The Mountains Rise (Embers of Illeniel #1) by Michael G. Manning

The book, rather than being plot-based, is character-based. It follows the development of a character from being a juvenile psycho to being mature.

One of my best reads this year, I think. The story was refreshingly unique.

The story was quite different from what I expected from a book titled ‘The Mountains Rise‘. I expected some sort of heroic tale of epic proportions, involving plenty of magic, damsels in distress, and a dark mage. I got something even better, but quite different.

The main character gradually develops with the progress of the plot. At the beginning of the book, we see a fifteen-year-old boy with serious psychological problems regarding the opposite sex. This was a teenager with serious hormonal problems, sticking his ‘thing’ into any ‘soft hole’ he could find. He also had the advantage of coaxing any woman into being horny magically. To cap it off, he was in love with another girl. Serious psychological problems IMO.

After his capture and enslavement, he begins to develop some sense and maturity…

The book, rather than being plot-based, is character-based. It follows the development of a character from being a juvenile psycho to being mature. It then mixes in a fine magical storyline featuring what makes us human.

Its a fine tale, well told. The writer is truly a fine storyteller. I eagerly await Book 2.