First Mage on the Moon

By: Cameron Johnston

Narrated by: Tess Irondale

Cameron Johnston returns in this innovative space fantasy, where wizards race to be the first on the moon, also known as the land of the gods. A fast-paced listen perfect for fans of Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Ella Pickering is drowning in debt. Once a Unity skymage trained to make aerial supply runs in the Great War with the Ranneas Empire, following a crash, she now uses a wheelchair and works gruelling shifts making magical weapons in the Unity workshops, thinking of better days.

One night, Ella witnesses an experiment by engineer Jackan Grissom go awry. His device morphs into a crude rocket blasting skywards before falling into the war's spell-ravaged No Man's Land. But this inspires a dangerous dream: could such a device reach the moon—the forbidden home of the gods? Could they go and beg them to stop the war?

They will need help, but as more folk get involved in their blasphemous plot, can they keep it under wraps? Can magic get them to the moon? Or will their heresy lead them to the gallows?

©2026 Cameron Johnston (P)2026 Podium Audio

Unique Fantasy With Memorable Characters & Superb Narration

This is one of the most unique fantasy books I’ve read in a while. It’s a mix of fantasy & sci-fi with magic, engineering, & alchemy, all in a tale about mage inventors secretly attempting to build a device to reach the moon and talk to the gods to end a war! I was invested in FMC Ella Pickering from the start—she’s a disabled former sky mage who refuses to let life define her.

The story mostly follows Ella, but also shifts POVs to other team members who all work together. I found Ella’s attitude so admirable—despite losing so much, she’s optimistic & determined. Another great character is Jackan, the older engineer whose work is the catalyst for everything. The friendship between him & Ella will pull at your heartstrings. Other team members—Katherine Goddard, the daughter of the workshop’s Chief, Guylan Bluford, a younger engineer, & Rojer Glenn, a one-eyed combat mage—are all memorable. By the end, they feel like a found family!

It’s important to know that the team spends a good part of the first half designing, testing, & rebuilding the device, & you may some sections slow. But there’s tons of playful banter btw the characters that I never minded spending time with them, even during these slower sections. The chapters aren’t short, but they’re immersive & full of important dialogue. You do need to pay attention & if listening on audio, I recommend listening at a slower speed.

In the 2nd half, the pacing really picks up & never lets up. Without giving anything away, their efforts to reach the moon take some unexpected turns. The final act has fascinating sci-fi elements & heartbreaking moments, & the ending is bittersweet, leaving you thinking about the characters afterwards!

NARRATION:
First Mage On The Moon is read by seasoned narrator Tess Irondale. Right from the prologue, Irondale sets the tone with very natural pacing and a clear, expressive voice that draws you into the world-building In the opening chapters, her portrayal of Ella Pickering made it easy for me to become invested in her.

A major highlight of Irondale’s performance is the incredible range of voices she gives to the fairly large cast. Each character is given a distinct and convincing voice that matches their gender, age, and personality, including an impressive array of accents! My favourite was Jackan. Irondale gives the eccentric engineer an older, slightly roughened voice infused with sarcasm, wit, warmth, and wisdom, making him one of the most lovable characters.

There are a lot of scenes where the team is testing and rebuilding the device, and if I were reading these on the page, I might have found them slow. However, Irondale makes the interactions between the team members engaging and uses a lot of expression whenever things go wrong.

The supporting cast (outside the main team) is just as entertaining. The unpredictable imp is given a wonderfully mischievous voice that perfectly matches the chaos it brings whenever it appears. Lucid, the Hierarchy’s representative overseeing the project, is another standout. At first, Irondale gives her such a calm, pleasant, and reassuring voice that you immediately question her true motives.

Towards the end, when there are intense confrontations, Irondale increases the urgency in her delivery. During the spectacular scenes on the moon, Irondale adjusts her pacing and cadence to give them an almost magical, otherworldly quality that really transports you there. The closing chapter has some heartbreaking moments, and Irondale narrates them with so much emotion, so be prepared to have some tissues on hand!

Excellent, Fun, Moving

Don’t know this author but saw a podcast with him and was super intrigued. Incredibly inventive sci fi interpretation of 1950s geopolitics with a beautifully moving dash of whimsy. Particularly r enjoyed relationship between father and daughter. Wish more books in this genre sustained the same level of literary rigor. I sometimes get bored by sci fi because the world building can overtake good storytelling but enjoyed his thoroughly.

an excellent adventure from Cameron!!

A science-fantasy adventure mixed with politics, war and a band of rebels risking it all. Great characters and Tess Irondale does an excellent narration!!

Superb Authorship and Performance!

I've been listening to a considerable amount of fantasy late (aren't we all trying to escape reality at the moment?) but have found that so many books devolve into tropes, and it can be a lot to weed through. What a pleasure to come across a treasure like this, equally intelligent and dramatically captivating all at once. If you've read of, researched or lived through the US/USSR space race, you will find many little easter eggs here. It's a beautiful marriage of fantasy and scifi with a dash of steampunk swagger, the story of a motley collection of mages and scientists striving to reach the moon, in the middle of a war, against all odds.

I haven't been able to read as many physical books lastely because of health reasons, and so audiobooks are a newer experiment for me, and this one has easily been my favorite so far. This is my first review, writing it in hopes that other listeners will discover this treasure. Bravo to Mr. Johnston! I look forward to his future works.

And special kudos to the narrator Ms. Irondale, whose work I will now eagerly seek out. Stunning storytelling and charcterizations that carried me through Johnston's thoughtful prose on a slipstream of delight. I devoured this in less than 3 days.