Magician: Master (Riftwar Saga) 
asked by artdealer on November 8, 2006 5:00 AM
He held the fate of two worlds in his hands...
Once he was an orphan called Pug, apprenticed to a sorcerer of the enchanted land of Midkemia.. Then he was captured and enslaved by the Tsurani, a strange, warlike race of invaders from another world.
There, in the exotic Empire of Kelewan, he earned a new name--Milamber. He learned to tame the unnimagined powers that lay withing him. And he took his place in an ancient struggle against an evil Enemy older than time itself.
Once he was an orphan called Pug, apprenticed to a sorcerer of the enchanted land of Midkemia.. Then he was captured and enslaved by the Tsurani, a strange, warlike race of invaders from another world.
There, in the exotic Empire of Kelewan, he earned a new name--Milamber. He learned to tame the unnimagined powers that lay withing him. And he took his place in an ancient struggle against an evil Enemy older than time itself.
Reviews
0%
0%
As you can infer from the title of this review, I liked this book even better than Magician: Aprrentice, and I enjoyed Apprentice very much, so that's saying something for this one! In this book, we continue the tale of Pug and Tomas, as well as Arutha and the Riftwar. No longer is Pug a young boy from Crydee, but a young adult in Kelewan, where he is held as a slave. He is not alone, however, as a new friend, Laurie, stands by his side. It is in this world that Pug will find his true power.
This book has much more of a darker tone, though not overbearingly or even fully dark. Many of the horrors of war are shown throughout the book, and the characters must deal with them. One thing I liked about this book was that it gave Prince Arutha a much larger role than in the previous book (which I liked him in). He has a much greater responsibility, now, and you are able to see new traits of him show that reflect upon that. Tomas also has responsibility on his shoulders, though it is more grave than anyone can imagine. I like his role even better in this book, as well, because of the sheer emotional impact.
Enough of the characters, however, or I shall get carried away. The story in this book continues on the last one (obviously) and, in my opinion, is nothing short of epic. You literally feel like you are not simply just reading different 'scenes' of the book, but zooming in upon these instances while a living, breathing world continues on. As you read on, you can see that the Riftwar is doing much harm to both worlds. Just like the previous book, however, Feist still manages to give you an occasional breath of hope, never leaving you *entirely* downtrodden or depressed. And, I must say, I REALLY enjoyed the ending to this book (though I can't say anything more due to spoilers).
Now, for the bad, to keep this from being a mindless glowing review. Luckily, there's only one thing which I truly disliked, however. It is: at times, you may find youself just a little bored with the conversations that the characters have, for Pug, in numerous places in the book, seems more of a 'political activist' than a magician (though I suppose if you enjoy reading about politics, than this is not a problem).
All in all, this is a great book that I deeply enhoyed reading through. It takes you to another place, this novel. And while the conversations can be a little boring, almost jarring you out of your reverie, Feist always manages to keep each chapter interesting in it's own way.
This book has much more of a darker tone, though not overbearingly or even fully dark. Many of the horrors of war are shown throughout the book, and the characters must deal with them. One thing I liked about this book was that it gave Prince Arutha a much larger role than in the previous book (which I liked him in). He has a much greater responsibility, now, and you are able to see new traits of him show that reflect upon that. Tomas also has responsibility on his shoulders, though it is more grave than anyone can imagine. I like his role even better in this book, as well, because of the sheer emotional impact.
Enough of the characters, however, or I shall get carried away. The story in this book continues on the last one (obviously) and, in my opinion, is nothing short of epic. You literally feel like you are not simply just reading different 'scenes' of the book, but zooming in upon these instances while a living, breathing world continues on. As you read on, you can see that the Riftwar is doing much harm to both worlds. Just like the previous book, however, Feist still manages to give you an occasional breath of hope, never leaving you *entirely* downtrodden or depressed. And, I must say, I REALLY enjoyed the ending to this book (though I can't say anything more due to spoilers).
Now, for the bad, to keep this from being a mindless glowing review. Luckily, there's only one thing which I truly disliked, however. It is: at times, you may find youself just a little bored with the conversations that the characters have, for Pug, in numerous places in the book, seems more of a 'political activist' than a magician (though I suppose if you enjoy reading about politics, than this is not a problem).
