Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Classic Fantasy Series: The Riftwar Saga (Book #2 of 3 or 4), The Riftwar Cycle (Book #2 of 31) For those who have been spoiled by the likes of Brandon Sanderson or Jim Butcher, you might find yourself becoming bored of the reuse of Tolkien tropes.I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: I will also add that this book can serve as an excellent introduction for those who are not used to classical fantasy. There is not just doom and gloom in this assessment, though if you are looking for a familiar Tolkien-esque fantasy, then you really cannot go wrong with this book.
As it stands, there are simply too many flaws that one cannot overlook if you take it as a standalone novel. It could be that all of the issues mentioned above are fixed in the second volume. This use of rift magic sows seeds of discord throughout the empire, and it is interesting to see the characters’ reactions.Īs stated in the beginning of my review, this book is the first part of two, thus quite a bit is missing from the overall plot. For example, the dwellers of the other world use the rifts for quick scouting missions. What is intriguing about the rifts is how they spice up the battles and provide an air of mystery to the overriding plot.
As per the series title, the mysterious magic is the rifts that connect the two worlds together. Most of the magic that the reader sees in Magician: Apprentice is rather typical, but there is one portion of the magic system that is intriguing. I will not say that the characters are bad, per se it is just that they seem like any other epic fantasy characters. For example, Pug’s teacher is an accomplished wizard, but we do not learn much about his personal life and so he remains the mysterious magician that the reader vaguely cares about. The other characters seem to lack some of Pug’s characterization. Of course, Pug is developed well enough for the standard orphan boy, but not enough to be truly memorable. The issue that arises with this large cast of characters is that it leaves little room for character development. This creates a situation where the reader can see the effects of the war from a micro and macro view. What is truly compelling about the large cast of characters is that we get to see the effects of the turmoil from the lowliest kitchen worker all the way to the rulers of the kingdom. Magician: Apprentice does not skimp when it comes to its character count. Fantasy has expanded greatly since the release of Magician: Apprentice and some will find it hard to get past the generic bits. The issue with sticking to this tried and true formula is that people have grown tired of it. Fans of the myriad of Tolkien-esque worlds will greatly enjoy the attention paid to world-building. There is even a time when the characters venture into a mine resembling the famed Mines of Moria from The Lord of the Rings. Magician: Apprentice has all of the trappings of a typical fantasy novel: sure-footed elves, stout dwarves, and a mysterious orphan. Shortly after finding the ship, Pug is thrown into a fray between two worlds while trying to uncover the secrets of his magic. Pug’s good streak is abruptly halted when he and his friend Thomas come upon a wrecked ship which houses a corpse and a magic scroll. After he is accepted as Kulgan’s apprentice, Pug’s life becomes quite good-he saves a princess, becomes a squire, and becomes the town hero. Various events transpire, and Kulgan decides to take Pug as his apprentice.
Pug is found by Kulgan, a powerful wizard, who senses a bit of Pug’s magical potential. The story begins when an orphan named Pug gets lost in a forest during a frightful storm.
This review is about the former, Magician: Apprentice. Magician was considered far too long, and so it was split into two separate books : Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master. Raymond Feist initially wrote a long novel called Magician, the beginning of Feist’s bestselling Riftwar saga.