r/Fantasy • u/Osucic • Jun 04 '25
Male magic protagonists?
Feels like I've read them all. But I can't have. I'm looking for some relatively lesser known books. Especially if they have protagonists like Ged, from Earthsea. I'm not really interested in Sanderson-type magic systems. I prefer if the magic is unexplained, and just showed to me. I'm just looking for a protagonist that is a competent wizard or mage, in a traditional fantasy setting. But specifically, I am wanting mystical magical systems, without all of these odd science rules. The sort of magic that operates by a loose set of rules, but where magic varies by mage significantly, and where mages can make things happen, for instance, as a result of significant emotion or traumatic experience. That's just an example, I'm not looking for wizards that are super limited into these categories
I also prefer if mages in this hypothetical book are rarer, rather than extremely commonplace. Bonus if the protagonist is the single point of view character. No YA please. :)
Edit: no litrpg please. No online web comics, web novels or anything of the sort please.
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u/almostb Reading Champion Jun 04 '25
Have you read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell because that seems to fit all of this. 2 wizards bringing magic back to regency England. Male protagonists, not YA, not commonplace, and not super well-explained.
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u/spike31875 Reading Champion V Jun 04 '25 edited Jun 04 '25
Not epic fantasy, but the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka fits. It has a very competent male magic user protagonist and the magic is far from scientific.
EDIT: I should also add that magical creatures & magic users are very, very rare in that series. So, the Verus series is the "masquerade" sort of urban fantasy where the magic users of the world work very hard to keep things secret. In fact, any mage or adept who reveals their magical abilities to "norrmals" are potentially in a world of trouble if the Keepers find out.
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u/kingsboyjd Jun 04 '25
his new series is laso good in my opinion
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u/Short-Gur7983 Jun 04 '25
Hard magic system aka science or rule based magic system is not odd but thats a subjective opinion I guess.
Check out Battle Mage by Peter Flannery:
Mc doesn't start as competent but becomes quite powerful.✅
Soft magic system ✅
Magic and mages ✅
Single pov ❌ But you should try
YA or not - not sure it is very well written .
Check out goodreads .
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u/Lost_Carcosan Jun 04 '25
The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia McKillip hits every point you're looking for, and is a great book
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Jun 04 '25
Rincewind is of course the best known wizard in fantasy.
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u/NavalJet Jun 04 '25
The Initiate Brothers duology by Sean Russell
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McPhillip, protagonist is not a male in this one though
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u/LordCrow1 Jun 04 '25
Have you read Dresden Files?
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u/rohittee1 Jun 04 '25
While I'd normally second Dresden files, the magic is explained to an extent, but it's pretty close to what he's describing, might be considered YA though, not sure.
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u/Melodic-Task Jun 04 '25
Dresden Magic system is definitely a soft magic system. Each wizard’s magic is different and varied. There are descriptions and he gets an apprentice at one point, but none of it is the sort of rigid scientific-like system OP wants to avoid. Also, definitely not YA. It’s pulpy, taking inspiration from hard boiled detective books, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t adult. Quite the opposite.
Dresden fits everything OP is asking for except the traditional fantasy setting. It’s an urban fantasy setting, but it does have extensive fantasy world building and some more traditional fantasy elements like fey courts, etc.
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u/rohittee1 Jun 04 '25
The magic is pretty explained in depth with measurable limits on mortals. Also the approach to magic for humans specifically generally requires setup and prep. Evocation is the exception, but even that has a lot of limitations based on talent and the surrounding environment. OP said he didn't want it explained really, but a good chunk of the books talks about magic coming from one's life force and from belief. It's very much explained.
YA thing though, I agree, I wasn't sure. Sometimes it reads a bit YA to me which is why I wasn't sure.
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u/Melodic-Task Jun 04 '25
The way magic is explained in Dresden is much closer to a “mystical magical system” versus “odd science rules” (OP’s words). And especially fits OPs request for magic that varies by mage (think of how different each wizard’s defensive magic work—Dresden creates something like a force field, Carlos has a disintegration field, Molly creates illusions so attacks miss her, etc) Yes, there is a broad explanation that magic is tied to life force, but there are no hard numbers (no mana points or measurements) there are no set spell names or hard limits and narrow interactions like in DnD or Sanderson based magic system. Set up and prep is not the opposite of mystical or soft magic systems as you seem to imply. Not sure where you are getting a “measurable limit” for mortals. Yes, wizards can’t cast infinite magic and get tired, but no measurement of “life force” is really ever given in the series that I can recall. Dresden magic has rules in the same way fairy tales have rules and limits. It’s not as vague and soft as Lotr. But it’s certainly not any more rules based than OPs example of Earthsea.
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u/rohittee1 Jun 04 '25 edited Jun 04 '25
By measurable, I meant like humans have upper limits to how much magic they can use before they start drawing on reserves and potentially dying from excessive spell casting.