All in all, this is a great book that I deeply enhoyed reading through. It takes you to another place, this novel. And while the conversations can be a little boring, almost jarring you out of your reverie, Feist always manages to keep each chapter interesting in it's own way.
reviewed by jerseymike on November 25, 2006 5:53 AM
0%
0%
Raymond E. Feist is my favorite author of all time, probably becuase he just writes well. Yet it seems on part two of his huge book list he gets a little carried away with romance. STILL A GOOD READ.!
reviewed by scanner on November 26, 2006 3:33 AM
0%
0%
This is the second book in the Riftwar Saga. This was a new author for me but I have always been a fan of fantasy novels. The first book, Magician: Apprentice was okay, but this book was great. For just the one scene where Pug, now called Milamber, first uses his full magical powers, the book is worth recommending. Fortunately, the entire book is highly entertaining and VERY readable.
Synopsis: A rift has been created between two worlds. In this book, Pug is a slave on Kelewan, the capital city of the Tsurani empire (the other world). He is discovered by one of the "Great Ones" as having magical talent and he begins his training in the art of magic. Back in his own world (Midkemia), his friend Thomas, is undergoing mental and physical transformation while wearing the armor of the long dead Velheru (the first race/Dragon Lords that commanded the world). The armor was not meant to be worn by humans. The storyline goes back and forth between the two worlds and the various characters, but it does this so smoothly, you are never "lost" or constantly re-reading pages (something I really dislike). There are many characters, but the writing follows them for a time so you don't forget who they are. Thank goodness, the book does not introduce a lot of named unnecessary characters that are mentioned one time then are never heard from again! The character names (in both worlds) are not complicated, so they are easily remembered, something I really appreciate when reading fantasy.
After reading Magician: Master, I realized the first book was focused on development of the characters, political climate and settings for the saga. "Master" has everything I love in my fantasy. Great characters, warriors, magic, interesting creatures and races and combat. If you were not really thrilled with the first book "Apprentice", I would HIGHLY recommend this second book. This one is a solid 5+ stars. For other highly readable fantasy authors, try R. A. Salvatore, the Icewind Dale Trilogy and Margaret Weis's Dragonlance series. The Dragonlance series is a classic so be sure to read them in order, Dragons of Autumn Twilight.
Synopsis: A rift has been created between two worlds. In this book, Pug is a slave on Kelewan, the capital city of the Tsurani empire (the other world). He is discovered by one of the "Great Ones" as having magical talent and he begins his training in the art of magic. Back in his own world (Midkemia), his friend Thomas, is undergoing mental and physical transformation while wearing the armor of the long dead Velheru (the first race/Dragon Lords that commanded the world). The armor was not meant to be worn by humans. The storyline goes back and forth between the two worlds and the various characters, but it does this so smoothly, you are never "lost" or constantly re-reading pages (something I really dislike). There are many characters, but the writing follows them for a time so you don't forget who they are. Thank goodness, the book does not introduce a lot of named unnecessary characters that are mentioned one time then are never heard from again! The character names (in both worlds) are not complicated, so they are easily remembered, something I really appreciate when reading fantasy.
After reading Magician: Master, I realized the first book was focused on development of the characters, political climate and settings for the saga. "Master" has everything I love in my fantasy. Great characters, warriors, magic, interesting creatures and races and combat. If you were not really thrilled with the first book "Apprentice", I would HIGHLY recommend this second book. This one is a solid 5+ stars. For other highly readable fantasy authors, try R. A. Salvatore, the Icewind Dale Trilogy and Margaret Weis's Dragonlance series. The Dragonlance series is a classic so be sure to read them in order, Dragons of Autumn Twilight.
reviewed by carrots on November 29, 2006 7:26 AM
0%
0%
Few fantasy novels explore the development of the magician. This novel succeeds on a grand scale. Feist is superb at weaving believable characters and intricate plot into a rousing good yarn.
reviewed by soulful on November 29, 2006 5:37 PM