Chosen

Benedict Jacka's Fated shared many of the qualities and just about the same shortcomings as Storm Front, opening chapter in Jim Butcher's popular Dresden Files. I was hoping that, like Butcher, Jacka would find a way to up his game with each new installment and that each new book would allow this series to reach new heights. The author did just that with Cursed and then again with Taken.

Where both series differ the most is that while Butcher took the macro approach for the Dresden Files, with the storylines expanding and a slew of characters being introduced in each new title, Jacka took the micro approach for the Alex Verus sequence. The plotlines are more circumscribed, the cast much smaller even though there are new additions in every novel. If anything, Chosen is a step backward in that regard, more of an origin story for the main protagonist than a work that pushes the plot forward.

I wasn't quite expecting that, to be completely honest. And yet, in order for the story to progress and the series to reach another level, it's obvious that we needed to discover the truth about Alex and what happened when he was the apprentice of a Dark mage for everything else to make sense. Hence, even though it felt weird at times to have a book focusing on Alex when there was a lot more going on around him, now that I've read it it makes perfect sense and it will allow the series to move forward in a more fluid fashion.

Here's the blurb:

I don’t publicly advertise that I’m a mage, but I don’t exactly hide it either, and one of the odd things I’ve learnt over the years is just how much you can get away with if you’re blatant enough. Hide something behind smoke and mirrors and make people work to find it, and they’ll tear the place down looking for what’s there.

Alex Verus is a diviner who can see probable futures—a talent that’s gotten him out of many a tough scrape. But this time, he may be in over his head. Alex was once apprenticed to a Dark mage, and in his service he did a lot of things he isn’t proud of.

As rumors swirl that his old master is coming back, Alex comes face to face with his misdeeds in the form of a young adept whose only goal is to get revenge. Alex has changed his life for the better, but he’s afraid of what his friends—including his apprentice, Luna—will think of his past. But if they’re going to put themselves at risk, they need to know exactly what kind of man they’re fighting for…

As was the case with the previous sequels, Chosen takes place a few months following the events chronicled in the last book. Alex Verus, a little known diviner until he was thrust into a Council matter of great import, has now gained quite a reputation. Although supposedly a weak diviner, powerful Mages who have crossed him have somehow gone missing and a lot of his peers now believe that there is a lot more to him than meets the eye. Trying to keep everything low key hasn't been working all that well for him and, as a do-gooder at heart, the poor guy just can't help getting involved in matters that will put him into the line of fire. While trying to find mages who will take them on as apprentices, Anna and Variam now share his flat while attending lessons. Our past, no matter how deeply buried, has a tendency to come back and bite us in the ass. When a group of Adepts target Alex for dirty deeds done years before while under the thrall of his Dark master, not only will that put those he cares for at risk, but the truth about who he used to be just might make them abandon him altogether.

I said that Alex Verus continues to grow on me with each new book. He was a more quiet and inconspicuous protagonist early on, but he is also growing as a character and coming into his own with each new novel. Being virtually powerless in terms of brute strength against other mages, Alex must rely on his wits to come out on top. That more than anything is what keeps this series fresh and interesting. As mentioned in my previous reviews, his first-person narrative isn't as witty and entertaining as that of his counterpart from the Dresden Files. Alex doesn't have the charisma and the repartee that make Harry such a likeable character. And yet, Verus is a more thoughtful and humane person, one that makes an impression on you the more the story progresses. That is still true in this fourth installment. What Chosen demonstrates is that there is a decidedly ruthless side to Alex, one that we haven't seen before. Being magically weak, it is his intelligence as well as this ruthlessness that allows him to overcome the challenge that would put the lives of those he loves in danger. Still, that ruthlessness may not sit well with those whose lives it helped save. The supporting cast is even stronger in this one. Once again, it was nice to see Jacka build on the relationships Alex has with Luna, now officially his apprentice, and Sonder, whose importance continues to grow with each new installment. The addition of Anna and Variam adds some new layers to the plot. And yet, it's Alex's origin story that unveils the truth about what happened to Shireen and Rachel years before that really is the heart of this book. We finally discover why Shireen appears in the Elsewhere and how Rachel became the deranged Deleo. That, more than anything else, elevates Chosen to new heights. The Adepts could have been more fleshed out, however. The way things stand, they were more of a plot device meant to steer Alex's past storyline throughout the novel.

Like its predecessors, Chosen is another very short work. I don't know how he does it, but somehow Benedict Jacka is able to cram a lot more in terms of plot than most writers could with such a limited pagecount. As mentioned, this one is more focused on Alex himself and doesn't move the story forward as much as those that came before. Mind you, that doesn't mean that there is no progress. Indeed, Chosen is the book that reveals the most about Alex's former Dark master and his disappearance.

Chosen features another exciting endgame, one that shows just how ruthless Alex can be. But can those he meant to protect accept this kind of mercilessness from him? This question remains unanswered. With more characters and plotlines added with each new installment, Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series continues to grow in both quality and scope.

The final verdict: 8/10

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