Tomes of Spellcasting--Magician: Master

Tomes of Spellcasting

Welcome to the land of mystery, where the impossible is possible, and the improbable the reality. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with magic and meet the souls that wield this wondrous powers.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: Magician: Master
Author: Raymond E. Feist
Publisher: Bantam Spectra
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1982

The war with the Tsurani has dragged on for nearly a decade, and that time has seen a stagnation and rot within the governments of two worlds, and Pug--once of Crydee, now Milamber of the Assembly--will no longer stand for it in one world, and his childhood friends and acquaintances will not stand for it in the other. But there is another force at work in the world, and it has a grave purpose to fulfill and a definitive goal to attain. For the rift that joins Kelewan and Midkemia and allows the Tsurani to invade the Kingdom of the Isles is a threat to both worlds because of the dark, brooding, vengeful presence it will attract: a presence that Pug has seen in his testing in the Assembly. The only way to stop the presence is to stop the war, but with a power-hunger Warlord on the one side and a quickly failing brain-addled king on the other, will the peoples of two worlds find peace in time to stand together against a common enemy, the enemy responsible for the Tsurani's existence on Kelewan?

Magician: Master begins roughly four years after Pug's capture, continuing the Riftwar Saga's dark and intense tale. While learning about the politics of another world--after slogging through the twists and turns of Midkemia's laws and traditions--might be difficult and tedious, in this book it was actually interesting because it places religion both above and below the government. Then, too, with the party politics of the Tsurani putting the "real" world politics of America to shame, there isn't a chance for the novel to get boring.

I think one of the best facet of this book is the transformation/development of Tomas, Pug's childhood friend turned master warrior. I like the conflict his character goes through as he melds in one body the emotions and memories of two beings. I also like the way the two beings that would become one become aware of each other and begin to communicate. At times it became confusing, but only because the character was, himself, confused about who or what he was. You'll have to read it to understand it fully, but take my word for it: this is one of the most important, effective, and interesting parts of the entire book, even more interesting than the confusion centering around the succession to two thrones and one ducal seat.

Magician: Master concludes a part of a much longer story that will be years in the telling (book years, not "real" years, though it is that, too). And while you could probably read the next book with little or no background information, this book is definitely one you don't want to miss!

Rating: Thumbs up! There's more at stake than just two worlds at war with each other, but who's going to stop the fighting long enough to point that out?

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