The Thorn of Dentonhill

By Marshall Ryan Maresca

Blending vigilante justice with epic fantasy, student mage Veranix Calbert fights crime in the city of Maradaine in this fast-paced debut novel • “Veranix is Batman, if Batman were a teenager and magically talented.” —Library Journal

Veranix Calbert leads a double life. By day, he’s a struggling magic student at the University of Maradaine. At night, he spoils the drug trade of Willem Fenmere, crime boss of Dentonhill and murderer of Veranix’s father. He’s determined to shut Fenmere down.
 
With that goal in mind, Veranix disrupts the delivery of two magical artifacts meant for Fenmere's clients, the mages of the Blue Hand Circle.  Using these power-filled objects in his fight, he quickly becomes a real thorn in Fenmere's side.
 
So much so that soon not only Fenmere, but powerful mages, assassins, and street gangs all want a piece of “The Thorn.” And with professors and prefects on the verge of discovering his secrets, Veranix’s double life might just fall apart. Unless, of course, Fenmere puts an end to it first.

Explore the back alleys of the city in this street-level fantasy adventure, the first novel of the Maradaine series. Then see Maradaine from a new perspective, with Maresca's second, concurrent series set in the same city: A Murder of Mages begins the Maradaine Constabulary novels, featuring an unlikely partnership of two detectives in the city’s constabulary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Feb 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9780698180093

Marshall Ryan Maresca

Marshall Ryan Maresca is a fantasy and science-fiction writer, author of the Maradaine Saga: Four braided series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine, which includes The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew and The Way of the Shield, as well as the dieselpunk fantasy, The Velocity of Revolution. He is also the co-host of the Hugo-nominated, Stabby-winning podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists, and has been a playwright, an actor, a delivery driver and an amateur chef. He lives in Austin, Texas with his family.

Reviews for The Thorn of Dentonhill

[2wondery_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Having read and enjoyed A Murder of Mages, I thought I'd swing back and enjoy this fist book of Maradaine. But I was disappointed enough to quit at the half-way point. I was deriving no pleasure from the time spent. Veranix's backstory may be appealing, but delivering it in tiny hints is not beneficial. He appears to be a stupid prat whose actions are ill-considered and land him and his associates in trouble every time. I'm not engaged, I'm annoyed.

[shrike58 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm going to take a slightly different tack with my comments on this book to say while I think that the reviews already posted are perfectly good assessments of this novel, I can't say that it engaged my imagination. Apart from reading too much like a super-hero origins story for my tastes, there is also the matter that most of various fantasy stories I've looked at that mirror our own society's current obsession with drugs and narcotics sort of bore me. Being in my late-fifties I've been subjected to so much hand-wringing over the topic of drugs and narcotics I'm inured to the issue. That said I'll credit Maresca with writing snappy dialogue and giving me a sense of place that can support the story that he's writing. Part of me also wonders if I'm simply too old for the book in question, as I can almost see this being one step up from YA in terms of the person who might be the target audience.

[stefferoo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ryan Marshall Maresca introduces us to the world of Maradaine with his new novel The Thorn of Dentonhill, transporting us to a vibrant and diverse city where powerful mages, university students, assassins and street gangs all call home. Our protagonist is Veranix Calbert, a magic student by day and vigilante by night. When the sun goes down, Veranix ventures out into the streets, disrupting the local drug trade in the hopes of bringing down the notorious crime boss Fenmere, the man who killed Veranix’s father and destroyed his mother’s mind.One night, Veranix intercepts a delivery in progress, absconding with a major shipment worth forty thousand crowns. But instead of finding the mother lode of drugs in the satchel, he finds…a cloak and a coil of rope?! What’s so special about these mundane objects, and what could Fenmere want with them?What follows is a highly entertaining tale of mystery and adventure as we learn more about circumstances behind this botched trade. There’s also the intriguing details when it comes to Veranix’s double life. The idea of an average everyman moonlighting as a crime-fighter/vigilante certainly isn’t a new one, but the novel feels unique nonetheless, thanks to the author bringing his own fresh twist to the story. For example, it turns out that Veranix isn’t just your typical mage-in-training, and his tragic history and his family ties to the street gangs make him an irresistible hero.One of the key strengths here are the characters. At times, even the indomitable Veranix is outshined by the supporting cast, with his friend and roommate Delmin standing out as one of my favorites. Another character who ended up growing on me is Veranix’s cousin Colin, street captain of the Rose Street Princes. This also brings me to how much I loved Maresca’s portrayal of the different street gangs, painting most of them as a lovable bunch of guys rather than just your typical two-bit delinquents. Above all else, the Princes are family and united against the “true” bad guys, who are Fenmere and his buddies at the top. It’s really refreshing to see support within a gang rather than the usual power-struggles.I also love the world Maresca has created. It’s surprisingly rich, featuring a long and complex history and populated by many cultures. Other than a couple of awkward information dumps near the beginning of the novel, most of the world-building is revealed to us organically over the course of the story. In retrospect, I find it quite impressive that the author was able to work in so much information without overwhelming the reader or distracting from the plot. Maresca brings us the whole package, complete and well-constructed.If you’re looking for something fun and light for your next fantasy read, look no further than The Thorn of Dentonhill, an incredible start to a new series from an author who is clearly on his way to great things. I liked its balance between drama and action, and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of world building and character development. I’m looking forward to seeing more!