Risen

Alex Verus Series, Book 12

By: Benedict Jacka

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Alex Verus must keep his friends close - and his enemies closer - in the epic conclusion to the best-selling urban fantasy series about a London-based mage.

Mage Alex Verus has gone from a Camden shopkeeper to one of the most powerful mages in Britain. Now his last and most dangerous battle lies before him. His lover, the life mage Anne, has fallen fully under the control of the deadly creature she made a bargain with, and it is preparing to create an army of mages subject to its every whim.

Alex, the Council, and the Dark mage Richard Drakh agree to call a truce in their war, and plans are made for a joint attack. But Alex knows that it's only a matter of time before Drakh and the Council turn on each other...and neither cares about keeping Anne alive. Can Alex figure out a way to stop Anne and to free her from possession before time runs out?

©2021 Benedict Jacka (P)2021 Tantor

Satisfying conclusion to a great series

As much as I have enjoyed the series and the characters, Risen is a logical conclusion to Alex Veras' story. It has been interesting watching the individuals grow and change, and see how past decisions have affected events. Gildart Jackson has done an amazing job of creating individual characters despite having a very distinctive voice, which compliments Mr. Jacka's ability to craft characters that seem to be real instead of cutout 'good' and 'bad' guys. Well, a few of his 'bad' guys are truly evil, but you have to have SOMEONE to hate, right? No spoilers, but I encourage you to hang on until the very end. Well worth the listen!

excellent

Will miss this series, it was a good ending. Well done Mr. Jacka. Highly recommend the entire series

Great end to the series

Great end to the series, but I am sad that there won’t be any more Alex Verus books.

A fine end to a glorious series

Gildart Jackson leads us once more through Benedict Jacka's path walking of Alex's life. I loved this series and during the past few books I knew we were drawing to a close. Which of course left me feeling both apprehensive and mournful. Apprehensive, because I was constantly wondering how it would all come together in the end, or not (which was also a scary prospect). And mournful because, like most series that I love, I didn't want the story to end. Well, without giving any spoilers, I can say this final book does bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. I'm still a bit mournful because I have to say goodbye, but it's a contented sadness. Besides, I can always start the first book, and enjoy it all over again.

If you have followed Alex Verus all this way, then don't hesitate a moment more, and dive back in. This was a good send off for not just Alex, but all the characters we've grown to love and enjoy.

Thank you Mr. Jacka for letting us into this glorious world. And thank you Mr. Jackson for lending your talented voice and character throughout all of these books.

I trust you all will enjoy "Risen" as much as I did. Happy listening!

Benedict Jacka sticks the landing with Risen

Some authors have a hard time keeping a long series interesting and entertaining as it goes along, book after book. When a series lingers long past its expiration date, it can lead long-time fans to fall out of love with it and drift away. But Jacka managed to bring something new and exciting to each book in his series and it only got better and better as it went along. It's an utterly bingeable and fast-paced series with a smart protagonist. Jacka turned the series up to 11 with the books Fallen & Forged, and then stuck the landing with Risen. What a great ending for the series.

In many ways, the Alex Verus series can be seen as a series of trilogies. The final trilogy is made of up of Fallen, Forged and Risen. In Fallen, Alex had a tough decision to make when he realized trying to be a "nice guy" wasn't really working. So, he took his first steps down a darker path in order to save the woman he loves. In Forged, we see the consequences of that choice and the stakes at the end of Forged couldn't be higher. In Risen, Alex reaches a truce with the Council and his old teacher, the Dark mage, Richard Drakh, in order to defeat the dark creature possessing his lover. But Richard and the Council have no interest in saving Anne. To defeat the creature and save his lover, Alex needs to embrace his inner Dark mage. He'll also need to be at the top of his game, but the clock is ticking. Will he able to save her before his clock runs out?

The resolution of Alex's quest in Risen is at times heartbreaking, but it was a wild ride that was well worth taking. The final scenes are exciting and very emotional (there might have been some tears).

For fans who listen to audiobooks, Gildart Jackson is a fantastic narrator. He really nails the action & emotional scenes, and he's in top form in Risen. I absolutely loved Gildart Jackson's narration of "Risen."

The TLDR is that the audiobook for "Risen" has everything I love about the Alex Verus series: great action, humor, and excitement. As a fan of the Alex Verus series, my anticipation for this book couldn't have been higher and this book did not disappoint.

This book is an absolute must for Verus fans. I give it 5/5 stars (I'd give 10/5 stars if I could).

Expect the unexpected

Such a great story!! It will keep you guessing all the way to the end.

Strong finish

This was a great finale to a series I enjoyed a lot. The narrator is top notch as always and the story was worthwhile.

OMG!

I've been intoxicated by this series for the last 6 years. I hav not been this excited about a final book since Harry Potter. And the author delivered above and beyond. This one is going to be hard to beat. Thank you Benedict Jack for creating this world of magic, science, adventure, close friends, and true love. It will be a ride that I never forget.

Satisfying but bittersweet ending

Sad for Alex's story to end, but happy with how it did. Hope more will be written in this universe.

Wonderful series with a perfect conclusion

I have enjoyed every line of every book in this series. The characters were truly compelling and interesting. The magical system was complex, rich, and believable. The magic had a contemporary feel; not ancient and not futuristic. As the series wound on it was heading towards a conclusion pitting good vs bad, light vs dark. But it also had lots of twists and betrayals. I thought the final book did an outstanding job of trying everything together satisfactorily. I am now in a funk and sorry the series is done. I feel like I just lost about ten good friends. Five stars+.