If you love stories that explore magic, power, and the consequences of a long life, A Wizard’s Life Complete by Eric Guindon is a journey you won’t want to miss. This complete collection chronicles the life of Benen, from a curious village boy to a master wizard, giving readers a chance to experience a lifetime of growth, mistakes, and triumphs.
Guindon’s magic isn’t just a tool—it’s demanding, with real consequences that shape characters and their relationships. As you journey through Benen’s life, you’ll see how power, responsibility, and the passage of time affect everyone he meets, making this more than just a fantasy—it’s a story about living fully, with all the challenges and choices that come with it.
Whether you’re a longtime fantasy fan or new to epic wizarding adventures, this complete collection invites you into a world that is both magical and deeply human.
Quick Look
Title: A Wizard’s Life Complete
Author: Eric Guindon
Genre: Fantasy / Coming-of-Age / Magic System Fiction
Publication Date: January 3, 2014
Publisher: Melancholy Stegosaurus Press
Language: English
Page Length: 399 pages
Amazon Link: A Wizard’s Life Complete
Follow Benen’s life as he progresses from boy villager to wizard’s apprentice, journeyman and finally, master!
This book includes all three volumes of the series chronicling Benen’s life as a wizard.
Book 1: Apprentice
When a wizard visits Benen’s village and chooses him for his apprentice, the boy’s life is irrevocably changed. Unfortunately for Benen, his master is far from kind and often cruel. His education becomes a trial he must survive.
Book 2: Journeyman
Finally his own man, Benen, now a journeyman, learns the harsh realities of being a wizard out in the world. Follow his further adventures as he travels Estren seeking his place in it.
Book 3: Master
As a master, Benen faces complications and situations he never has before. Follow as he explores the world, faces progress and politics, and teaches his own apprentice. This final installment in the series brings you all the way to the end of Benen’s life.
Author Q&A with Eric Guindon
Q: What is your book about and what inspired you to write this book?
A: I’ve always enjoyed fantasy stories and am particularly interested in how magic is treated in them. For this book I wanted to play around with a magic system that was demanding and interesting, as well as logically internally consistent.
As I went along it became also about the costs of magic and the effects of having an extremely long life-span granted by that magic. I hope that in the end I managed to craft an interesting story chronicling the life of a wizard.
Q: When did you start writing, and what made you decide to publish this book?
A: Storytelling has always been a part of my life (I’ve run countless table-top and live-action role playing games over the years) but I didn’t pursue writing until later in life because it always seemed an unapproachable ambition.
But when ebooks and Amazon’s self-publishing became more established and publicized, I took note and decided it was time to try my hand at writing my stories instead of letting them live exclusively in my head.
Q: Which character was the most fun—or most challenging—to write, and why?
A: Timmon was an interesting character to write, being that he is the ghost of someone the main character killed with magic that wound up bound to him. I wanted to defy the expectation that he would be vengeful toward Benen and worked to make him an interesting part of the story and, in the end, Benen’s most enduring and truest friend. His tragic arc was difficult to accomplish and explores another aspect of what a long life can be like.
Q: What themes or messages do you hope readers take away from your book?
A: The most obvious, I feel, is the cost of power and the repercussions for its use. I hope the readers come away with a sense that power’s use doesn’t solve problems so much as create new ones and that no matter how good your intentions problems don’t often have simple solutions.
Q: Were there any real-life experiences that influenced your story or characters?
A: In a general sense, real-life can’t help but shape the stories we tell and the characters we write. In particular I feel the section of the story where Benen loses his sister was definitely one where my own feelings of grief and loss were put into the story, though for me the loss was not a sister, just to be clear.
Q: What question do you wish readers would ask you about the book?
A: In the book I paint the older wizards who have prolonged their lives as having problematic emotions. They tend to be more harsh and lose their tempers, and generally less human, but I don’t know if I successfully painted it clearly as a consequence of the life-extension magic and the gift of magic itself.
You really see it first with Oster (but probably write it off as that just being him), but then see it in low level ways in other wizards Benen interacts with, and then most jarringly in Benen himself when he is training his own apprentice. So I guess that’s the answer to the unasked question, “What’s up with the wizards being such jerks?”
Q: Do you have a favorite quote or moment from the book you’d like to share?
A: I especially liked when Benen realizes that he has grown to be like Oster in his own treatment of his apprentice and finds a measure of forgiveness for his old master.
Q: What was the biggest challenge in writing or publishing it?
A: It is the same for most self-published authors and that is to get it attention from the readers who might appreciate it. Which is why your site is such a boon to us. Thank you for bringing visibility to the hard work of indie authors.
Q: What’s next for you as a writer?
A: A Wizard’s Life is a complete work that needs no sequels or additions.
My current work in progress is something I’m calling Maelstrom which I intend to use for trying out the story serializing site Royal Road. It’s a story that follows survivors in a world where the gods warring against one another is ending that world. These few are seeking a strange anomaly that they hope might offer them salvation, which manifests as a strange purple storm that rumours have been calling the maelstrom.
That is just the beginning; what comes after the survivors reach the maelstrom is where the story really takes off. I’ll likely start releasing chapters of that story in early 2026.
What Readers Are Saying
Svenghali – 5⭐
“My only complaint about this series is that it was too short. The unique magic system, based on astronomy, was interesting and worked very well. Unlike other fantasy writers who overcomplicate their worlds, Guindon keeps it compelling without distraction. Highly recommended for fans of wizards and thoughtful world-building.”
pats1403 – 4⭐
“These three books will appeal to anyone looking for a mix of fantasy and science fiction, especially teens and young adults. Watching Benen grow in skill and understanding is fascinating. The cultural influences and political events feel realistic, adding depth to the story.”
Amazon Customer Larry Woods – 4⭐
“A well-told story. Age-appropriate for teens, and engaging enough to keep older readers hooked. Benen’s journey from boy to master is both inspiring and immersive.”
C – 5⭐
“This is the best book I’ve read in a long time. Very engaging and interesting. The author expertly captures what it feels like to live a long life with magic and responsibility.”
Trucker Josh – 5⭐
“I love these books—a very different take on living for hundreds of years. I was sad when I finished because I wanted more. Highly engaging!”
RMM_RAM – 4⭐
“Great series overall. The first two volumes are fantastic, though I found ‘Master’ a bit slower. Still, the world-building and character development are excellent.”
About the Author
Eric Guindon writes fantasy stories filled with divine mischief, flawed heroes, and the occasional sarcastic god. When he’s not writing, he’s probably overthinking the rules of magic—or rewriting them entirely. His love of tabletop and live-action roleplaying games informs the depth, strategy, and personality of his worlds.
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