Spell Thief

A Progression Fantasy Epic

By: J Pal

Narrated by: John Pirhalla

Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Stack your Deck. Climb the Gaia Tower. Defeat its Guardians.

Almost half a century has passed since prison ships en route to Australia discovered the mysterious Tower rising out of the Indian Ocean, known as Gaia. Monarchies, republics, and trading giants came together to build a city around it and contain the monsters spilling out of the rune-covered structure.

The few that dared enter and climb it learned the magic of Gaia's runic cards.

Now, most people enter the tower seeking fame, fortune, or power. Not Diya Sen. He climbs hoping to find clues about his missing brother and to solve Gaia's mysteries. However, the warring noble houses stand in his way.

His mission won't be easy. Many sources of power are outside his reach as an ordinary man. But if the direct approach doesn't help Diya achieve his goals, perhaps the talents of a Spell Thief will.

Don't miss the start of the Tower of Cards series from best seller J Pal. This is progression fantasy utilizing a runic-card-based magic system with tons of customization. Perfect for fans of All the Skills and Towers of Heaven, as well as games such as Slay the Spire, Hearthstone, and Gwent.

©2023 Aethon Books (P)2023 Aethon Audio

entertaining deck building rpg

tower climbing deck building rpg. world is neat with some cool monsters. deckbuilding mechanics are alright. good interpersonal interactions. highly stratified society a bit stereotypical but classics r still entertaining. I'll continue the series

Narrator Makes Some Odd Line Reads

I'm halfway through, but far enough to make the following observation. As another reviewer has mentioned, this narrator makes some odd choices. He sometimes puts the emphasis on the wrong word. This can give the phrase a different meaning than the context suggests. But sometimes it just makes the phrase seem discordant. A lexicographer calls this bruising the ear, which is an apt description of how these missteps strike me as a listener.

Part of what makes it particularly disappointing here is that the narrator generally does a good job. He clearly knows how to read a line and mostly does it well. If Christopher Walken was narrating, you'd get 10 wonky line reads per minute. Pirhalla's narration does not approach Walken levels of wonk. But, while Pirhalla may not be topping out the wonkiness scale, he's definitely registering levels on the scale. It's noticeable and breaks immersion frequently enough that at least two reviewers have now bothered to point it out.

With that said, I enjoyed Spell Thief and I don't regret my $7.49 (thanks KU). There is a ton of room for the story to grow and I’m looking forward to it.

Gamelit using cards instead of points!

I actually love J Pal's work, so I gave the Spell Thief a go. I found that I enjoyed the book a lot, inspite of the very slow start as the world and character building progressed. Dia was a very thoughtful and respectful young man, even if it crossed against his own opinion.
His plan was to climb the tower to get stronger inorder to prove his brother's innocents. The goal never changed but became more immediate when his best friend's life is threatened! But first beating the tower, will be no easy task. Filled with both monsters, and greedy noble houses ready to stop him no matter the cost.
This is only the second gamelit I've read that plays around with cards instead of stats to get stronger. The first one being Jake's Magical Market and I still find it quite unique, and fun style of gamelit writing.
So yeah, grab the book and see what you think.

Great listen

One of the best listens. The next book is in my hopes and prayers. Hopping for a beast or animal summoning ability too or a pet to bite Edgar.

I never want it to end!

Easily one of my favorite series I’ve read. I love the characters and really enjoy the progression system. I can’t wait for the next book.

The magic system is wonderful

Fun, unique spin. And enjoyable blend of culture and storytelling. Dynamic magic system and enjoyable challenges.

Pretty Good

For the most part I did enjoy the book, but I’m hesitant to consider sticking with the series. I’m not a huge fan of books with complicated romances. I prefer them to be either there or not at all. With the matter of distrust, divergent goals, and social status all thrown into the mix; it sours the story for me.
Aside from that, the card system, character progression and growth are all fantastic and an enjoyable listen.

I hunger for book 2

Really awesome characters and power system. I am looking forward to how Dia and his party progress up the tower. Very well done 👍

Perfect start to a promising series

a great listen and a fascinating world. the system is interesting, offering a wide variety of cool opportunities.

i appreciate that searching for a perfect upgrade means there's plenty of time to appreciate the character's current power before they change again.

the characters are also great. they're believable, and the question of whether or not they’re trustworthy is a constant!

Good Story, Odd Narrator

The Narrator puts weird emphasis on the wrong words very often, making it sound like he had no direction or recorded lines one paragraph at a time and forgot what was happening the previous one. He isn’t bad, and his voices for characters are great, but it’s… Weird.

The story picks up a couple hours in, and the characters are all pretty well fleshed out. Once the MC gets his main ability, you really get to experience that this author knows what they’re doing. I’m definitely excited to see where this goes! I just want the Narrator to improve in the next book.