Description
Despite Rosha’s best efforts, she will never fit in. To her classmates, she is forever an outsider, a girl from the fringes of the empire just lucky enough to have well-off parents. To her teachers, she is either a charity case or an exception to the rule that Gorenten just aren’t capable of performing complex magic. Worse, still, she is nothing but a status symbol to her father—a child gifted with magic to show his powerful friends that even people like them could belong in the empire. As if she doesn’t have enough problems already.
Haunted by the invisible rules that pull her dreams just out of grasp, she walks out on the eve of her final exams, throwing away her one chance at becoming an official mage of the empire. She practices magic outside the mage council’s grasp, one of the worst crimes anyone could commit. A dropout. A failure. An outlaw.
Years later, her father’s shoddy business deals have finally landed him in trouble and he disappears without a trace. Rosha reluctantly enters the services of a rich sorcerer, his last known connection. The sorcerer’s sudden death leaves her stranded in a sea of enemies—and the knowledge that the man is the voice behind the ageless, faceless emperor. To protect herself and her family, Rosha must impersonate the most powerful man in the empire. As she becomes everything she has ever hated, she stumbles upon conspiracies that seek to break the empire from within…
ksvilloso –
“K.S. Villoso is a master of building complex, colourful settings. Outlaw Mage is rich with history and crowded with cultures that make its world feel dazzlingly alive. I hope you’re ready for adventure, because this book starts at a sprint and never lets up.” -Nicholas Eames, author of Bloody Rose
“A sprawling fantasy notable for its complex worldbuilding and exploration of social issues.” -Kirkus Reviews
“Filled with shadowy intrigue and hidden conspiracies around every turn… This is a brilliant read.” -Portland Book Review
“The vivid world of Rosha and her brothers is the world my kids and many kids with Pilipino heritage will immediately recognize. Villoso’s imagining of a fantasy future in which they can see themselves is so vital for diversity and equity in media representation. Outlaw Mage is a compelling read that proves Villoso is in the same league as fellow Canadian writers Guy Gavriel Kay, Drew Karpyshyn, and Fonda Lee.” -Cookie Hiponia, Lead Editor of Mass Effect and author of We Belong
“I could think of nothing but Outlaw Mage while I was reading it…and it was the only thing on my mind well after I was done. The story is a wandering tale, which I LOVE SO MUCH. It gives me so much about the lives of the people. The innermost thoughts and workings. The motivations, the dreaded nightmares (not just the dreams) of each one. I loved Rosha. Thank you for letting me read this early. It was SUPERB.” -Kel Russell, Lead Bookseller Main Street Books
“A beautiful book with heart that is all about doing the impossible. Rosha’s an outsider who goes against the odds at every turn and refuses to give up, and you’ll be cheering with her and for her every step of the way!” -Rin Chupeco, Author of Silver Under Nightfall
“Takes the reader on an intimate, compelling journey. A great introduction to Villoso’s sprawling, spellbinding world.” -Amanda Bohannan, author of Inevitable Dusk