This classic of the genre (which I’ve sadly not yet read) was first published 30 years ago, and remains one of the author’s – and the genre’s – most popular books. To celebrate 30 years of Feist, the series is getting a facelift, and it’s a very fine one, too. Here’s the new cover for Magician (to be published in September):
Here’s the synopsis for the book:
The world had changed even before I discovered the foreign ship wrecked on the shore below Crydee Castle, but it was the harbinger of the chaos and death that was coming to our door.
War had come to the Kingdom of the Isles, and in the years that followed it would scatter my friends across the world. I longed o train as a warrior and fight alongside our duke like my foster-brother, but when the time came, I was not offered that choice. My fate would be shaped by other forces.
My name is Pug. I was once an orphaned kitchen boy, with no family and no prospects, but I am destined to become a master magician…
I’ve been reading a lot about this novel, the series and the author’s work as a whole recently, and I’m definitely thinking I should read this very soon.
The eBook will be released in the UK, for the first time, on September 13th 2012.
This is one of those classics that I need to read too.
ReplyDeleteIt's very good. I read it years ago and it's one of those classics that will withstand the test of time. The later books in the series kind of lost it but Magician was excellent.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to give it a shot.I really didn't like one of Feist's later novels, but if it's considered a classic then it'd be a crime not to take a look :)
ReplyDeleteI have read Magician, plus its immediate sequels, "Silverthorn' and 'A Darkness at Sethanon' and would describe it as fairly classic-style epic Fantasy that is also quite heavily gaming-infused. For example, I am fairly sure that both the central protagonist, Pug, and his friend, Thom, were both player characters originally and this drove the early part of the story. Having read this series, plus Faerie Tale (worth a look for those who like urban fantasy) as well as a few of the later books, I still think his strongest work is the "Empire" series he wrote jointly with Janny Wurts. This is a spin off from the world and circumstances set up in the Magician series but definitely more than stands on its own. So much so that I would still recommend it even to those who may not 100% enjoy 'Magician' et al.
ReplyDeleteHave to echo every single praise you've heard about this book and about the author. The Riftwar trilogy is a fantastic romp through a magical world and more than deserves "classic" status. The follow-ons are pretty good too, although I think Riftwar Legacy mimics the narrative of Riftwar. The other books however are just as good. The Krondor's sons books, the Demonwar Saga and later the books that focus on the eastern kingdoms of Midkemia are all just plain good old fun.
ReplyDelete- Abhinav (@abhinavjain87)