The Blacksmith's Son

While I like this book, there were a few things in it that were jarring. I didn't like the modern speech mixed with the old world. They used expressions like 'jerk' and 'gonna' just didn't sit well in the world, IMO.

I also felt that the characterization was a bit juvenile in places. This is going to sound harsh, but this book really could have used a good editor. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it, but with a little polishing this could have gone from a C to a solid B.

A decent premise, but a number of issues kept popping me out of the experience, such as the frequent shifts between first and third person and the liberal use of modern speech idioms.

Story-wise, Mort overcame his problems far too easily. In fact, so many characters were willing to set the period social conventions aside on his behalf that Mort never faced any serious cultural obstacles, which is the dramatic kernel that gives the "stable boy to wizard" story its soul.

A bizarrely short book. From the description you expect some high fantasy coming of age story but the entire book doesn't even cover 2 weeks. Mort learns magic at a speed you could only expect in a really soft setting, everything falls into place with no effort required at all. None of this is particularly bad per se but it does leave me thinking this book is nothing more that a grand prelude to the rest of the series. Excluding the final chapter when the comically evil lord finally ends the book with something of a bang the rest of the book feels like it should have been a couple of chapters at the start of a story rather than the entire book. I don't mind terribly since I can go straight into the sequels but whomever read this when it show more was the only book in the series must have been fuming when they were done.

Overall I like what I've read but everything just comes to easy to Mort who is too perfect other than his typical cluelessness about the fairer sex. Not that it matters since Penny is immediately completely in love with him and everything is perfect. The book demonstrates potential for the rest of the series but still isn't quite what I feel it could have been which is why it gets 3 instead of 4 stars. show less

A decent premise, but a number of issues kept popping me out of the experience, such as the frequent shifts between first and third person and the liberal use of modern speech idioms.

Story-wise, Mort overcame his problems far too easily. In fact, so many characters were willing to set the period social conventions aside on his behalf that Mort never faced any serious cultural obstacles, which is the dramatic kernel that gives the "stable boy to wizard" story its soul.

It's hard to get the story right on this kind of book. A young man who suddenly finds himself in possession of powers. Michael G. Manning has done a great job of bringing humor and humanity to the characters while keeping the villains nice and evil.

A fast paced action adventure - a fun read - will continue to read books by this author. Usually I prefer more lead in, more setting, a slowing introduction to the characters. This author managed to keep the principals interesting enough that they are engaging even without that greater depth of presentation.

Just a fantastic read, glad there will be more for a series. Congrats to the author for his first book!! Sitting on the edge for the next one!