This isn't really a review as I haven't actually finished the book yet, although I have enjoyed all of the books so far, including this one. Mainly I have a question I'd like to ask the author. Why does he depict Chinese as dark skinned? I lived in Taiwan for 2 years. I've been married to my husband, who is Chinese, for 56 years and he is from a very large family. I have always been around multitudes of Chinese and the only ones I have ever seen who could possibly be described as anywhere near t...

ALIEN ARCANA is an interesting twist on the adventures of Damien Montgomery. Rather than continuing the usual adventures of him handling high level diplomatic crises as well as the treason of Legatus, the UnArcana world, it has him investigating a murder conducted at a set of alien ruins. Once there, Damien finds himself under assault from a secret conspiracy that has existed in the Martian Protectorate since it's beginning. I liked this investigation and the dealing with a fanatical cult as an

Twist!A good political twist in a sci-fi story, already filled with action!!! Yes give more of it! Onto devouring the fifth book! :)

I’m really not sure where this storyline has come from, before starting the book I assumed that Damien would be continuing with investigating the ‘Legatus’ fuelled problems. However in parts it was an interesting investigation even though the ‘Keepers’ were totally illogical, the author tried to cover this by suggesting the keepers themselves were betrayed, but it just added to the frustration of the story that ended with absolutely no resolution.(view spoiler)[The Keepers kept saying they were

Audio book version.Damian can't catch a break. A fairly simple seeming murder investigation uncovers a vast, old conspiracy, which is perfectly willing to rack up the body count for their cause. With few to trust, the Hand is forced to sneak around, attacked when he should be safe, facing a hidden and determined foe in those that once were his allies.Another action packed adventure, full of space battles, combat magic, argumentative politics, and deception. At the end, Damian faces a battle whic...

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS ***I found this book to be fast paced and gripping. I virtually ignored the world to read this book in one sitting. The story was interesting and complex and kept me glued to the page.My first thoughts on finishing this book, aside from "wow", was "No!" which I can't elaborate on without spoiling the ending. The other was "exactly how short is Damien?". I have since read the book again and whilst my feelings about the endin...

I was happily surprised about a release of Alien Arcana in an audiobook edition. Have to admit, really fantastic surprise! Anyway it was my pleasure to listen to Mage Damien Montgomery's new investigation murder case, which lead him into the shadows and secrets of Mars. Great work! The main storyline was fast paced and gripping for the entire time, I loved it whole!!HIGHLY RECOMMENDED WORK!

While the first novel in the starship mage series could be considered a space opera, it quickly devolved into Hand Damien Montgomery being drawn into one conspiracy after another. In the second book he had to bring down a corrupt planet government and in the third he had to stop a war between two planets. Though this planet pointed to a conspiracy probably at the hands of the Unarcana world Legatus. By stopping this crisis Damien stopped a far greater conflict that could potentially have drawn i...

Up until this point I have been giving the Starship's Mage books 3 stars. And I haven't bothered to review them up until now because, honestly, they have been pretty boring. Their audiobooks were available through my local library's Hoopla, so I have played them during my commute to and from work just because they have some nice imagery of magic and starship battles."Alien Arcana" finally stepped up the series' game.Damian Montgomery is the protagonist, just as he has been for the previous three...

As seems to be fairly consistent with Stewart's writing I finished the book in a single sitting. I might nitpick a little but with what was damn near two stories in one book he did the pacing incredibly well and they flowed seamlessly into each other. Not a lot of fat to trim here.This is still a fun smaller scale sci fi that is basically 40k lite. The wit is solid, the character is satisfyingly powerful and we even got to watch him flex his nerd cred a little more, though still not in the profo...

Before you read this one, please note it is the fourth book in a series: you need to have read the first three books or this one won’t make much sense to you. Similar to the previous books in the series there is a lot of action and conflict and a now seasoned Montgomery faces some desperate characters and situations. The author has an engaging writing style and makes you feel as if you are right in the middle of the action. Once again you’re left wanting a little more once you finish the book, w...

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart

Another fabulous book in Glynn Stewart's Starship's Mage series! Damien is enjoying his first vacation in years when the King calls to send him on a murder investigation at an archaeological dig site. A prominent professor has been killed, apparently by another mage, and his body found among the most important discovery in centuries. Expecting this to be a fairly easy case to work when compared to keeping the peace or preventing interplanetary war, Damien cuts his vacation short and boards the n...

The rating really depends on your expectations -- and if you've read any of the previous three books in the series, and are fine with the old-fashioned, somewhat simplistic nature of the books, the four stars make sense.But if you're looking for modern sci-fi, with a little more bite than good guys and villains, a little more subtlety than the protagonist overcoming incredible odds several times, then three stars would work for you.For me, though, "Alien Arcana" and the series are almost like pa...

God these books are just so damn good. The first two in the series start out simple enough with just slight hints at the main story line. Then with the third you are introduced to it fully. Now in the fourth it is in full effect and action is non stop.The storylines are simple and yet complex. Overall it is just really well done. It is also nice to see Damien let go and really let his magic fly outside of a space battle. You never really get the full amount of his power until this book and it is...

Two and a half stars. This was such a clunky, unnecessarily convoluted read, I found my mind wandering off a lot as I listened to the audiobook. Too many meetings, scenes with people formally greeting each other or walking through ships or corridors, and silly plot holes/characters doing dumb things. Like Damien telling Ngosi the details of his secret mission simply because he’d slept with her a couple of times and she was a Hand. This just didn’t make sense for someone in his position to do. Al...