist comes from and the one she goes to) are fantasy worlds, not ours.
It's told as a diary, which sometimes means that things move a little slowly, and sometimes they're told in a jumble or in catch-up mode after a busy period in which the diary wasn't kept. For the most part, this didn't distract me too much, and the conceit of the diary is well maintained.
Very early on, the protagonist meets a man who she despises instantly, even before talking to him, and of course we all know what that means. It's a great big brightly-coloured shipping label. The author has some fun with the trope, though, and paces the arc of the protagonist's changing attitude well. She explicitly averts and lampshades another trope, the one I call the Convenient Eavesdrop (where the protagonist just happens to be in position to overhear the one piece of information she needs to advance the plot).
The protagonist is resourceful, the love interest worthy, the supporting characters appealing, the antagonist mad as a basket of weasels and appropriately scary. This is very capable writing, and it's paired with near-impeccable editing; I spotted one bit of mispunctuated dialog, and nothing else, which is about one twenty-fourth of the average number of errors I spot in a book, trad or indie.
Even though this doesn't reach the heights of a five-star book - it would need to be more than simply entertaining to do that - I'll be adding Melissa McShane to my "buy with minimal hesitation" list. I have the feeling she'll get even better as she continues to write.
It's told as a diary, which sometimes means that things move a little slowly, and sometimes they're told in a jumble or in catch-up mode after a busy period in which the diary wasn't kept. For the most part, this didn't distract me too much, and the conceit of the diary is well maintained.
Very early on, the protagonist meets a man who she despises instantly, even before talking to him, and of course we all know what that means. It's a great big brightly-coloured shipping label. The author has some fun with the trope, though, and paces the arc of the protagonist's changing attitude well. She explicitly averts and lampshades another trope, the one I call the Convenient Eavesdrop (where the protagonist just happens to be in position to overhear the one piece of information she needs to advance the plot).
The protagonist is resourceful, the love interest worthy, the supporting characters appealing, the antagonist mad as a basket of weasels and appropriately scary. This is very capable writing, and it's paired with near-impeccable editing; I spotted one bit of mispunctuated dialog, and nothing else, which is about one twenty-fourth of the average number of errors I spot in a book, trad or indie.
Even though this doesn't reach the heights of a five-star book - it would need to be more than simply entertaining to do that - I'll be adding Melissa McShane to my "buy with minimal hesitation" list. I have the feeling she'll get even better as she continues to write.
Read
May 23, 2017Love this series - will say something about the third, as it's really one long story.
Read
June 1, 2017Really enjoyed this but must read next one because cliffhanger. Will say more when finished all three.
May 26, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this, and it's only $0.99 on Amazon, for the record. There was also a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, but the entire trilogy got released together, so that's not a problem.
Diary formats don't always work for me, but this did. I liked Sesskia a lot, as a narrator and as a character--she's reckless enough for things to be exciting and to make her choices a driving force for the plot, but without ever being stupid. She messes up a lot, but she rallies quickly, she's resourceful, and she doesn't dwell much, while still being self-aware enough to acknowledge her mistakes. All in all, a compelling protagonist. And while the romance was very fast, I still enjoyed it a lot (possibly because people who can't stand each other falling madly in love is one of my favorite things), and there was nothing that even smelled like a love triangle. Which I appreciated.
And the plot was engaging, and while one major thing got resolved (...mostly) by the end of the book, there were enough plot threads introduced that even without the cliffhanger, I'd be dying to know what happens next. Honestly, this kind of well-written, action-filled, character-driven fantasy that's not trying to be #GreatLiterature, or whatever, is one of my favorite things to read.
Diary formats don't always work for me, but this did. I liked Sesskia a lot, as a narrator and as a character--she's reckless enough for things to be exciting and to make her choices a driving force for the plot, but without ever being stupid. She messes up a lot, but she rallies quickly, she's resourceful, and she doesn't dwell much, while still being self-aware enough to acknowledge her mistakes. All in all, a compelling protagonist. And while the romance was very fast, I still enjoyed it a lot (possibly because people who can't stand each other falling madly in love is one of my favorite things), and there was nothing that even smelled like a love triangle. Which I appreciated.
And the plot was engaging, and while one major thing got resolved (...mostly) by the end of the book, there were enough plot threads introduced that even without the cliffhanger, I'd be dying to know what happens next. Honestly, this kind of well-written, action-filled, character-driven fantasy that's not trying to be #GreatLiterature, or whatever, is one of my favorite things to read.
June 17, 2017
This book acknowledges that it's indebted to Andrea K. Host's Touchstone trilogy, but they're similar in so many ways that I'm partially convinced Andrea K. Host actually wrote it and both authors are laughing hysterically somewhere. It goes beyond the diary entry format to the plot (girl immediately sucked into alternate world) to the love interest (expressionless) to the nature of the exposition (lots of technical stuff on the science/magic) to the group dynamics (people training, organized into groups with leaders)... With that said, there are aspects I liked, such as Sesskia's competence and the arguments and agreements of the developing relationship. I also had quibbles, particularly with the overuse of expressionlessness for the male lead: a person can't just keep getting more and more expressionless because once they don't have an expression that's it, and even if they could, why are so many male leads not allowed to ever have expressions?!? Anyway. This has high points of its own, but I had a strong sense of deja vu the whole time I was reading it.
