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  • Sufficiently Advanced Magic

  • Arcane Ascension, Book 1
  • Written by: Andrew Rowe
  • Narrated by: Nick Podehl
  • Length: 21 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,464 ratings)

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Sufficiently Advanced Magic

Written by: Andrew Rowe
Narrated by: Nick Podehl
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Publisher's Summary

Five years ago Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess.

He never returned.

Now it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.

If he can survive the trials, Corin will earn an attunement, but that won't be sufficient to survive the dangers on the upper levels. For that he's going to need training, allies, and a lot of ingenuity.

The journey won't be easy, but Corin won't stop until he gets his brother back.

©2017 Andrew Rowe (P)2017 Podium Publishing

What listeners say about Sufficiently Advanced Magic

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    4 out of 5 stars

Fun

The whole book is structured like a dungeon crawler video game. Right down to the progression stats, loot system, items, and monsters. If you want to read a book that mirrors an RPG or rogue-lite format look no further.

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19 people found this helpful

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Overall a Great Listen

I enjoyed the story, really have nothing negative to say. It is in my opinion geared more towards a younger audience, in saying this, regardless I still found it entertaining. The bottom line is entertainment. Would I listen to a sequel- absolutely!! Nick Podel is an awesome narrator, I have listened to several books read by Podel and he does a great effort in taking on the characters in each story. Basically, any story that he takes on to narrate is a safe listen!!

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9 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Was getting sick if Lit-RPGs.... then this book...

I originally had a really tough tough time getting into this audio book. I was getting rather tired of the almost formulaic feeling of many lit RPG titles and was wondering if I had lost interest in the entire genre.

I came back to this book as I was waiting for some more credits to appear in my account Soni gave it another try to fill in the boring drive time.
I do have to say I am glad I did.

The story is decent, but what I really love is the characters. They were not just super heros in newbs clothing with some kind of mega mind that makes them have a hidden edge. They are flawed, interesting an relatable. I almost feel that the main character has a touch of Asperger's with how bad he is with understand social interactions while being well intentioned in almost every situation.

Add in a bit of Pan-sexuality for the main character without it being some sort of harem style sub-plot or even overtly sexual in tone in anyway (more so in a cute kind of way then sexy), and this book really breaks from the normal humdrum that is the average lit-RPG novel.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I love this book.

Just finished my second time through this book. I can't wait for the sequel. Donkey.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Finished in 2 days as Harry Potter meets MMORPG

An amazing story filled with friendship, wit, and an interesting explanation of Magic. If you like fantasy and complex storylines, this book is for you! Nick Podehl's performance is very enjoyable while transports you to a magical world, his use of voices flawlessly distinguishes characters while keeping you entertained.

Overall a great story can't wait to read the next one!

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2 people found this helpful

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possibly my all time favourite

Fun story, great characters, original ideas and lots of mystery to keep you guessing. First book I loved enough to write a review for though I've listened to many great books.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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listened 3 times time a row.

enticing world, loveable characters and a story that moves. The main character thinks like a real person.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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I enjoyed this

This was a pretty good book. Gave me Name of the wind vibes.
I am looking forward to the next book.

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1 person found this helpful

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extremely well put together and we'll written.

though this is my second time listening to this book, the story is still gripping, the twists and turns still instill excitement.
I look forward to continuing my climb in the tower.

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1 person found this helpful

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A little slow

It took me a long time to like this book but by the end I'm fully onboard, I want the next one right now.

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  • Jason N.
  • 2017-07-20

Very good book

Books I like.

Name of the wind series
Anything from Brandon Sanderson
The warded man series
The light bringer series.

I say this to you in hopes that if you liked those books you will probably like this one as well. I won't tell you about the book as it does matter what I say. Nick is a very good reader makes the book easy to listen to. Looking forward to the next book.

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318 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Benjamin
  • 2017-07-21

A cliche w/in a worn out trope w/in a derivative.

This book is basically every magic school, coming of age book ever. Magic college? check. introspective hero? painfully check. Parents out of the picture, but somehow looming? check. Female character that outperforms hero? check. Intrigue that's "bigger than a student can handle?" check.

If you liked any of:
Harry Potter Series
The Magicians
The Kingkiller Chronicle

Rowe beats a particular trope to death though. He puts the hero in danger. Hero does something to protect himself. Kind of succeeds, but then gets chewed out by teachers for having done something even more dangerous. It happens roughly once every two chapters. The "teachers" at his school barely teach. The entire premise of this magic school is like turning monkeys loose in a bomb factory. Give the students mountains of power, don't teach them what to do, then be super freaking surprised when they blow something up, then curse them for their ignorance. Over and over and over.

I'm not asking for reality in a fantasy book. I am trying to accept the author's premise, but if I am to do that, I'd have to believe that the entire school would have blown itself to fine powder and bone fragments by the end of the first semester.

Do not play a drinking game triggered by the words "honestly boy, how could you not have known?" I keep wanting to shout at the book, "Maybe, because the faculty in this school is so monumentally disastrous they couldn't teach their way out of a wet paper bag!" Even J.K. Rowling tried to keep "first years" out of the "restricted section." Here, the librarians hand out matches along side of copies of the Anarchists' Cookbook. And then blame the students when things go awry.

I have a bunch of other hangups, but to be fair there are some things that redeem this book a bit. Rowe is able to capture snarky teenagers pretty well. His teenagers actually sound like you would expect. Faux-clever wordplay, shyness, angst, posturing, even distorted self-awareness. The teens sound like teens. I didn't think this would be too hard until I read Card's "The Gate Thief." Rowe definitely clears the bar here.

The book also has quite a few "puzzle rooms" like in the computer game "Myst." These can be interesting. I suppose whether or not this device is overused is up to the reader. I found them interesting.

Podehl has a strong performance. His accents and voice characterizations are well crafted.

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142 people found this helpful

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  • CB
  • 2019-02-10

Feels like an RPG

In most magic based series it's hard to understand how strong/skilled a person really is and even harder to truly understand their growth. This author made it a whole lot easier by giving us actual numbers and words any gamer could easily understand.

One of the reviews here states the reader couldn't get passed a certain point because the protagonist of the series isn't remotely as skilled with magic as the reader assumed he would be based on the characters background, I happen to disagree, but maybe we understood that background a little differently.

The main character grew up in a family famous for being very skilled in regards to dueling. In fact it is their militaristic prowess that helped them become nobles in the first place, the author makes it clear that the character was pulled out of public school to be privately trained for the previous 5 years in the art of dueling. And one could assume this meant magic too, but reading onward you should realize that until they receive an attunement magicians are fairly weak and have little to no useful skills. Thus, the character was brought up as a "melee" duelist, he happens to be far more skilled than most of his peers in terms of physical combat. Not magic although he certainly has potential.

I'm not in any way a writer so please pardon any grammatical errors, I have also begun the second book so I'll stop here to avoid any spoilers. Give this series a shot, I definitely believe it deserves it.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Brian
  • 2019-04-10

The protagonist gets on your nerves...

I almost sent this book back, but I kept slogging through it because the story had some potential. I liked some of the characters, some interesting plot twists, but it could not stay on track. It obviously is playing on the success of the Harry Potter line, which I really enjoyed, but it did not do a good job. The plot had "dragon-sized" holes in it. The Tristan "thread" did not ring true or authentic. The whole story with Corin's family was very thin. What is up with Mom?! Corin's level of angst, second-guessing himself and seeming incompetence (which the author describes in excruciating, annoying detail) does not make sense based on the level of training he did. This book was unnecessarily long (please don't have a spell that takes over five seconds to say while you are in combat!). Having said all that I did finish the book.

I am still debating whether I will buy the second book. I have not read the reviews and I don't know if I can take any more of Corin Cadence. If I do, I will have to change my mindset. Just try to enjoy what is done well. I read/listen to a lot of this genre. This is not IMHO a book as good as Rowling, Card, Bujold, Hearne but it has some good points...just not enough of them.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Gus
  • 2017-07-04

My brain was engaged as much as my heart in this.

1st. it probably goes without saying. Nick Podehl is an outstanding Narrator. He is the reason i decided to pick up this book and I am so glad that I did. Not only does he make the story come to life like no other, but it seems like he only reads books that have worthy content.

This book has a lot of world building, a richly thought-out magic system, and strong main characters that really feel good to root for. At the end of the book I found myself drooling with anticipation. Truly a Gem of a book. I cannot wait for the next.

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87 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Jonathan
  • 2017-07-09

Overall great

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The author did a great job of creating well thought out world.

My problems, which keep me from giving a 5. ** may contain slight spoilers **
Corin - it is annoying how he can so scared and brave throughout the book. In addition, he wants to (has to grow stronger faster than anyone) progress but refuses to use his own mental powers. It's so frustrating.
Plot line - the are many different threads that the author will probably get to but they are weaved in and out and a lot aren't answered.
Characters - are all unique but don't have the greatest depth or growth
Pace - jumps around and gets slow at points.

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  • Midwest Male
  • 2019-03-22

juvenile

I assume the target audience is teens, because this book has no plot whatsoever. it's like a lame D&D RPG game brought to life. It essentially starts in a dungeon and assumes the reader gets excited by listening to how someone else chooses their adventure. literally that's how new characters are introduced....random encounters.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Eric
  • 2017-07-10

Worth a listen.

What did you love best about Sufficiently Advanced Magic?

This could easily, with a few changes fit squarely in the Lit RPG category. It is not told that way but I get the feeling the idea may have started that way with the author. that is obviously just my opinion and I could be wrong. It is a good book and I will get the next installment as soon as it comes out. There is only one thing in the whole book that irritates me, and again this is just me and may not bother anyone else. The creatures, and there are many are all called simply "monsters" throughout the book. I don't know why precisely, it just grated. Also, I think at this point I would listen to a cook book if it was narrated by Nick Podehl as he seems to only narrate stuff I like, within whatever category it resides. This is no exception.

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  • Joseph Zurat
  • 2017-07-08

Great first volume of a series

Andrew Rowe is definitely writing for me specifically. Both of his series scratch the itch that I feel for Anime/Game-inspired Hard Fantasy. The characters and plots are fun. There are some nice twists at the back end. As far as structure, it feels like each chapter is a chapter or so of a Manga, and the first book is roughly three story arcs. I dig that pacing.

Also, Nick Podehl is always a very consistent reader, and this time is no different. I look forward to more!

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Foster
  • 2019-04-10

Lackluster

Book has interesting concepts but main character is needlessly ignorant of many seemingly well known concepts in the world. For a person who was privately trained to be a magical warrior he seems to have missed a large portion of the magical part. Was hard to keep listening and finally dropped it when the author randomly added a love path with an interesting character out of no where for seemingly no reason or purpose.

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62 people found this helpful