Customer Reviews

Magician

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book, originally published in two parts (Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master), tells the story of a war between worlds. Midkemia is a world of elves and dwarves, knights and castles, dragons and hedge wizards, which suddenly finds itself invadered by a human empire from another world, an oriental world whose vast empire has power beyond Midkemia's imagination. This is also the story of a group of young people on Midkemia, who grow up during the war, and develop beyond anything they might have imagined.

This is a great work of high fantasy, perhaps the greatest since the Lord of the Rings. Author Raymond Feist succeeds in this story in bringing to fascinating life not one, but two worlds. I loved the world of Midkemia with its forgotten history of potent magic, and the world of Kelewan with its oriental flavor. Overall, I found this to be a fascinating and highly entertaining read. If you are interested in fantasy literature, then I must say that you have to read this book!

This is perhaps my favorite fantasy book that I have ever read. This is actually split into two books in most publications (Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master). They follow the tail of Pug, a wayward lad whose dreams of riding off to war as a soldier are dashed when the only castle master who would take him in as an apprentice was an eccentric magician, Kulgan. His dreams then turn to becoming the world's most powerful magician, while boyhood friend Tomas sets his sights on the path of a warrior...he made it in the soldier's program, after all.

Little do the lads know the events they set in motion. They become unwitting catalysts in a war that engulfs two worlds, and potentially existence as a whole. Magician follows their tale from humble beginnings to a struggle that depends on their untapped potential to resolve.

The story is quite well written and is an enjoyable and engrossing read. While slow at times (particularly at the start), it's still a faster moving story than Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and many other fantasy writers. A smart combination of magic theory, war tactics, and political intrigue give this book many levels on which to enjoy.

Whether you're a longtime fantasy fan (and if you are, you have probably read this book) or a newcomer to the genre, this is a wonderful book to have, and will launch you into a fantastic trilogy of The Riftwar Saga. Enjoy!

This book is certainly a benchmark and one of the most important fantasy books of all time. Raymond Feist is an extremely talented writer, he develops his characters well and he certainly doesn't overdo the fantasy element. It has all the classic features of a tolkienesque tale - elves, dwarves, magic, and a dragon. Yes, in a way it is cliche and in later volumes his characters are perhaps a little over-developed in the sense that they become as gods, a kind of no-no in fantasy writing. However, if you pick up this book you will not put it down, nor will you have a bad thought about it as you read. The rest of the series is really, really good, and in this vein of fantasy Feist is quite unmatched. I hunted down a first ed. HB copy for my collection, and I have read and re-read it as well as the rest of the series. If you have any inclination towards classic fantasy, then look no further. The character development and a well woven plot will have you hooked.

Raymond E. Feist's book Magician is the best fantasy book I've read. I've read every book Feist wrote, and this one is the first and the best. This is a book you can read over and over and over again and after reading it you can't wait to read the next book. I give this bok 10/10

"Magician: Apprentice" and "Magician: Master" are the first two stories of Raymond Feist's epic Riftwar Saga, set in the interconnected worlds of Mikdemia and Kelewan. The narrative commences by introducing us to two boys enjoying their childhood and the relative peace of their rural setting: Pug, who is apprenticed to a master magician; and his warrior friend Tomas. But when the peace of their kingdom is threatened by alien invaders, both Pug and Tomas are drawn into the conflict, and each begins their own "coming-of-age" journey to a pinnacle of power. By the second book, Pug has become a slave in the Tsurani empire capital Kelewan, where the "Great Ones" have him commence intensive training after witnessing his potential in the art of magic. Meanwhile in the home world of Midkemia, Tomas begins wearing the armor of the Velheru and starts undergoing the transformation that will give him great power as a warrior.

