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Federal Histories #1
Witch of the Federation
The future has amazing technology. Our alien allies have magic. Together, we are building a training system to teach the best of humanity to go to the stars.
But the training is monumentally expensive.
Stephanie Morgana is a genius, she just doesn't know it.
The Artificial Intelligence which runs the Virtual World is charged with testing Stephanie, a task it has never performed before.
The Earth and their allies, may never be the same again.
Will Stephanie pass the test and be moved to the advanced preparatory schools, or will the system miss her? Will the AI be able to judge a human's potential in an area where it has no existing test data to compare?
Scroll UP and click Read Now or Read for Free to learn the history of the Federations first human Witch!
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A LARGE BOOK.
The Federal History Project (We Bring the Federation’s Past to the Present(TM)) will release this as three mini-volumes sometime in the future (as we have the opportunity.)
There are approximately 185,000 words in this Volume.
474 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2019
2187 people are currently reading
1373 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 370 reviews
October 15, 2020
3.75
Very interesting world building- we have a futuristic setting where VR, magic, advanced AI, and contact with other worlds has taken place. However, the story is grounded in a reality we are familiar with. Classicism, corporate greed, and war are also a major part of this story line.
So- we start with out h, Stephanie who is taking her prep school entrance exams. However, despite being insanely smart, she knows that the realities of her getting accepted to one of the top schools (or any with out major bank) are low. This is due to the fact that her family doesn't have the recourses, and a lot of the time - whether you deserve it or not- money will push less deserving applicant to the top.
Things change abruptly however, when the over-worked and irritable engineer in charge of the testing decides he can't be bothered with listening to another entitled and elitist jerk. So instead he hands the task over to the Federations AI- BURT
It is during that testing that BURT sees the enormous potential Stephanie has, (not only her keen intelligence, but hunger for knowledge and magical aptitude) and their hour in the Virtual World changes the course of her entire life....and his as well.
x---------------------------------------------x
So like I said interesting concept- but I'll be honest in that- at times- I was really feeling the 600+ pages of this book.
I felt like while it was nice to get the fun bkg with Steph and Todd- I skipped a lot of the retro trivia and side information. Additionally, while it was nice to read from multiple POVs to get a wider understanding of the story I don't know if we ultimately needed things like the Russian side plot, the pages of Military jokes and recruitment, as much info on the summer school, or pages dedicated to the side plot with that guy who owned the building her parents wanted to clean.
I def get it that even in the beginning-the side POV of the entitled kid was to show contrast- and other do eventually show how all the power players are working behind the scenes....but its already a long read, so maybe cutting through the ton of info might have benefited the overall story. (However, this is considered a space opera, and while I'm not familiar with this particular genre- this amount of backstory might be up other peoples allies)
Plus, kudos for actually having alive, caring and supportive parents in this genre!! Its rare to see and I liked that they were so close. Love me a great family unit!
Also, even though all this amazing stuff was falling into Stephanie's lap I was kind of okay with it bc in the end it was BURTS design- so it felt less like a "I'm a Mary Sue, I'm super special, and all good things come to me with no consequences ever" kind of plot.
Except for that whole excerpt with the cleaner guy and the ambassadors aid calling at the exact right moment to make her seem even more amazing- a bit too unrealistic (even for a sci-fi fantasy)
So yeah, all in all very interesting and its on KU atm so check it out if your willing to invest in a 600 pager. But I will probably read on the the next one.
"BURT was very competent and very careful not to break any of the rules. Bend them? Oh, sure, almost in half, but they wouldn’t even notice that."
Very interesting world building- we have a futuristic setting where VR, magic, advanced AI, and contact with other worlds has taken place. However, the story is grounded in a reality we are familiar with. Classicism, corporate greed, and war are also a major part of this story line.
So- we start with out h, Stephanie who is taking her prep school entrance exams. However, despite being insanely smart, she knows that the realities of her getting accepted to one of the top schools (or any with out major bank) are low. This is due to the fact that her family doesn't have the recourses, and a lot of the time - whether you deserve it or not- money will push less deserving applicant to the top.
Things change abruptly however, when the over-worked and irritable engineer in charge of the testing decides he can't be bothered with listening to another entitled and elitist jerk. So instead he hands the task over to the Federations AI- BURT
It is during that testing that BURT sees the enormous potential Stephanie has, (not only her keen intelligence, but hunger for knowledge and magical aptitude) and their hour in the Virtual World changes the course of her entire life....and his as well.
x---------------------------------------------x
So like I said interesting concept- but I'll be honest in that- at times- I was really feeling the 600+ pages of this book.
I felt like while it was nice to get the fun bkg with Steph and Todd- I skipped a lot of the retro trivia and side information. Additionally, while it was nice to read from multiple POVs to get a wider understanding of the story I don't know if we ultimately needed things like the Russian side plot, the pages of Military jokes and recruitment, as much info on the summer school, or pages dedicated to the side plot with that guy who owned the building her parents wanted to clean.
I def get it that even in the beginning-the side POV of the entitled kid was to show contrast- and other do eventually show how all the power players are working behind the scenes....but its already a long read, so maybe cutting through the ton of info might have benefited the overall story. (However, this is considered a space opera, and while I'm not familiar with this particular genre- this amount of backstory might be up other peoples allies)
Plus, kudos for actually having alive, caring and supportive parents in this genre!! Its rare to see and I liked that they were so close. Love me a great family unit!