June 25, 2017
Well Written
First person narration is so often done poorly that I was mentally prepared to dislike this book, especially since I didn't realise it was an epistolary novel. I'm very glad that I decided to read it in spite of my preconceptions. The characters were very well developed and the MC's were relatable, realistic and I was rooting for Sesskia &Cederic the entire time. The worlds were very well thought out and the cultures were brought to life without any of that annoying "tell the audience everything in a short paragraph in the beginning" crap that done authors rely on. I am happy to say I've already purchased the second book.
First person narration is so often done poorly that I was mentally prepared to dislike this book, especially since I didn't realise it was an epistolary novel. I'm very glad that I decided to read it in spite of my preconceptions. The characters were very well developed and the MC's were relatable, realistic and I was rooting for Sesskia &Cederic the entire time. The worlds were very well thought out and the cultures were brought to life without any of that annoying "tell the audience everything in a short paragraph in the beginning" crap that done authors rely on. I am happy to say I've already purchased the second book.
July 17, 2017
Unique concept, great read
What a fantastic story. There is variety, twists and turns, magic (can't forget the magic), a potential destruction of world's or a world, a mad queen and mags galore woohoo.
There is so much going on in this story you will be way to busy to do anything other than read till the end. There are great friendships formed as well as broken.
All I will say is go on , read the book as you will not regret a second of it, I don't want to mention spoilers and ruin it for you (you can thank me later lol😃).
What a fantastic story. There is variety, twists and turns, magic (can't forget the magic), a potential destruction of world's or a world, a mad queen and mags galore woohoo.
There is so much going on in this story you will be way to busy to do anything other than read till the end. There are great friendships formed as well as broken.
All I will say is go on , read the book as you will not regret a second of it, I don't want to mention spoilers and ruin it for you (you can thank me later lol😃).
January 16, 2022
4.5. There were quite a few things in The Summoned Mage that were similar to another series I absolutely loved, the Touchstone series by Andrea K Host. The journal style, the main character accidentally being transplanted to another world, and the strange magic and culture aspects. But there were some fun differences as well, like the attitude and skills of the main character herself,the low tech magic based societies and the villain(s) among them. I thoroughly enjoyed the book regardless of the parallels:).
June 2, 2017
Love love love
This book is so well-written...Sesskia pulls you along with her and doesn't let go. It was a total delight...I was so psyched when I saw I was only 35% into the book (and so much had happened already, was so interesting, and had me wanting to devote my whole day to the book [who needs a paycheck?]), and that much more psyched that there was 65% more goodness left! I didn't want it to end. But it did - and I am jumping right into the second one!
This book is so well-written...Sesskia pulls you along with her and doesn't let go. It was a total delight...I was so psyched when I saw I was only 35% into the book (and so much had happened already, was so interesting, and had me wanting to devote my whole day to the book [who needs a paycheck?]), and that much more psyched that there was 65% more goodness left! I didn't want it to end. But it did - and I am jumping right into the second one!
July 11, 2017
Enjoyed reading this Book!
I really enjoyed reading this book! Sessecka? Is a real smarty pants and I enjoyed being submersed into her unusual life. Fantasy with a bit of suspense and a reminder to all of us to life the life we can when we can! The book is the reader following Sessecka after being mysteriously teleported to a different realm. The reader follows her thoughts from pissed off to scared, to curious as she learns why she's there.
I really enjoyed reading this book! Sessecka? Is a real smarty pants and I enjoyed being submersed into her unusual life. Fantasy with a bit of suspense and a reminder to all of us to life the life we can when we can! The book is the reader following Sessecka after being mysteriously teleported to a different realm. The reader follows her thoughts from pissed off to scared, to curious as she learns why she's there.
January 7, 2020
This book is by the same author as Burning Bright, which I loved. And this one was really good, too. I enjoyed how real the narrator’s journal entries sounded, and enjoyed the honesty of the main characters with each other (good communication, no silly jumping to conclusions), but... the cliffhanger ending was very abrupt, and I needed a few more details to be tied up to feel like I really had just finished a complete book.
July 3, 2017
WORST. NARRATOR. EVER.
Everything is summarized. Characterization is imparted through the opinions of the narrator without any events or scenes showing us why that particular conclusion is correct. It's frustrating.
Everything is summarized. Characterization is imparted through the opinions of the narrator without any events or scenes showing us why that particular conclusion is correct. It's frustrating.
September 24, 2017
Not a bad book and it had some interesting new takes on magic but there was just too much that was unexplainable and I really didn't like how the ending was so abrupt like a story cut in half randomly.
October 24, 2017
Neither plot nor characters are new (snarky heroine who doesn't know her own powers, stoic and mysterious hero etc etc) and I've read better executions, but nonetheless, the story made a long flight pass quickly and I'll be picking up the next book.
November 3, 2017
Summoned Mage
This was a great book to read it has several parts of story lines revolving around the main story all at the same time. Will they find a way to save the two worlds, will the evil and insane god-empress kill everyoňe involved? Read and enjoy!
This was a great book to read it has several parts of story lines revolving around the main story all at the same time. Will they find a way to save the two worlds, will the evil and insane god-empress kill everyoňe involved? Read and enjoy!
July 10, 2017
Great series.
September 20, 2017
It is a great book to read
September 17, 2018
Fresh and fun, quick paced. Don't miss it.
May 31, 2019
Pretty good, although the romance is a little purple.
June 23, 2020
Otherwise, loved it. Great worldbuilding, the magic was a little confusing (or maybe it was just me, reading it at 10pm every night right before bed), loved the characters and relationships, and can't wait to read the next in the series :D
September 16, 2023
Not the most memorable book but quite enjoyable. A fun fantasy read with an engaging world.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews