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The Laws of Magic #5
Moment of Truth
Aubrey has a difficult choice to make to save his friends when Albion erupts into war—and it could cost him his life
The war that has been looming for so long finally erupts, sending Albion and the continent into chaos. Aubrey, George, and Caroline are brought into a top-secret espionage unit and sent on a mission to investigate a mysterious magical facility on the Gallia–Holmland border. There they uncover a factory that is about to unleash an unstoppable horror that could win the war within weeks. The only way to save hundreds of thousands of lives could cost Aubrey his friends, his family, his reputation—and even his life.
The war that has been looming for so long finally erupts, sending Albion and the continent into chaos. Aubrey, George, and Caroline are brought into a top-secret espionage unit and sent on a mission to investigate a mysterious magical facility on the Gallia–Holmland border. There they uncover a factory that is about to unleash an unstoppable horror that could win the war within weeks. The only way to save hundreds of thousands of lives could cost Aubrey his friends, his family, his reputation—and even his life.
432 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2010
5 people are currently reading
326 people want to read
About the author
Michael Pryor
129 books190 followers Michael Pryor's bio
Check out my Fantasy podcast, 'The World Below the War in the Heavens' wherever you get your podcasts!
I was born in Swan Hill, Victoria. I spent my childhood in country Victoria and Melbourne before moving to Geelong at the age of 10. I lived in Geelong until I went to university in Melbourne after secondary school.
I currently live in Melbourne. I’ve worked as a drainer’s labourer, a truck driver, a bathroom accessories salesperson, an Internet consultant, a Multimedia Developer, a Publisher, in a scrap metal yard and as a secondary school teacher. Whew.
I’ve taught English, Literature, Drama, Legal Studies and Computer Studies.
I've published over thirty-five novels and more than sixty of my short stories have appeared in Australia and overseas in publications such as Overland and the New South Wales School Magazine. My writing moves from literary fiction to genre Science Fiction to slapstick humour, depending on my mood.
I’ve been shortlisted eleven times for the Aurealis Award for Speculative Fiction, and have also been nominated for a Ditmar award. My short stories have twice been featured in Gardner Dozois’ ‘Highly Recommended’ lists in The Year’s Best Science Fiction and The Year’s Best Fantasy. Nine of my books have been CBC Notable Books, I’ve been longlisted for a Golden Inky and I’ve been shortlisted for the WAYBRA Award. I’ve also twice won the Best and Fairest Award at West Brunswick Amateur Football Club.
My reviews tend toward the three word style of the trenchant critic, N. Molesworth.
Check out my Fantasy podcast, 'The World Below the War in the Heavens' wherever you get your podcasts!
I was born in Swan Hill, Victoria. I spent my childhood in country Victoria and Melbourne before moving to Geelong at the age of 10. I lived in Geelong until I went to university in Melbourne after secondary school.
I currently live in Melbourne. I’ve worked as a drainer’s labourer, a truck driver, a bathroom accessories salesperson, an Internet consultant, a Multimedia Developer, a Publisher, in a scrap metal yard and as a secondary school teacher. Whew.
I’ve taught English, Literature, Drama, Legal Studies and Computer Studies.
I've published over thirty-five novels and more than sixty of my short stories have appeared in Australia and overseas in publications such as Overland and the New South Wales School Magazine. My writing moves from literary fiction to genre Science Fiction to slapstick humour, depending on my mood.
I’ve been shortlisted eleven times for the Aurealis Award for Speculative Fiction, and have also been nominated for a Ditmar award. My short stories have twice been featured in Gardner Dozois’ ‘Highly Recommended’ lists in The Year’s Best Science Fiction and The Year’s Best Fantasy. Nine of my books have been CBC Notable Books, I’ve been longlisted for a Golden Inky and I’ve been shortlisted for the WAYBRA Award. I’ve also twice won the Best and Fairest Award at West Brunswick Amateur Football Club.
My reviews tend toward the three word style of the trenchant critic, N. Molesworth.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 31, 2024
The heroes have spent four books attempting to prevent the start of Not-WWI, but they've failed, and it looks like the villain, Doctor Tremaine, will get the massive number of deaths he needs in order to cast an immortality spell.
Naturally, Aubrey and his trusty sidekick George enlist, and naturally they're selected for special training, and naturally they're sent off on a dangerous mission along with Aubrey's love interest, the highly competent Caroline (despite all being only 18 and having had minimal training), and naturally they bump into pretty much every other significant character by sheer outright coincidence, which is one of my big gripes with this series.
The other big gripe is that it isn't polished to the standard it ought to be, considering it's from an experienced author and a major publisher, as I've mentioned in all my other reviews for the series. There are a number of places where the wording of a sentence isn't quite right, or a word is missing, and there are a couple of errors the author makes consistently that a copy editor ought to have fixed, particularly "may" in past tense where it should be "might". I noticed a common error in this volume that I hadn't seen so often in previous ones: the omission of "had" (the past perfect tense) when referring to events before the narrative moment. There are also continuity errors, like golems being unable to do anything but simple repetitive tasks when in previous books golems have successfully impersonated important people, and errors like an airship headed for Europe from Not-England heading to the west.
There is lots of varied action and creative magic, although since the Laws of Magic are never really defined or fully enumerated, magic can do anything the author needs it to in order to solve whatever problem Aubrey is facing. There's an apparent contradiction in this volume, in that Aubrey is unable to cast any spells because he's gagged, but Tremaine casts a spell with a gesture and no words; perhaps Tremaine is able to do that and Aubrey isn't, but if so, that isn't remarked on or explored at all.
The end of the fourth book seemed to promise some progress at last in the Aubrey-Caroline romance, but that seems to have been retconned back to status quo here, and Aubrey just keeps pining and admiring everything (everything!) Caroline does, no matter how minor.
There's briefly another woman in the picture, who looks as if she'll be a rival to Caroline, but no; in one of the few plot twists I didn't see coming from a mile off, . In my review of the previous book, I wasn't sure whether I could see the twists coming because I remembered them unconsciously from reading it more than 10 years before, or whether they were just obvious. I haven't read this volume before, so that gives me the answer: they're obvious, though not to the supposedly brilliant Aubrey.
Buried under this large accumulation of small infelicities is a good action-packed pulp adventure with appealing characters and well-phrased flashes of humour (though the occasional puns aren't even good enough to be bad). I just wish the author and publisher had put in more work to dig it out.
Naturally, Aubrey and his trusty sidekick George enlist, and naturally they're selected for special training, and naturally they're sent off on a dangerous mission along with Aubrey's love interest, the highly competent Caroline (despite all being only 18 and having had minimal training), and naturally they bump into pretty much every other significant character by sheer outright coincidence, which is one of my big gripes with this series.
The other big gripe is that it isn't polished to the standard it ought to be, considering it's from an experienced author and a major publisher, as I've mentioned in all my other reviews for the series. There are a number of places where the wording of a sentence isn't quite right, or a word is missing, and there are a couple of errors the author makes consistently that a copy editor ought to have fixed, particularly "may" in past tense where it should be "might". I noticed a common error in this volume that I hadn't seen so often in previous ones: the omission of "had" (the past perfect tense) when referring to events before the narrative moment. There are also continuity errors, like golems being unable to do anything but simple repetitive tasks when in previous books golems have successfully impersonated important people, and errors like an airship headed for Europe from Not-England heading to the west.
There is lots of varied action and creative magic, although since the Laws of Magic are never really defined or fully enumerated, magic can do anything the author needs it to in order to solve whatever problem Aubrey is facing. There's an apparent contradiction in this volume, in that Aubrey is unable to cast any spells because he's gagged, but Tremaine casts a spell with a gesture and no words; perhaps Tremaine is able to do that and Aubrey isn't, but if so, that isn't remarked on or explored at all.
The end of the fourth book seemed to promise some progress at last in the Aubrey-Caroline romance, but that seems to have been retconned back to status quo here, and Aubrey just keeps pining and admiring everything (everything!) Caroline does, no matter how minor.
There's briefly another woman in the picture, who looks as if she'll be a rival to Caroline, but no; in one of the few plot twists I didn't see coming from a mile off, . In my review of the previous book, I wasn't sure whether I could see the twists coming because I remembered them unconsciously from reading it more than 10 years before, or whether they were just obvious. I haven't read this volume before, so that gives me the answer: they're obvious, though not to the supposedly brilliant Aubrey.
Buried under this large accumulation of small infelicities is a good action-packed pulp adventure with appealing characters and well-phrased flashes of humour (though the occasional puns aren't even good enough to be bad). I just wish the author and publisher had put in more work to dig it out.
April 20, 2021
The war erupts, Aubrey signs up and joins a counter-espionage unit, and gets sent to the front lines. There, he finds
June 19, 2023
Ah yes, the titular moment of truth, which happened right at the end. An ingenious touch from the author.
The war is in full swing, fresh off the events of the last book. Things took an unexpected (semi-expected?) turn but the action is vivid, concentrated in small, intense bursts.
Dr. Tremaine is turning out to be a typical, run-of-the-mill arch-villain.
The war is in full swing, fresh off the events of the last book. Things took an unexpected (semi-expected?) turn but the action is vivid, concentrated in small, intense bursts.
Dr. Tremaine is turning out to be a typical, run-of-the-mill arch-villain.
March 12, 2019
I was worried that he’d take the opportunity to go grimdark, but he has not so far. Keeping my fingers crossed for the next one.
January 3, 2020
OMG, Caroline somewhat kissed Aubrey. OMG, living for this moment. Can't wait for what happens next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2017
The long-dreaded war with Holmland has erupted, leaving the normally opportunistic Aubrey in a bit of a bind. With no clear objective, he decides to enlist---and promptly enters a world far different than any he ever imagined. Secrecy, plots, spies, and games have gone to a whole new level, and this time it's deadly serious right from the start.
When his nominally dangerous mission becomes critically unstable, though, Aubrey goes back to what he knows best: taking care of things himself. With the help of a few good friends, of course. But he could never imagine what he would find, or what decisions will confront him as a result.
War brings its own set of rules, and it has certainly changed the game for this story. One of my favorite things about the earlier books is Aubrey's inventiveness with magic, and how he's always thinking about spells even if he's not actually using them. However, he doesn't have nearly as much time in this book for such pursuits, being rather more occupied with his new position and the duties it requires.
Not that it drags down the story. War pushes Aubrey, George, and Caroline to new levels of responsibility, which is particularly hard on Aubrey as he ends up with others reporting to him. The once-self-centered genius magician must adapt to becoming a squad commander who considers the welfare of his comrades as well as his own; which is particularly embarrassing when he must confront a particular weakness he has for pretty girls.
Each book in the series has been like a different facet on a gemstone. Although this book too would stand alone, it is helpful to have read the rest of the series first in order to know more about the relationships between the characters, the countries, and the history that led up to the war. This book does, however, have a steep cliffhanger, and I would highly advise having the next one on hand to begin the moment this is finished. I rate this book Recommended.
When his nominally dangerous mission becomes critically unstable, though, Aubrey goes back to what he knows best: taking care of things himself. With the help of a few good friends, of course. But he could never imagine what he would find, or what decisions will confront him as a result.
War brings its own set of rules, and it has certainly changed the game for this story. One of my favorite things about the earlier books is Aubrey's inventiveness with magic, and how he's always thinking about spells even if he's not actually using them. However, he doesn't have nearly as much time in this book for such pursuits, being rather more occupied with his new position and the duties it requires.
Not that it drags down the story. War pushes Aubrey, George, and Caroline to new levels of responsibility, which is particularly hard on Aubrey as he ends up with others reporting to him. The once-self-centered genius magician must adapt to becoming a squad commander who considers the welfare of his comrades as well as his own; which is particularly embarrassing when he must confront a particular weakness he has for pretty girls.
Each book in the series has been like a different facet on a gemstone. Although this book too would stand alone, it is helpful to have read the rest of the series first in order to know more about the relationships between the characters, the countries, and the history that led up to the war. This book does, however, have a steep cliffhanger, and I would highly advise having the next one on hand to begin the moment this is finished. I rate this book Recommended.
February 19, 2017
I really enjoy this series, and its fallible heroes. I must say that, although I know we're not supposed to judge by covers, the change to the new rather insipid cover illustrations after the beautiful designs of Louise Davis disappointed me so much that I wrote to the publishers. I think the publisher's brief may have been aiming too low and underestimating their YA target audience.
June 18, 2015
When war is declared, Aubrey, George and Caroline enlist in the Special Services, determined to do everything they can to restore peace. Aubrey and his espionage unit are sent into Gallia, near the border of Holmland, and told to monitor (from a distance) the magical outpourings from the town of Stalsfrieden. But when war comes to them in full force, the unit makes the decision to travel into Holmland and explore the town for themselves. What they discover in Stalsfrieden is a terrifying blend of magic and machinery that has the potential to destroy hundreds of thousands of lives, and win the war for Holmland. I really enjoyed this novel – though I still find Pryor’s tendency to be overly descriptive a bit annoying. This was a fast-paced fantasy adventure novel that was gripping and thrilling the whole way through, and the cast of characters was superb. The end of the novel just left me wanting more and I eagerly look forward to joining Aubrey, Caroline and George on their final adventure! Moment of Truth was a truly enjoyable read – it is books like this that make the rest of the series worth it!
