In October 2023 I read Mage and the Endless Unknown by S.J. Miller. I thought I had read it before when I saw it on the (sadly) to be returned cart at work in May 2025. But I figured even if I had read it, I didn’t remember when and a second reading wouldn’t hurt. Fairly quickly I remembered a lot of it, but then there were places that I did not remember at all (I am looking at you the pretty-not-so-nice ghosts) and wondered why not? I figured it probably was partly due to the fact that the book is mostly wordless so not everything would have some type of anchor for me in the ol’ memory bank. There is also little to no real color and that would also probably make it less memorable for me.
When I added the book to a reading list I use to keep track of books, I found this review: An innocent goes into the world only to find out how cruel, evil and that everything wants to destroy them. We follow three main characters, and a strong supporting main character, in this mostly wordless graphic novel. Several images are disturbing and could be triggering.
That gives the basics. Our main character, Mage, is said to be male via descriptions of the book, but I figured they were genderless. The second main character is named at the end of the book. They too feel genderless, but I was leaning towards male on both of them. And that third main character? I am not really sure who they were. But I think it might have been The Copy of The Mage. And the supporting character is another genderless character (though for some reason I was leaning towards female, and yet male would work) who is the only one with real dialogue and seems to be an all knowing, but not necessarily God character. They do have what could be considered native looking associations.
Nothing is simple and yet, it’s all pretty much out in the open. When I added my second read date, I added to my review: “Multiple reads can be beneficial and help you appreciate this work more. I’m now leaning towards a strong 3 rating {I had put it as a rating of two} as my current/at time of reading mindset via a finished copy gives a different experience.” This includes the artwork, which can be difficult to describe. It is both simple, but deceptively so. There are details that you might not see at first glance, but it is not something to be rushed. Honestly I am not sure if I liked the book or not, but I am gaining an understanding and appreciation for it.