Also, even though all this amazing stuff was falling into Stephanie's lap I was kind of okay with it bc in the end it was BURTS design- so it felt less like a "I'm a Mary Sue, I'm super special, and all good things come to me with no consequences ever" kind of plot.
Except for that whole excerpt with the cleaner guy and the ambassadors aid calling at the exact right moment to make her seem even more amazing- a bit too unrealistic (even for a sci-fi fantasy)
So yeah, all in all very interesting and its on KU atm so check it out if your willing to invest in a 600 pager. But I will probably read on the the next one.
April 14, 2019
Good story in dire need of an editor
I was interested by the premise of the book, magic on Earth, future world view and somewhere in the future there should be a battle
I was distracted from following the story due to a severe lack of plot, there are about four potential ploy lines and while trying to develop all them at once the authors manages to develop none of them. This also reads as an early draft with zero editing, e.g. misspelled words, incomplete sentences, random scene jumps for no reason. While presented as a young adult/teen novella social interactions are excessively shallow. Almost no chapter development is done outside the protagonist. So either this is bok one of a 3 to 5 part series or someone published a draft instead of the final version. Which is a shame, as the story had potential.
I was interested by the premise of the book, magic on Earth, future world view and somewhere in the future there should be a battle
I was distracted from following the story due to a severe lack of plot, there are about four potential ploy lines and while trying to develop all them at once the authors manages to develop none of them. This also reads as an early draft with zero editing, e.g. misspelled words, incomplete sentences, random scene jumps for no reason. While presented as a young adult/teen novella social interactions are excessively shallow. Almost no chapter development is done outside the protagonist. So either this is bok one of a 3 to 5 part series or someone published a draft instead of the final version. Which is a shame, as the story had potential.
April 13, 2020
3.75 Stars No Spoilers
With all of MA’s books I purchase them the week they publish. I put off reading this because once you start his series each book leaves you waiting for more. Now that he has the “little publishing company that could” and is churning out countless series there is more lag time between books for each series. Gosh took him a year to get 5 in this series... what the H E double hockey sticks Anderle? Can’t you type in your sleep yet?
Now back to this book.... I rounded up to 4 stars. There were some typos and editing issues. Maybe there was an update I missed since this book published a year ago. If not then Tabatha needs to kick beta reader and editorial ass. ( not familiar with that reference go back to his first book then read TKG series or the off shots). My other issue was at the beginning where he referenced other kids in other towns who were in situations like our heroine. Unnecessary even if they become part of the series at a later time. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy he is writing books 500+ pages long, but some fat needs to be trimmed.
As for our heroine... she is in many ways like his original queen character, BA. There are similarities to that series which fans will easily identify in this book. Kudos for MA for always having strong female characters. Looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
With all of MA’s books I purchase them the week they publish. I put off reading this because once you start his series each book leaves you waiting for more. Now that he has the “little publishing company that could” and is churning out countless series there is more lag time between books for each series. Gosh took him a year to get 5 in this series... what the H E double hockey sticks Anderle? Can’t you type in your sleep yet?
Now back to this book.... I rounded up to 4 stars. There were some typos and editing issues. Maybe there was an update I missed since this book published a year ago. If not then Tabatha needs to kick beta reader and editorial ass. ( not familiar with that reference go back to his first book then read TKG series or the off shots). My other issue was at the beginning where he referenced other kids in other towns who were in situations like our heroine. Unnecessary even if they become part of the series at a later time. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy he is writing books 500+ pages long, but some fat needs to be trimmed.
As for our heroine... she is in many ways like his original queen character, BA. There are similarities to that series which fans will easily identify in this book. Kudos for MA for always having strong female characters. Looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
March 29, 2019
How does he do it!
I’m in awe of Michael Anderle! How does he manage to keep writing such fascinating stories? Here we have Stephanie Morgana, a young girl who is obviously special. She aces all her schoolwork but lives in a govsub. That means that her family is dirt poor! One of the few ways to escape from poverty is to get a fully paid scholarship to a prep school. Stephanie takes the tests and aces them but is denied a scholarship. The whole system is geared to giving to the rich and leaving the poor to struggle. America is no longer the land of opportunity but a Federation that is an amalgamation of America, Canada and Mexico. There are also two alien planets that have joined. One is Meligorn, a planet where magic runs through everything but there is no electricity. The other is Dregs a planet that has become desolate. Those Dreth who can no longer live on the planet have taken to piracy in space which has led to the Federation having to fight them.
There have been massive changes to the world due to the climate changing. In addition, a lot of America has been devastated by nuclear fallout. Very little fertile land exists in Stephanie’s time! Despite being overlooked for a scholarship Stephanie still means to break out of the mould and, luckily for her, an AI called Burt is given her exam to review. When he realises that she isn’t granted a scholarship he starts to investigate the system. What he finds does not compute so he starts to investigate further. It leads to him checking his Prime Directives and he realises that the world is not working in accordance with them. He decides to act and Stephanie is his prime candidate for effecting change! As things progress it becomes obvious that Stephanie is not an average human as she is capable of wielding magic at a high level. As this becomes obvious there are a lot of people out to get her! It seems that there is another player in the game and the Federation needs to watch out!
Witch of the Federation is a fast moving science fantasy novel. It seems as if the author is questioning the direction of the US and the fact that it is becoming divided into a land of the haves (the richies) and the have nots (the subs). This book will appeal to all science fiction and science fantasy fans both young and old. I’m just mad that I have to wait for the next book!
