Sunday, 8 March 2026 02:58 pm
Book Review: Notorious Sorcerer
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deckardcanineGreat, another book without a Wikipedia page. Even author Davinia Evans doesn't have one, because she's too new on the scene, with only two published novels afterward and none before. At least I can refresh my memory with others' reviews.
Not that there's a whole lot to remember. In a world where alchemy is common but sorcery is forbidden, unlicensed lower-class alchemist Siyon Velo makes a dangerous living by hopping across the planes of existence for materials that proper alchemists want, with an assistant to reel him in. When new assistant Zagiri, a sword-fighting aristocratic young woman, has a close call, Siyon accidentally uses sorcery to save her and is wanted by the inquisitors, or inqs, of the city of Bezim. He does garner the positive interest of the elite Summer Club, which hopes he can continue with rare feats despite him not knowing how he did the first time. But as the imbalanced planes threaten disaster, it falls on this most unorthodox practitioner to try something new.
Despite the high stakes, the focus remains small. The only focal characters besides the above are Anahid, Zegiri's older sister; and Izmirlian, a young man who wants Siyon to help him escape his gilded cage to another realm. None of them ever leave Bezim except when leaving the Mundane plane, and they don't see as much elsewhere as you'd think. There's a map of Bezim in the front, but I never saw fit to consult it.
Indeed, my main complaint is how little gets explained or explored. Siyon learns few details of how to make magic happen. He meets some powerful, sapient humanoids out of mythology, who matter to the plot but do only so much worth our attention. The Abyss, Aethyr, and Empyreal planes are barely described, and I couldn't tell the last two apart. We are to understand that one pioneer created standard alchemy, and he made considerable mistakes. Made-up words like "bravi" and "azatani" are too few to merit a glossary, so we have to guess from context.
From the first paragraph, you might predict that Zagiri becomes Siyon's star-crossed lover. Instead, Izmirlian does. I skimmed the paragraphs where they get physical, because that's not my scene. It seems random too; even Siyon wonders how such different people wound up together.
Nonetheless, characterization may be the book's strong suit. Siyon has grown quite sardonic, but he faces problems he can't laugh at, especially when seemingly every spell comes at a high cost. Anahid gets frustrated at all the trouble Zagiri drags into their household, but she obliges with hospitality and wishes to help more. Many other characters have ways of subverting our expectations, tho inquisitor Xharani is basically Inspector Javert.
The end of the volume is bittersweet. I know it's the start of a series, but it feels adequate as a permanent stopping point. And unless the sequel spells out a lot more, I'm not coming back. All those blurbs about the fun of NS oversold it for me. Nor will I check out Megan Bannen's The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, excerpted at the back of this edition.
Now I've started The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. At least it got a screen adaptation, however unpopular.
Not that there's a whole lot to remember. In a world where alchemy is common but sorcery is forbidden, unlicensed lower-class alchemist Siyon Velo makes a dangerous living by hopping across the planes of existence for materials that proper alchemists want, with an assistant to reel him in. When new assistant Zagiri, a sword-fighting aristocratic young woman, has a close call, Siyon accidentally uses sorcery to save her and is wanted by the inquisitors, or inqs, of the city of Bezim. He does garner the positive interest of the elite Summer Club, which hopes he can continue with rare feats despite him not knowing how he did the first time. But as the imbalanced planes threaten disaster, it falls on this most unorthodox practitioner to try something new.
Despite the high stakes, the focus remains small. The only focal characters besides the above are Anahid, Zegiri's older sister; and Izmirlian, a young man who wants Siyon to help him escape his gilded cage to another realm. None of them ever leave Bezim except when leaving the Mundane plane, and they don't see as much elsewhere as you'd think. There's a map of Bezim in the front, but I never saw fit to consult it.
Indeed, my main complaint is how little gets explained or explored. Siyon learns few details of how to make magic happen. He meets some powerful, sapient humanoids out of mythology, who matter to the plot but do only so much worth our attention. The Abyss, Aethyr, and Empyreal planes are barely described, and I couldn't tell the last two apart. We are to understand that one pioneer created standard alchemy, and he made considerable mistakes. Made-up words like "bravi" and "azatani" are too few to merit a glossary, so we have to guess from context.
From the first paragraph, you might predict that Zagiri becomes Siyon's star-crossed lover. Instead, Izmirlian does. I skimmed the paragraphs where they get physical, because that's not my scene. It seems random too; even Siyon wonders how such different people wound up together.
Nonetheless, characterization may be the book's strong suit. Siyon has grown quite sardonic, but he faces problems he can't laugh at, especially when seemingly every spell comes at a high cost. Anahid gets frustrated at all the trouble Zagiri drags into their household, but she obliges with hospitality and wishes to help more. Many other characters have ways of subverting our expectations, tho inquisitor Xharani is basically Inspector Javert.
The end of the volume is bittersweet. I know it's the start of a series, but it feels adequate as a permanent stopping point. And unless the sequel spells out a lot more, I'm not coming back. All those blurbs about the fun of NS oversold it for me. Nor will I check out Megan Bannen's The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, excerpted at the back of this edition.
Now I've started The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. At least it got a screen adaptation, however unpopular.