Chosen: Alex Verus, Book 4

This is my favorite book of the series so far. One of the best things about this series is it follows a Mage who did some time on the Dark side and is now neutral. He isn't blame free, guilt free or completely innocent. But he seems real in that he made some bad choices and now most of the time he tries to help people but, when push comes to shove he can and will walk on the other side of the line of Good and Bad (it's all perspective really) and do whatever needs to be done to survive.There seemed to be a lot going on in this and so the story moved by even faster than normal.❶ - Alex is working with an entire band of magical misfits now, two of whom are living with him.❷ - There is a group of Mages and Adepts called the Nightstalkers actively trying to kill Alex.“Right, you’re a good guy now.” Will’s voice was sarcastic. “You think you get to walk away? You’ve had enough and now everyone should leave you alone?”“Yes! I walked out of that life! I’m not asking for anything from anyone, I just want to be left alone! It’s been ten years, isn’t that long enough? Isn’t there some point where you stop being the person you used to be and it stops being right to blame them for what they’ve done?”❸ - There was a ton of movement on the Deleo/Rachel history and what happened to make her who she is today. I really liked how Shireen played into that and what it means for Deleo.❹ - Alex’s backstory with Richard gets flushed out a lot more and we get to see some of the horrors he survived at Richards hands and how it was a slippery slope of choices that he just barely escaped.❺ - Luna is FANTASTIC!!! I love how well she is learning to control her curse and how she always stands up for Alex.Alex, is Alex and no matter what it is pretty simple for the most part. If it is a choice between him and the people trying to kill him…well he is going to choose him. The way his powers work though make it even more evident that while he might not pull the trigger against someone, when he decides they are better dead he has a thousand tricks up his sleeve.There are some very dark undertones to this series at times, the Dark Mages and Light Mage to for that matter do terrible things. A lot of it is off page though or hinted at but never really shown. I like and hate that all at the same time. I don’t want to see someone sacrificed or tortured and most of the stuff like that is left to my imagination. I think for this story it works decently but I sometimes wonder why the author doesn’t ‘show’ more of these scenes in the writing. At the same time, I’m grateful that while I know someone was raped and brutalized, I also didn’t have to see it. *shrugs* I hope you understand what I mean, there is a fine line between showing enough and being too graphic and I’d like to see just a smidge more in some regards, but not too much more.There is some big fallout in this and I’m very curious about Anne’s reactions. I like her character for the most part but there is something in her past that is coloring how she reacts in this book and I’m very curious to see what that is.Arachne as always is fantastic and I love the new suit she made for Alex. I totally wish I had a giant spider seamstress of my own, she makes the best things. I’m a little sad we haven’t seen Starbreeze for a while, I hope she remembers to come visit Alex eventually.Another book in the series complete and after that end chapter I think the poop is really going to hit the fan in the next installment, so it is time to get my popcorn ready.

If you like the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, this is right up your alley. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this series is based in the same universe as the Dresden Files. It even gave a brief nod to Harry Dresden (though not by name) when the main protagonist mentions how there is a Mage who advertises in the Phone Book under Wizard. I gave one star off as there are several typos, mainly grammatical errors, that are quite annoying. Other than that, the story is solid and sets a proper foundation for all the characters. The pace of the story also remains relatively fast from start to finish. Personally, I hate when a story starts off strong only dry out at the arc and attempt to regain its pace at the last few chapters. Something I didn't notice too much with this book. All in all, a solid read. I will definitely continue on with the series.If you are a fan of the Dresden Files, this series is a must read. I can also recommend the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Herne if you are into the Magic aspect of the Fantasy Genre. There is plenty of sarcasm and lovable Characters in that series. It also ties in a few historical facts about the ancient Druid culture of the Celts of Brittany along with many other Pantheons.If not for the errors, hopefully the result of the Publisher and not the Author, it would be a solid 5 Star book.

