Titan Mage Box Set Review
Hey, you crazy cats and kittens. Step into the spear line with me as we talk about the book that hooked me on the #HaremLit genre. In a turbulent world full of political shenanigans, it was a relief to find a genre that was irreverent and fun. There was no larger message, neither side of the great divide telling me I was evil for not being in their camp; it was just clean fun with a few sexy schmexy scenes in there for good measure. I will admit, at first, it was a little weird to read smut written by someone I know, but beyond that… it was Grade A Awesome! So, join me on this crazy adventure and dive into the deep end of crazy with me, Lance Spears!
by Edie Skye
Narrated by Royal Guard Publishing
eBook Price: $9.99 USD
Audiobook Price: $48.12 USD or 1 Audible Cred
Whisper Sync Pricing: $17.48 USD
Pages: 1,732
Audiobook Length: 54 hours 42 minutes
Keywords: Fantasy, Mecha, Magical Mecha, Mech Suits, Harem, HaremLit, Progression, Airship, Magic, Mage, Cat girl, LitRPG, Spicy Harem Romance
Story Summary
Magic powers? His own mech? A whole airship of gorgeous women desperate for his genes? Yes, please!
Paralyzed by a drunk driver, let go from his job, and stuck in a sad, stagnant town in the middle of nowhere, Joseph Locke was having the worst day of his life.
And then he died.
But considering that he wakes up with a brand-new body in the cockpit of a badass steampunk robot on an airship of nothing but hot babes, his next life may not be all that bad, especially when he learns that he’s a void mage—the rarest and most powerful of all mages on the world of Haven. And his shipmates want to help him make more.
As if that weren’t enough, they offer Locke a job piloting one of their mechs, which they call Titans. In the meantime, Locke has to learn his way around this exciting world, all while coming to grips with his new—and dangerous—occupation. Will he be able to master his Titan? How can he best upgrade the machine to become as badass as possible? Why’s a strange parasitic sludge falling from the sky? And what’s up with the ghost of a space witch living in his Titan—and inside his head?
Okay, that’s the summary from the boxed set, which was spot on. It caught the vibe of this universe and the author. Edie Skye is irreverent and fun and has a wicked sense of humor. And the arc of the main character was more enjoyable than I thought when I opened myself up to this new genre.
Characters
First, this was a harem series, so there isn’t just one main character. Instead, it’s an ensemble cast seen through the eyes of the male lead, Joseph Locke. All of the characters were well-written and fleshed out. They felt real to me as if I could have a beer with them at the local pub. That level of laid-back chill is what I loved about this series and, hopefully, the wider genre.
Joseph Locke: He is the main point of view character of this adventure, but he isn’t the only main character in this adventure. However, because he serves as the ‘everyman’ archetype, we can envision this as ourselves when we read it. Classic wish fulfillment, what’s not to love? When the series starts out, he’s a cripple, wounded by a drunk driver and paralyzed below the waist. He’s down on his luck and takes a desperate job from an enigmatic woman he randomly meets in his hometown of Grassroots, Kentucky. That job ended up killing his earthly body, allowing him to be reborn in Haven with the body of a Greek God. He’s likable, and through his eyes, we learn about this strange new world and the characters who live there. Throughout the arc of this boxed set, we get to watch him grow and learn and become the kind of man we all wish we could be. What can I say? I like the dude, but I wouldn’t let him date my sister!
Captain Alyssa Harper: She’s the captain of the airship, the Blue Heron, where the story takes place and runs the ‘down on its luck’ Harper’s Harriers. They’re a company in the business of hunting down corrupted monsters and protecting the world from that rot. She’s gorgeous because, of course, she is in this genre. She is a no-nonsense kind of lady who only has ‘relations’ to relieve her stress. She’s otherwise all business, serving as the perfect foil to the more fun-loving characters like Bexley. She always thinks about business and allows the reader to get a more grounded view of the world where the story takes place.
