Warrior Mage by Lindsay Buroker

Warrior Mage by Lindsay Buroker

Kindle Edition

Published April 2015

Review by N. E. White.

Set in the same fantasy world as Ms. Buroker’s The Emperor’s Edge series, the Chains of Honor series starts with Warrior Mage and features a young protagonist named Yanko White Fox.

Yanko is a moksu, in one of the Nurian political elite families that hold sway in Nuria. Yanko’s family has been disgraced by Yanko’s mother, who turned pirate, and it is up to him to redeem the entire family by becoming a warrior mage. But he flunks the entrance exams into an elite warrior mage school and ends up at his uncle’s salt mine, wondering how he’ll ever make up for his mistakes.

Like in all of Ms. Buroker’s books, there’s little time for Yanko to contemplate his fate because forces outside of his control are moving towards him – and his demise. With his spunky, condescending sidekick Lakeo, Yanko is forced to defend his family’s salt mine, his home, and ultimately his nation. He is put on a rather dubious request to find a relic that may save his people or get himself killed or worse.

He’s aided by a Turgonian spy named Dak (readers of Ms. Buroker’s previous books will be happy to recognize this emphatic soldier), Lakeo – an artist, petty thief, and fledging mage, a racist parrot (yup, a racist parrot, that’s not a typo), and his passion to do the honorable thing. But the odds are against him. He has an infamous mage hunter after him, has garnered the ire of a great Sun Dragon warrior mage (a real one), and may be following in the footsteps of his own mother, a formidable and ruthless pirate who also happens to be one of the strongest warrior mages out there. To top it off, she’s wanted by every nation on the planet.

And it seems Yanko may be on that list soon, too.

Together with an unlikely pirate crew, Yanko embarks on a journey that takes him to an island country where he (or Dak, really) discovers clues that give him hope that he may not have been sent on a wild goose chase.

For those of you who like non-stop action, Ms. Buroker does not disappoint. Like in all her other books, Yanko’s path is littered with every imaginable obstacle. There’s even a civil war in progress that keeps everyone on their toes. Ms. Buroker’s trademark quirky humor is on display in Warrior Mage, too. Combined, it makes a fast-paced story that’s fun to read and may leave you a little breathless. With magic, submarines, and krakens on the list, you’ll be amazed as well at the technological complexity of this world.

One of Ms. Buroker’s strengths are the relationships between her characters. Yanko is bound by honor, but is forgiving in nature. Though he doesn’t have much choice, he and Lakeo form a trusting friendship. And though he has no reason to put much faith in the surly Dak, the foreign, formidable spy is probably the best thing he’s got going for him. Their interactions are funny, entertaining, and heart-warming. It is a hard combination not to like.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Warrior Mage, and after reading immediately purchased the second book in this series, Snake Heart, I did find some aspects of this book annoying. Because Ms. Buroker links many of her works, there are times when it is obvious events from previous books are referred to. While not necessary to have read any of those other books, I know I’m missing out. I guess that means I’ll have to read all the prequels, but I also wouldn’t mind a quick re-cap or flashback to fill us in. But I guess that would put a screeching halt on the non-stop action.

Highly recommended.

N.E. White, July, 2016.