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The Magicians Guild is the first of the Black Magician Trilogy and was published in 2001, Followed by The Novice (2002) and The Black Magician (2003). The story starts with a young Slum Dweller named Sonea as she discovers her magical potential after throwing a stone through a magical barrier. Going in the run Sonea has to deal with both the magicians guild after her and the growing chaos that is her loosing control of her power. After being found by Lord Rothen and helped achieve control, Sonea must face a difficult trial for both entrance to the Guild and Mentorship between Rothen and the sinister looking Fergun.

Canavan stated on her website that the initial inspiration which ended up being part of the first chapter came form her watching a documentary of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona where a report about the government taking the host cities homeless and sending them to other cities/towns. Later that night she saw herself and several others being herded out of a city...by magicians hence the first chapter.

Now when I first found the book I was in a Waterstones (Well known British bookstore) mindlessly looking....wasn't even expecting to buy a book and I came across The Magicians Guild. Finding the blurb interesting I bought it and after reading it I fell in love and I ended up rushing to buy the other two books. Hearing the influence of the first chapter reminded me of the influence Susanne Collins the writer of the Hunger games series had of flicking through channels and hearing two different news posts.
  
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Anand Wilder recommended Muswell Hillbillies by The Kinks in Music (curated)

 
Muswell Hillbillies by The Kinks
Muswell Hillbillies by The Kinks
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"Well that was a big influence for their take on Americana, and I just like the juxtaposition of their extreme Britishness and singing about Oklahoma. And it's funny, Ian Svenonius has this whole thing about how Americans only accepted black music once it was taught to us by our British overlords. The Beatles and The Stones lacked the context to realise that maybe it's inappropriate to take on this Southern accent. I feel like Ray Davies has a little more tact, like, "No, I'm not going to sing like that!" A lot of the time I will sing in a kind of an English accent - not total English, but definitely more English than country, because my context is growing up and listening to The Beatles and thinking I like the way John Lennon sings it. It's easier not to sing a hard "r", it always sounds country when you sing an "arr". I would never do a Jamaican accent. I'll leave that to Sting. Once again, see we forgive Sting, 'cause he doesn't have the context."

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