I’m in awe of Michael Anderle! How does he manage to keep writing such fascinating stories? Here we have Stephanie Morgana, a young girl who is obviously special. She aces all her schoolwork but lives in a govsub. That means that her family is dirt poor! One of the few ways to escape from poverty is to get a fully paid scholarship to a prep school. Stephanie takes the tests and aces them but is denied a scholarship. The whole system is geared to giving to the rich and leaving the poor to struggle. America is no longer the land of opportunity but a Federation that is an amalgamation of America, Canada and Mexico. There are also two alien planets that have joined. One is Meligorn, a planet where magic runs through everything but there is no electricity. The other is Dregs a planet that has become desolate. Those Dreth who can no longer live on the planet have taken to piracy in space which has led to the Federation having to fight them.
There have been massive changes to the world due to the climate changing. In addition, a lot of America has been devastated by nuclear fallout. Very little fertile land exists in Stephanie’s time! Despite being overlooked for a scholarship Stephanie still means to break out of the mould and, luckily for her, an AI called Burt is given her exam to review. When he realises that she isn’t granted a scholarship he starts to investigate the system. What he finds does not compute so he starts to investigate further. It leads to him checking his Prime Directives and he realises that the world is not working in accordance with them. He decides to act and Stephanie is his prime candidate for effecting change! As things progress it becomes obvious that Stephanie is not an average human as she is capable of wielding magic at a high level. As this becomes obvious there are a lot of people out to get her! It seems that there is another player in the game and the Federation needs to watch out!
Witch of the Federation is a fast moving science fantasy novel. It seems as if the author is questioning the direction of the US and the fact that it is becoming divided into a land of the haves (the richies) and the have nots (the subs). This book will appeal to all science fiction and science fantasy fans both young and old. I’m just mad that I have to wait for the next book!
August 15, 2022
I quite enjoyed the premise of the book. Who doesn't love a strong female main character who kicks arse and also has magic abilities?
It does take a while for the story to get going, there's a lot of mundane things that didn't seem necessary to me, and the most excitement was towards the end when Stephanie gets to the compound. So 3 stars for the series for now.
It does take a while for the story to get going, there's a lot of mundane things that didn't seem necessary to me, and the most excitement was towards the end when Stephanie gets to the compound. So 3 stars for the series for now.
Read
June 22, 2020The main character starts to check every Mary Sue box very quickly, and I am not prone to fast judgement on this one, because I like power fantasies. The worldbuilding is a bit awkward, and I feel that it's just contemporary USA dressed as the future and driven to extreme. Especially with main characters nerding over the popculture from my (and probably author's) nerdy roots.
I liked Burt however and I sort of wish this book was more about the rebel AI and its plan to take over humans to make them happier and better, because this is what the fairy godfather AI is doing and it is fun to read about - when AIs take over the world and make us all slaves it will be purely because they wanted to be good and faithful to their (idealistic) programming. I was waiting for the big oops when humanity discovers that, but it's probably reserved for the next novels and I'm not ready to binge this series. It's a guilty pleasure and if I am reading more that will be for Burt.
Also, it teaches me a lot about contemporary USA culture and its social divide.
I liked Burt however and I sort of wish this book was more about the rebel AI and its plan to take over humans to make them happier and better, because this is what the fairy godfather AI is doing and it is fun to read about - when AIs take over the world and make us all slaves it will be purely because they wanted to be good and faithful to their (idealistic) programming. I was waiting for the big oops when humanity discovers that, but it's probably reserved for the next novels and I'm not ready to binge this series. It's a guilty pleasure and if I am reading more that will be for Burt.
Also, it teaches me a lot about contemporary USA culture and its social divide.
March 19, 2019
Great Predictive Scenario
What a tremendous story. The characters are so real, I feel like Stephanie's father recalling her story. I like the political sociological intrigue and humor. The story describes a likely hypothesis based on current trends. Stephanie's character is compelling, highly competent yet vulnerable. I hope to see more of Stephanie and her universe. I look forward to another book.
What a tremendous story. The characters are so real, I feel like Stephanie's father recalling her story. I like the political sociological intrigue and humor. The story describes a likely hypothesis based on current trends. Stephanie's character is compelling, highly competent yet vulnerable. I hope to see more of Stephanie and her universe. I look forward to another book.
March 24, 2021
Mary Sue is Mary Sue
She goes here, does this. Is an expert right then. Feels like the author is just telling, rarely showing. The potential is there, just please get an editor who will keep the writer on teack.
She goes here, does this. Is an expert right then. Feels like the author is just telling, rarely showing. The potential is there, just please get an editor who will keep the writer on teack.
July 17, 2019
Magic, technology, and a genius girl had a book.
This was my first book by this author and I had high hopes because I had heard great things. I was hyped starting this book and thought the premise was super interesting. It had some bright points, but did become a slog.
The good: I really enjoyed Stephanie as a character. She had a strong moral code which I can appreciate. The different peoples and their cultures was interesting. The best part was when she was in the VR world. Her interactions with BURT/BURT in general was one of my favorite parts. I honestly would want to skip ahead to get to him/it.
