Sufficiently Advanced Magic - Arcane Ascension - Book 1

Sufficiently Advanced Magic seems to me to strike a vector between traditional fantasy and LitRPG with something more like traditional computer RPGs being the inspiration rather than MMOs. For me, I think what weaknesses the book has come from the video game inspired elements and leaving those out would have left more room to develop the characters, the intrigues, etc. I would easily trade any of the pages of, "Let's plan our strategy" for more insight into the world or the characters.

I enjoyed the wit in the dialogue, and the author does a better job than a lot of authors of differentiating the voices of his characters. There are still times when the characters sound more like a room full of business executives exchanging formal correspondence than people having conversations, but the dialogue is generally varied and I appreciated this.

The plot is fairly interesting as is the overall world system. Even clearing the tower - the author presented this in the context of the larger world and it became a significant plot device rather than just a main quest. But I felt like the author did not have time to really unfold much of this organically and a lot of it was delivered by way of exposition. A lot of things get explained to you by characters talking as opposed to actually illustrated by events in the story. I think the author is fully capable of doing that, but a significant portion of how the story is told is done through a LitRPG-ish lens, and this is time consuming and boring. Every time a character said, "Let's talk about our strategy," I had to prepare myself for a stretch of logistics and power comparisons that didn't seem to advance the plot very much, to me, and seemed more like a mechanism to -tell me- rather than -show me-. It's also not very interesting to read a group of people sitting around discussing at length how they're going to do something that they, then, proceed to do.

But this guy can write. The narrative was varied, the descriptions are good, and I felt like the characters were distinct people even if I would have liked to have seen them unfold more than they did. I especially liked his sense of immediate description. When he talked about a giant serpent, he really made it vivid and you got a sense of the scope of the thing. Through his descriptions, I could visualize a huge serpent in the clouds and the terror this would wreak on the people seeing it.

I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, but I'm going to round up to 4. This guy deserves to be read. I just think the book would have been a lot stronger if he had cut out all the LitRPG-ish parts of telling the story and devoted that space toward a more traditional storytelling mechanism where we could have really seen the characters, the plot, and the twists and intrigues come to life.

I really enjoyed this book and I think you should read it too, as someone who always wanted to get involved in rpgs tabletop or otherwise but never had. I learned a lot and had fun doing it. The book is a long read that could have been more tightly narrated. I’m curious about the mysteries of the tower, the unclaimed lands, from reign attainments and were the visages come from. Are all the towers connected? Can they be activated like a magical machinary by their researchers at the core? What was the world long since passed that forged katashis blade? So many mysteries and great future book potential

The author is very exact in their description and thought process but sometimes mystery is more than plot twists it’s also about giving the reader credit for their own imagination, often times writing less is actually writing more because the reader fills in the implied parts.

I think the style was in line with vide game rpg dialogue and reasoning but since the world is an homage I would have liked to see more dialogue between the characters that wasn’t analysis of situations, though I did enjoy that I wish it was more balanced.

I’m firmly invested in these characters despite the minor pain points for me and am looking forward to reading the next book!

Not many stories out there allow true flaws in their protagonists, but this one managed it wonderfully.
Unlike most stories the protagonist is forced to struggle hard for his strength and deal with his issues with time and compromise.
The magic system is very unique and the setting different enough to intrigue while being similar enough to usual fantasy to be relatable.
I recommend 100%

This book was pretty amazing. The main character in this book is super realistic, which draws you in even further to this delicious twisty plot. As you follow Corrin through his first year of school you get pulled in by all the building elements, the story then leaves you hanging on one of the best cliff hangers I have ever read. I would recommend this book, but only of you have time to read it because you won't want to put it down.

The monsters, the bosses, the loot, and the thorough explanation of the magic system was a total dead giveaway that this fantastic book was written by an avid gamer! (And looking into Rowe's background, he's a videogame designer)

This was book was fantastic! I saw raving reviews about it a while ago and I'm sorry I waited this long to try it!! Even though it's quite a bit longer than your average ya fantasy, it kept me turning the pages well into the night! The explanation of the magic system in the beginning seemed a bit too thorough for a book and the first experience in the tower was oddly quick but it wasn't enough to lose a star.

I'm pretty sure my mouth was hanging open at the end! Fantastic ya fantasy!! Can't wait to read the next one!!

Really enjoyed this book, and glad that it was 600+ pages long. Magic system was pretty interesting as well. However I do agree with some of the negative reviews *nonspoiler spoiler* at around page 400 you find out the main character is gay, while I have no issue with that it was so out of left field (was talking about girls up until this point, and them being attractive and never mentioning guys) that it took me out of the story and was a bit confusing. Never was even really mentioned again and felt like it was just added in there last minute just to have a gay character for no other reason than to check that box. However once I got over the surprise/confusion the book picked right back up. So really recommend if it sounds intriguing at all to you, and hopefully knowing ahead of time about the odd character flip won't be so jarring as to take you out of the story.