Chief Engineer Bexley: As her title would suggest, she’s the mechanic for the airship and her compliment of Titans. Those are giant robots powered by magic that are used to fight the monsters of this world. She is funny, irreverent, and salaciously sexual in all the right ways. She has exactly two modes throughout this story; horny and ready to get it on and irritated and ready to fix something the others broke. She also loves bawdy music and a good sausage… probably because she likes that double entendre. She has a checkered past with her previous partners but seems to have decided that Locke was enough for her and hung up her… spurs.
Ember Q’Van: She is a Titan Mage from the well-to-do floating city-state of Vasor, home of all things posh and affluent. She pilots the other Titan in the Harper’s Harriers and is a lot of fun. She vacillates between all business and a firecracker of a bedmate. She was a lot of fun to read and someone I wanted to see more of. Maybe I just have a thing for redheads, but I doubt that’s it! LOL! She was just a good blend of fun and professional magical warriors.
Peth: She is an entity that is trapped in the Titan Chimera, who brings Locke to the world of Haven. She is a Precursor with memory issues and is trapped in the Titan. She is, quite literally, the ghost in the machine, and there she will stay until Locke can pull her out of there and make her a new body.
Sloan: This character is a large, sentient cat who serves as the cook for the Blue Heron and is a mage in her own right. We watch her grow and evolve throughout the series, but I can’t say more without spoiling things. But, wow, just wow. I liked her as a character; she was too fun for her own good!
Plot and Pacing
This story was expertly plotted by Edie Skye. I believe the character’s transition from Earth to Haven and the deal that brought him there. I wanted to believe, and the author made it easy to do. The other important part of this story was how well-paced the adventure was. She kept the story flowing ever forward. The action was interspaced by stops for naughty sex scenes and battles with the big bads. There were plenty of hills and valleys that gave us time to breathe, which is important in a boxed set that took over 50 hours to power through on audio! Further, this series felt like the author thought out the story arc in advance. If she shot from the hip, it didn’t show, which is all that really matters. It was written in such a way that every piece of unknown tidbits paid off later and in a big way. And since this is a harem story, the pacing of which partner got time with Locke was also done in such a way as to give us room to accept that jealousy was managed by his ladies. Truly, this was a master class of epic proportions.
Audiobook Quality
Wow, I don’t know what to say, but just wow. The narrators that Royal Guard Publishing hired were top-notch. I have never listened to books narrated by Daryl Mayfield or Jess Trepanier, and they impressed the hell out of me. The two worked well together, blending their style of coed narration in such a way that I sometimes forgot that there were two of them. At this point, I’m willing to listen to anything this Dynamic Duo reads to me!
Sizzle Factor
The sex scenes in this boxed set were well-written and imaginative. There was not a lot of kinky stuff other than occasionally tying up Bexley to his bed or in her mechanic workroom. But what was there, while vanilla, was very steamy. Like, it sizzled and made you need a moment of personal time. Ok, I kid… but Jayne always said he’d be in his bunk, and now I understand that sentiment! This book series will do that to you as well!
Overall
Okay, let’s dive into this series of books! This was my first harem novel, so I don’t have a lot to compare this to. That said, I really enjoyed what was there. The story was a lot of fun, it was well-written, and the audiobooks were well-performed. From the writing side, Edie Skye had a mastery of the craft, and she was a joy to read. This book was told in conversational prose, which I’m a fan of. The characters were all believable, and I wanted to hang out with them in real life. This is how I judge the people in the books where I temporarily make my home. The sex was written with the highest sizzle, and the monster fights were a lot of fun. I didn’t grow up watching anime or those animated adult entertainment videos, so I didn’t get some of the references in this series. I don’t think you needed that to enjoy this story. I think those references could’ve made the story hit harder, but you’re fine without those cultural touchstones. So, I guess in a nutshell, this series was so good that it made me dive into the genre and buy all of Edie Skye’s other books. What can I say? Buy these books and join my new cult!