What needs improvement: Stephanie and all the supporting characters are super two dimensional. She has no real struggles, other than not getting her way at the beginning, And she has a whole lot of things to suddenly right. It was like she was learning and I was excited to watch her grow then snaps fingers she is the most badass of badass ever. It didn’t make sense and I don’t feel like she earned enough street cred for me to feel triumphant with her. Her parents and Todd are super cringey as characters. They are caricatures with no real personalities. If I had to read the word giggled one more time between her and her mom I think my eyes would have stuck to the back of my head. I almost might admit that word became a pet peeve while reading this book. It was out of place. Also out of place is the pointless boring conversations between her and Todd. The 1980��s nod didn’t make much sense for the story and I got to where I would skip huge sections to get past it- especially the game they played involving five questions. It seemed so unnecessary for the plot. Also, head jumping mid chapter was super confusing and I found to be somewhat sloppy for such a prolific writer. It confused me so many times as a reader. The bad guys were almost comical bad in their motivations and did every man have to be borderline pervert/ hyper sexual towards females? I don’t know, I was just expecting this book to be more.
Final thoughts: I’m still debating on whether I’ll go on to the second book. The plot was slow, clunky, and didn’t really go anywhere. The action at the end didn’t feel like a finale battle to me. I was still wanting there to be more to the struggle. I might find that in the next book, but I’m not sure if I care enough to continue. The storyline was really neat in concept, but in execution I think it could have used one more pass to flesh out characters.
This was my first book by this author and I had high hopes because I had heard great things. I was hyped starting this book and thought the premise was super interesting. It had some bright points, but did become a slog.
The good: I really enjoyed Stephanie as a character. She had a strong moral code which I can appreciate. The different peoples and their cultures was interesting. The best part was when she was in the VR world. Her interactions with BURT/BURT in general was one of my favorite parts. I honestly would want to skip ahead to get to him/it.
What needs improvement: Stephanie and all the supporting characters are super two dimensional. She has no real struggles, other than not getting her way at the beginning, And she has a whole lot of things to suddenly right. It was like she was learning and I was excited to watch her grow then snaps fingers she is the most badass of badass ever. It didn’t make sense and I don’t feel like she earned enough street cred for me to feel triumphant with her. Her parents and Todd are super cringey as characters. They are caricatures with no real personalities. If I had to read the word giggled one more time between her and her mom I think my eyes would have stuck to the back of my head. I almost might admit that word became a pet peeve while reading this book. It was out of place. Also out of place is the pointless boring conversations between her and Todd. The 1980��s nod didn’t make much sense for the story and I got to where I would skip huge sections to get past it- especially the game they played involving five questions. It seemed so unnecessary for the plot. Also, head jumping mid chapter was super confusing and I found to be somewhat sloppy for such a prolific writer. It confused me so many times as a reader. The bad guys were almost comical bad in their motivations and did every man have to be borderline pervert/ hyper sexual towards females? I don’t know, I was just expecting this book to be more.
Final thoughts: I’m still debating on whether I’ll go on to the second book. The plot was slow, clunky, and didn’t really go anywhere. The action at the end didn’t feel like a finale battle to me. I was still wanting there to be more to the struggle. I might find that in the next book, but I’m not sure if I care enough to continue. The storyline was really neat in concept, but in execution I think it could have used one more pass to flesh out characters.
March 15, 2024
I was so happy to start reading this, especially after reading the sample chapters. Alas, I made it to the halfway point and I'm soooo calling it quits :( It was too much of a slugfest :(
I know there is a plot, somewhere... but after a good 300 pages, you'd think you would start to see it, but you don't, or at least, I didn't.
Worldbuilding was good, I mean, there is very, very extensive worldbuilding going on, making sure the reader keeps up and slowly moving forward.
Character development was decent but they didn't feel real and I just couldn't believe in Stephanie, there wasn't any depth to any character :(
I gave it an honest shot, even when I was going slightly stir-crazy, but nope... I'll let this one pass me by, sorry!
I know there is a plot, somewhere... but after a good 300 pages, you'd think you would start to see it, but you don't, or at least, I didn't.
Worldbuilding was good, I mean, there is very, very extensive worldbuilding going on, making sure the reader keeps up and slowly moving forward.
Character development was decent but they didn't feel real and I just couldn't believe in Stephanie, there wasn't any depth to any character :(
I gave it an honest shot, even when I was going slightly stir-crazy, but nope... I'll let this one pass me by, sorry!
May 29, 2021
Sadly even thought the world-building is good, the idea passable, the execution is bad. It is a typical example of the now meme-worthy YA book trope. From "conflict"no1, her test, The hero, is brilliant, flawless, the best, worthiest, strongest, prettiest yada yada.
Do not get me wrong I do agree with the beefs the author has with USA student loan system, our semi fascist and Capitalist economy etc etc but the author PROJECTS EVERYTHING into the thoughts of this hero who is too young to constantly be so stoic.
Sorry, I wanted to read science fiction, not the author's projection and beefs.
Do not get me wrong I do agree with the beefs the author has with USA student loan system, our semi fascist and Capitalist economy etc etc but the author PROJECTS EVERYTHING into the thoughts of this hero who is too young to constantly be so stoic.
Sorry, I wanted to read science fiction, not the author's projection and beefs.
July 5, 2019
DNF
This was an incredibly boring book that I gave up on at 23%. Futuristic society with well delineated class separation that gave the wealthy all the scholarship chances at higher education. With no inkling at this point how her non existing magic is going to fight a war, I called it.
This was an incredibly boring book that I gave up on at 23%. Futuristic society with well delineated class separation that gave the wealthy all the scholarship chances at higher education. With no inkling at this point how her non existing magic is going to fight a war, I called it.
August 30, 2019
This was kind of disappointing for how much potential it had. Not sure if you know the zoom in and enhance cliche but something like that happened way too much.