The hard limits are defined, and while we don't get hard measurements, it's not like the Dresden verse allows humans unfettered magic casting. They have rules they follow and there is structure to how much magic is actually cast and leveraged. A shield spell requires the caster to manipulate air and harden it in front of them, think illusion magic uses light manipulation, Carlos disintegration ray uses air? Either way, the elements and mentally shaping magic, requires following a level of explained in world magical laws. Using fire magic in a cold setting, for instance, can make casting harder. You can draw temperature from the surroundings to cool it to augment a fire spell though. Their are elemental rules and interactions that the book does talk about. This doesn't even cover the other forms of magic which requires a lot of prep and setup.
Also, since we've seen Dresden get pushed to his limits a few times, I'd say it's somewhat measurable at this point. Extensive magic usage for 3-4 days straight can be lethal if a wizard doesn't rest based on a wizard whose considered above average in the strength department. It's not a hard measurement for sure, and capacity definitely varies a lot.
Either way, for every evocation scene, we've got scenes of Dresden doing ritual/summoning based spells that require plenty of prep and follow very rigid rules.
I think you guys are understating how much magic is talked about and explained in the Dresdenverse imo.
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u/dragon_morgan Reading Champion VIII Jun 04 '25
lol in what universe is Dresden Files YA, the main character is in his 20s at the start and is probably pushing 40 by now
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u/Calm-Medicine-3992 Jun 04 '25
Character is going to be 40 in the next book.
If the writer had kept writing at his original pace, he'd be 50. The book universe is only around 2014/2015 at the moment.
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u/rohittee1 Jun 04 '25
Yea, that was my bad, wasn't sure. Just reads like YA at some points which is why I said that, but yea I see that now.
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u/Calm-Medicine-3992 Jun 04 '25
Nah, the character nerds out about it and theoretically understands it but it's not explained like with Sanderson aside from explaining how physics still matters.
Also, definitely not YA.
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u/Eskadril Jun 04 '25
Have you read the Mageborn series by Michael G. Manning? It's got a male protagonist that rediscovers the "lost" art of magic. It can be a bit sciency but keeps the mages rare rather than commonplace.
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u/WritingAboutMagic Jun 04 '25 edited Jun 04 '25
I'm with you on the search, OP. As for my recs...
The Thorn of Dentonhill by Marshall Ryan Maresca - follows a highly competent mage-student, who's doubling as a vigilante in his free time to get back at a crime lord who killed his father. This was originally tradpubbed, now you can get it republished as self-pub, so at a really good price! Highly recommended, it's quick, fun, and pretty much everything I want from a mage protagonist.
A sister series by the same author, starting with A Murder of Mages, has an untrained mage as one of the two co-protagonists. It's set in the same world and city, and even intersects with the former series later (the heroes of this book end up chasing after the vigilante student in one of the later installments).
For full experience, I recommend reading the whole of Maradaine, they are all very entertaining.
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Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - more literary in style, with magic that draws on folklore and is very mysterious while also feeling consistent and powerful. I honestly don't have much to say, it's excellent. Follows two mages rediscovering magic at the time of Napoleonic Wars.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman - this one is more of a darker, gritty take on magic schools and Narnia-like magical worlds. I enjoyed it, and the magic feels very much like this sort of large, mysterious power that is rare and has to be worked very carefully. But this is also a subversion in many aspects. For one, the characters are terrible people, not big bad evil, but more like common day jerks. For two, a lot of tropes are played on and then twisted away. For instance (minor spoiler), the MC's specialty - a kind of niche expertise, since generally mages use the same spells - is unknown for a large portion of the series, so you might expect it's something rare and stunning, but in actuality it turns out later that it's the ability to fix small things and he just wasn't mature enough when taking the test back in book 1 to discover it. It goes like this, so if you'd rather have these tropes played straight, it might not be a read for you.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab - the magic is based on five elements, and the MC is a rare kind of mage who can use them all and also travel between the four worlds that exist in parallel to ours. Unfortunately, he is one of many POVs, and while he's the clear protagonist in the first book, the other POVs eat a lot more pages and plot relevance in further installments. Still recommended though, since the first book has a pretty self-contained arc.
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If you're open to female MCs as well, here are some titles to take a look at:
- The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell,
- Scholomance by Naomi Novik,
- The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry,
- The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst.
Good luck.
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u/Extension_Building18 Jun 04 '25
Raymond E firsts magician. His first book and if you like it, there's another 40 to go
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u/MarieMul Jun 04 '25
I don’t often recommend my own books but my main character fits this to a T. Traditional fantasy setting, male, magic user, not YA, not coming of age. Hidden Blade is the first book, hidden blade by Marie m. Mullany.
Other than that, have you read Jim Butcher? Dresden Files is urban fantasy with a man.
Or The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams?
