I’ve been enjoying the Alex Verus books more with each instalment, but Chosen is the first one that left me genuinely uncomfortable about some of Alex’s decisions. Not because I thought Benedict Jacka had taken the character in the wrong direction, quite the opposite. I found myself rooting for Alex, understanding why he did certain things, and then wondering whether I ought to be quite so willing to excuse him. That’s a rather different experience from simply enjoying a clever mage finding his way out of trouble, and it’s a good indication of how far this series has come. Fated showed promise, Cursed built on it, and Taken demonstrated a growing confidence in both storytelling and world-building. Chosen takes another significant step forward, delivering a darker, more personal story that makes Alex considerably more interesting than the resourceful but rather guarded protagonist we first met.

Alex has spent much of the series trying to put his past behind him, which is understandable when that past involves being apprenticed to Richard Drakh, one of the more unpleasant Dark mages in an already thoroughly unpleasant magical society. Unfortunately, the past isn’t particularly interested in staying buried. When a group of young adepts calling themselves the Nightstalkers begins hunting him, Alex discovers that actions he took years earlier have consequences that aren’t going to disappear simply because he’d rather not think about them. Their leader, Will, has very personal reasons for wanting Alex dead, and the resulting confrontation forces Alex to examine a part of himself he’s spent years trying to escape.

What makes this particularly effective is that Jacka doesn’t give Alex an easy way out. The Nightstalkers aren’t simply another collection of villains whose plans need thwarting. Their anger has a foundation, even if their understanding of events is incomplete, and Alex can’t dismiss their grievances without confronting his own involvement. I found myself wanting Alex to explain himself, to convince Will that he wasn’t the person he used to be, and perhaps to find some way of making amends. But the more the situation deteriorates, the clearer it becomes that an explanation isn’t necessarily going to change anything. That’s a rather uncomfortable position to find yourself in when you’re rooting for the man being hunted.

This is where the deeper characterisation really begins to pay off. Alex has always been cautious, resourceful and understandably suspicious of authority, but Chosen reveals more about why he behaves as he does. His past isn’t merely an excuse for a tragic backstory. It has shaped the way he approaches danger and, more troublingly, what he’s prepared to do when he feels cornered. I particularly liked that Jacka doesn’t let him hide behind the argument that he has no choice. Alex can see possible futures, which means he often understands the consequences of his actions better than anyone else. Yet knowing what might happen doesn’t make choosing any easier, especially when protecting himself means accepting that somebody else might suffer.

The relationship between Alex and his friends gives those decisions additional weight. Luna, Anne and Variam have become important to him, and I enjoyed seeing how their growing trust makes his life both better and more complicated. Alex is used to dealing with danger on his own terms, but friendship means that his actions no longer affect only him. When he chooses how to confront the Nightstalkers, he’s also deciding what sort of person his friends will discover him to be. I found Anne’s reaction particularly affecting, because her willingness to help others makes her a natural contrast to Alex’s more ruthless instincts. Watching that difference become a genuine strain on their relationship hurt rather more than another magical confrontation would have done.

There’s also something painfully believable about Alex’s reluctance to be completely honest with the people closest to him. He wants their trust, but he fears what might happen if they understand everything he’s done. I couldn’t help thinking that his attempts to protect those relationships by withholding parts of himself are precisely what threaten them. It’s a recognisably human failing, even if most of us don’t have a former Dark mage apprenticeship lurking in our past. Alex wants to be judged by the person he’s trying to become, while the people around him have to decide what to make of the person he has actually been.

The Nightstalkers themselves raise uncomfortable questions about power and responsibility. Adepts occupy an awkward position in the magical hierarchy, possessing abilities that make them different from ordinary people but lacking the influence and versatility of full mages. Their resentment of a system that treats them as expendable is understandable, even when their methods become increasingly dangerous. I found myself sympathising with their anger while growing frustrated with their refusal to recognise how much damage their pursuit of revenge might cause. Will’s determination to punish Alex is understandable on one level, but it also makes him increasingly unwilling to consider anything that might complicate his certainty. In that respect, he and Alex are perhaps more alike than either would care to admit.

The setting continues to improve alongside the characters. Earlier books introduced the divisions between Light and Dark mages, the political manoeuvring of the Council and the dangers facing anyone without sufficient magical power. Here, those elements feel increasingly like parts of a functioning society rather than interesting ideas waiting to be explored. The distinctions between mages, adepts and apprentices have real consequences, while the influence of Alex’s former master hangs over events without requiring him to dominate the story directly. The world feels larger, more coherent and considerably less forgiving.

I also think Chosen benefits from Jacka’s growing confidence in pacing. The narrative moves between investigation, confrontation and quieter moments of reflection without losing momentum. The action remains enjoyable, particularly when Alex uses his foresight to search through possible outcomes and find a way to survive against seemingly impossible odds. But I was far more interested in what happened after the fighting. Alex might be able to anticipate an attack, but he can’t predict how somebody will feel about him once they’ve seen what he’s capable of. That’s a much more difficult problem to solve, and one that gives the story consequences beyond the immediate danger.

There are occasional moments when I wanted Jacka to linger a little longer on the emotional fallout, and some of the Nightstalkers are more convincing as a collective threat than as fully developed individuals. Nevertheless, these are relatively small reservations. The book’s willingness to complicate its protagonist makes the story stronger, and the darker material feels earned rather than introduced simply to raise the stakes.

Gildart Jackson continues to do excellent work with the audiobook. His narration has settled into a comfortable rhythm, giving Alex’s dry observations their proper humour while allowing the more troubling moments to carry genuine weight. He distinguishes the expanding cast without resorting to exaggerated voices, and his handling of Alex’s increasingly conflicted emotions is particularly effective. There’s a restraint to his delivery that suits a character who spends so much time trying not to reveal what he’s thinking. When that composure begins to slip, Jackson makes the change feel meaningful.

Chosen is easily the strongest Alex Verus novel so far. The characterisation is deeper, the narrative more involving and the magical world better realised than in the previous instalments. More importantly, Jacka has made me care about Alex’s decisions in a way I hadn’t quite experienced before. I wanted him to survive, naturally, but I also wanted him to find a way through that wouldn’t cost him the friendships he’d worked so hard to build. Those two things don’t always sit comfortably together, and that tension stayed with me long after the immediate danger had passed. I finished Chosen feeling more invested in Alex than ever, but also considerably less certain about what I wanted him to do next. For me, that’s a sign of a series becoming something genuinely worthwhile, and I’m very much looking forward to finding out whether Alex can live with the choices he’s made.

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