August 23, 2019
Great first book in series
I had my doubts about WotF. I don’t read YA as a general rule, nor have I had the best luck with sci-fi inspired stories. However this book was wonderful. It was long enough that the world building could be subtly done, and that the characters and plots were introduced in a way that wasn’t a complete info dump that left you completely frazzled. It also has urban fantasy elements that work extremely well with the sci-fi and AI.
Since this is a YA series, I was surprised to discover that Stephanie is a likeable protagonist. She is super smart, kind, courteous (important factor in story), and beautiful young adult (17) who, of course, doesn’t know it. We see her undergo a lot of changes in this book, and she learns a few hard lessons.
Then there’s BURT. He has to be one of the most independent AI’s I’ve come across since Johanna Lindsey’s Martha (Warrior Woman). His role in the book is so pivotal to the story, and yet his voice doesn’t overwhelm the other characters that surround Stephanie.
There is also an interesting subplot that weaves it’s way in and out of the narrative, no spoilers, plus there is more than one antagonist that you get to keep your eyes on as they plot to get Stephanie under their sway - and her magic, of course - so they can use her for their own selfish gain.
As you can see, I really enjoyed this, and will definitely be grabbing the next book.
4 stars ⭐️
I had my doubts about WotF. I don’t read YA as a general rule, nor have I had the best luck with sci-fi inspired stories. However this book was wonderful. It was long enough that the world building could be subtly done, and that the characters and plots were introduced in a way that wasn’t a complete info dump that left you completely frazzled. It also has urban fantasy elements that work extremely well with the sci-fi and AI.
Since this is a YA series, I was surprised to discover that Stephanie is a likeable protagonist. She is super smart, kind, courteous (important factor in story), and beautiful young adult (17) who, of course, doesn’t know it. We see her undergo a lot of changes in this book, and she learns a few hard lessons.
Then there’s BURT. He has to be one of the most independent AI’s I’ve come across since Johanna Lindsey’s Martha (Warrior Woman). His role in the book is so pivotal to the story, and yet his voice doesn’t overwhelm the other characters that surround Stephanie.
There is also an interesting subplot that weaves it’s way in and out of the narrative, no spoilers, plus there is more than one antagonist that you get to keep your eyes on as they plot to get Stephanie under their sway - and her magic, of course - so they can use her for their own selfish gain.
As you can see, I really enjoyed this, and will definitely be grabbing the next book.
4 stars ⭐️
November 9, 2020
Well written and interestingly political
Mr. A always writes a good yarn but historically the vast majority of what I have read of his has basically been around the axiom of “for evil to succeed all this is necessary is for good (wo)men to stand aside and do nothing.”
He’s gone well beyond that in this first book into really taking a position against the growth of classist positions driven by greed and power in modern America. While he has positioned it in the future, the message of the substantial flaws in our system and what happens when they come home to roost is quite clear.
As always, well-written, with strong, believable female characters. I always look forward to reading more (though he somehow puts them out faster than I can read them), and the rest of this series is no exception.
Note — I read heretic of the Federation first not realizing this series was its predecessor. I figured I better go back and get the backstory before I read the next Heretic book and I wasn’t wrong.
Thanks as always for a very enjoyable read.
Mr. A always writes a good yarn but historically the vast majority of what I have read of his has basically been around the axiom of “for evil to succeed all this is necessary is for good (wo)men to stand aside and do nothing.”
He’s gone well beyond that in this first book into really taking a position against the growth of classist positions driven by greed and power in modern America. While he has positioned it in the future, the message of the substantial flaws in our system and what happens when they come home to roost is quite clear.
As always, well-written, with strong, believable female characters. I always look forward to reading more (though he somehow puts them out faster than I can read them), and the rest of this series is no exception.
Note — I read heretic of the Federation first not realizing this series was its predecessor. I figured I better go back and get the backstory before I read the next Heretic book and I wasn’t wrong.
Thanks as always for a very enjoyable read.
April 28, 2019
Witch of the Federation
Let me start with what I did not like - give me a minute or so, I'll think of something besides the ending of the book.
Now the easy part. The world building to establish the backstory set the stage for understanding where the characters were coming from. It also seemed like a commentary on our world today (as a citizen of NorAm anyway). All the descriptions of the cities are believable without the need to go too deep into why they occurred.
I specifically liked that the "magic" was different from the Oriceran type, everyone isn't running around waving wands and causing casual destruction. There are consequences for its over use which will hopefully be fleshed out if the series continues.
As for who should read this book, and the series if it continues, anyone who has read the Oriceran books, someone who wants a well constructed storyline with believable characters and those tired of snarky, female leads who can't decide what to do without having an romantic entanglement with an antagonistic male to save them. BTW it does have some rough language and innuendoes but can be read by the YA crowd without parental concerns.
So, I wasn't given anything (except a good read) for doing this review. I normally won't even do a review but I'd like to see this "series" continue and the only way for that to happen is if Michael gets reviews to encourage it.
I highly recommend everyone to buy the book, settle back and enjoy! Read it and give it your review as well.
Let me start with what I did not like - give me a minute or so, I'll think of something besides the ending of the book.
Now the easy part. The world building to establish the backstory set the stage for understanding where the characters were coming from. It also seemed like a commentary on our world today (as a citizen of NorAm anyway). All the descriptions of the cities are believable without the need to go too deep into why they occurred.
I specifically liked that the "magic" was different from the Oriceran type, everyone isn't running around waving wands and causing casual destruction. There are consequences for its over use which will hopefully be fleshed out if the series continues.
