Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Young Man Without Magic | 2009 | Lawrence Watt-Evans | Buy |
| 2 | Above His Proper Station | 2010 | Lawrence Watt-Evans | Buy |
The Fall of the Sorcerers is a two-book series set in the Walasian Empire, a society where sorcerers form the ruling class and non-magical people have limited political rights. The protagonist, Anrel Murau, is a young man of noble birth who has no magical ability, which makes him a second-class citizen despite his family name. When a sorcerer kills his friend and faces no consequences, Anrel speaks out publicly and becomes a wanted man.
A Young Man Without Magic follows Anrel as he goes on the run and discovers the growing unrest among ordinary citizens. Above His Proper Station continues his story as the political situation worsens and revolution brews. The series draws on the real-world history of the French Revolution, with sorcerers standing in for the aristocracy and the magical system representing inherited privilege.
Watt-Evans keeps the focus on Anrel as a reluctant revolutionary rather than an action hero. He is an educated man who would prefer to stay out of trouble but keeps getting pulled into events bigger than himself. The two books together tell a complete story about what happens when a rigid social order begins to crack.