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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Depends, March 31, 2005
This review is from: House of Bairn (Magelord Trilogy #3) (Paperback)
This book was rather predictable, as many of the previous reviews have stated. And the book's out of print, so unless you were a big fan of the other two who couldn't find a new copy, such as myself, you probably won't hunt this down. But I still think it was worth it. The book has better descriptions of magic and its workings than just about any other fantasy. The battles are riveting, and the characters are interesting enough to get your attention. That being said, it IS predictable. You know how it's going to go, almost step-by-step. In the book, the world is divided into the Northern and Southern Alliances, composed of men and women respectively, yet gender roles aren't explored extensively. And perhaps most of all, the book didn't appeal to me (and it seems, many others) on an idealogical level. The main character assumes power equal to that of a god, and wields it indiscriminately, forcefully creating equality between magi and ungifted humans. While this ended well for everyone, in real life this is rarely the case. I think it naive that the author assumed equality could be created in such a manner, and the ending was unsatisfying. I ordinarily try not to spoil the ending as I have done, but upon opening the book you'll realize that I've only spelled out what would have become apparent anyway. Now lastly: Please don't let the negative aspects of the book overwhelm you. The truth is, it's a straightforward trilogy, and it doesn't try to disguise itself otherwise. I would reccomend it, but I wouldn't necessarily put it on top of the list. If you want more complex fare, I heavily reccomend A Song of Ice and Fire, by George RR Martin.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best of the Magelord series!, August 30, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: House of Bairn (Magelord Trilogy #3) (Paperback)
By far the best Magelord book. A must-read, especially if you've read the first two books.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I like the book, but not the protagonist, September 14, 2007
This review is from: House of Bairn (Magelord Trilogy #3) (Paperback)
It was a little predictable, but I enjoy fantasy novels that detail the workings of magic, if it's done well, rather than those that simply leave it at "the old guy with the robe and the staff wiggled his fingers and *poof*."
That being said, I kinda loathed the main character, which I don't hink was the purpose of the book. He wasn't supposed to be an anti-hero or anything. I found him to be sanctimonious and very hypocritical.
This did detract from my enoyment but I would still recommend the series. The first two books were a little slow, this one had better pacing, but they did a good job of setting up the final book.
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