June 23, 2012
Aubrey Fitzwilliam is getting something of a rude awakening when it comes to adulthood - he's going to war. It's happened - Albion has finally had to declare war on Holmland. Aubrey is thrown into work as a special operative at the Security Intelligence Directorate, where his magical skills are in demand.
It's not long before Aubrey and friends find themselves at the Gallian front, undertaking some serious work and seeing the impact of Dr Mordecai Tremaine's work on the Holmlander enemy forces.
It's up to them to avert the disaster they think might just be coming from a factory on the Gallia Holmland border.
Absolutely loved it. It's got all the charm of the other books, but starts to really move along quickly. The characters are struggling with being young and excited about the adventure but dealing with some difficult stuff too. Aubrey is more in love with Caroline than ever, and he is finally learning how to deal with that.
It's not long before Aubrey and friends find themselves at the Gallian front, undertaking some serious work and seeing the impact of Dr Mordecai Tremaine's work on the Holmlander enemy forces.
It's up to them to avert the disaster they think might just be coming from a factory on the Gallia Holmland border.
Absolutely loved it. It's got all the charm of the other books, but starts to really move along quickly. The characters are struggling with being young and excited about the adventure but dealing with some difficult stuff too. Aubrey is more in love with Caroline than ever, and he is finally learning how to deal with that.
May 24, 2015
I loved this book beyond words... Aubrey, Caroline and George take us off on another rollicking adventure into the midst of War. As usual Michael Pryor has managed to capture the heart of adventure and finely tune it to create the ‘Moment of Truth’, as once I started reading it I could not put it down. The twists, turns and plot developments constantly kept me on my toes as Aubrey and his friends faced the challenges and expectation of wartime.
I shall not spoil this amazing book for anyone else, but I just want to say that I cannot wait until early 2011. It was hard enough to slow my racing heart at the conclusion of 'Moment of Truth' let alone face the fact that I would have to wait over six months to read the final instalment.
I shall not spoil this amazing book for anyone else, but I just want to say that I cannot wait until early 2011. It was hard enough to slow my racing heart at the conclusion of 'Moment of Truth' let alone face the fact that I would have to wait over six months to read the final instalment.
July 7, 2013
Albion is at war so of course the first thing Aubrey and George do is enlist. They are sent as spies to Gallia and are to remain undercover and prepare the way for a secondary, more experienced team. Naturally nothing goes as planned and Aubrey discovers that the Holmlanders are building a weapon so powerful it will be catastrophic to Albion. Aubrey of course can not simply hide and hope for the best but can he stop or at least delay without getting caught.
This is a great young adult series that can be enjoyed by all ages. It is funny, full of adventure and just a touch of romance. Can't wait to read the last book in the series.
This is a great young adult series that can be enjoyed by all ages. It is funny, full of adventure and just a touch of romance. Can't wait to read the last book in the series.
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December 6, 2015Katharine is a judge for the Sara Douglass 'Book Series' Award. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
March 4, 2015
Follows nicely from the previous books in the series. Characterization is consistant as the characters behave similarly as they do the earlier books. This is good but it sometimes allows for accurate predictions of behaviour in various circumstances. Enjoyed the series.
November 30, 2015
The crew leave college to work as covert spies on the border between Gallia and Holmland as war breaks out. The story contains a lot of action and awesome adventures but also interesting descriptions of espionage. I enjoyed this one the most out of the whole series.
October 6, 2010
Incredibly fine writing by a master storyteller.
August 5, 2011
bring on 'hour of need'. How long do I have to wait???
January 11, 2013
Only disappointing thing was the change of cover art.
August 12, 2013
The best one so far!
August 21, 2013
Lots of progress on the romance bit ;)
Interesting turn of events ...
Interesting turn of events ...
July 18, 2016
SO GOOD! Love every second of it. I'm kind of sad to be nearing the end of the series. Best part about reading these books so long ago? Everything seems brand new and amazing.
September 9, 2010
it was awesome
February 7, 2015
Brilliant
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews