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A. Christopher Drown's A Mage of None Magic is the first book of his Heart of the Sisters series (it's not clear how many books will follow). The books doesn't break any new ground in fantasy. There are no tropes subverted. There are no clever twists in the world design. There are no exciting ideas presented in its magic (it has even got Light and Sleep spells). It's a simple retelling of the hero's quest.

Neil, a young man on the cusp of adulthood thinks he knows what his life has in store but his journey is disrupted by as he discovers that he is the Apostate, a prophesied mage of none magic who will change the world. To assist him in his new journey he has his band including the reformed assassin, the charismatic leader, the gruff yet surprisingly intelligent fighter and another lady fighter (that is OK with our hero).

Meanwhile someone else has discovered an artifact of great, yet evil power and intends to wield it to change things, finally making the world work the way it should. This obviously clashes with our hero's journey but through no fault of his own.

There's no rings or volcanoes but we all know the plot. We also know that it's not going to end in something called Book One.

This kind of typical fantasy is unlikely to be considered great literature, but if done well it can be a fun romp through the world with us trailing along in the characters' wake. Drown pulls this off with pizazz. The characters are fun and human for all of their stereotypical traits. The dialogue is snappy and things flow along with enough mythic resonance to keep my attention. Granted, I could have done without the race of slug people.

Still, it's fun, it's fast and I'm looking forward to the next one. What more do you want?

John Enzinas reads frequently and passionately. In his spare time he plays with swords.