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Nick Teller #1
Rogue Arcanist
You don’t know who you are until you’re threatened.
Arcanists are born with the ability to manipulate reality with their spellcraft, their existence a closely guarded secret; they're among the most dangerous people on the planet, and rogues some of the worst.
Nick Teller isn’t a rogue arcanist by choice; he’d been born to it. But he understands the death sentence that carries if the totalitarian Society of Arcanists ever find him. That’s why he left that life to become a lecturer at King’s College London. Staying hidden, staying safe.
But nothing lasts forever.
When Nick interrupts the ritual murder of a student at the hands of another rogue, he finds himself fighting to keep his head firmly attached to his shoulders, not to mention protect the life he’s built. With the Society’s Blackcloak enforcers on the prowl, Nick knows he has to stay one step ahead of them, the London Metropolitan Police and the homicidal rogue.
But when that rogue’s plans involve something lurking beyond our reality, in the black vastness of Elsewhere, Nick might just find himself out of his league. He’ll need all of his spells, skill and wit to make it out alive, but at what cost? Nick will have to ask himself just how far he's willing to go to survive.
Arcanists are born with the ability to manipulate reality with their spellcraft, their existence a closely guarded secret; they're among the most dangerous people on the planet, and rogues some of the worst.
Nick Teller isn’t a rogue arcanist by choice; he’d been born to it. But he understands the death sentence that carries if the totalitarian Society of Arcanists ever find him. That’s why he left that life to become a lecturer at King’s College London. Staying hidden, staying safe.
But nothing lasts forever.
When Nick interrupts the ritual murder of a student at the hands of another rogue, he finds himself fighting to keep his head firmly attached to his shoulders, not to mention protect the life he’s built. With the Society’s Blackcloak enforcers on the prowl, Nick knows he has to stay one step ahead of them, the London Metropolitan Police and the homicidal rogue.
But when that rogue’s plans involve something lurking beyond our reality, in the black vastness of Elsewhere, Nick might just find himself out of his league. He’ll need all of his spells, skill and wit to make it out alive, but at what cost? Nick will have to ask himself just how far he's willing to go to survive.
- GenresFantasy
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2018
42 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Alan Brenik
2 books15 followersAlan Brenik is a fantasy storyteller living in the North West of England. He believes in the wisdom of dogs, the superiority of winter, and the power of stories. Rogue Arcanist (2018) was his first novel, followed by the sequel Deadliest Bidder in 2019.
Read the short story 'Bad Luck Hunting' for free on his website, a prequel to the Nick Teller series.
Read the short story 'Bad Luck Hunting' for free on his website, a prequel to the Nick Teller series.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 19, 2018
I love urban fantasy. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find unique and genuinely engaging books in the genre. On the other hand, the same is true for most of the literary fiction.
Spicing the reality with magic and supernatural occurrences resonate with me since childhood. I'll be first in line to get Peace Talks once it's done. In the meantime, I regularly try new UF titles.
Rogue Arcanist is Alan Brenik's debut novel. It's set in contemporary London and focuses on rogue arcanist Nick Teller. Nick's element is air. He's a skilled aeromancer, swordmaster, and University teacher. Raised to be a killer and play an important role in mysterious events to come, he's a bit of a failure. Instead of gaining power, he teaches students, reads books and goes for a walk with his best friend and companion called River.
River is a sweet and friendly German Shepherd. Or, rather, would be if she weren't half-crocotta - a crossbreed of a dog and an abomination from the Elsewhere. She's preternaturally fast, strong and she loves to chew on metal. Don't leave her in the car. It would be a bad idea.
Unfortunately for Nick, his life will soon significantly change. Another rogue arcanist starts to kill students in a ritual that may lead to him becoming an Aspect. And an Aspect is not a thing you would like to mess with. Nick will have to make hard choices and say goodbye to his comfortable and regular life.
Expect magic, murder, libraries, alien life, sword-fighting, tough choices and worse luck.
There's a lot to enjoy in the book. For starters, there's no wizard-detective in the book! Awesome. Magic is exciting and comes with a price (exhaustion). I was always interested in elemental magic and find it cool to learn about adepts using the power of air, fire or water. Brenik spent some time helping us to understand the magical part of the world, but I was still left with questions. Some of the magical details felt a little lacking, but ultimately this is an action-packed story with a new-adult(ish) vibe so going deep into worldbuilding isn’t necessary.
