Benedict Patrick
Auteur de They Mostly Come Out at Night
Séries
Œuvres de Benedict Patrick
Card Mage: Slumdog Deckbuilder 5 exemplaires
Tales from the Yarnsworld 1 exemplaire
The Yarnsworld Collection (Yarnsworld #1-3) 1 exemplaire
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Card Mage is a rather unique coming of age fantasy story in that the immediate world is a massive city whose culture revolves around acquiring and battling magical cards in what are known as “deck gangs”. Cards when dealt, spawn actual monsters and spells to fight in arenas and passively give unique powers to their owners.
Our protagonist Hick aspires to own a card and work his way into a gang so he can provide for his dad and siblings. And perhaps make a name for himself along the way. When a unique card is given to him after his life has hit rock bottom, suddenly that dream is on the cusp of becoming a reality. One the authorities seem intent on stopping.
That’s the premise. Does it work? Completely. The card system is very well conceived and we are treated to a battle in the first chapter and there’s no waiting around for more. There’s also litte info dumping for building up the world. Mostly it comes from how the characters talk about their lives, but the remaining background is teased with snippets from historical scrolls at the start of each chapter, which tease how the cards were originally formed. World building like a deck - card by card if you will.
Whilst they are quite long and very frequent (and maintain the addictive feel of real card games), what is clever about the battles is they aren’t merely used as exciting fight scenes, but to progress the character arcs of the protagonists—often the strategies involved reflected the ego and state of mind of Hick as he grows in confidence.
The only issues I came across were some flat dialogue and everything proceeded rather predictably, There were very few surprises to anyone used to coming of age style fantasy stories and I had pretty much mapped out upcoming chapters ahead of time in some places.
That didn’t take away from an enjoyable read. The author has carefully thought about how his system of card magic works—both in terms of card battles and the rapport powers given to their owners. Not only in the battle arenas, but how they affect the society at all levels.
It’s a quick and straightforward read, but a unique premise and one I enjoyed thoroughly. Recommended… (plus d'informations)
Our protagonist Hick aspires to own a card and work his way into a gang so he can provide for his dad and siblings. And perhaps make a name for himself along the way. When a unique card is given to him after his life has hit rock bottom, suddenly that dream is on the cusp of becoming a reality. One the authorities seem intent on stopping.
That’s the premise. Does it work? Completely. The card system is very well conceived and we are treated to a battle in the first chapter and there’s no waiting around for more. There’s also litte info dumping for building up the world. Mostly it comes from how the characters talk about their lives, but the remaining background is teased with snippets from historical scrolls at the start of each chapter, which tease how the cards were originally formed. World building like a deck - card by card if you will.
Whilst they are quite long and very frequent (and maintain the addictive feel of real card games), what is clever about the battles is they aren’t merely used as exciting fight scenes, but to progress the character arcs of the protagonists—often the strategies involved reflected the ego and state of mind of Hick as he grows in confidence.
The only issues I came across were some flat dialogue and everything proceeded rather predictably, There were very few surprises to anyone used to coming of age style fantasy stories and I had pretty much mapped out upcoming chapters ahead of time in some places.
That didn’t take away from an enjoyable read. The author has carefully thought about how his system of card magic works—both in terms of card battles and the rapport powers given to their owners. Not only in the battle arenas, but how they affect the society at all levels.
It’s a quick and straightforward read, but a unique premise and one I enjoyed thoroughly. Recommended… (plus d'informations)
The covers for this series are AMAZING. 100% why I picked up this book, but I've got to say, the story is even better. While it may be short, it's enthralling. Heartache, loss, & hope are big themes in this little novella. The main idea of this book which would be a plot giveaway, is so intriguing.
What a horrifying ride. Such a great book! It's unpredictable, yet well foreshadowed. Bittersweet, yet comforting end. Can't wait to read the next one.
It does jump around from present, to tales of old, to dream state, which I loved! Added a whole other element to the story being told.
Also loved the authors notes in the back, love the extra layer of insight into the writers journey with this book.
It does jump around from present, to tales of old, to dream state, which I loved! Added a whole other element to the story being told.
Also loved the authors notes in the back, love the extra layer of insight into the writers journey with this book.
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Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 11
- Aussi par
- 2
- Membres
- 248
- Popularité
- #92,014
- Évaluation
- 3.7
- Critiques
- 9
- ISBN
- 6
- Langues
- 1
It's a marvelous adventure full of bizarre and colorful ideas.
I backed the Kickstarter for this and the next book in the series just by seeing the art and trusting the book description that sounded just like something I'd love.
And boy I'm glad I did.