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Title: Magician : Apprentice - Author's Preferred Edition by RAYMOND FEIST ISBN: 0-553-56494-3 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 December, 1993 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.54 (246 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: One pretty good fantasy.
Comment: Before I read this book, I had already had an encounter with Feist in Krondor:the Betrayal, and had concluded never to try his books again, no matter how well thought of they were. Then I decided to give him another chance with this book, and boy was it good. Every fantasy creature desirable, goblins, dwarves, elves, gnomes, giants,trolls, wraiths, and dragons.It's fast moving, with likeable characters, and a well-thought-out plot(for the time it was written, at least).
Pug of Crydee dreams of being a soldier, but when he is chosen to be the apprentice of Kulgan the Magician he is quite surprised. And when he tries simple spells like levatating, and lifting himself off the ground, he cannot do it, yet Kulgan is certain that he has the magical talent, and Pug proves this when he saves the Princess Carline from two trolls. He enjoys romance with Carline, and training in magic for several months, until he finds a shipwreck with his friend Tomas on the shore. With this evidence Kulgan and a priest prove that their will be a raid on Midkemia from an alien people(he and a priest probe into the man's mind, and question him of his people, who are making the raid). Pug, Tomas, Kulgan, and many more embark on a journey to warn Midkemia, of this raid.
So why four stars instead of five? Well, near the end, their is so much action I got bored. Magician:Master is even better, so even if the ending bored you it is still worth a read.
Rating: 4
Summary: An enjoyable read.
Comment: I hesitate to add to the numerous previuos reviews, but what the heck. I take exception to reviewers who claim this series of books is the all-time best, but in the Pantheon of "High Fantasy" it ranks right up there. I place LOTR still on top due to its classic style and high sense of wonder. There are not dragons hiding under every bush (adding bushels of monsters and supernatural characters is usually a big mistake- read "The Crystal Cave" for an example of how to do it right), and the culminating memorable scenes are painstakingly earned by close reading. Kay is my current favorite fantasy author by a mile: the guy really knows what high fantasy is all about and is almost always on the mark. I place Feist after Kay; I don't get that tingle down the spine Tolkein and Kay give me, but his handling of characters is exceptional and is definitely his strong point. Below these three (so far)is the Belgariad series, which I found to be too thin and juvenile-oriented for me. All that being said, I admit to closeting myself in the wee hours of the night in my bathroom absolutely determined to finish these books (especially the second one). Feist in my opinion can be likened to the "Grisham of Fantasy": an excellent story teller and purveyor of page-turners. Not a bad thing.
Rating: 5
Summary: High Fantasy at its best
Comment: If you're looking for classic style fantasy, this is about as good as it gets. It's got the classic insignificant boy from the country growing into someone important, although in this case there are two boys with equally compelling stories. It's got powerful magic (although the magic is not overused, as it has been in some more recent fantasy books), it's got swords, Thieves' Guilds, Elves, Dragons, the whole lot. And it is well written as well, with a lot of action going on in addition to the stories of the two main characters.
This was, apparently, the first thing Feist ever wrote, and it's head and shoulders above everything he's written since. This book is the first part of a trilogy, but its story actually has very little to do with the following books, apart from putting the characters into certain positions and giving you some back story. Its story is also more interesting than the larger story of the trilogy. The books following this trilogy quickly become little more than pulp fantasy. Feist has fallen into a trap of not being able to move on from this setting.
However, none of that detracts from this first book (which has been split in two for this latest release), which is certainly a staple for any fantasy fan.
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Title: Silverthorn by RAYMOND FEIST ISBN: 0553270540 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 December, 1993 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: A Darkness at Sethanon : Volume IV in the Riftwar Saga by RAYMOND FEIST ISBN: 0553263285 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 January, 1987 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Prince of the Blood by Raymond Feist ISBN: 0553285246 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 May, 1990 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: The King's Buccaneer by RAYMOND FEIST ISBN: 0553563734 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 January, 1994 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Rise of a Merchant Prince by Raymond E. Feist ISBN: 0380720876 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 August, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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