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David McK (3623 KP) rated Magician in Books

Jul 24, 2022  
Magician
Magician
Raymond E. Feist | 1982 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
8.5 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
The first novel (later broken into 2 parts?) in Raymond e feist's so-called Riftwar saga; this definitely falls under what I term as epic fantasy as it spans more than a decade, and all the political and personal changes that occur during that time of war, complete with ye olde 'person of unknown origin finding their place in the world'.

You know, the way a lot of fatnsy stories do? Think Luke Skywalker, from the back-planet of Tattoine, or Frodo Baggins from Bagend, to name but two.

Rags to riches, basically.

Anyway, perhaps the key protagonist of this is the keep boy Pug, who, over the course of the story - finds himself a native of two worlds - that's where the 'Rift' from Riftwar comes in, as a magical rift in space connects them - during a time of war between those two planes.

He's not the only protagonist; just the main one - there's also his childhood friend Tomas, the princes Arutha and Lyam, the princess Carline, the magician Kulgan - but Pug is, to my mind, the key character, with most of those other characters introduced through their relationship to him.

Others have commented on the writing style employed by Feist - it may seem 'basic', however that in itself is no bad thing (and, remember, this book is now decades old) as Feist gives you just enough information to envisage your own world. A bit more, perhaps, than the thumbnail sketches of Terry Pratchett (incidentally, one of my favourite authors), but nowhere near the level of detail that JRR Tolkien that could make The Lord of The Rings, well, a bit of a slog at times!
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated The Magic Square in Books

Jul 16, 2021  
The Magic Square
The Magic Square
John Gaspard | 2020 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Who Made the Body Appear at the Magic Convention?
Eli Marks and his uncle, Harry, are out of town at a magic convention. They’ll be spending a lot of time in the dealer’s room so they can sell Harry’s new two-volume book about his time as a magician, but they are hoping to catch a few of the panels, and the evening sessions. The entire convention is surprised when famed mentalist Gerhardt performs the first night. However, Harry’s friend Abe is less than happy since he’s had a running feud with Gerhardt for years. That feud is public knowledge, so when Abe returns to his hotel room that night to find Gerhardt’s body in the bathroom, the police consider him a strong suspect. Can Eli figure out what is really going on?

I always forget how much I enjoy these books until I am sitting down reading a new one. It was great to slip back into Eli’s world. Since we are out of town, I did miss some of the series regulars, but it did give us more time to get to know the new characters, who are quite strong. The story moves forward at a steady pace, with clues sprinkled into the talk of magic. I did finger the culprit a little early, but I wasn’t completely certain until we reached the suspenseful climax, and I was having such a good time I didn’t really care. While there is talk about magic, we don’t get any illusions spoiled here, but it might inspire you to try to learn a little on your own. If you are a fan of these books, you’ll be glad you picked up this volume. If you haven’t met Eli yet, you’ll be hooked faster than you can say “Abracadabra.”
  
    MoBu - Adventure Begins

    MoBu - Adventure Begins

    Games and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

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    Meet MoBu, the laziest ape in the jungle, who has the appetite of 5 elephants. One day MoBu meets a...

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ClareR (5996 KP) rated Sun of Blood and Ruin in Books

Mar 10, 2024  
Sun of Blood and Ruin
Sun of Blood and Ruin
Mariely Lares | 2023 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It’s not often I have something negative to say about a book (you may have noticed), because I really try to choose books that I know I’ll enjoy. After all, who wants to read something they don’t enjoy? I did have high hopes that Sun of Blood and Ruin would be so much more. I was excited that this book was using Mesoamerican mythology and a bit of Mexican history, something I know nothing about.

I remember watching Zoro as a child, and this book felt like that in places. Except Pantera is female - she is a ‘master’ swords-person, a magician and a shapeshifter. So far, so good. Leonora de Las Casas Tlazohtzin is her alter-ego (or is it the other way round? Im never sure which way round it should be) - it’s a great disguise. She is the sister of the regent of New Spain, and promised to the Spanish Prince - who will ever guess that she’s really Pantera?

What didn’t quite gel with me was the way the story was put together. It didn’t feel like a cohesive novel, more like exciting shorts that had been joined together. I think if I’d read this as a graphic novel or a series of short stories, I would have enjoyed it so much more. The second half of the novel is far better than the first half, I will say that.

Perhaps I’m not the right audience for this book? I do like this genre though, and I do read a fair bit of YA Fantasy, so I’m really not so sure it’s that. It looks as though there will be a follow up, and I’d be interested to see if the style is in any way improved and where the story is going next - so this book is definitely a “like” from me.