Dragon Mage: Rivenworld, Book 1

I've been a fan of ML Spencer for a while, so when I saw she was writing an epic fantasy novel, I was thrilled.But this book is even better than I hoped! Aram would be put on the spectrum, if he lived in 21st century America, and Spencer's portrayal of him is moving and compelling and so absorbing! Not only does he have to deal with truly harrowing monsters and magic and horrific human beings, he moves through his world feeling constantly like an outsider, searching for ways to connect to the people around him.The friendship he develops with Markus is one of my favorite book friendships ever!Pick this book up right now. You won't regret it.

4.5/5THE DRAGON MAGE by M.L. Spencer was a book that intrigued me the moment I heard about it. I was a big fan of her Rhenwars Saga books and was interested in what she might do next. I enjoyed the Chaos Cycle books but they required you to have read the Rhenwars Saga books to really get the most out of them. This was going to be a expansive work and the equivalent of a novel trilogy in one with almost a thousand pages of text. Well, after a couple of weeks of reading, I've finally finished it. What did I think? It think its quite good.Aram Raythe is a young village boy dreaming of becoming a sailor. His potential to do magic, though, is stronger than any other in centuries. His childhood friend, though that's using the term loosely, Markus just wants to escape his abusive father. A bard with knowledge of the old world comes to the village and discovers Aram's gift but, honestly, things repeatedly go south for both with the typical hero's journey being horribly interrupted by unexpected tragedies. Aram is destined to become a Champion but it is questionable whether anyone he knows will still be alive by the time it happens.I should point out that I'm inclined to like it already since I, too, am neuroatypical and this stars a protagonist that is on the spectrum. The people of the fantasy world don't have much of an understanding of autism, however, so Aram is merely "weird." I feel like some of Aram's symptoms are exaggerated but not so much that they are unbelievable.Certainly, I saw some of my own situation in his portrayal. I especially liked Aram's monofocus on knots and how he had a massive cavern full of thousands of knots he'd made over the years. I also liked the fact that he found the idea of mixing food disgusting, though I believe those who forced him to mix them as a way to "toughen him up" were vile and should die horribly. Seriously, worse than Ramsey Bolton, all of them.This is a fairly straightforward high fantasy and if you're looking for Hopepunk, which I still don't get as a title, I think this is a pretty good example of the genre. It is about a heroic young man who overcomes his issues through perseverance to fight against the evil bad guys that are in need of a thorough posterior kicking. I've mentioned in other reviews that I find M.L. Spencer to have been strongly influenced by the Wheel of Time and I still see that here but, despite its 1000 pages, a lot happens with very little padding.Of the two protagonists, I prefer Markus as a character because he's a bit more cynical and pragmatic. He's a guy who is constantly trying to make the best of a very bad situation. Not to spoil the book but at one point, he finds himself among people he utterly hates and would love to kill but just sucks it up because they're the only way he can survive for the time being. I like that as its an unexpected writing choice.I very much enjoyed this novel and I think people looking for an enjoyable old school fantasy novel will find this to be a welcome antidote to the grimdark explosion currently out there. It reminded me of Dragonlance with all its dragon riders, focus on the power of friendship, and other fun. Not to put down this series, but I think the writing is better too (unless we mean the Legends trilogy because I will defend that to the death). Solid and entertaining work.

I have waited for a year or more to find a book that kept me up at night reading. For me the character building and scene building that ML Spencer achieves within the pages of this epic deserves the Hugo, and were it possible the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Heisman, Stanley Cup, Vince Lombardi Trophy, etc. In case you didn't get the message, I really enjoyed this saga. I don't like to give a synopsis in my reviews because I never know when to stop, so read the author's synopsis. I recommend this book to all readers.

