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Benedict Patrick
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Card Mage: Slumdog Deckbuilder Kindle Edition

by Benedict Patrick (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 392 ratings

“This is the kind of card game story I’ve wanted to read for a long time…" Will Wight, author of Cradle

Build your deck. Prepare for battle. Change the world.

Born in the slums of Domstadt, City of Cards, Hick has known only poverty. The only way to make life better for himself and his family is to play the magical card game that is the lifeblood of the city; earn new cards, learn how to use them, build deeper bonds with the folkloric monsters contained within.

Hick’s dreams are shattered, however, when he is targetted by the religious fanatics who run the city, and is forced to compete in the secret, high-stakes world of the underground card circuit. Hick must struggle to keep his identity secret as he builds his deck, unlocks the power of the cards, and takes his first steps toward becoming a legendary card player.
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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Card Mage
  2. Print length
    497 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    August 1, 2023
  5. File size
    3.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is the kind of card game story I've wanted to read for a long time... Really enjoyed it! I was frustrated when I couldn't turn the pages anymore..."
Will Wight, author of Cradle

"A lot of authors have tried to build card-based magic systems, and a lot of them are incredibly fun, but one part they so often miss? The actual card games. Benedict Patrick's Card Mage has the actual card games, and they're a ridiculous amount of fun. I felt the same joy I did watching a certain card game anime on Saturday morning cartoons as a kid, and I genuinely wish I could play Card Mage's game."
John Bierce, author of Mage Errant

"I'm devastated to leave the world of Card Mage behind. In a year of big releases this might be the most fun I've had yet and I dont say that lightly."
Kickstarter reader

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CCSM894G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (August 1, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.0 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 497 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B0CCCKP28P
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 392 ratings

About the author

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Benedict Patrick

Benedict Patrick

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Benedict Patrick is from a small town in Northern Ireland called Banbridge, but has been living and working in Scotland since he moved there at the age of eighteen. Tragically, that was quite a while ago.

He has been writing for most of his life, and has been reading for pretty much all of it (with help from mum and dad at the beginning). Benedict's life changed when a substitute primary school teacher read his class part of The Hobbit and later loaned him the book – he fell in love with the fantasy genre and never looked back.

Try out some free Yarnsworld stories by signing up to Benedict's Readers Group: http://yarnsworldreaders.benedictpatrick.com/2

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
392 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book fun to read, with one noting it's a well-written fantasy novel. The story receives mixed reactions, with several customers finding it extremely boring. The character development receives negative feedback, with multiple customers describing the main character as poor.

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11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable to read, with one customer noting it's a well-written fantasy novel.

"Ohhhh yeah man! This book is soooooooo super...." Read more

"This wasn’t bad. A solid CardLit book that was fun to read. Nothing amazing or new but still enjoyable. I’ll be honest...." Read more

"A fantastic, intriguing, captivating fantasy that creates a new reality in such a way as to be completely believable!..." Read more

"Very good deck building read. It was enjoyable and stayed internally consistent. Looking forward to the next in the series" Read more

5 customers mention "Fun"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fun, with one mentioning it's enjoyable for card game enthusiasts.

"...Nothing amazing or new but still enjoyable. I’ll be honest...." Read more

"Very good deck building read. It was enjoyable and stayed internally consistent. Looking forward to the next in the series" Read more

"Personal Opionion: A fun experience, as someone very much into card games, not in a professional way, but in a collects and plays with friends kind..." Read more

"...Fun idea if you are into card games but the plot and characters are not as interesting" Read more

7 customers mention "Story quality"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the story of the book, with some finding it extremely boring, while one customer describes it as a captivating fantasy.

"A fantastic, intriguing, captivating fantasy that creates a new reality in such a way as to be completely believable!..." Read more

"This wasn’t bad. A solid CardLit book that was fun to read. Nothing amazing or new but still enjoyable. I’ll be honest...." Read more

"...The story is much deeper than that and there’s a plot brewing that I hope takes us into a card battle academy trope...." Read more

"This one was really uninteresting from page one. Watching someone okay with a deck of cards is really boring...." Read more

3 customers mention "Character development"0 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development in the book, with several noting that the main character is poor, while one customer mentions that the characters are two-dimensional.

"...And the characters tend to be very two-dimensional due to the previous two problems...." Read more

"...The main character is poor but is also arrogant and annoying...." Read more

"...Fun idea if you are into card games but the plot and characters are not as interesting" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Lonnie-The GreatNorthernTroll-Moore
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow what a great deckbuilding litRPG. Grab the book to see where it takes you!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Ohhhh yeah man! This book is soooooooo super. As I'm now making a concerted effort to find and read every deckbuilding litRPG out there, even making some headway too. I feel that I'm basking in litRPG love. 'Cause I'm definitely happy as the deckbuilding maniac that I seemingly am...
    Hick finds himself at the brutal mercy of the church that controls the lands. And the only way to get something back from the threat looming is for Hick and friends, Gunne, and Pep to go underground and fight in the highly illegal deck fights with a gang to receive both notoriety and to learn to play smarter and yes there's a steep penalty if they lose. I love Gunne she's just so gung ho about life, Pep is a bit too wishy-washy for my taste, but he does come through in the end, and Hick well he's the chance taker and also the ring leader, ready to think outta the box the moment they need to!
    So grab the book to see where this intrepid 3 take us!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Ashdevdavis
    4.0 out of 5 stars sorta LitRPG magic the gathering
    Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This wasn’t bad. A solid CardLit book that was fun to read. Nothing amazing or new but still enjoyable.

    I’ll be honest. I enjoy stories that focus on the MC’s character progression and how their stats and skills grow over time. That wasn’t the case here. It was more so about the arena battles and the storyline.

