Sufficiently Advanced Magic

With his ambitious title, Andrew Rowe promises a complex magic system, and he delivers on it. Despite its status as a LitRPG, the book moves outside of traditional magic systems and introduces one that’s very unique. Importantly, it also fits perfectly into the world and story. The protagonist, Corin Cadence, seeks his brother, who disappeared after attempting the Serpent Spire. The huge tower is home to hundreds of traps and puzzles, but those who reach the top will be gifted with attunements. Attunements take the form of a physical mark, which evolves as they are used and grow in power. Though many die attempting the spires, those who succeed are rewarded greatly. The boons offer a huge variety of different magic systems, with elementalists, enchanters, builders, summoners, healers, emotions alterers, and more. Despite that mixture, each attunement has its own progression and place in society. Those who can turn invisible often train to become spies, while other divisions are pitted against them. On top of that, the place where a person is marked also affects their magic. Hand-marked cast from their fingers, lung-marked perform spoken magic, while mind-marked cast through their thoughts at the risk of insanity. This means that learning the rules of magic is essential, and readers are encouraged to follow along. Rowe’s slow pace and magic school setting make that easy, spinning sub-plots and friendships to augment his fantastically detailed world.