A bit weird in the beginning without many explanations but quickly picking up the pace, the book starts good and evolves from there to a superb and full of potential ending. Looking forward to the next one.

I enjoyed this book very much and regret that Books 2, 3, 4, etc.. were not available after book 1. I read it for free then bought it, so that tells you how much I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the intrigue and can honestly say there were some surprises for me. Oh and no spoilers but when I say surprises, I mean surprises!!

A great story that flows well from beginning to end. The main character has both flaws and skills and the cast of characters are fleshed out and believable!

If you are a fan of LITRPG or wuxia this should be on your reading list!

I really liked the book, it keep me wondering what was going to happen next. Really looking forward to the next book in the series.
Just learning to do reviews. I am not into psychoanalyzing the plots and characters. When reading fiction I like to escape into the world of the book temporarly.

I've never devoured a book this quickly or ravenously, and I've never wanted to be best friends with someone as sorely after seeing an "About the Author" section.

If you love pen and paper role playing, C/JRPGs, great fantasy, magic, action, and intrigue, buy the book. A dash of Tower of Druaga, a splash of Harry Potter, compelling characters, and a wonderfully deep and detailed world. I eagerly await the release of this series' second book.

The only thing that that stands out as a negative to me was one boy asking another boy to attend a dance with him as a date. I know that things have changed socially since my youth, but that bothered me a bit, though it was a very minor event within the story and I decided to categorize it as an expression of friendship rather than being overtly sexual. Other than that, I liked the book; I found the basic elements somewhat reminiscent of the Harry Potter series, but the setting is different enough to stand well on its own and there was quite a bit of action and political intrigue.

This book could probably be described as a fantasy RPG. I would recommend it to anyone who have played any Final Fantasy game, or any RPG game for that matter. The story kept me hooked from the beginning, it is quite interesting and original, but what I really loved was all the explanation about how the magic worked. That's where the book really shines and makes itself apart from all the books that feature magic in their stories

I read this based on a recommendation. The book seems well put together and doesn't deviate to far from the principal theme, a student caught up in some covert schemes. While a good base for a story, I found it to be lacking something inspiring. Without that special something my interest was lost on this title.

Very interesting well developed story . He obviously is deeply involved in the gaming world. I would have liked a little more character development, but over all it is a very entertaining book. If you like magic and adventure this is a book for you to read.

I really liked the magic system in this book. Felt very close to a video game in the way that mana could be measured, and characters have 'levels' of proficiency ; while at the same time there was the mystery fantasy element to the magic that leads to some great scenes. The numerous magic battles are sure to reel you in and make it impossible to stop reading.

I liked it but more for the interesting magic system, dungeon crawling setup, and the unique world building. The story it self was entertaining enough, the characters were a bit flat, and the dialogue was cringe worthy at best with the poorly attempted humor in almost every scene. It's okay to have characters who aren't witty, funny, charming, sarcastic, or what have you. The book also tended to repeat itself at times going back over information it had just told you a chapter or two ago which was a bit annoying. The author could really benefit from a good editor to trim those unnecessary info dumps out and a class on writing compelling dialogue and characterization.

Overall a great read, there were a couple minor sub plots that got introduced and then we're never touched again that I think couldve been dropped from the final draft, looking at you winter ball, but I definitely enjoy this genre and love the theory behind the magic system in the world. Definitely recommend.

I've recently gotten into reading LitRPG novels, but this story has blown me away. The quality of the writing and the general storytelling prowess displayed by the author was quite impressive. I noticed a small handful of typos, but they didn't detract from the story in any way. I'll definitely be adding this series to my Favorite Series list, while awaiting Book 2 with bated breath.

In addition to this, I'm impressed, delighted, and a tad disappointed in the decision to include an LGBT character, as well as making the main character so open-minded. Impressed and delighted because it doesn't happen nearly often enough, but disappointed because the inclusion of an LGBT character isn't really developed or taken anywhere in this book. I would be thrilled if that was a plot piece that was continued and developed in the next book.

10/10, will definitely be buying the next book the moment it comes out.

Every other line of dialog ended in a question mark. Most conversations devolve into hair splitting and developing subdivisions of 'x' but only in the case of 'y' and 'z'

The world was interesting and the overall plot was pretty cool but the in betweens were draining.

Rowe presents a world in which the acquisition of magical power is orderly, but risky. His characters demonstrate their strengths and flaws in how they go about learning their arts. Each of them is a unique person with quirks and zippy dialogue that carry along the reader through the intricate world-building of "Sufficiently Advanced Magic."

Interestingly, the protagonist and narrator appears to be non-neurotypical. He has a keen analytical mind, and sees problems in ways that his peers and even instructors don't. For instance, in a "dueling class" at the magical academy where the vast majority of the story takes place, Cadence realizes that the rules for the exercise are sufficiently flexible that he can "attack" his opponents in ways they don't expect. He bounces shots off of the floor and scores points for his side, and works in cooperation with his teammates in ways not immediately suggested by the rules. However, he is basically flummoxed by typical social exchanges with his peers, forgetting to ask about their feelings, failing to identify their romantic interests, and generally behaving like someone who (until recently) would have been identified as having Aspberger's Syndrome.