    Still a good book. Just not my preferred type.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Mary Brannian
    5.0 out of 5 stars Card,Mage
    Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A fantastic, intriguing, captivating fantasy that creates a new reality in such a way as to be completely believable! Thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to reading the next one!
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Very good deck building read. It was enjoyable and stayed internally consistent. Looking forward to the next in the series
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  • Mvargus
    3.0 out of 5 stars Great Idea, needed an editor to tone down the story and allow character growth.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This should have been an excellent character origin story. It should have been a bit of a coming of age tale with a young man realizing that he could be a hero and opening up his quest. There is a whole area of research into storytelling that centers around Joseph Campbell and his "Hero's Journey".

    But we don't get that here because the author wants the major conflict way too early. The hero doesn't get a couple of small wins followed by a surprising loss, followed by the usual step back and then a slow, but meaningful climb back to the heights they thought they were at. Instead we have a man who is kicked until he's down, gets a small glimmer of hope, but is then kicked until he's down again, gets another tiny glimmer of hope, and then gets kicked again, and again, and again.

    Honestly I HATE this type of plot. There needs to be high points. There needs to be moments where the hero isn't lost in angst land wondering if he'll survive to the next chapter, let alone the end of the book. Here there are so many challenges, and many are failed, presenting a rather pathetic main character who becomes very easy to hate, but absolutely impossible to pity or like.

    This is a case where I dislike writing the review, because the author it talented and the idea is wonderful. But I dislike the world building. (too much is kept hidden and the major obstacle is a religious group that doesn't exactly make sense based on what little we know) Add in the fact that the area the main character roams around is artificially constrained by author fiat (seriously, what kingdom wouldn't allow the people living in the slums of their capital to leave if they wanted to, fewer mouths to feed and less unrest, but in this world......). And the characters tend to be very two-dimensional due to the previous two problems. Its a story that needed someone to ask the hard questions of the author to force him to slow the pace, deepen the reader's understanding of the world and characters and just flesh out so much of the tale to avoid a reader like me looking at events as being dictated by the author rather than organic to the plot.

    Yet, I did like the story at times. I just got very frustrated with so many decisions the author made about the plot which felt like he didn't really understand his own world and characters.

    I can only give this 3 stars. Its not terrible, and I can understand why some rate it highly. At the same time, I rate on if I could recommend, and with where the overall plot and character quality is, that is not something I feel I can do.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Quilty
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting take on a card based magic system
    Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This was a well written novel based on games like Magic the Gathering and Yu Gi oH if those games were built into a real world that had consequences for power and powerlessness. You have a slums where people use card games as gladiatorial combats for entertainment and betting. you have a political upper crust that limits how much the masses can do with that power. you have religious and political intrigue that puts pressure on the MC.

    All and all this is a VERY well done fantasy novel that hits what you need to keep turning pages. I would 100% recommend this to anyone looking for something a bit different from the standard teen fantasy novel
    One person found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A fun experience, if not without flaws.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Personal Opionion: A fun experience, as someone very much into card games, not in a professional way, but in a collects and plays with friends kind of way, I enjoyed the idea of the card gangs in the slums, the rapport system, and so on. There was one plot point in the last battle that, given the card effects explained just didn't make sense based off of an interaction, but overall I did really enjoy this book and can't wait to read the next one.

    If you're looking for a fun adventure, you like cards, and just want to have a few fun battles, its worth checking out, especially if you're into fantasy.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Austin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Its your childhood given new life and its good!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I saw this being promted on FB and gave the basics idea a once over and though sure why not.....I am now looking back at myself for not getting it the very second i saw and read the plot!!! I stayed up well beyond would i should have and just was capture in this world that mixed my days of early morning card based cartoons, my love of dark fantasy mixing with the grim dark side of humanity all rolled up in a fast paced high stakes game of win you survive loose well you dont want to know. BUY THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • underredskies
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I am a huge fan of Benedict Patrick, and an occasional fan of trading card games, so this game definitely hit a sweet spot for me.
    It took a few chapters for me to get fully immersed in the book, but when it clicked, it really clicked. The card battles in particular were thrilling and I found myself getting really invested in them.
    I highly recommend this book for any card gamers looking for a fun read.
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  • Tim Capes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story Makes Up For Mechanical Gaps
    Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The author crafts a great story with compelling characters that make up for oversights in the mechanics of the card game. Those oversights are large however: the author assumes the people with monsters on the field first would attack opposing monsters but that doesn’t make sense as they have a lead in the race and would attack players first. The people chasing from behind would be forced to attack monsters to try and stay alive. In short, there is a reason most TCGs have some notion of the ability to block an attack and force creature combat.
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  • Chris Smythe
    4.0 out of 5 stars so good I won’t read the sequel
    Reviewed in Canada on October 12, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This book was fantastically well written the characters were interesting and deep and the card system was extremely fun. That said, it was a real struggle to get through because it absolutely hit too close to home for me and dredged up some really serious issues. Great writing, can’t keep going.
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  • Mr Peter Swan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun adventure in a great world
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The real win of this book is the impressive worldbuilding. Patrick has taken great care to consider what a culture entirely based around a collectible card game would look like. The dialogue, setting details and character motivations are all tightly designed around the core of the concept. I particularly like the idea of card gangs made up of the less fortunate, and a couple of wording choices really tickled me. Referring to the slums as the "discard pile of society" was particularly inspired!
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  • MR J JACKSON
    5.0 out of 5 stars Just try it!!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I wrote a really insightful and considered review for Book 2 and then realised everybody who reads book 1 will immediately read book 2, so it was wasted!!

    I’m normally too lazy to write a review so the fact I’ve bothered, twice, should reassure you that all the other proper reviews are true and this is a captivating “can’t put it down” etc etc series. Read them, you won’t be disappointed!
    Report

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