The Keyhole Wizard

by Susan Ruff

Part of the The Doorway to Magic series:

The Keyhole Wizard

Fabren Lacalian never foresaw consequences like this. Teaming with his master for a vengeful prank, the half-human magician forged a false prophecy to embarrass the wizards who belittled them. But after his teacher is murdered by a sinister pretender claiming to be the heir they foretold, the terrified apprentice flees for his life as the sole custodian of the truth.

Riddled with guilt and hunted by assassins, Fabren finds an unlikely ally in an archivist who believes wholeheartedly in the escalating lie. And with only his meager keyhole magic to protect them from the vile usurper’s minions, the sham seer may be the author of everyone’s destruction.

Can Fabren end the madness before the realm falls to its doom?

The Keyhole Wizard is the thrilling first book in The Doorway to Magic high fantasy series. If you like underdog heroes, dire stakes, and unique systems of sorcery, then you’ll love Susan and John Ruff’s dive into destiny.

Published: June 19, 2022
Cover Artists:

GetCovers

Genres:

Fantasy, Fantasy - Heroic, Fantasy - High & Other World, Fantasy - Knights & Castles, Fantasy - Sword & Sorcery

Tags:

author - american, format - kindle, format - kindle unlimited, format - novel, format - novel >100K, format - paperback, format - self published, potential trigger - blood, potential trigger - death, potential trigger - violence, what - topic - magic, when - period - middle ages, where - general - castle, where - general - small town, where - general - swamp

Tropes: Prophesy
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
Tropes: Prophesy
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters

About the Author

Susan Ruff became hooked on fantasy books the first time she read The Hobbit as a child. As she grew older, she dabbled in writing her own fantasy stories and novels, but really became serious about writing after she retired from her day job in 2015. She writes as a team with her husband John -- Susan does the actual writing, while John helps with plotting and characterization. They published their first full-length epic fantasy novel 60th Hour in 2020.

By far, their most popular work is the The Doorway to Magic, a sword and sorcery trilogy consisting of the books The Keyhole Wizard, The Door Ajar, and the Grand Door.

Recently, they've tried their hand at cozy fantasy, with their novel Recipes for the Copper Snake (published under the penname J.S. Ruff) published in December 2024. They are currently working on the sequel to that book and hope to have it published in 2025.

Susan loves hiking, travel, archaeology, history, role-playing games (both table-top and video), and anime. her blog Travels, Walks, and Tales comes out on the first Friday of each month.

Check This Out

Word Count: Click here to reveal90.000 (Click here to hide)

Summary: One week to save the child, bargain with Death and get the girl… Child Protective Services Attorney Maeve Malveaux is sure that Chrysandra Arneson needs to be rescued from her rich, powerful and abusive family. But how? Her boss won’t listen to her and neither will the judge. But after she gets taken off the case and sent on involuntary leave to get her out of the way, she’s determined to find out what’s going on. She’s not counting on joining forces with Jill, the gorgeous law librarian from work, and a mismatched collection of fairy folk. Or getting the ghostly assistance of the long-defunct Minneapolis streetcar system. And, perhaps, even a hand from Death himself. Mae and Jill are about to be caught up in a supernatural power struggle that will take them on an adventure from the Uptown neighborhood in Minneapolis into faery realms and beyond. All they need is a dime for the streetcar fare and a little help from their new allies to be on their way. But will it be enough to save a little girl and get them where they need to go? They’ve only got a week to find out.