Imagine you get finally Isekaied into a world of magic – only to be banned from learning magic. Sounds frustrating, right? But what if you could… cheat?
That’s what happens to Nathan Lark. His earthen origin makes him extremely resistant against magic (take a wild guess why the first book is called “antimage”), with the flipside of him being basically unable to learn magic himself, or being healed by magic.
But Nathan has a PhD in biology and studied in the field of stem cell research. And the world he finds himself in now values insights over everything – insights are how you gain and develop talents and skills. And Nathan knows how stem cells can be used to heal himself…
That’s the unique premise of the series, that insights drive everything which puts Nathan into a unique position. Because insights can be traded, and he’s got loads and loads.
The writing is good, and the cast of characters are interesting. A few of them still feel a bit flat, especiallyb some of the villains, but there’s an opportunity for the series to grow.
What I couldn’t really place was the sexual orientation of the MC. I think there was talk about his ex-girlfriend at first, but then he was mightily into the male adventurers he met. That’s a bit convoluted, but at least we are spared the teenage hormone drama that often happens in books in this genre. The MC feels a bit more mature and not like a teenage angst driven guy who’s barely old enough to legally drink.
The writing is generally good, with one thing putting me off a bit: chapters usually start with a paragraph that has a slight retelling of the previous chapter. I’m not sure if this series started as a web novel, in which case that doesn’t is expected. But I always think of this as lazy editing whenever I encounter it in ebook format.
All in all, I’m highly entertained by this series so far, after the first three books. I like the progression system, the characters and the MC. I will keep on reading!
4 out of 5 magically enslaved stars from me.
Crossing the Pond Reviews 
One reply on “Ends of Magic [Series, books 1-3], by Alexander Olson”
Loved this enthusiastic review, Stefan! Hope all is well with you and that this new series delivers on its promises! That book cover is almost a work of art! Best of luck on your next read!
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