The world building is intricate and detailed. One almost imagines a video-game or tabletop RPG ruleset while the characters go through the paces of "leveling up" the magical abilities that they unlock in complex tests in a magical tower, and then train up and hone at the magical academy. Magic comes from "attunements" and their nature and power varies not just by their type, but also where on the owner's body the attunement appears. Of course, this has sophisticated ramifications in the culture, history and politics of the world around the characters, and Rowe explores those ramifications ably in the text.

If you enjoy a "magic school" kind of narrative, if complex systems and intricate worldbuilding appeal to you, and if you like snarky, Whedon-esque dialogue from quirky characters, you'll probably enjoy Sufficiently Advanced Magic.

I love how the author fleshed out the characters and put so much work into world-building and developing the magic system. I look forward to reading more books from this series; definitely will buy the next one!

I accidentally bought this book, mainly due to the release date (I dislike reading series I can't read all at once). However, after reading, I'm really looking forward to the second book, the book progressed at a splendid pace covering enough content to keep me interested, without losing meaning and with enough thoughtfulness put into the concepts that it didn't feel immensely repetitive. I hope the Andrew Rowe put's the same effort into the following books as he did into this one.

Very contrived plot. This works well for the first half, because the settings are intentionally artificial (e.g. tests). But for the second half, the contrived plot felt very artificial -- both as to characters acting unnaturally, and as to the combat action.

Love the story line. The lead character is believable and fun. His critical thinking skills are fun to watch mixed with his creative thinking skills. Good job by the author.
I do not care for the homosexual undertones personally.

Just as the Scott Pilgrim vs the World movie artfully translated the visual language of comic books to cinema, so too does Andrew Rowe's Sufficiently Advanced Magic translate the tropes and aesthetics of JRPGS to a literary format. Fans of Final Fantasy, SaGa, MegaTen, etc. will recognize and enjoy Rowe's rendition of character, story, and even game mechanics found in those series. This is a must read for anyone who grew up with JRPGs in the 80s and 90s, and a solid pick for anyone who likes fantasy in general.

Love the story line. The lead character is believable and fun. His critical thinking skills are fun to watch mixed with his creative thinking skills. Good job by the author.
I do not care for the homosexual undertones personally.

Just as the Scott Pilgrim vs the World movie artfully translated the visual language of comic books to cinema, so too does Andrew Rowe's Sufficiently Advanced Magic translate the tropes and aesthetics of JRPGS to a literary format. Fans of Final Fantasy, SaGa, MegaTen, etc. will recognize and enjoy Rowe's rendition of character, story, and even game mechanics found in those series. This is a must read for anyone who grew up with JRPGs in the 80s and 90s, and a solid pick for anyone who likes fantasy in general.

Just not for me. Reads like its someones brainstorming for a fantasy game or something, but doesn't seem fully polished. The main characters are annoying and flat. The authors love of puns and play on words comes through and is very cringe worthy. There is much better fantasy out there.

A very fun story from start to finish with interesting, unique characters and an extremely well-developed world. The plot kept me guessing, the magic was exceptionally well thought out, and the fight scenes were a ton of fun. This was a wild ride rife with magic, unique characters, and a killer plot. I want more!

A damaged and perhaps broken MC, obsessive at times and idiotic at others. He shows some brilliance, and more than a bit of naivety. It was difficult at times walking with the MC through his story. His distance and fear of being touched shows signs of physical abuse at an early age, though not alluded to within the story. He shows pre-teen delusions -- I'll find my missing brother, then my parents will get back together, and everything will be like it use to be... He is far too self-absorbed, almost as if his mind was manipulated to obscure "something".

The book is generally slow paced with extensive description, though it does have several scenes of intense action. The author missed or ignored opportunities for the book to move in multiple different directions - is the direction chosen the best choice - only the next several books will tell. I doubt if the main series ARC has been more than foreshadowed, though this book's ending did set up the next book nicely.
I certainly hope the MC moves forward and grows - wading through a story with a not entirely likeable MC is tiring...

Battle anime (Bleach-like) and D&D fans, this is for you.
Somewhat stretched and repetitive, like the mentioned genres.
The praised by other reviewers magic system doesn't build up into a whole logical system, it's rather an unsorted collection of exotic twists of classic fantasy patterns. Again like in anime series.

I liked the world building and such but the romance aspects felt so forced and sudden that I spent the next bit of the story in a state of dissonance. Up to that point I was all set into the MC being an introverted headcase with a goal till he is suddenly an awkwardly flailing man with his first crush. I was just like "Huh? Who the hell is this guy and where did the MC go?"... Thankfully it kind of got set to the backburner and the story got going again. Enjoyed the ending and will likely pick up the sequel.