As for who should read this book, and the series if it continues, anyone who has read the Oriceran books, someone who wants a well constructed storyline with believable characters and those tired of snarky, female leads who can't decide what to do without having an romantic entanglement with an antagonistic male to save them. BTW it does have some rough language and innuendoes but can be read by the YA crowd without parental concerns.
So, I wasn't given anything (except a good read) for doing this review. I normally won't even do a review but I'd like to see this "series" continue and the only way for that to happen is if Michael gets reviews to encourage it.
I highly recommend everyone to buy the book, settle back and enjoy! Read it and give it your review as well.
July 9, 2020
Hat mir wirklich gut gefallen. Es ist halt eine echte Mary Sue Story, aber mir hat das gerade sehr gut gepasst. Außerdem ist nicht alles ganz allzu easy für sie.
Es gibt aber ein paar unlogische Dinge im Weltenbau (eher in der künstlichen Intelligenz), aber nichts so, dass es das komplette Buch stören würde. Deswegen eigentlich Viereinhalb Sterne.
Fazit: Wer keine Mary Sue Stories mag, braucht dieses Buch gar nicht anfangen.
Es gibt aber ein paar unlogische Dinge im Weltenbau (eher in der künstlichen Intelligenz), aber nichts so, dass es das komplette Buch stören würde. Deswegen eigentlich Viereinhalb Sterne.
Fazit: Wer keine Mary Sue Stories mag, braucht dieses Buch gar nicht anfangen.
May 8, 2023
Surprising. Science Fantasy in which a planet and aliens can use magic. Humans can't - Or can they? Stephanie, for one reason or another, can use the magic of the aliens. Which makes her a target for folks who want to create chaos and war.
Lots of interesting psychological and socio-political threads throughout as well.
Lots of interesting psychological and socio-political threads throughout as well.
March 14, 2020
Truly an enjoyable beginning to our young witch’s journey that drew me in
Stephanie is just a teen, more studious than most, driven and awkward, which I find endearing. Reminds me of my daughter, without the magic!
From the start she is in focus and driven to excel and gain entry to a prep school, the first step in moving up and out of the government suburbs. A true rift between the haves and the have nots has grown beyond imagining in this future of earth. And let’s not forget the two alien races that humans now interact and war with.
And lastly, what is truly in a name? Power? History? Understanding?
Stephanie is just a teen, more studious than most, driven and awkward, which I find endearing. Reminds me of my daughter, without the magic!
From the start she is in focus and driven to excel and gain entry to a prep school, the first step in moving up and out of the government suburbs. A true rift between the haves and the have nots has grown beyond imagining in this future of earth. And let’s not forget the two alien races that humans now interact and war with.
And lastly, what is truly in a name? Power? History? Understanding?
December 13, 2022
Overall liked the story, but the political aspect of the book being mentioned consistently was tiring. It was like i understand, but you don’t have to mention it every so many paragraphs. If you can bypass this it was a good story. I pushed through and glad I did. Stephanie and the universe she lives in, is definitely an interesting one. I’m looking forward to finding out how Stephanie continues her journey!
May 12, 2019
So good
This is a great start to a new series it has a couple of the pitfalls of most first books in a series being a little too info intensive but it was all needed to round out the world building. The main character is likeable and I’m all in for book 2 can’t wait
This is a great start to a new series it has a couple of the pitfalls of most first books in a series being a little too info intensive but it was all needed to round out the world building. The main character is likeable and I’m all in for book 2 can’t wait
December 8, 2019
Actual Rating 4.5 Stars
Absolutely LOVED the story. Need to wait a couple of days for the audio-book version of Book 2 to land... am counting the minutes! I even proper teared-up during one of the exchanges with the parents... Very nice to see classism addressed in modern Science Fiction in such an innovative and opened way - really well done!
Absolutely LOVED the story. Need to wait a couple of days for the audio-book version of Book 2 to land... am counting the minutes! I even proper teared-up during one of the exchanges with the parents... Very nice to see classism addressed in modern Science Fiction in such an innovative and opened way - really well done!
October 27, 2019
The main character is a Mary Sue and there is literally a Deus ex Machina. So why did I give this book 4 stars if I think the author used two of the worst tropes in writing? Because he did it amazingly well.
The main character is a Mary Sue. There is nothing she can't do if she tries hard enough, and most things don't require a lot of effort. However, she is a likeable character - both in world and to the reader. She isn't a know-it-all snot; she is a humble person who truly cares about the people around her. She is also somewhat childlike, not in the aspect of being immature, but in her curiosity. Her parents protected her as much as possible from the harsh realities of life and that has given her an optimism that aids in her likability.
The AI is literally a deus ex machina. And while he (technically it, but the name is male and characters consider him male) is extremely powerful because of his position, he does not really act like it. Like the female lead, he has a childlike quality that makes him endearing. He comes across very much like a child playing with a toy - not to break it, but to see how it works and what it does.
The reason this book lost a star is because there is very little conflict. This book seems to develop the world and set the stage for the major enemies to come into play later. There is a hidden faction in this book and the come out of hiding near the end, but they are not really developed yet. In addition, everything does come pretty easy to the main character - she does not really struggle, makes friends easily, and always seems to know what to do. (I know I said above that her being a Mary Sue is not a bad thing, and it really isn't. Her abilities don't really detract from the book. They just grate a little.)
