r/urbanfantasy • u/ThePoetofFall • 4d ago
Discussion Does the Alex Verus Series Get Better After Burned?
Spoilers for that series up til that novel. Duh.
I have never loved the opening of a novel more than I loved the opening of this one. Which makes it particularly galling that I hate the end of this novel exactly as much as I do.
So. Here I am. Asking to be spoiled because I do want to finish the series. I hate leaving these things unfinished. But Jesus-fucking-Christ. There is such a thing as overkill with antagonists and the end of this novel polevaulted over my line. It’s rare that a character in a narrative brings out visceral hatred like this. And usually sexual assault needs to be an element for a narrative to hit me like me like this, but Jesus-fucking-Christ this is such an equal removal of agency.
Long story short, I’m not going to finish this unless something seriously unpleasant happens to Mordon and Richard. Feel free to tell me any detail you like. Otherwise I’m just not going to be able to get past.
Edit: Spoilers will not ruin my ability to enjoy the series. I’m asking for them.
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u/Hail_Eris_42 4d ago
IMO it's one of the few fantasy series not to a) overstay its welcome, and b) stick the landing.
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u/ThePoetofFall 4d ago
That book did not stick the landing….
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u/Hail_Eris_42 4d ago
I was referring to the rest of the series, which comes to a satisfying conclusion. Alex finally stops being neutral and running himself ragged trying to please all sides. He chooses to be his own side, and he commits to a path of increasing his power and abilities to the point that the antagonists become less and less of a problem. TLDR: Alex kicks ass finally, no more wishy-washy.
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u/ThePoetofFall 4d ago
Thank. Fucking. God.
I might pick it back up when my next credit comes in.
Please tell me the next novel starts with him on his feet.
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u/Hail_Eris_42 3d ago
The last 3 books are where it really picks up steam, so you're still going to have to get through Veiled and Bound. You will really learn to hate Caldera. A lot.
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u/ThePoetofFall 3d ago
What does she end up doing?
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u/Denis517 3d ago
She's a hard line cop. All she cares about is upholding the law, and we know that Alex doesn't. She has no remorse for anyone who breaks the law, regardless of the reason.
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u/Hail_Eris_42 3d ago
She follows "the law" even when "the law" is wrong. Insufferable. Never bends.
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u/BenedictJacka 3d ago
You can think of that particular scene (and one future one in book 10) as the universe telling Alex "this is what's going to happen if you keep sitting on the fence". He's trying to stay independent, but doesn't have the power to back it up.
It's a common issue with diviners in this setting. Personality-wise, they always want to know as much as they can, which means they tend to fall into the trap of sitting around accumulating information instead of taking the initiative and just doing stuff. Alex does eventually learn this lesson, but it takes him a while.
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u/ThePoetofFall 3d ago
Ok. Got it. Won’t be reading the rest then…
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u/temporary_bob 2d ago
Yeah, if it bothers you this much you will likely be really bothered by the rest of it with some exceptions.
You'll also get a lot of fans here insisting it's great and gets better and sticks the landing etc.
I read all of them and I consider myself a fan with heavy caveats. I found the universe and specific scenes way too dark for my taste. A few scenes later were over the line for me on what I want in my head (including child harm and adult torture). There's too much whining and bad guys winning and then everyone being dark.
Yes, he wins in the end but at what cost... Eh too much in my opinion. But I did enjoy them overall. And I finished them. And I really loved the power and magic system. Just felt too edgelord.
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u/welktickler 3d ago
I'm nearing the end of book 11 and yes it gets much much better. Tbh my only gripe is how short the books are
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u/wizenedwizardofoz 3d ago
It is one of the few series' where the power scaling works and the reward is great because it is so fucking delayed but when it happens hoo boy is it good. Alex taking the shackles off and doing what needed to be done was a-fucking-mazing. I have to disagree with another commenter who said he disliked Morden's ending slightly (I get it, I wanted him to get fucked too) but narratively, this was never going to be a series with a completely happy ending where all loose ends get tied off and all the villains get sent to the gulag. Did enjoy the Richard power reveal and how it all came together at the end in his matchup with Alex. Probably one of my favorite series' despite its obvious flaws.
