Magician: Apprentice (Riftwar Saga) 
asked by flow on November 23, 2006 4:34 AM
To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. But though his courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, he was ill at ease with the normal ways of wizardry. Yet Pug's strange sort of magic would one day change forever the fates of two worlds. For dark beings from another world had opened a rift in the fabric of spacetime to being again the age-old battle between the forces of Order and Chaos.
Reviews
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I found this book unbelievably boring.
I was first introduced to Feist in a book of short-ish stories. His story was based on the Riftwar plot, and I absolutely fell in love with it. The plot of the story itself was simple but interesting, he was able to develop his characters quickly and thoroughly, and his writing style was beautiful and flawless. I was immediately endeared to him, and decided to try his other, longer work. I figured the Riftwar Saga would be a great place to start, as the plot seemed complex and interesting, and I had already been introduced to the main idea.
I must have been horribly mistaken. I can't believe how far different the writing you find in this book is from the gorgeous writing I found in his short story. The whole thing seems contrived, and more than that, it's dull. The characters seemed to be cut from cardboard- very stiff and uninteresting. The bland dialouge didn't help, either. I found I didn't much care about them at all. Even in the most exciting parts of the book, I couldn't really get myself involved because I honestly didn't care what happened to the characters.
This book is obviously here to set up the rest of the story, but it certainly didn't make me want to read any more. Actually, I ended up putting this one down just before the end, in favor of something, ANYTHING, better. The ideas are there, but Feist never brings them, or the characters, to life enough to capture your attention.
It seems most people here loved this series for reasons I can't even fathom... If you're new to Feist, or if you've read later Feist that you liked, I would very much suggest that you stick to that material and stay away from this series. I'm sorry I spent the six bucks on it.
I was first introduced to Feist in a book of short-ish stories. His story was based on the Riftwar plot, and I absolutely fell in love with it. The plot of the story itself was simple but interesting, he was able to develop his characters quickly and thoroughly, and his writing style was beautiful and flawless. I was immediately endeared to him, and decided to try his other, longer work. I figured the Riftwar Saga would be a great place to start, as the plot seemed complex and interesting, and I had already been introduced to the main idea.
I must have been horribly mistaken. I can't believe how far different the writing you find in this book is from the gorgeous writing I found in his short story. The whole thing seems contrived, and more than that, it's dull. The characters seemed to be cut from cardboard- very stiff and uninteresting. The bland dialouge didn't help, either. I found I didn't much care about them at all. Even in the most exciting parts of the book, I couldn't really get myself involved because I honestly didn't care what happened to the characters.
This book is obviously here to set up the rest of the story, but it certainly didn't make me want to read any more. Actually, I ended up putting this one down just before the end, in favor of something, ANYTHING, better. The ideas are there, but Feist never brings them, or the characters, to life enough to capture your attention.
It seems most people here loved this series for reasons I can't even fathom... If you're new to Feist, or if you've read later Feist that you liked, I would very much suggest that you stick to that material and stay away from this series. I'm sorry I spent the six bucks on it.
reviewed by runningscared on November 23, 2006 11:50 AM
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This book is compelling, and explored the realistic ways of life in a medieval culture. Plenty of realism, but enough fantasy to make that needed tweak of reality making you know "This is not going to happen." If you are not paranoic then this book is great for you.
Feist explores new ground in the fantasy realm with this series. He tells a spellbinding tale that you won't want to leave even at a dark hour, later than midnight.
Pug is an interesting character, a young boy raised in a coastal duchy, known to the town as a runt. He expects not to be picked for anything at the career choice thing, but is instead called for apprenticeship by Kulgan, a wizard living just outside the town. His friend, Tomas, is, however, picked to by Swordsmaster Fannon's apprentice, meaning he will almost certainly be a warrior when he grows.
Then comes a discovery of the Tsurani, an oriental race of beings from a world with Mexican climate. The Tsurani are from the world Kelewan, and have powerful military might, and soon Pug and some companions must adventure to Rillanon to warn the king.
The tale is a reminiscant of Tolkien, and is a great book for the younger fantasy crowd as well. Strong-willed characters line the realistic setting, and titanic battles are always boiling.
Enjoy.
Feist explores new ground in the fantasy realm with this series. He tells a spellbinding tale that you won't want to leave even at a dark hour, later than midnight.
Pug is an interesting character, a young boy raised in a coastal duchy, known to the town as a runt. He expects not to be picked for anything at the career choice thing, but is instead called for apprenticeship by Kulgan, a wizard living just outside the town. His friend, Tomas, is, however, picked to by Swordsmaster Fannon's apprentice, meaning he will almost certainly be a warrior when he grows.
Then comes a discovery of the Tsurani, an oriental race of beings from a world with Mexican climate. The Tsurani are from the world Kelewan, and have powerful military might, and soon Pug and some companions must adventure to Rillanon to warn the king.
The tale is a reminiscant of Tolkien, and is a great book for the younger fantasy crowd as well. Strong-willed characters line the realistic setting, and titanic battles are always boiling.
Enjoy.
reviewed by trailrider on November 27, 2006 7:27 AM
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Being that there are so many excellent reviews for these books, I'll just add that I think this is one of the premier fantasy series ever written. Feist's deep exploration into the workings of his characters makes you feel you really know them on a personal level. While sometimes frustrated by Pug in the beginning, you'll love him by the end!
Durk Simmons
author "Strings of Connection: Book 1 of the Witches in America Series:
Durk Simmons
author "Strings of Connection: Book 1 of the Witches in America Series:
reviewed by sumbuddy on November 27, 2006 10:57 PM