Feist is a good writer, and his work has many fans for good reason. These books read like a gripping adventure story, and can be appreciated as such. But Feist's fantasy isn't going to be for everyone - this reader found that there was too much political intrigue and complexity for his liking; in addition, despite the fact that it's a world peopled by elves, dwarves, trolls, and dragons, the genre at times moved more in the direction of sci-fi rather than fantasy, the latter being my preferred choice. Moreover, I found that the portrayal of magic in these books was simply too weird at times (for example the whole notion of Tomas and the old gods, and even some of the magic powers employed by Pug). It's a fast story and an interesting world, but the political intrigue and strange brand of magic just didn't do it for me.

That is not to say that Feist has failed - legions of devoted fans would strongly argue otherwise. It just means that Feist isn't for everyone, myself included, even if he has created an epic saga much appreciated and beloved by many. -GODLY GADFLY

When I first read magician 13 years ago I was blown away. Here was a story with the epicness and character depth of Lord of Rings, but as accessible as a reenn reader.

Not meaning that the writing is aimed low and everything is simplistic, oh no, but Feist has this quality that just keeps you turning page after page, and before you know it it's 3am.

If I have a criticism it's that the story isn't original, but what he did was take a standard fantasy plot and bend it to his sown will and style.

If anyone loves fantasy and hasn't read this book (which I'd duobt, but hey it happens) than you should read this now. If you're new to fantsay and want somewhere to start, I'd recommend Magician over any other book, yes even Lord of the Rings. If Tom Bombadil showed his face in Midkemia he'd have it torn off by a Saur before he could sing his first verse.

Magician is a classic, and any fan of fantasy has a duty to read it.
The story of young Pug - the apprentice magician and his amazing tale of how it came to be that a poor peasant was taken in by a master magician and soon goes on to acquire land, and fall in love with a princess. Then the enemies come. But these enemies are like no other - the done even come form the same world. Pug becomes involved in an intriguing story of political intrigue, magic, and madness, as he struggles to protect his people all the while learning about his gift. On the cover, this book says it was ranked 100 of the books you must read before you die, and I have to say, as an avid reader I certainly agree. This is not the typical boiler plate fantasy book where poor boy becomes king...this is something more, and few other fantasy books can hold a candle to it...
I can't wait to read the sequel!

Thank you Mr. Feist.

Relic113

I must say that this book is the first fantasy genre novel I have ever read.Its language structures and words are simple to understand.The story is awesome and I totally hooked to it for weeks as the story of the characters were so lively and real....Pug ,Tomas and Carline many more.I salute Raymond E. feist for his creativity and I am going to be his fan for a long time and going to collect all the Ritfwar novels. Is there any big difference between the two part series of Magician and the single one? The one I just finished reading was the reviewed edition published in 1997 and some 16000 words were ommited. :)

This book is in two parts, book 1 and book 2. Book 1 primarily lays the foundation for book 2, which is a more compelling and interesting read. I have friends who compare Feist to Tolkien and I disagree. He's good, but not that good. Feist borrows from Tolkien with elves, dwarfs, etc. This book is definitely a fun ride, but you do have to be able to enjoy a LOT of battle scenes. This is a book about warring nations, and the battles are a lot of what this book consists of. But Feist does a pretty good job of exploring the characters as well. Fairly predictable, but still a good read.

"Magician" (Apprentice and Master) was entertaining, but my impression is that Feist cares more for his characters than he does his story. If you want only virtuous, very likable characters, happy endings and G rated banter between hardened warriors then he's your kind of writer. He's very good at this "safe" epic fantasy genre though (and I don't mean that disparagingly), and he does manage to keep things interesting. I prefer a little more reality and darkness and moral flavor in my fiction, personally. "Magician" was like Star Wars without the Empire. Or rather, Star Wars with a misunderstood Empire that's really good, but just set in its ways and in need of reform. It's the kind of adventure fantasy that I imagine aging, virginal, matronly English professors would enjoy ... if it had a bit more shear literary merit.

Never-the-less, if you like the kind of fiction I've described or you just want a change of pace, it's at the very least entertaining reading. Feist is a good story teller, even if he plays softball with his main characters, protecting them from any real tragedy.