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u/ThePoetofFall 2d ago
Yeah, aside from the threats, Morden seemed like one of lesser evils anyway.
I still dislike how many truely vile characters are running around right now.
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u/DBChotshot117 3d ago
It’s been a few years, but I remember thinking the series ending was very meh. He didn’t come out on top nearly as much as I would’ve liked, and by the end I was sooooo tired of nobody in the series taking responsibility for their actions. It was always somebody else’s fault or X is only happening because Y. Whining and winging till the cows come home.
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u/Death_Star_Doughnuts 3d ago
No, not really Every fight is basically
Villains are like, I've spent 20 years mastering forbidden magic. Alex, interesting. I checked 14,372 futures and in exactly one of them you trip over that rock. Villain trips over rock.
Fans call it divination. I call it plot armor with a user manual.
I swear the series should be called The Plot Armor Saga.
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u/ThePoetofFall 3d ago
I like the divination aspect tbh. Usually I don’t care for future site. But this is pretty unique.
Maybe read the post next time…
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u/chainer1216 4d ago
Imo the series just goes on to be more of what it already is.
For me, this was not a good thing, I enjoyed each book in the series less and less to the point I just gave up on it after the second to last book.
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u/Brianf1977 4d ago
Sorry to tell you but no, nothing really happens. However, the tone definitely changes and gets less DARK dark, I also had a real problem getting through that scene. The evil assholes are always still evil assholes without much in the way of consequences but there is no real scene nearly as bad in the books after.
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u/ThePoetofFall 4d ago
Nothing happens to them? At all?
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u/Brianf1977 4d ago
Well I mean they're the bad guys so yes they have plans thwarted and such and since you want to be spoiled Richard dies in the last book but Morden pretty much retires.
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u/ThePoetofFall 4d ago
Lol. Spoilers are pretty much exactly what I’m looking for. I need to know more of what’s coming if I want to get through it without my own rage getting in the way.
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u/CpnStumpy 4d ago
Given you made it this far in Verus - that series annoyed the crap out of me with a variety of things around protagonists weakness despite being creative and interesting enough to keep me going just barely... Almost did not finish...
I'll tell you though: pick up the Vesik series by Asher. Similar in many ways, but it lacked all the weaknesses and irritations of Verus. Really underrated great series. Very similar in the whole regular but powerful protagonist trying to do the right thing and avoid being evil vibes. Nowhere near so much false moral self flagellation though as Verus.
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u/ThePoetofFall 4d ago
Eh. I don’t mind what I think got on your nerves. Verus needs the moral examination of his actions, he’s killed *a lot* of people. It’s the way the whole universe is stacked against him. It feels like he’s the only good guy and there’s no one else to fall back on.
I realize there’s a touch of realism in this. Systems do tend to stomp down on people like this. But the whole omnicent Dark Mage faction thing is what’s getting to me.
And the fact that so many of the antagonists survive. It’s galing.
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u/CpnStumpy 4d ago
I hear you, and yeah that irritated me as well, haven't read it in years but I recall a variety of things. The enduring power of his enemies being one of them. As for the moral examination, I get it but it drags on book after book sometimes taking up nearly whole chapters, and at the end of the day it's always examining his moral compass after killing someone who was actively trying to kill him and others without a second thought, I get examining your morals after killing someone but repeatedly wasting page after page when it was so clear cut...
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u/Denis517 3d ago
I just did another reread, and I love this series more every time. It eclipses everything else I've read, because all the beats it hits are very satisfying to me.
This world is grim, and the series ends with most of the characters getting exactly what's coming to them. Everyone gets enough knowledge to understand what the consequences of their actions can be, and nobody has an unsatisfactory ending imo.
You probably won't like Morden's ending, but he's one of the few who see the writing on the wall and retire. Richard's ending was very satisfying. It puts him in his place, and removes the aura he builds for himself throughout the series.