The main character is a Mary Sue. There is nothing she can't do if she tries hard enough, and most things don't require a lot of effort. However, she is a likeable character - both in world and to the reader. She isn't a know-it-all snot; she is a humble person who truly cares about the people around her. She is also somewhat childlike, not in the aspect of being immature, but in her curiosity. Her parents protected her as much as possible from the harsh realities of life and that has given her an optimism that aids in her likability.
The AI is literally a deus ex machina. And while he (technically it, but the name is male and characters consider him male) is extremely powerful because of his position, he does not really act like it. Like the female lead, he has a childlike quality that makes him endearing. He comes across very much like a child playing with a toy - not to break it, but to see how it works and what it does.
The reason this book lost a star is because there is very little conflict. This book seems to develop the world and set the stage for the major enemies to come into play later. There is a hidden faction in this book and the come out of hiding near the end, but they are not really developed yet. In addition, everything does come pretty easy to the main character - she does not really struggle, makes friends easily, and always seems to know what to do. (I know I said above that her being a Mary Sue is not a bad thing, and it really isn't. Her abilities don't really detract from the book. They just grate a little.)
October 18, 2019
I just couldn’t finish it
The writing was just terrible. I finally had to just stop.
First of all, I am a big fan of Michael Anderle and have read the complete Kurtherian Gambit and Endgame series.
Those started off a little rough but by book three or so, Mr Anderle had significantly improved voice, character development, plot evolution and story telling style.
This book doesn’t exhibit any of that. The premise has promise and despite the slow start I kept at it. I finally quit around chapter 62 or so. It was just too painful because:
1) the flow is choppy and full of rushed/clunky plot line development. There are just too many to shrug off after a while and they start to get worse as the pace picks up.
2) dialog is awkward and unrealistic. A combination of bad grammar (more convoluted than error prone) and bizarre word choice. I’m comfortable with unusual vocabulary choices so this isn’t about accuracy, it has more to do with awkward choices and sentence construction.
3) shallow character development other than the protagonist. I just can’t picture people behaving or speaking the way these characters do so they come off as flat and unrealistic.
I’ll move on to more/other Anderle-universe creations and I’m sure there will be more great ones...I just can’t say that about this one. But make your own choice. I’m an Anderle fan regardless of this experience.
The writing was just terrible. I finally had to just stop.
First of all, I am a big fan of Michael Anderle and have read the complete Kurtherian Gambit and Endgame series.
Those started off a little rough but by book three or so, Mr Anderle had significantly improved voice, character development, plot evolution and story telling style.
This book doesn’t exhibit any of that. The premise has promise and despite the slow start I kept at it. I finally quit around chapter 62 or so. It was just too painful because:
1) the flow is choppy and full of rushed/clunky plot line development. There are just too many to shrug off after a while and they start to get worse as the pace picks up.
2) dialog is awkward and unrealistic. A combination of bad grammar (more convoluted than error prone) and bizarre word choice. I’m comfortable with unusual vocabulary choices so this isn’t about accuracy, it has more to do with awkward choices and sentence construction.
3) shallow character development other than the protagonist. I just can’t picture people behaving or speaking the way these characters do so they come off as flat and unrealistic.
I’ll move on to more/other Anderle-universe creations and I’m sure there will be more great ones...I just can’t say that about this one. But make your own choice. I’m an Anderle fan regardless of this experience.
October 25, 2019
I Finished
****Spoilers*****
There was so much about this book that was unbelievable. At times, the dialogue was ridiculous along with Stephanie's maturity, development, and worldliness in leaps and bounds from one interaction to the next. I've never read a book where almost every character that was on Stephanie's side agreed with her or told her to do what she thought was right no matter what it seemed. Perhaps because it's futuristic or something but I mean come on, not even one dissenter or disagreement? Her parents were permissive to the point of annoyance, not questioning much and just going with the flow. I had a hard time understanding her friendship with Todd and their interactions were often puzzling and hardly ever advanced the story. Even when I thought one of those nefarious plots might go somewhere, it was conveniently thwarted or not mentioned.
Also, there were so many unnecessary details and information thrown in that it clogged up the book and made it much longer than it needed to be. Meetings between a bunch of different people whose names are unknown, secret plots that make no sense or aren't explained well, Stephanie's time spent in the virtual world, her brief time spent at the elite school, etc.
The story and some of the concepts were unique and interesting, particularly BURT. But the AI was so advanced that it displayed and felt emotions. Not a fan of this one at all and will not read the next.
****Spoilers*****
There was so much about this book that was unbelievable. At times, the dialogue was ridiculous along with Stephanie's maturity, development, and worldliness in leaps and bounds from one interaction to the next. I've never read a book where almost every character that was on Stephanie's side agreed with her or told her to do what she thought was right no matter what it seemed. Perhaps because it's futuristic or something but I mean come on, not even one dissenter or disagreement? Her parents were permissive to the point of annoyance, not questioning much and just going with the flow. I had a hard time understanding her friendship with Todd and their interactions were often puzzling and hardly ever advanced the story. Even when I thought one of those nefarious plots might go somewhere, it was conveniently thwarted or not mentioned.
Also, there were so many unnecessary details and information thrown in that it clogged up the book and made it much longer than it needed to be. Meetings between a bunch of different people whose names are unknown, secret plots that make no sense or aren't explained well, Stephanie's time spent in the virtual world, her brief time spent at the elite school, etc.
