Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Orbit (2015), 384 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:National bestselling author Benedict Jacka returns to the world of Alex Verus... I thought I�??d escaped my past. But my old master is back and making a new play for power. And he�??s not the only one targeting me�?� Diviner Alex Verus and the Council that governs the magical community have never gotten along. But with his former teacher back in Britain, Alex is in desperate need of allies, and he�??ll do whatever it takes to get them�??even if it means accepting a job with the Keepers, enforcing magical law. Alex forms an uneasy alliance with his new partner, Caldera, but his attempt at legitimacy quickly turns lethal when a mission puts him in possession of an item that factions both inside and outside of the Council would kill to get their hands on. Once again caught in the middle of a deadly conflict, Alex will need all his abilities to figure out who his friends are�??especially when enemies are hidin… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member thealtereggo
Not my favorite in the series, but a good read nonetheless. Plus the ending leaves an interesting set up for the next sequel! I love following the escapades of Verus and seeing what trouble he will have to dig himself out of. If you like the series, you will like this book. Looking forward to
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"Burned"! Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Alex Verus has joined the Keepers, the magical police force and finds that now he's involved in more politics. He's sent on a simple job to find out more about what happened, but he finds himself caught up in people smuggling and a nasty underworld and in possession of something a lot of people
It's an interesting read, Alex and his friends are learning more and more every time, the world they're in isn't black or white, it's a lot of grey and they have to cope with this.
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want. He's also struggling with the assumption a lot of people have that he's somehow still a dark mage, because of his past and that there is no way that he's learned from the past.It's an interesting read, Alex and his friends are learning more and more every time, the world they're in isn't black or white, it's a lot of grey and they have to cope with this.
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LibraryThing member les121
Veiled reads a little like a buddy-cop story, except with magic. I really enjoyed seeing Alex and Caldera work together and develop a tenuous partnership based on trust and respect. The political machinations were a bit confusing (and the various Council factions seemed somewhat contrived), but
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overall, Veiled is a fast-paced, entertaining read. The Alex Verus series has become one of my all-time favorite urban fantasies, and I can't wait to find out what happens next! Show Less
LibraryThing member jennybeast
Really loving this series, and especially appreciating the agonizing choices that Verus continues to make -- yes really, if you thwart this one guy it will help your other enemy, even if that one guy is also a douche. Way to make the best choices you can anyway, Verus. I'm hoping it works out for
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you. Show Less
LibraryThing member AnnieMod
This novel keeps the slowed down speed of the story. Not in the action - everyone gets in trouble again but in the main storyline - Richard is still in the shadows (even if we met him at the end of the last book) and Alex is doing everything he can to ignore the fact that he is back. And the best
The main plot of the novel involves an organization which supplies slaves to whoever has the money to buy them. Add magic and they are even nastier than they sound on paper. Except that as it turns out, nothing is black and white in the world and the Council is not really made of upstanding mages who never do wrong. So when the battle for White Rose starts, you never know whose side anyone is on. Alex being Alex refuses to play politics, goes after the bad people and... ends up in a pickle (as usual). The problem with taking down highly connected bad people down is that there are always worse ones behind them and the connections usually mean trouble. A lot of it. A Senior Council mage gets offended enough to threaten Alex (again) and by the end it is not really clear if all that was done, despite being noble, did not open the door for a bigger evil (which in Alex's word is of course Richard Drahk (with Morden and a few more new affiliates).
One of the things I always liked about the series is the Dark/Light concept - death mages can be Light, life mages can be Dark. It is not really about good or evil (well, most mages believe it is but being a Dark mage does not make you evil - it just marks you like someone who does not care about the rules). Alex is starting to slowly realize that he will need to make a choice finally - sitting on the sidelines and being independent does not seem like a viable option long term. But as with the Richard story, the final choice is not here yet and when it comes, it is unclear if Alex won't chose the dark side - everyone thinks he is there anyway. Meanwhile Luna has a new teacher (a dark mage) who helps with her chance magic and Anne and Variam had become firm allies with Alex after the disruptions in the previous books. Add Caldera (who may be a bit too straight-laced to become an ally but is getting there) and Landis and Alex is definitely not the lonely mage we met at the start of book 1 anymore.
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way to do that is to become one of the Keepers (or the next close thing to it anyway). The main plot of the novel involves an organization which supplies slaves to whoever has the money to buy them. Add magic and they are even nastier than they sound on paper. Except that as it turns out, nothing is black and white in the world and the Council is not really made of upstanding mages who never do wrong. So when the battle for White Rose starts, you never know whose side anyone is on. Alex being Alex refuses to play politics, goes after the bad people and... ends up in a pickle (as usual). The problem with taking down highly connected bad people down is that there are always worse ones behind them and the connections usually mean trouble. A lot of it. A Senior Council mage gets offended enough to threaten Alex (again) and by the end it is not really clear if all that was done, despite being noble, did not open the door for a bigger evil (which in Alex's word is of course Richard Drahk (with Morden and a few more new affiliates).
One of the things I always liked about the series is the Dark/Light concept - death mages can be Light, life mages can be Dark. It is not really about good or evil (well, most mages believe it is but being a Dark mage does not make you evil - it just marks you like someone who does not care about the rules). Alex is starting to slowly realize that he will need to make a choice finally - sitting on the sidelines and being independent does not seem like a viable option long term. But as with the Richard story, the final choice is not here yet and when it comes, it is unclear if Alex won't chose the dark side - everyone thinks he is there anyway. Meanwhile Luna has a new teacher (a dark mage) who helps with her chance magic and Anne and Variam had become firm allies with Alex after the disruptions in the previous books. Add Caldera (who may be a bit too straight-laced to become an ally but is getting there) and Landis and Alex is definitely not the lonely mage we met at the start of book 1 anymore.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Alex has just about settled into his role as part of the Light - defending mages and occasionally investigating potential breaches of the informal covenants that keep them from the awareness of the greater populace. Once such routine incident suddenly assumes greater importance when he's attacked
Behind the scenes of the corridors of power there are factions and secrets and peccadillos - some more serious than others. Everything has been a careful balance of the status quo - not something that Alex is particularly interested in keeping given that it means the exploitation of innocents, something Alex already has enough loading his conscience.
Another fine installment always fun and interesting. It's particularly noteworthy how Jacka has managed to keep the power levels realistic and prevented Alex from gaining new abilities, instead he has to be even cleverer as the opponents are significnatly more powerful than he is.
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by an unrelenting Air mage with little concern for secrecy. Alex manages to just about escape alive and becomes aware that a trinket he'd discovered could be more important than expected. Behind the scenes of the corridors of power there are factions and secrets and peccadillos - some more serious than others. Everything has been a careful balance of the status quo - not something that Alex is particularly interested in keeping given that it means the exploitation of innocents, something Alex already has enough loading his conscience.
Another fine installment always fun and interesting. It's particularly noteworthy how Jacka has managed to keep the power levels realistic and prevented Alex from gaining new abilities, instead he has to be even cleverer as the opponents are significnatly more powerful than he is.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015-08-04
Physical description
384 p.; 5.16 inches
ISBN
0356504379 / 9780356504377
Local notes
Alex Verus is a mage who can see the future, but even he didn't see this day coming. He's agreed to join the Keepers, the magical police force, to protect his friends from his old master, the Dark Mage Richard Drakh. Going legit was always going to be difficult for an outcast like Alex, and there are some Keepers who aren't keen to see an ex-Dark mage succeed. Especially when Dark mages are making a play for a seat on the council, for the first time in history.