Wizard in Exile

Wrath of the Stormking, Book 1

By: Michael G. Manning

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Length: 23 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Kelvin Wiltshire lives the life of a simple cook in a remote village on the far side of Trendham.

The townsfolk think little of the man and his son and believe him to be just another refugee from the Terabinian war. On cold winter nights, they share rumors of the bloody conflict and the mysterious death of Will Cartwright, the mighty mage who had the power to command storms.

They like the new cook. They fear the fallen king. But the two men are one and the same.

Haunted by nightmares from his past, Will has chosen a life of exile, hoping to erase the blood from his soul by forging a simple life. Service and family might ease his pain, but beneath his scars are deeper wounds: a queen and wife turned into a lich, friends poisoned with hate. While he seeks peace in isolation, his absence has left a void, and an ancient foe craves a return to power.

Patient and malevolent, the enemy knows the nature of man, and anger is an oh-so-useful tool in the game of nations. As war looms, Will’s anonymity—and the life he’s built—are threatened, forcing him to choose between the friends of his past and the friends of his present. To win, he’ll need what he left behind: the mantle of the Stormking.

©2023 Michael G. Manning (P)2023 Podium Audio

Critic reviews

"In a realm meticulously populated with trolls, elves, dragons, and mages, Reynolds is at his best giving lively voices to nosy aunts, curious cousins, and a brother-in-law with a heart of gold." —AudioFile Magazine

Fantastic story and narration

As always I loved the story, I believe this book made up for the ending of Art of the Adept book 5. I will not write any spoilers but this book has a different feel to the previous series's end. As long as you like Art of the Adept books 1-4 I believe you will like this book as well. It has the feel of those books again where William is learning and growing and changing as a person.

Why do you keep making such good books

Seriously I can’t get enough and am sad to wait for the next one… write it quickly!

I hated his last book but I’m glad I gave this a chance

I believe the author read all the negative reviews on his last book and took it to heart. He did a great job with this book, not perfect, but I’m glad I listened to it and I almost didn’t. My favorite aspect of the previous books is the banter and dynamic between Will and Selene. After this one we might get more of that again. I still wish more homage had been given to his grandparents but oh well. The first 3 books of the series were my favorite with the 4th slightly behind those and I abhorred the 5th. This one is a step below the 4th book in my opinion but still a great listen. If you stopped before listening to the 5th book good for you. But if you listened to the 5th give this a try and there’s a good chance you’ll feel better about the series afterwards.

love this series

I can't wait for more. this was perfectly balanced book. I want more. I hope another book comes out soon.

Thank You Michael!

I was really wary of this book when I picked it up. The last book in the Art of the Adept series ended in such a dark place that I did not know if I could take any more. Thank you for getting these characters back on track! I am once again excited for more!!!

Overall Great read

While I wouldn’t deny there are some … questionable bits towards the end, it was still a great listen well worth the time and the credit

As good as every other Manning book

I tend to not waste my time writing reviews but after seeing so many negative reviews based on political views or ignorance and homophobia, I felt it deserved a more fair review. This was a great book and a great continuation of the characters we all enjoyed from previous books. Anyone that’s read or listened to a Michael Manning book can expect more of the same. A very well written and entertaining read/listen. The criticism from homophobes/trump supporters is absurd. This is not a political story in any way. There is no secret agenda. And the fact that a character is gay, which imo makes him more interesting, doesn’t mean the author is trying to push some (made up in your own mind) agenda on you.

And I can’t wait for the next.

Continuation of a great series

Enjoyable, engaging! Found myself shouting “no!!!” when a likable character was under threat of death, as well as laughing with humorous quips. Like how the story line is moving with a shift to include elves and dwarves.

overall a good listen

This book is very much on par with the earlier book series. similar quality, story, characters, behaviors, etc.
you'll definitely want to read the earlier series first. this isn't really a new standalone series as much as it is a continuation. I actually preferred it this way as not much time was dedicated to catching the reader up on the backstory - which would be annoying for anyone who had read the books.
There are a few things in the book that bothered me enough to reduce it a star. The crass sexuality for one. I'm all for sex jokes and innuendo and a hot moment that fits into the story. but several of the moments in this story were awkward and unnecessary - contributed nothing to the plot. and the sexual encounter between Oliver and his mother was cringey - the same storyline could have been done without the handjob.
the story has a few jumps forward in time and 15-yr-old Oliver is whiney just like 8-yr-old Oliver. the author got some things right for the teen boy but other personality traits and dialogue were so off that it threw me out of the story all together.
the Oliver/Alex relationship was also weird. I love when books normalize same-sex relationships. the difficulty here is that all the characters consider it normal and don't even blink. but same-sex relationships aren't normal in the series. they are mostly absent. so how is it that everyone doesn't even draw pause on this. again the unlikeliness took me away from the book.
all that aside, it was enjoyable and I look forward to more books.

an amazing sequel series

this book has one of best most uncomfortable moments in any book I have ever read laughed so much I almost died.