Return of the High Mage King cover art

Return of the High Mage King

Age of Heroes, Book 1

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Return of the High Mage King

By: Shane Hammond
Narrated by: Jessica Threet, Boise Blue
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £35.99

Buy Now for £35.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

All of the incredibly powerful high mages died out centuries ago. Nobody expected one to return.

I was just a simple blacksmith apprentice when a visit by the mages of Essalin confirmed what I’d long suspected—I could touch the aether. Destined to be a mage, I’m plucked from my village alongside a feisty redhead so we could journey to the fabled city of the high mages to learn how to control and wield the aether.

The road there isn’t going to be easy though. Brutal orc raiders are spreading across the continent for the first time in a hundred years, and rogue mages are stirring chaos in their wake. I find some allies along the way, including a highborn blonde with a sassy mouth, but it’s clear to me that I’ll need all the help I can get.

Especially when my coming shakes the foundations of the entire continent—all the way to the long-dormant throne of the High Mage King itself.

I hope they’re ready for me.

©2024 Royal Guard Publishing LLC (P)2025 Royal Guard Publishing LLC
Action & Adventure Epic Fantasy Magic Magic Users Wizardry Emotionally Gripping Royalty

Listeners also enjoyed...

Returner's Defiance cover art
Warlock cover art
Magic's Mantle cover art
Demon Lord Academy cover art
The Lost Bloodline cover art
Enchanter: A Magical Academy Slice of Life Adventure cover art
Dungeon Diving 101 cover art
Magic Rune Academy 1 cover art
Royal Dragons cover art
Trailer Park Bikini Vampires cover art
School of Magic 1 cover art
Aether's Blessing cover art
Exalted Mage cover art
Coven King 1 cover art
Feral Mage cover art
Shifter City Hero cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
If I read another book where the characters that have been established to murder people to save their own lives give up and be imprisoned, even though it was stated that they would be fine if they murdered a lot of people… let’s just say I will wait for future reviews of the next book before buying it.

Other than “hand of the author removing agency” the story is serviceable and does what it sets out to do with interesting characters that aren’t that deeply explored. They are all surface motivations and that’s fine for a book like this. I would have liked for the villains motivations were a bit more understandable at times but again, for a book like this it’s fine. The book generally is fine and I’d recommend it, just know what you are here for and that the characters are going to be tossed around a bit.

Decent story but…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

overall a great opening book. sets the stakes high, great intro to the characters. the pacing feels a bit off and you never quite get the sense that mages are all that "game changing" in combat with how their power starts off as underwhelming.

the narrators do a great job with only a few odd pronunciation issues (saying signet as "sing-yet" was weird) and they really bring the characters to life.

very much a setting up book. entertaining but just wish the combat scenes felt a bit tighter and the power levels a little more consistent and telegraphed (as there was a sense that all his power turns up at the 11th hour).

I'm definitely getting book two as the world building and politics certainly feels interesting and established.

a good start

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.