Nick is likable but somewhat indistinct. He's intelligent, a bit shy around women, and quite resourceful. While he's skilled in magic and swordfight, he loves normal life and books too much to lead more adventurous life. He leads a solitary life, doesn't notice women interest in him, despite being handsome and skilled with a sword (and magic). When he's in his element, he is and feels dangerous. His main problem is lack of charisma. Unfortunately, the same is true for secondary characters. They're ok, I guess, but none of them won my sympathy. Except for River that is.
Edit - Blackloak Roth is done well. First, I thought he was cliche:
He seems to be, right? But it turns out he stands out and is memorable. After few days I have a clear image of the guy in my head. His behavior in the book was surprising (he turned out to be a nice person) and I'm definitely interested in learning more about him.
The story is told from Nick's perspective - while we get to know him and the good guys reasonably well, the pitfall of a single PoV is that we don’t get to know the bad guys, and it’s hard for them to be much more than what the story makes them. As a result and despite the final twist/explanation of our villain's choices, this makes the ending not have the punch it could have had.
My main gripe is different, though. It's the writing. While the book is well edited and clean, there's too much fat in the sentences. I firmly believe in the power of brevity. Unfortunately, the number of unnecessary details (Nick's friend manipulating her ponytail, sore muscles, tuning down the phone) kills the momentum and cripples action-scenes. I'm convinced that cutting 10-15 % of the book would make it a much more engaging lecture.
I can see that switching the phone to silent mode before getting into action is important, but when similar details and minutiae appear in almost every single paragraph, it grows tiring.
Also, using mini-cliffhangers at the end of almost every chapter grows old fast. It's the kind of structure I find irritating, although I can see it's useful.
Despite some lags in the pacing and Nick's lack of charisma, it was a quick read with fresh ideas (I especially like the spider constructs and some of the air element's applications ). In the second half, the pacing picks up, and I felt hooked and interested in the story's resolution. Ultimately, it wasn't perfect but I consider Rogue Arcanist to be a promising debut. I'm interested to see where the story goes in the future.
I read the book as part of the TBRind - An Indie Author and Reviewer Matching Service created and maintained by The Weatherwax Report.
Spicing the reality with magic and supernatural occurrences resonate with me since childhood. I'll be first in line to get Peace Talks once it's done. In the meantime, I regularly try new UF titles.
Rogue Arcanist is Alan Brenik's debut novel. It's set in contemporary London and focuses on rogue arcanist Nick Teller. Nick's element is air. He's a skilled aeromancer, swordmaster, and University teacher. Raised to be a killer and play an important role in mysterious events to come, he's a bit of a failure. Instead of gaining power, he teaches students, reads books and goes for a walk with his best friend and companion called River.
River is a sweet and friendly German Shepherd. Or, rather, would be if she weren't half-crocotta - a crossbreed of a dog and an abomination from the Elsewhere. She's preternaturally fast, strong and she loves to chew on metal. Don't leave her in the car. It would be a bad idea.
Unfortunately for Nick, his life will soon significantly change. Another rogue arcanist starts to kill students in a ritual that may lead to him becoming an Aspect. And an Aspect is not a thing you would like to mess with. Nick will have to make hard choices and say goodbye to his comfortable and regular life.
Expect magic, murder, libraries, alien life, sword-fighting, tough choices and worse luck.
There's a lot to enjoy in the book. For starters, there's no wizard-detective in the book! Awesome. Magic is exciting and comes with a price (exhaustion). I was always interested in elemental magic and find it cool to learn about adepts using the power of air, fire or water. Brenik spent some time helping us to understand the magical part of the world, but I was still left with questions. Some of the magical details felt a little lacking, but ultimately this is an action-packed story with a new-adult(ish) vibe so going deep into worldbuilding isn’t necessary.
Nick is likable but somewhat indistinct. He's intelligent, a bit shy around women, and quite resourceful. While he's skilled in magic and swordfight, he loves normal life and books too much to lead more adventurous life. He leads a solitary life, doesn't notice women interest in him, despite being handsome and skilled with a sword (and magic). When he's in his element, he is and feels dangerous. His main problem is lack of charisma. Unfortunately, the same is true for secondary characters. They're ok, I guess, but none of them won my sympathy. Except for River that is.
