The Archmage (Just Cause Universe Book 2)

This is a great series. I would recommend reading book 1 first to get the full story and character backgrounds. It is fast paced and action packed. I really like how some of the characters abilities are not the norm. The narrator does a fabulous job bringing the story and characters to life with easy to understand and distinguishable voices. I look forward to more in this series.

I recently read "Just Cause" and just finished reading "The Archmage" and look forward to the next book in the series. I love reading stories set in the superhero genre and I would say this author's work holds its own in comparison with writers like Mur Lafferty, James Maxey, and Marion G. Harmon in so far as general storytelling goes. Interesting, complex characters and a plot that involves lots of action, suprise, and suspense all help.I have one big criticism, however, and that's to do with the too frequent detours into multi-page descriptions of gratuitous sex. Boring, boring, boring! Sex scenes are pretty much always boring. Sticking them in where they're not needed is always a mistake. I would hope it's obvious to writers that there's seldom anything new to be written about sex. If your aim is to write soft porn, or romance/adventure, then knock yourself out. These stories, however, are neither. Cutting these bits would actually broaden the stories' appeal.One of the first rules of writing is: ruthlessly cut anything which doesn't add to the story. Indeed, you could cut these sex scenes out and never miss them, or paste them into pretty much any contemporary romance/fantasy novel and not even notice they don't belong. If one is writing a story billed as "romance" in which plot and character development are directed toward getting the reader emotionally invested in the depicted relationship, then a lengthy sex scene might be germaine and serve as both a sort of payoff and the climax of the plot. But in this sort of scifi adventure story it comes across as being just gratuitous and boring.

'"Archmage"" is a fast read and pretty entertaining super-hero tale. "Archmage" is the second book in the series and the second book I have read in the "Just Cause Universe" series. This is a continuation of Mustang Sally's story not long after the first novel "Just Cause" end. The author refreshes the reader's memory of past events enough, it may not be necessary to read the series in order.

This book is the second in the Just Cause series, picking up a few months after the first one ended. Often, sophomore novels are a dissapointment, but I'm happy to say that isn't the case here. A wonderful blend of super heroes, time travel and magic, with a bit of rock and roll thrown in for good measure, there's enough action to keep things moving along, but not so much that the plot plays second fiddle.You can read this as a stand alone novel without a problem, but I'd recommend picking up the first in the series as well. The balance of smash-em-up adventure to emotional thoughtfulness should provide appeal to both men and women.NOTE: A previous reviewer mentioned an abundance of gratuitious sex....maybe we were reading different books. As I recall, there is one sex scene in the entire book; it was appropriate to the story line, and not all that graphic.

My favourite of the Just Cause series that I've read thus far. Once again an engaging story about people who happen to also have super powers. Strong female characters, plots that pull you in, characters you CARE about and a bit of a unique feel. A fun and light read for young and old adults alike

In "The Archmage", Healy continues the story of Mustang Sally and the members of Just Cause. This one also brings to the fore an interesting character that is mentioned in a few places before but hasn't had a chance to really shine: Stratocaster, the magician who plays his magic through a guitar.This one has a little bit of everything, folks: Magic, time travel, fantasy, romance, and (of course) superheroes. The author blends these elements into a rollicking story that twists from one genre - and time - to the next without the whiplash effect one might expect.Yet another winner from the pen of Ian Thomas Healy.