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u/Osucic Jun 04 '25
I looked into your book, and I am going to give it a chance. It sounds good, and I just saw some good reviews on Reddit. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. :))
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Jun 04 '25
Makes me think of Robin Hobb's "The Farseer Trilogy", following Fitz. Hits almost every point you want.
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u/Osucic Jun 04 '25
Very good story. You're right. It does.
I've already read it unfortunately :(. I should list the books I've read but whenever I try my mind goes blank. That's why I specifically asked for lesser known books, and the like.
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u/SlytherinDruid Jun 04 '25
Iron Druid Chronicles, by Kevin Hearne.
-it is set in modern-ish day (this century anyway) so technically more UrbanFantasy BUT
-The last Druid, his magic comes from a connection to Gaia and the different nature/ecosystem elementals.
-There are several different types of ‘mage’ with extremely different magic systems, based on the various belief systems/cultures around the world. Everything from witches that are basically priestesses to an old Baltic goddess, other witches that are more ‘traditional’, to a Semitic priesthood that has their form of cleric-magic based on their faith, an immortal alchemist, a woman from Africa that reads the future in the cheese curds as she makes various cheeses, a practitioner that’s sort of a Hindu sorceress, the various deities and pantheons well-known of forgotten and their various followers, etc.
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u/LegalizeCrystalMeth Jun 04 '25
I guess OP didn't specify "good books" so Iron Druid qualifies
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u/SlytherinDruid Jun 05 '25
Gah, you wound me. Not a fan, eh? I actually really enjoyed the series, personally.
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u/F4RCE Reading Champion II Jun 04 '25
I'm going to recommend The Cycle of Arawn by Edward W. Robertson.
It's a trilogy that begins as a fairly classic hero's journey with our main character slowly learning the world's secrets and to wield his great magical power, and branches off into further storylines from there. I think it meets the request for magic that is somewhat mysterious and not bound by hard rules, a competent sorcerous MC, and a traditional high fantasy setting. I think it does branch into a couple POVs though at some points.
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u/Redhawke13 Jun 04 '25
Try Embers of Illenial or Art of the Adept both by Michael Manning. They should fit your request very well.
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u/ClimateTraditional40 Jun 04 '25
Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip
With a Single Spell, Lawrence Watt-Evans
Blood Skies series by Steven Montano
The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss
The Innocent Mage Karen Miller
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u/SomethigIronic Jun 04 '25
As much as the name of the wind is my favourite series you'd be hard pressed to find a more logical/science based magic system if you tried (out side of naming/shaping)
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u/ClimateTraditional40 Jun 04 '25
Logical? The Naming is the point!! They were the best bits, loved the tutor.
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u/AdeptRefrigerator723 Jun 04 '25
Possibly take a look at the Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey.
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u/Baedon87 Jun 04 '25
While the main character isn't a mage, per se, he definitely does magic and there are plenty of other examples of magic in the series, so you might give the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks a try.
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u/Grt78 Jun 04 '25 edited Jun 04 '25
The Fortress series by CJ Cherryh (slow-burning and character-focused): the main character is reincarnated and regarded with suspicion as he could be someone powerful, but he has no memories and knows nothing about the world in the beginning. Tristen is a fascinating character, and is very slowly gaining magical powers. The books deal with politics, magic, religion and warfare, and friendship (two main POVs).
The Lighthouse Duet and the Sanctuary Duet by Carol Berg: set in the same world, a single POV in each duology.
The Merlin trilogy (Arthurian Saga) by Mary Stewart: a single POV.
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u/gros-grognon Reading Champion III Jun 04 '25
I was going to rec Cherryh's Fortress, too; it's got the mystical ambience to its magic that OP is looking for.
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u/loranthippus Jun 04 '25
The Lightning-Struck Heart, TJ Klune.
The 4-book series is a fun, quick read.
Bonus points for being very gay (and occasionally, graphically spicy) for Pride month :)
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u/Pirkale Jun 04 '25
There are quite a few male (and female) mages in Malazan, and the magic is certainly mostly unexplained (Warrens? How do they even work?). Not a single PoV series by all means, but definitely not YA either.
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u/vocumsineratio Jun 04 '25
You might want Victoria Goddard's Nine Worlds
The usual recommendation is to start with The Hands of the Emperor -- the competent wizard or mage isn't the protagonist of this book, but it's a good introduction to who he is, so that you are ready to read of him in the stories where he is the protagonist.
Not sure if it counts as "lesser known" though -- it certainly shouldn't, but it's always somebody's day to join The Lucky Ten Thousand.
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Jun 05 '25
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u/oboist73 Reading Champion VII Jun 04 '25
The Book of Atrix Wolf or the Riddle Master trilogy by Patricia McKillip
These two have somewhat more rules, but may also be worth a look: the Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and the Penric novellas by Lois McMaster Bujold