Judgment of Mars

This is less a review of “Judgment of Mars” than it is my response to the entire Starship’s Mage series. Individually I’d have given each book 4 Stars. It is the series as a whole that ended by annoying and disappointing me.

To begin with the positive (and there is a lot here to praise), the books take place in a vividly imagined and always entertaining universe. It is a futuristic universe that successfully combines science fiction and magic. It is peopled by a cast of characters who are, for the most part, likeable, fun, and admirable. Speaking of admirable, we have Damien Montgomery, the star of the series who, to begin with, is young, small, near penniless, and without connections in a world where all of the above are almost mandatory. It is nice on occasion to encounter a hero who is always honorable and willing to sacrifice self for others. If that sounds like a pompous description, Damien is himself anything but. Among a collection of likeable people, Damien shines.

I finished the first book in the series involved and wanting more, so I bought the other four volumes in this five-volume series. And I enjoyed the second just as much. By the time I had finished the third, the books had begun to seem a little too similar to each other–possibly my own fault for reading them in too rapid a sequence. I considered stopping at that point or at least waiting a while before reading the rest. But by this point it had become clear that each volume had been in its own way just a portion of a much larger, all-encompassing story, and I wanted to reach the final denouement. What would happen? How would it happen? So I kept reading. All of which brings me to the source of my ultimate disappointment, the reason I ended by giving the series just three stars.

My final paragraph is, in a sense, almost entirely a SPOILER. I’ll leave those who don’t want to hear more with the idea that the series as a whole was less than the sum of its parts.

SPOILER: For anyone else: Little by little, the author revealed that the specific catastrophe Damien encountered in each volume was just a particular part of a controlling and evil puppet master’s grand (or not so grand) design. He even let the reader in on the identity of that puppet master. I so looked forward to the final volume to find out when that identity would be revealed to Damien and the other good guys, to see Damien take on and hopefully defeat him, to find out what would be left of Damien at that point. And NONE of that happened. Yes, Damien takes on another terrible catastrophe in this final book of the series, but that is all, except for a note from the author that to find out what happens the reader should read his next series. I hate single books that end in cliff-hangers. To make of this entire series a cliff-hanger seemed entirely unacceptable to me.

Judgement of Mars is book five in the Starship Mage series and it does not disappoint. It is filled with the nail biting adventure that readers of this series have come to expect. What I loved most about this book in the series, however, is the way the author has drawn together events from earlier books in the series and shown that they were not individual isolated events, but parts of a larger, more complex tapestry. We learn more about old enemies and about the very heart of Mars.

From the beginning, the best thing about this series has been its protagonist, Damien Montgomery. He is a man not driven by a lust for power, but rather a code of honor that demands he be prepared to sacrifice himself for those he swore an oath to protect. He is not a man without uncertainties and fears, but one that confronts and moves past them. Who can be unmoved when he says, “I speak for Mars. Will you listen?” It gets me every time. As with all the books in this series, it ends with the threads of a new beginning for the next book in the series.

The universe Stewart has created is somewhat reminiscent of those classic science fiction writers like Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton. More than anything, however, the Starship Mage series reminds me of my very favorite science fiction series, Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan saga. Damien Montgomery and Miles Vorkosigan are kindred spirits.

I received an advanced reader copy of Judgement of Mars in return for an honest review and I liked this book so much that I turned around and purchased a copy as soon as it became available on Amazon because I want Glynn Stewart to be able to continue writing books like this one. As long as he continues to speak for Mars, I will continue to listen…and buy his books.

I like this series a lot but this is the weakest book, largely because of the patently ridiculous nature of the trumped up charges against Damien Montgomery. Everybody, including his enemies, knows that he’s a hero. The bad guys decide to “recommend” his removal as a hand, in move against the Mage King, even as he saves their useless rear ends over and over again. Aside from that, it’s the usual fast paced adventure in a well thought out Universe. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but I skipped a lot of pages. I suspect that the head bad guy will be revealed in the end to be the former Mage King (and the current King’s grandfather). We’ll see. I still plan on reading the rest of the series but I think it’s time for Damien to win a few without getting himself seriously injured.

I truly love this series. The perils and travails of Damien Montgomery twists and spins its way through Glynn Stewart’s latest novel. Though darker and grittier than the previous books, the development and growth of the main character remains on course as he learns the price and pain of growing power and authority.
For those who’ve been waiting, we finally learn more about the mysterious nemesis behind the shadow wars Damien has been dealing with. However, there’s a third party further behind the scenes pulling the strings and we get to guess where that will lead. Revelation of the deeper layers of the plot only makes the series better. What will follow pits the Protectorate against the unarcanian worlds in a classic battle of technology against magic. Bring it on, Glynn.

It’s a good book, in a good series, by a good author. You’re probably wondering why only 3 stars then ?

I feel it’s weaker than the others in the series mainly because there’s too much political machinations and conspiracies within conspiracies for my liking. Fair enough – Glynn is setting things up in a steady manner, there have been hints and pointers to the over-arching plot running in the series, but this one felt too negative. Our hero is always too late, always out-thought, always out-manouvered. He sort of saves the day (at a hard price) but it’s clear it is just the day he saves.

Maybe it’s me, I like my fantasy / sci-fi to be a bit more of the “hero struggles but comes out smelling of roses” … which previous volumes have done admirably, it’s just this one marks a low ebb for the characters. Fingers crossed the follow-up’s make it worth-while !

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