The Death of Chaos (Saga of Recluce) [Mass Market Paperback]

L. E. Modesitt Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Series: Saga of Recluce | Publication Date: June 15, 1996

Lerris has settled into being a woodworker and building a life with Krystal.  But this newfound peace is endangered when both Candar and Recluce come under the threat of invasion from the Empire of Hamor.  Despite the imminent possibility of destruction, the lands of Candar will not unite and Recluce will not heed the peril.  Lerris is faced with the challenge of becoming the greatest wizard of all time--or seeing his whole world destroyed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Modesitt's entertaining fifth book in the Recluce fantasy series details the further adventures of the young wizard Lerris, protagonist of the 1991 series kickoff, The Magic of Recluce. Lerris, who narrates, is happily ensconsed in his carpentry shop and contentedly married to Krystal, a military leader, when he is called to employ his magical powers in battle against the forces of Hamor, an empire across the ocean. The stakes are bigger than simple national interest: in the Recluce universe, chaos and order must be balanced; if either disappears or dies, the world will be destroyed. This novel appeals not primarily for its grand fantasy themes, though, but for Modesitt's convincing treatment of the relationship between Lerris and Krystal?whose fear for, and envy of, her husband manifests as anger. Similarly, Lerris's confusion about why he is driven to heroism comes through clearly and convincingly. The cosmic conflict that fuels the story line is resolved by a deus ex machina, and those not familiar with the earlier series books may find some plot twists hard to follow. Modesitt's dialogue and, above all, character development have improved from earlier volumes, however, resulting in a fantasy whose roots are dug into the reality of human nature.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A power-hungry chaos wizard and the Emperor of Hamor threaten the safety of the fractious lands of Candar and draw the carpenter-wizard Lerris into another struggle to maintain the fragile balance between order and chaos. The sequel to The Magic of Recluce (St. Martin's, 1991) brings together a variety of dedicated wizards and warriors whose human struggles infuse their larger goal with poignancy and realism. Modesitt's leisurely narrative pace belies the steady buildup of tension in a fantasy that belongs in most libraries.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy (June 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812548248
• ISBN-13: 978-0812548242
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #679,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After spending years writing poetry, political speeches and analyses, as well as economic and technical reports on extraordinarily detailed and often boring subjects, I finally got around to writing my first short story, which was published in 1973. I kept submitting and occasionally having published stories until an editor indicated he'd refuse to buy any more until I wrote a novel. So I did, and it was published in 1982, and I've been writing novels -- along with a few short stories -- ever since.

If you want to know more, you can visit my website at www.lemodesittjr.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A challenging, rewarding read....., June 5, 2001

By 

Loyd Arthur (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of Chaos (Saga of Recluce) (Mass Market Paperback)

The first book by Modesitt that I read was 'The Towers of the Sunset', and it took me months to finish it, when normally it would have taken me a few days. I thought it was so-so. I read another in the series after it, and thouroughly enjoyed it. When I came back to 'The Towers', I loved it. I only say this, because it seems a lot of the books in the series were like that. I missed the deeper picture. 'The Death of Chaos' is one of the best books I have had the pleasure to read. I found it to be thoughful, and insightful, and consistent. One of the points in the other reviews is the lack of consistency in that Lerris, the main character, is an order focus at a time of too much order. In Modesitt's world, magic is divided into Chaos and Order. These different aspects are always balanced. If there is too much Order, Chaos will start popping up in the form of White Chaos wizard foci. The fact is that he was a 'grey' wizard, with great power of the balance. He didn't tilt the scales either way, leaving the rules set by Modesitt intact. Another aspect of Modesitt that was hard to get used to was the style of his writing. He leaves much to the imagination, which once I got used to I found again to be highly rewarding. With his wit, and turn of phrase, Modesitt seems to show that almost every line in the book was written with care, to bring you to careening to the climatic ending. All in all one of the best books I have ever read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW- blown away, January 7, 2000

By 

Mark Tiffany "seeker" (north carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Death of Chaos (Saga of Recluce) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is, imho, the best of the series to this point. The wait for the return of lerris was more than worth it. The book has a more human than human quality that I find almost unbearable in its poignancy. I could wish there was less tech and more magic, but that is almost a sideline to the real struggle in the book as lerris comes to manhood. I am not ashamed to say I cried several times while reading the book, and at the oddest parts. I cannot recommend it highly enough, the characters, the magic, the imagery are outstanding and original. I rank recluce with black company, sword of truth, wheel of time and curse of the mistrwraith.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best Saga of Recluse book, May 7, 1998

By 

cleverjake (Vallejo, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of Chaos (Saga of Recluce) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book has the same formula which has worked well in the previous books in the Recluse series, but in The Death of Chaos it seems to be getting a little tired. In each of the previous books, the hero settles a major problem of the time (and creates the groundwork for future problems), and makes a discovery about the order/chaos balance. In The Death of Chaos, however, Lerris' solution is virtually the same as Justen's in The Order War, and it seems that we're right back where we were after the destruction of Fairhaven. I also find it strange that Justen and Dayala would be in favor of such a resolution. In spite of my objections to the conclusion, the storytelling is as strong as ever and The Death of Chaos is a difficult book to put down.