Sorcery Reborn is the first in a new series by Steve McHugh. At the same time, it’s sort of a direct sequel to the end of his first series, The Avalon Chronicles. If you are new to the author, I absolutely recommend starting with The Hellequin Chronicles, then The Avalon Chronicles, and only then start The Rebellion Chronicles. While you can start at The Avalon Chronicles, I think you’d miss out on a lot of the background and call-backs as all the books take place in the same world and timeframe.
While I’ve enjoyed every book in this world, they definitely get better and better with each instalment. Characters keep growing over the whole arc of the twelve main books. The cast also gets expanded and by the time we get to the later books in the series; there are a lot of people to remember and follow. It is a sign of the quality of McHugh’s writing that you care about each and every one of them. I especially love how diverse they are! Plenty of men, women, gods, sorcerers, dwarves, a foxman and many more.
In Sorcery Reborn we mainly see Nate for a long while, which was utterly fantastic! Nate is one of my favourite main characters of the fantasy genre, and I missed him a lot. Here we finally get him back, and with a really cool twist on top of that. Instead of one of the most powerful magic wielders, he is now just a normal human. I really loved this new insight into his character.
The world also expands, and we get to see more and more of the fantastical side of things. There is no need for infodumping, a pet peeve of many a reader, as we are introduced to new concepts, new monsters, and new magic bit by bit. This means all the introductions are exciting and easy to take in, and don’t bog down the plot with unnecessary and pointless detail.
This series is fast paced, easy to read, and action packed from start to end. There is never a boring minute—and I have devoured each of the books! Sorcery Reborn is no different. From massive enemies to explosions and punching Nazis—it has it all!
All in all, I can say that McHugh is one of my favourite urban fantasy authors. Perfect for readers of Jim Butcher, Ben Aaronovitch, Kevin Hearne and Benedict Jacka.
The second book in The Rebellion Chronicles, Death Unleashed, is due out February 27, 2020!
Jennie Ivins
JC Kang