Mage Against the Machine

By: Shaun Barger

Narrated by: Robin Eller, Gibson Frazier

Harry Potter meets The Terminator in this action-packed adventure about a young man who discovers that everything he believed about his world is a lie.

The year is 2120. The humans are dead. The mages have retreated from the world after a madman blew up civilization with weaponized magical technology. Safe within domes that protect them from the nuclear wasteland on the other side, the mages have spent the last century putting their lives back together.

Nikolai is obsessed with artifacts from 20th-century human life: mage-crafted replica Chuck Taylors on his feet, Schwarzenegger posters on his walls, Beatlemania still alive and well in his head. But he’s also tasked with a higher calling - to maintain the Veils that protect mage-kind from the hazards of the wastes beyond. As a cadet in the Mage King’s army, Nik has finally found what he always wanted - a purpose. But when confronted by one of his former instructors gone rogue, Nik tumbles into a dark secret. The humans weren’t nuked into oblivion - they’re still alive. Not only that, outside the domes a war rages between the last enclaves of free humans and vast machine intelligences.

Outside the dome, unprepared and on the run, Nik finds Jem. Jem is a Runner for the Human Resistance. A ballerina-turned-soldier by the circumstances of war, Jem is more than just a human - her cybernetic enhancement mods make her faster, smarter, and are the only things that give her a fighting chance against the artificial beings bent on humanity’s eradication.

Now Nik faces an impossible decision: side with the mages and let humanity die out? Or stand with Jem and the humans - and risk endangering everything he knows and loves?

©2018 Shaun Barger (P)2018 Simon & Schuster Audio

Mages vs A. I. Great

Never thought I would read about Mages, A. I. and VR in on book but it's done perfect.

Great story but flawed execution

This was a really novel concept and plot that I thoroughly enjoyed. Part science fiction/dystopia, and part fantasy. The two main characters are in different worlds but ultimately those collide. The world building was really great, several of the characters were well developed and strong, and the plot never really slowed down.

However, the main character Nikolae is deeply flawed and ends up being unlikable during a good portion of the book. It might be more endurable if he didn’t constantly second guess and whine about his own decisions. He spent a good portion of the book blaming others for his own actions. Secondly, the book is laced with a ton of profanity. Thirdly, the female narrator is a bit uneven, often devolving into a baby voice for what was supposed to be a really tough woman. And all the voices sounded the same. For the male narration, there is some issue with the recording where it will often jump in volume for a few seconds and sound like it was recorded differently.

Overall, I would have given the novel a much higher rating if the narration and recording had been top notch, and the author didn’t resort so much to emo-Nicolae. But in the end, the story was very enjoyable and I’m looking forward to seeing if the series is continued.

Wow that was good

I didn't know what to expect and was very pleasantly surprised at how well done this book is and I hope very very expectantly that the sequel comes out soon. The explanation of magic versus technology is astonishing the emotional death of the characters and reading by the performers is excellent.

Curious if I would have enjoyed it better reading

This book was somewhat challenging to listen to. The performance wasn't bad, but it wasn't great.

The story was decent but I struggled to maintain attention, whether it was because of the performance or the story I'm not sure. The chapters switch between the two narrators and the two main protagonists, one male and one female. But towards the end each chapter still had the other character speaking so the inconsistency in character voice was tough. When I first saw there were two narrators I believed the two voices would remain on the respective character's lines but I suppose that doesn't make sense. It definitely seems this will be a series, I may or may not continue.

Great book, a little dark

Well narrated and a good story. A few "first book" mistakes, such as repetitions and excessive foreshadowing, but overall excellent and a lot darker and more serious than the title might imply. A lot of people reviewing this book seem dissatisfied that one of the main characters is... not a very pleasant person. While that is the case I did not find it to be a bad thing. Said character is also being punished for his lack of moral character, quite a lot.

Great book. Audio though?

The book and the story are great, however, the narration lacked a bit. Sure the narrators did a good job capturing the character to an extent. My problem is with the scene jumps, not the chapter breaks. The scenes jump in and out with no pause for when it’s happened. There’s been a few times each chapter where I have to back track like “how did this start”. Would have been good to give some pause or something. Killer story though. Wish it had more.

A Most Wonderful Adventure

The world that Mr.Barger created is one of a kind with unique laws of magic to match. The characters and full of emotional realness, which makes you feel/ root for them throughout the book.

Great book but it’s so far an unfinished book

Has been out since 2018 and so far no sequel and it’s 2023 so I don’t think this author is going to finish the series even though when I looked it up and said he was going to and that was last year in 2022, so if you want a complete series, don’t read this book just yet I’d wait to see if he finishes it before you read it. It is good but it’s not great. And we all know an unfinished series is annoying.

bad idea

the book starts with two separate, very interesting book ideas, each with their own world and concept that have such potential. but as soon as those worlds interact, they lose all integrity and intrigue.

A very beginner book

Very amateur book. Didn't like the characters, didn't like the story. Setting was interesting. Pass it by.