Reviewed by Hunter Reagan ||
Domagoj Kurmaic’s web novel, Mother of Learning, follows Zorian Kazinski as he attends his third year of magic university. And again, and again, as his death at the hands of an ancient lich during the school’s summer festival has forced him to relive the semester in a never-ending loop. Unable to break free of his new reality, and slowly realizing that it was never meant for him to begin with, Zorian must discover its cause before it is too late. Luckily for him, while he also has to juggle the responsibilities of an older brother, his magical studies, and fighting off the invasion that started it all, time is one thing he has plenty of.
For those wanting a gripping story full of action, world-building, and intrigue, this is not one to miss. The almost three-thousand-page novel covers Zorian’s journey from an antisocial mage who could barely kill a rat to a prodigious telepath. Studying at the Cyoria magic academy and traveling across the world, he visits deadly jungles with magical hydras and underground caverns filled with telepathic spiders. From each, he gains money and knowledge, growing his arsenal of spells and weapons as he seeks to quietly prepare himself for the coming hordes.
By retaining his memories from each reset, Zorian can effectively erase any mistakes he committed previously and try again as he persuades, steals, and bribes his way to more power. However, he is not alone in wielding this ability, as others are stuck in the time loop as well and his actions do not go unnoticed.
Zach Noveda, a former classmate whose magical skills far surpass what he had before the ever-repeating semester, is one of the first to notice him. While Zorian evades suspicion, unsure if Zach is to be trusted, he does take him up on the offer of combat training as they strike up a casual relationship. His strength and knowledge, as well as his terrible lying face, has Zorian believing that his classmate has been in the time loop longer than him. However, Zach confesses to missing a good bit of his memory, specifically the part concerning how he ended up in the loop to begin with. This leads Zorian to wonder Zach’s place in this mystery. If his own inclusion was a mistake and came after the latter’s, what were the chances it happened twice?
Unlike Zach, another time warper only known as ‘Red Robe’ for their iconic red cloak is displeased with Zorian’s existence, actively hunting him down into the catacombs of the city. Only avoiding capture by this superior foe by committing suicide, returning to the start of the time loop by doing so, he realizes that Red Robe can kill people permanently. No number of resets bring back those slain by him, so Zorian reluctantly tells Zach his secret so that the two can prepare themselves against this enemy.
As they grow in strength, however, Red Robe fails to appear. Eventually, they realize that he has left the time loop, and hurry to find answers themselves. Zach’s lack of memories, a hidden base of fanatic cultists, and secret governmental research on ancient artifacts leads them to the origin of the time loop and how it is beginning to deteriorate. They must race against the clock, gaining strength and unlikely allies as they prepare one last ditch effort to escape into the real world and to confront the enemies that await them there. But should they fail, there is no reset to save them.
To avoid spoiling the ending, all I will say is that it was so enjoyable I read it a second time to experience it again. I would very much encourage anyone with a slight interest to give Mother of Learning a try, as the entire novel is available for free on Royal Road. If you would prefer an e-book version or just wish to support the creator, as of this month the full set is now available on Amazon for less than $20. Finally, the Kickstarter for a physical copy of the first book exceeded its goal in December of last year, meaning that it and the rest of the series may appear in bookstores in the future.
