An Inheritance of Magic

De: Benedict Jacka

Narrado por: Will Watt

The super-rich control everything—including magic—in this thrilling and brilliant, contemporary fantasy from the author of the Alex Verus novels.

The wealthy seem to exist in a different, glittering world from the rest of us. Almost as if by . . . magic.

Stephen Oakwood is a young man on the edge of this hidden world. He has talent and potential, but turning that potential into magical power takes money, opportunity, and training. All Stephen has is a minimum wage job and a cat.

But when a chance encounter with a member of House Ashford gets him noticed by the wrong people, Stephen is thrown in the deep end. For centuries, the vast corporations and aristocratic Houses of the magical world have grown impossibly rich and influential by hoarding their knowledge. To survive, Stephen will have to take his talent and build it up into something greater—for only then can he beat them at their own game.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing the Glossary from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio

©2023 Benedict Jacka (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"One of the most satisfying contemporary fantasies I have read in a long time; cozy and human, with some good fight scenes to boot. . . . an enchanting journey into a world where sorcery may be for sale, but agency is beyond price."—Wall Street Journal

"Benedict Jacka gives us a flawed protagonist but ensures we are always on his side. Stephen Oakwood has many strikes against him: absent father and mother, financial woes, dead-end jobs. But he perseveres in the face of danger and death, and he loves his cat. It's more than enough. Benedict Jacka is one of my must-reads."—#1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris

"This first entry in Jacka’s (Risen) new urban fantasy series combines a coming-of-age and coming-into-power story with a fresh new take on magic. Stephen is a character at a crossroads, and watching him figure out which way to turn and how to amass enough power to make it happen will power the series. . . . Readers looking for a new take on urban fantasy, those who enjoy coming-of-age or training stories, and anyone who likes watching the rich fall will be delighted."—Library Journal

And so it begins … slowly

As the preface warns, this book begins a new series with an entirely new magic system and therefore the majority of this book is dedicated to world building. Even though it isn’t, it felt very LitRPG with long scenes devoted to leveling up by finding hidden caches of magic that are then used to create sigls.
In place of stats, there’s a market rate and magic-economy that reminds me of how the diamond or gold industry works, especially being built on the backs of the lower class and enriching the privileged few.

Stephen has barely dipped a toe into the magic well before he’s pushed in over his head. I like that he’s got mostly average magical abilities, advancing more on his willingness to think outside of the box. Discerning friend from foe becomes one of the big challenges and it kept me interested when things got bogged down in sigil experimentation. There are also several cool characters introduced, like
Father Hawk and of course Stephen’s cat, who has the potential to be the real series’ MVP.

I had two minor issues with the narration. First, the few women all sounded the same.
Second, the narrator pronounces sigl like “si-Gill” or “si-gle” instead of “si-Jill.” Perhaps that’s the British pronunciation (I’ve heard there’s an explanation somewhere), but it gave me a bit of a tic every time.

I also had minor issues with the story. Although the author concedes women can be magical heavies,
this book fails the Bechdel test. Whenever they are in a scene, it’s one woman among multiple men. Moreover, they tended to fall into tropes (the girl whose value is in her breeding pedigree, strong women are witches with a capital B, etc). Finally, there’s not much action or magic. I know that’s somewhat necessary in a series opener, but I feel like it forecasts a slow burn similar to the author’s Alex Verus series which took ten books where I think a trilogy could have better told the tale.

Minor issues aside, I had a great time listening and wouldn’t hesitate to get book 2. The game isn’t yet afoot as only a few of the players have been introduced, but I like what I’ve been shown thus far.

Can't pronounce a word that shows up 100s of times

I really enjoyed this book, but the narrator really needs to look up how to pronounce the word sigil. It was insanely distracting to hear him say "sigg-uhl" over and over. Otherwise, the book was great.

New series to love!

It started off a bit slow, but once it got going, it didn’t stop. I’m loving the world and the system they are creating within the story! I can’t wait for the next installment!

LOOOOOOVED!

I loved this story for so many reasons. The narration was integral to making it so enjoyable and great. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book, especially after binge listening to all 12 books in another series by Jacka. Please keep them coming!

Another great novel from a great author

I am really looking for serti the next installment of this series! Different magic world than the Alex Verus series but still well written and thought out.

Great strategy to a new series

Love the world and really enjoy the characters. Jacka excels at world building and making his protagonist relatable.

Benedict is always a good read

Usually an author struggles past their initial series. I loved the Alex Verus series so I was surprised this book pulled me quickly. Looking forward to Book 2.

Different but not by much, and just as good.

I enjoyed his previous series so much. This has all the hallmarks of being just as good. Intelligent, fast-moving, and interesting. A bit of world-building, but that is needed in a new series and it is handled in small bites blended into the story. I intend to buy the next one. If you liked Alex Veras, I think this will also appeal. it is not the same-old same-old, which is refreshing. Lots of action, adventure, and allure in this new world.

excellent start to another excellent Jacka series

Once again, Jacka builds a believable world with characters you care about. His pacing is great and the story is engaging. Im looking forward to book 2!

Captivating

I really enjoyed the different take on how magic works in this world. I can’t wait to get more answers about all of the mysteries unfolding.