The short version: I loved it! I received the book this morning and finished it this afternoon. This is the fourth in the series (Fated, Cursed, and Taken are the first three) and this installment fits right in. The author, Benedict Jacka, has created a tight, fully fleshed magical world, and a complex and nuanced protagonist in the Alex Verus series. Alex Verus grapples with his enemies and his issues without being maudlin or self-absorbed, and Mr. Jacka does this while maintaining continuity and without the dreaded Deus Ex Machina. Anyone who enjoys Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series or Kevin Hearn's Iron Druid Chronicles is certain to enjoy this series as well.For the uninitiated, Alex Verus, the title character, is a mage in a world of mages, apprentices, adepts, and oblivious normals, as well as a host of other magical beings. His magical power, divining or seeing into the multiple futures that lie ahead, although not flashy or powerful in itself, gives him many strengths. He can find people and things by mentally walking through the many future paths until he finds what he's looking for, or in the case of traps - what he's not looking for. In a similar way he can be invisible to a degree: he can choose to walk by just as you turn your head or glance at your phone. He can outfight most people by blocking a punch or dodging a bullet or spell before it's fired. The story really examines the power of knowledge and how intelligence can overcome greater physical power. Never-the-less, Alex has little in the way of direct power, making his gift better for avoiding trouble than overpowering it.The world he lives, and frequently almost dies in, is a bit simplistic, with a Council ruling over the self-concerned Light Mages, while Dark Mages, who are totally immoral sociopaths, are a law unto themselves. The two factions are at odds, but not at war, because the Light Mages are concerned only with keeping the uneasy peace rather than fighting for what is morally right. This conflict serves as a major driver in the series since Dark Mages can and do kill their apprentices or use them (and any adepts they catch) as cannon fodder while the Council does nothing. This is really my only problem with the series, as anyone can see that this, combined with the limited number of apprentice positions available for future Light Mages, would push many potential apprentices into the arms of the Dark. This is in fact what happened to Alex as a young apprentice, and only a dangerous choice allowed him to escape a future as a Dark Mage. Because of his history as an apprentice to a Dark Mage, Alex is shunned by Light Mages and the Council. Alex matures throughout the series, and his growth is told well, through tight, crisp writing. As the series progresses Alex slowly matures, gaining friends and even an apprentice.Caution: spoilers ahead.In this book, Alex, who was coerced by his master, a Dark Mage, into committing some morally questionable acts during his apprenticeship, comes face to face with his past. A group of young adepts (an adept is a kind of one-trick pony of the magical world) is bent on freeing adepts from persecution in the magical world by killing Dark Mages. The group, lead by the younger brother, Will, of a woman who was killed by Alex's former Master, have chosen Alex as the next on their hit list.Alex, for whom this woman's death was a turning point, is understandably unwilling to kill this young man, but his reticence almost gets him killed. Only after almost dying, and endangering his friends, does he stop running and take a stand. That he chooses to do this without his friends creates a large part of the conflict, and makes for a story with a lot of depth and also - action. I think the books, and especially this book, would translate well into a movie, with lots of well-described action and an opportunity for a director to order up some killer special-effects.

Conforme à mes attentes.

Okay, okay so I am now significantly invested in this series now. That said, in Taken I did have a few gripes with the characterisation of both Anne and Vari. I guess this was an editorial decision to maintain pacing but it did mean I wasn’t entirely invested in either character because there wasn’t quite enough for me to feel empathy for them. It might also be because Alex does not share his thoughts about them either. Alex Verus used to have a peaceful, quiet life. Working alone in his shop, staying under the radar and generally not drawing attention to himself. Everything has now changed now. He has friends and he’s discovering he enjoys being around other people. Not that they know much about his past and so far Alex wants to keep it that way. The less people know about his time as a Dark Apprentice, the better. Unfortunately for Alex, his past is about to catch up with him in a spectacular fashion. The target of a group of vigilante adepts, Alex realises too late the reason behind an attack that nearly kills him. Reluctantly he shares one of the darkest moments of his apprenticeship and now he knows that none of his friends will be able to look at him the way they used to. For ten years he’s tried to escape that life and pretend that he is a very different person than he was back then. Unfortunately, he also knows that his hunters will not stop until they kill him or he takes them out first. I did really enjoy this book more than I did the last one. Getting to know Alex better and the guilt he carries and why he has spent the last ten years trying to atone for the reason he broke with Richard Drakh. Now his friends know some of his past there is a rift that is slowly pulling apart each of his relationships as he always feared they might. The fall out of his choices is a sad reminder to Alex about the dangers of letting anyone get too close to him.

Once again Benedict Jacka has written a captivating intriguing novel.Some mysterys like deleo are answered while some others are put forth. It finishes on a bit of a cliffhanger but that's more of a lead in to the next book.

Alex is a nice guy; just don't go and try to kill him as it may end badly for you.

Im vierten Band der Alex-Verus-Reihe dreht sich vieles um die Frage, wieviel Gewalt ein Mensch noch verantworten kann oder darf. Ist Selbstverteidigung schon zu viel, weil man das eigene Leben über das der anderen stellt? Zur Handlung: Anne, die wir bereits aus Band zwei und drei kennen, wird entführt. Die Spuren führen zu ihrem alten Meister Sagash. Verus und Annes andere Freunde machen sich auf die Suche, allerdings muss Verus ungefähr ab dem zweiten Drittel des Buches das Abenteuer weitgehend alleine bestreiten. Verus wird mit seiner Vergangenheit konfrontiert, und wir erfahren, was mit Anne geschah, als Sagash sie zum ersten Mal gefangen hielt. Ausserdem lernen wir Verus' Vater kennen. Gegen Schluss wird eine neue sympathische Figur eingeführt, die uns hoffentlich für den nächsten Band erhalten bleibt: ein magischer Fuchs. Ein neues Haustier für Verus, sehr niedlich.