Road To Ruin (Magebike Courier Volume 1) by Hana Lee (book review).
For many readers, the term fantasy evokes the Tolkien-esque vision of swords and magic and probably alien races such as elves, dwarves, and goblins. There are likely to be trolls, orcs, and dragons lurking in the countryside. The level of technology is mediaeval, and most of the principal characters belong to the upper echelons of society, ready to lead armies into bloody battles.
This type of novel, often coming in threes, proliferated as did the readership. Frequently, readers encounter familiar tropes, making it delightful to discover a fantasy novel that deviates from the norm and innovates, thereby redefining the genre. Elegantly crafted, they bear a resemblance to an alien planet beyond our solar system. Their authors explore new concepts in these books that border on science fantasy. Hana Lee’s “Road to Ruin” is an exciting ride.
The setting is the wastelands of an old world. There are remains of roads crossing the wastelands, but few people use them. It is too dangerous. Not only are there prehistoric-style monsters, but there are storms. To be caught out on one of these is certain death. The only things that can carry people safely between cities are powered by mana. People with talent can utilise this for their ‘supernatural’ powers, such as protecting the cities from mage storms, helping crops grow, and mind reading.
Forty years previously, a mage discovered a way to use it to power bikes. Jin Lu is a courier riding a magebike across the wastes. For her, the most lucrative cargo is the clandestine letters between Prince Kadrin and Princess Yi-Nereen. They had known each other in childhood, and after many years of separation, had developed a long-distance romance. He lacks talent, which prevents her from marrying him.
Yi-Nereen is determined to break free from her obligation to marry Sou-Zell. She persuades Jin to take her across the wastes to Kadrin’s city. Unfortunately, one of her intended’s talents is mind reading, and, from the start, the escape is compromised. Issues lurking in the background complicate the escape. Several other couriers have disappeared with no clues as to what happened, though most are putting it down to the natural dangers of crossing the wastelands. Then there’s the escalating intensity of the storms, some of which have developed the ability to change direction.
Jin is grappling with guilt as these threads intertwine to propel the plot forward at a rapid pace. When she was forced to leave her hometown, she had to leave behind her talentless girlfriend, Falka. When she had the chance to go back for her, she found no trace and assumed that she had died.
The characters make a lot of assumptions, many of which turn out to be untrue, including the ideas that unions between Talented and Talentless reduces the potency of the Talented dynasties and that no one can survive in the wastes. While some of these aspects have occurred in other fantasy novels, there is enough originality to make this world fascinating. I hope this author revisits this world, as it has plenty more to offer.
Pauline Morgan
February 2025
(pub: Saga Press/Simon & Schuster, 2024. Price: $17.99 (US), $24.99 (CAN), £ 6.68 (UK). 360 page trade paperback.  ISBN: 978-1-6680-3561-0
check out website: www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/Road-to-Ruin/Hana-Lee/Magebike-Courier/9781668035610