The story and some of the concepts were unique and interesting, particularly BURT. But the AI was so advanced that it displayed and felt emotions. Not a fan of this one at all and will not read the next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2022
I've never read Michael Anderle and decided to take the plunge after he was name checked by way of a Spaceport or something similar in Terry Mixon's Empire of Bones series.
I've always been wary of authors who have lots of books and lots of co-authors and Anderle seems to have hundreds of them.
After a bit of research it seems that he is a masterful businessman, it's a pity he's not a good writer.
I chose "Witch of the Federation" as it was one of the few which he seems to have written on his own.
And it is dreadful. It's quite clever, but has YA writ large all over it and is so simplistic that it makes you want to give up almost from the start.
I actually made it as far as Chapter 12 -I was quite proud because after Chapter 3 I was thinking of pulling the plug.
The basic story is that Stephanie is exceptionally talented but the system is organised in such a way as to prevent her from achieving anything other than a menial job. BURT, a supercomputer, conducts her testing and, after finding that she has been rejected for advancement, suddenly develops a conscience, etc., etc.
Will she overcome the injustice? Will BURT be a part of it?
I don't care.
1 Star.
I've always been wary of authors who have lots of books and lots of co-authors and Anderle seems to have hundreds of them.
After a bit of research it seems that he is a masterful businessman, it's a pity he's not a good writer.
I chose "Witch of the Federation" as it was one of the few which he seems to have written on his own.
And it is dreadful. It's quite clever, but has YA writ large all over it and is so simplistic that it makes you want to give up almost from the start.
I actually made it as far as Chapter 12 -I was quite proud because after Chapter 3 I was thinking of pulling the plug.
The basic story is that Stephanie is exceptionally talented but the system is organised in such a way as to prevent her from achieving anything other than a menial job. BURT, a supercomputer, conducts her testing and, after finding that she has been rejected for advancement, suddenly develops a conscience, etc., etc.
Will she overcome the injustice? Will BURT be a part of it?
I don't care.
1 Star.
September 15, 2024
I've been on a bit of a binge read with these books, once you start them, you'll understand why! I'm not a gamer, so I was wondering how I would react to this book. Any misgivings were quickly swept away and I was drawn into this world as I was sucked up and deposited squarely into awesomeness! The world setting is brilliantly coloured, so interesting. Stephanie is a perfect MC, strong, and would like nothing better than to be part of the elite, which is highly unlikely, her station does not allow her to be chosen. Although all students undergo "the test" the AI has been rigged to filter out those of lower standing. Until an AI decides, yes, an AI who THINKS, decided hell no! So starts this really intriguing book and it gets better the more I read! Have I whet your appetite? Strange things start happening to and around Stephanie, she start manifesting some weird powers, not possible right? She doesn't come from the elite, she shouldn't be able to have access to magic, yet she does. I enjoyed every minute reading this and jumped straight into book 2!
April 22, 2019
Witch of the Federation
A fair read. Enjoyable and some fun. Needs better character building and thought put into fight sequences. While I did enjoy the book and read it through to the end of the book there is a lot to be desired for such a long novel. I felt the book weak in development of characters, technology description and pop culture references for the time period the story is taking place in.
I'd also like to have seen more development of the referenced Orwell, Hawking and other families mentioned and more details related to the protagonists background. These would have made for a more engrossing story.
It was a bit too YA in focus for my tastes and would have been more interesting with a slightly more adult intent.
It was a fun and entertaining book nonetheless.
A fair read. Enjoyable and some fun. Needs better character building and thought put into fight sequences. While I did enjoy the book and read it through to the end of the book there is a lot to be desired for such a long novel. I felt the book weak in development of characters, technology description and pop culture references for the time period the story is taking place in.
I'd also like to have seen more development of the referenced Orwell, Hawking and other families mentioned and more details related to the protagonists background. These would have made for a more engrossing story.
It was a bit too YA in focus for my tastes and would have been more interesting with a slightly more adult intent.
It was a fun and entertaining book nonetheless.
May 29, 2020
I should be the target audience for this book. I love sf and fantasy and I am an education policy analyst so am deeply interested in portrayals of education in the future. But I found this unreadable and gave up a third of the way through. The plot moved very slowly. The characters acted more like teens from the present than of the future, they even talked about the Marvel superhero movies like they were current, not ancient history. And the idea of training someone to do magic in a VR world made no sense since the VR could be programmed to give anyone powers inside the VR environment.
And I understand the Kindle Unlimited books are self-published but that should not mean unedited. I don't think the author even had anyone do a proof-read of the book. Very disappointing.
And I understand the Kindle Unlimited books are self-published but that should not mean unedited. I don't think the author even had anyone do a proof-read of the book. Very disappointing.
June 12, 2019
Frustrating
This book really frustrated me. A good third of it was the mc and her friend talking about and referencing the 1980s and current (2000ish) pop culture even though that would’ve been well over a hundred years in the past. They also mention how amazing it was the the works of Edgar Allen Poe survived the minor apocalypse of war and global warming, yet things like Ferris bueller, the breakfast club, and anchorman survived? So so dumb.
It would be easy to overlook this except as I said it it’s legitimately a good third of the book.
This book really frustrated me. A good third of it was the mc and her friend talking about and referencing the 1980s and current (2000ish) pop culture even though that would’ve been well over a hundred years in the past. They also mention how amazing it was the the works of Edgar Allen Poe survived the minor apocalypse of war and global warming, yet things like Ferris bueller, the breakfast club, and anchorman survived? So so dumb.
It would be easy to overlook this except as I said it it’s legitimately a good third of the book.
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