This book seriously rocked my world. It's been a long time since I read an epic fantasy that had me so absolutely invested in the characters, the magic system, the world building...DRAGON MAGE had everything I wanted and even a few things I didn't know I needed.Aram is the odd child in the village, out of step and different. Markus protects him from the village bullies and so begins a friendship of legend: one that will sustain them, and ultimately allow them to stand together against the forces of evil. Aram has the potential to become the most powerful magic user in centuries, but he has to survive long enough to face his Trials--and Markus is the one who has to make sure he stays a step ahead of an evil wizard order who want to drain Aram of his powerful magical essence and use it to fuel their own dire spells.Holy heck. Dragons. Dragonriders. Mages and warriors. Creepy as hell beasts from the void, charismatic villains and heroes abound. I love the world Spencer has built, full of magical creatures and brave people of all genders who fight side by side and love who they love with the fire of a thousand suns. I can't wait for the next book to see what is in store for Aram and Markus.

Just finished it. It's a long book, well worth the read ( worthy of me purchasing a physical book to go in my library). So as not to give any spoilers......the book is a complete story (like each of the Perns books) but leaves opportunity to expand further into the world with another tale of life within the "realms" with dragons & magic.

This book belongs right up at the top of my list of the best books ive ever read. This amazing book needs more recognition without a doubt. It's been a long time since i felt so many different emotions from one book and i loved every second of it...

Spencer's Dragon Mage is both familiar and new. Fans of the genre will find echoes of some of the great series that preceded it -- like Feist's early Magician works, and the Dragonriders of Pern. It embraces diversity within its cast much like LeGuin's Earthsea Cycle.But Spencer tells a fundamentally new story with an interesting magic system, detailed worldbuilding, complex and relatable characters, and plenty of action.Highly, highly recommended!

What a book. I first read about it a month or so ago. It was an online article about forthcoming fantasy books. So I had set an alarm on my iPhone for the publication date. At 62 years of age I have read some amazing books from fantastic authors, JRR Tolkien, Robert Holdstock, Alan Garner, Ursula Le Guin to name a few. I have also read a lot of middling fantasy. As the decades went past plot lines tended to fall into hideous formulaic patterns. Evil tends to live in the north. They prefer barren lands or mountains or lots of snow. Their nemesis comes from nowhere and after a lot of too -ing and fro-ing evil is defeated. So far in Dragon Mage we have two potential heroes which is a nice change. Yeah they are born in poverty. Tick. However so far, (at 31% on my Kindle) there is no evil master or dark lord which is refreshing. However we do have two worlds. Above and Below with a void in between filled with vengeful spirits. I will not spoil it any further. Just to say I have a numb bum from sitting for three solid hours devouring this book. I am that impressed I will be buying it in hardback form so I can line it up next to my beloved Tolkien Silmarillion. OK. It’s not that good but its still in my top 5.

Another gender politics platform disguised as entertainment.This totally ruined the story for me.No reason for it, added nothing to the story no revelance whatsoever.

I read a lot of books, and after a while you become jaded, they all seem to blendi into each other. Not This Book!The characters appear very well devloped, the story line is good, the detail is excellent, and the story always keeps you guessing right till the end.Cant wait for the second book, Keep writing ML SPencer - I cant wait!!

Bloody brilliant read. I really enjoyed this book it was classic fantasy in the truest sense in my opinion. It had a young naive hero with no idea of the power he has, there are dragons, magic and beautiful worlds. The author kept the POV chapters down to only a few which I really appreciated. All in all a brilliant read and I will definitely be reading the next book.

An Epic YA fantasy where an elite corps of dragon-riding heroes stand between humanity and the seemingly invincible forces of the god-like Archons...Marcus and Ayam are boys living in a small fishing village, wishing only for escape from life in a dull backwater, Ayam is bullied for being 'funny' -- he's on the autistic spectrum - while Marcus' father beats him cruelly.When escape comes, it in a way that neither could ever have guessed. Both have destinies in the great war being fought around and above them, and both will undergo heroes journeys to achieve not just their starring roles in the conflict but also adulthood.If you enjoy a grand and fully-realised world that is also instantly recognisable, relatable characters and plenty of swordplay, dragonfire and a whole new type of magic, then you might just like this.