Edit - Blackloak Roth is done well. First, I thought he was cliche:
He was impeccably dressed in a navy pinstriped suit and carrying a gentleman’s cane fashioned from some kind of blue-tinted metal. He looked to be in his fifties but young for it, over six feet tall and built like a rugby player. His white-grey hair was kept close to the scalp, contrasting sharply against his black skin, and he wore a well-kept goatee beneath a nose that had been broken more than once. His grey eyes were as hard as steel, and he was missing his left ear completely..
He seems to be, right? But it turns out he stands out and is memorable. After few days I have a clear image of the guy in my head. His behavior in the book was surprising (he turned out to be a nice person) and I'm definitely interested in learning more about him.
The story is told from Nick's perspective - while we get to know him and the good guys reasonably well, the pitfall of a single PoV is that we don’t get to know the bad guys, and it’s hard for them to be much more than what the story makes them. As a result and despite the final twist/explanation of our villain's choices, this makes the ending not have the punch it could have had.
My main gripe is different, though. It's the writing. While the book is well edited and clean, there's too much fat in the sentences. I firmly believe in the power of brevity. Unfortunately, the number of unnecessary details (Nick's friend manipulating her ponytail, sore muscles, tuning down the phone) kills the momentum and cripples action-scenes. I'm convinced that cutting 10-15 % of the book would make it a much more engaging lecture.
I can see that switching the phone to silent mode before getting into action is important, but when similar details and minutiae appear in almost every single paragraph, it grows tiring.
Also, using mini-cliffhangers at the end of almost every chapter grows old fast. It's the kind of structure I find irritating, although I can see it's useful.
Despite some lags in the pacing and Nick's lack of charisma, it was a quick read with fresh ideas (I especially like the spider constructs and some of the air element's applications ). In the second half, the pacing picks up, and I felt hooked and interested in the story's resolution. Ultimately, it wasn't perfect but I consider Rogue Arcanist to be a promising debut. I'm interested to see where the story goes in the future.
I read the book as part of the TBRind - An Indie Author and Reviewer Matching Service created and maintained by The Weatherwax Report.
June 12, 2018
Fantastic first novel
Fantastic start to a series! I love the character and world building that Mr. Brenik has done with this story, just the right amount. Fantastic editing work, no mistakes or awkward spots you'll see in some.
All in all, I'm looking forward to more Nick Teller!
Fantastic start to a series! I love the character and world building that Mr. Brenik has done with this story, just the right amount. Fantastic editing work, no mistakes or awkward spots you'll see in some.
All in all, I'm looking forward to more Nick Teller!
June 30, 2018
DISCLAIMER - I know the author and was one of the beta readers for this novel.
I absolutely loved this debut novel - I haven’t personally read much urban fantasy, except for The Dresden Files, so can not really compare to other books within this genre. Regardless, I could not put this book down, the end of each chapter left me wanting more. The action is quick paced, well described and cinematic.
So, if you like action, dogs and magic then I strongly suggest you read this novel.
I absolutely loved this debut novel - I haven’t personally read much urban fantasy, except for The Dresden Files, so can not really compare to other books within this genre. Regardless, I could not put this book down, the end of each chapter left me wanting more. The action is quick paced, well described and cinematic.
So, if you like action, dogs and magic then I strongly suggest you read this novel.
November 9, 2018
Liked it
Liked it, would like to read a sequel, decent characters, good storyline, entertaining, pretty stereotypical urban fantasy, no major gripes, but nothing outstanding either.
Liked it, would like to read a sequel, decent characters, good storyline, entertaining, pretty stereotypical urban fantasy, no major gripes, but nothing outstanding either.
April 3, 2019
Recommended
I really enjoyed this book and I hope it’s the beginning of a long series. Well written with awesome action and great plot to boot. I can’t wait for the next one.
I really enjoyed this book and I hope it’s the beginning of a long series. Well written with awesome action and great plot to boot. I can’t wait for the next one.
April 11, 2019
On par with the best of Butcher
Very fun novel set in the most arcane of cities. Certainly a great origin story, and something to anticipate greatly.
Very fun novel set in the most arcane of cities. Certainly a great origin story, and something to anticipate greatly.
February 27, 2020
Had promise, but the delivery was a killer for me. Much, too much, detail. I was forcing myself to read, and without enjoyment.
Read
November 11, 2018SPFBO.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews