The Other Magic (Passage to Dawn #1)

As far as first books go, this was among the best I have read. Smythe was able to effortlessly capture all the elements of a truly great epic fantasy. For me, the most impressive thing was how he was able to present such an expansive world while still providing the perfect amount of detail into his societies and political systems. I never once felt like I was sitting through a history lesson of a world, nor was I overloaded with innocuous detail of the current scene (my two biggest issues with most fantasy works). Instead, the author was able to take us on this amazing journey through his world and provide just the right balance of lore and current politics to give us a clear understanding of the world we were in while still allowing us to focus on the character development. And let\’s talk about the character development for a second. Were there some typical fantasy archetypes? Sure. But they felt so real. I could find their real life counter-part from my own friends or acquaintances. This, to me, is a true skill. Somehow he was able to take these characters throughout this fantastic world rife with magic and other such fanciful things while still making them feel like the same friends I had growing up. This drew me into the book so much deeper, because like real life friends, I wanted to know what was going on with them. His character development also made parts of the book hard for me, in a very good way. I didn\’t like some of the choices the characters made, but I understood them so much better because I know those people. Developing empathy for a character is not uncommon, but for most of them? You ant to be a part of that world, if only to tell your new friend he is being an ass, or she shouldn\’t worry because it will all work out. I don\’t want to get into more detail than this because I think everybody needs to experience this story with no warning of whats to come. Grab a copy, dive in, and enjoy the ride with your new best friends!

If you are looking for a book that will be your friend for a while, this may be what you are looking for. It is relatively long, but it doesnt get boring along the way. There is a completely new world you will find yourself in, one that is richly painted and explained well. It is a fantasy book that is different than others, but still has all the elements pertaining to the genre that you probably crave. The characters are people you will love and hate, depending on what your preferences are. They are like people that you can imagine in real life, which makes them easier to care about and understand, in some instances. The length of the book also allows for time for so many things to be explained, so be prepared to know a lot about this world. Check it out if you like fantasy books or want to get into reading them.

The Other Magic (Passage to Dawn Book 1) by Derrick Smythe is a fantasy story about a world of magic. In this world there are priests who have the ability to wield magic. They receive the control over this magic but being devoted to their god. However, there is a second kind of magic that is unknown to the priests. They discover this when Kibure, a slave, is being punished. In a moment of desperation, he is able to summon the second kind of magic to his defense. The priests are obviously blown away by this and immediately assume that he must be working for the Dark Lord. Kibure then finds himself on the run in order to try and keep himself alive because he does not understand how to use the magic that he has just discovered. Other characters come into his life, each with their own motivations with some being dark and some being kind, but it will be up to Kibure to watch his back and keep himself alive. I really enjoyed reading this. I found that it has lots of the great elements of fantasy novels while cutting out some of the ones that drag them into dictionary length reads. There are lots of characters, but they are introduced fairly quickly and with enough backstory to understand but not enough to drag the story out. The locations are also described in great detail, while not being overwhelming. It is still a long read, and I think it could be shortened down a bit, but the chapters are short which helps to pull the reader in. Fans of fantasies will greatly enjoy this read and the characters it has to offer.

The Other Magic (Passage to Dawn Book 1) by Derrick Smythe is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn settings and characters. The author weaves a well-crafted Fantasy Adventure that will captivate the readers attention from the start. Skillfully constructed, this Epic Fantasy will have you turning the pages from beginning to end. Theres plenty of imagery in the writing style that makes you feel you are right there in the story, and thats something I look for in a good book. Im a big fan of Fantasy Fiction, so this for me was a phenomenal read. Its one of those books that stayed with me for several days after I finished reading it. The vivid descriptions of the settings, situations, and the people were stunning. The authors use of genuine dialogue further added to the overall atmosphere of authenticity. Ill be looking forward to reading more from Derrick Smythe in the future. I would recommend this book and would add that it has a distinctly cinematic feel to it. Highly recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.

I almost binned this several times in the first 25 % or so. There\’s a coming of age element with two of the central characters which I found tedious. One was a young slave boy who has magical abilities but doesn\’t know how to use them. He doesn\’t know much about anything really. Then there\’s a snot nosed teenager described as arrogant, privileged and entitled which is right on the mark. There\’s lots of long detailed descriptions as he does his world building bit but after a slow build up things do get going and a pretty good story emerges. There\’s a good ending too which sets up the next book very nicely.

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