Three unlikely adventurers journey into the depths of a realm forged by magic:
Jesmyn, a mage of surpassing skill who endures ridicule for a peculiarity of birth.
Sperling, a uniquely talented scholar who struggles to save his broken family.
Aurisma, a powerful cleric who suffers a rare punishment for challenging her superiors.
When disaster strikes, these troubled souls answer the desperate call of the Empress. Alongside trusted companions, they each embark on separate quests to find the cause of Frenzy, a baffling affliction that strips away all love, kindness, and self-restraint.
But the path ahead is blocked by rival political, religious, and military factions, each with their own agenda. The infighting is as dangerous as Frenzy itself.
The search for answers leads our heroes into the wildlands, beyond the cradle of civilization. There they must confront the pitiless terror behind the affliction—an evil born of ancient sin. An evil that will exact a terrible toll on them all.
I’ve read a lot of fantasy going lean on magic lately. Of Magic and Empire is not interested in that trend. Shay Yates Roberts throws you into a world with magic woven through religion, military life, and adventure in equal measure, and it’s genuinely refreshing to see an epic fantasy that commits to being, well, epic.
The story follows three leads on separate quests, all circling the same affliction: Frenzy, a force that strips away empathy and self-restraint.
- Jesmyn is a mage who takes the world at face value and reads people poorly.
- Sperling is a sheltered young nobleman fallen on hard times, quick-witted but naive, finding himself in army life entirely out of necessity and somewhat out of his depth.
- Aurisma is a cleric who talks back to the wrong people and ends up on the harder road for it.
They are all likeable and genuinely good company for the length of a long fantasy novel.
Jesmyn is a particular highlight. Her literalness and her difficulty reading between the lines are treated as simply part of who she is, not a quirk to overcome or a punchline. Her companion Zanther takes it in stride, and the friendship that develops between them is warm without being saccharine.
All three leads gather companions along the way, and the friendships and loyalties that form are genuinely enjoyable. The problem is how fast they form. A brief exchange, a shared moment, and strangers become trusted companions almost before the conversation has ended. It happens across all three storylines, which means it reads less like a character trait and more like a feature of the world. A little more time in the getting-to-know-you stage, a little more early friction, would have made those bonds feel properly earned.
The world is large and clearly well-built, with maps, a glossary, and enough lore to keep worldbuilders happy. Magic is varied and present in generous amounts, woven into different parts of society in ways that feel distinct. It is presented as a given rather than explained in depth, so if you need every system laid out you may find it thin. But if you are happy to absorb a big world as you move through it, there is plenty to enjoy.
The book’s main weakness is almost nothing in it costs very much. Characters adapt quickly, recover quickly, and move on quickly. A crisis arrives, the characters come through it, and the story moves on before the tension has time to settle. The narrative reads more as a series of episodes than a building threat, and by the end of book one everyone feels more or less safe. The characters are part of this too. They are good people and capable ones, pleasant to spend time with, but almost entirely without edges. A few more genuine flaws and the moments of danger might have felt like they had something real to lose.
But if you are looking for epic fantasy that is expansive and adventurous without being punishing or dark, this is a very solid choice. It is an enjoyable quest through a big world with characters worth following, and sometimes that is exactly what you want from a fantasy novel.
