This story is the most inventive magical adventure that I've read this year. The plot is unexpected and constantly accelerating. The main characters are engaging, and the other characters, like the dark and light mages, are extremely colorful. The magic is fascinating and entertaining. Alex Verus' probability magic never obviated free will or completely ruled out the possibility of mistake. Furthermore, other types of magic, from portals to various magical attacks, are well-described.
Alex Verus is a quirky and endearing protagonist. He sort of a magic geek explaining everything as he goes. He makes a running game out of the various choices confronting him and the various results that will occur. Furthermore, he's very limited and very human. He make mistakes and gets distracted, leading to entertaining twists in the plot. Although he doesn't have offensive magical abilities, he ingeniously uses his defensive seer abilities to somehow find his way.
In terms of the supporting characters I was most entertained by the child-like wind elemental Starbreeze. She's a delight. I also sympathized with the isolated and fearful Luna. And, I loved Arachne and her magically hidden cave system under Hampstead Heath.
Alex's past history with his dark mage master did remind me of the Dresden Files, but this story is adventurous and does not follow the mystery format of the Dresden books. Further, Alex is kind of a loner geek, he's not the sarcastic rebel like Dresden.
The only criticism I have of the book involves the later occurring flashbacks. IMO, they were somewhat disjointed and hard to follow. Another observation is the lack of English colloquialisms within the book. When reading contemporary British fantasy, I usually have to look up British expressions. But, this book is perfectly understandable. That's a good thing I suppose, but I kind of missed the Brit expressions.
