It's fair to say that Fated, the first book in Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series had a lot in common with a certain Chicago based mage. It's a similarity that Jacka even acknowledges with an in story reference. I'm sure there are people who will dismiss the series as a cheap copy based just on a handful of familiar elements.

And that would be a shame because while it is hard not to make comparisons early on (raised by a dark mage... check!) Alex Verus is not Harry Dresden. Both his powers and his character are different. This is something that becomes increasingly obvious as the book progresses.

Those Similarities...

Okay the elephant in the book. Alex was apprenticed to a dark mage. There was an event during those years that resulted in people being killed or at least he thinks they were. Verus is very unpopular with the wizard's council. Oh and there's a troubled young female apprentice.

If you look at those elements in isolation and stripped of story specifics they do seem rather familiar. But that's the thing about stories, when you summarize generically enough they all start to seem a bit familiar. The details matter, the execution of the plot, the nature of the characters.

With this being the first book, it takes a while for those elements to build up and play out, but give it that time and you find yourself in a rather different world.

Powerful But No Action Hero

So one of the interesting things about Alex Verus is that while his skill as a diviner makes him very powerful, it doesn't equip him well for battle. As a result he favors running, hiding and above all planning.

Benedict Jacka has a lot of fun exploring the nature of Verus' powers and what they can enable him to do. In many ways Alex is extremely powerful and very dangerous. But, at the same time, when faced with a Battle Mage he is vulnerable.

This emphasis on thinking and planning over bulling your way through is quite refreshing. Alex' diviner powers make him challenging to write for too. His ability to see futures and thus anticipate what's happening has to be carefully limited to stop him becoming untouchable.

Not Good, But Not Evil

The black mages in Alex Verus' world aren't moustache twirling villains. In fact they don't consider themselves evil at all and a more accurate to say they subscribe to a form of social darwinism where power is what matters and might makes right.

There are several instances in this book where deals are struck with a black mage and the deal is honored. On the other side of things the so called white mages seem just as likely to lie, cheat or have people killed as the black mages. They just won't admit it publicly.

In this grey and muddied world, Alex Verus with his clear cut principles and reluctance to let anyone, even an enemy, die, stands out.

No Padding

This is a short book and it moves at a lightning pace. It won't take you long at all to read it. That's not a criticism, too many books these days are bloated beyond the length they need. Fated tells its story and it doesn't waste time doing it.

There's nothing missing from the story. Characters are introduced and explored; the plot moves efficiently from one set piece to the next. There's even enough time to throw in a few elements for future stories.

Who Is It For?

Do you like Urban Fantasy
Do you like the Dresden Files?
Did you prefer it when Harry wasn't uber powerful?
Check it out.

Did You Like It?

Yes I really enjoyed the book. While the early similarities to Dresden were a little distracting in the first chapter, but I enjoy this type of story and the fact that Verus can't just blast his way out of situations is appealing to me.

Buy, Borrow or Skip

This one's a buy. In fact I expect to pick up the other books in the series in the near future too.