Customer Reviews

The Order War

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This, the fourth book in the series (after THE MAGIC OF RECLUCE, TOWERS OF THE SUNSET, and THE MAGIC ENGINEER), is a vast improvement over the others. The pacing in this book was so much better. The other three had large sections in the middle where nothing really happened, at least in terms of plot progression. This book has slow areas, but they were the slow areas of mostly any other good book out there. They were used for character development rather than for philosophy, as in the first three books. In addition to the better pacing, Modesitt has cut down on the utterly confusing leaps of intuition that were a glaring mark throughout the first three books.

Modesitt's characterizations continue to be very strong here. All of the characters in his books are believable and the villains are not just some two dimensional cardboard cutout. I think the characterizations are the strongest part of Modesitt's writing. Since there's not always a lot of action, the growth of the characters is what keeps my attention in these books.

Modesitt continues to build a vivid, interesting world. I can't wait to find out what this "Legend" he keeps talking about really is. The only real shortcoming of this book is the lack of maps so I can figure out where the heck the characters are in relation to places they've been!

In my opinion, a step down in the quality of the series thus far. Though fantasy, Modesitt asks his Order War readers to accept a lot. At times he justifies his main characters actions which says to me that either the story has some holes which he needs to fill quickly or the plot and his character (in this case Justen) are not developed enough to make the story unfold. I found my self thinking while I read that this doesn't quite make sense. I understand it is fantasy, but I have come to expect a certain quality from Modesitt's Recluce, as the author to this point in the series has set. I cannot elaborate further without giving away the book. With that much said, I did finish the last half of the book in a day, and as usual Modesitt delivers in the end. I found the ending to Order War excellent and up to par with the rest of the series.

Order War is about Justen, the first gray wizard. Recluce veterans will remember Justen from the first written Recluce book, "The Magic of Recluce". Order War takes place chronologically before MOR and here we get to see how Justen becomes a gray wizard. All in all a decent read for series veterans.

This book brings the Rucluce Saga full circle with the introduction of Justen the Gray and the destruction of Fairhaven. I was really excited about this story because I thought that those two topics could be really great. However, I was somewhat dissapointed in many aspects of this book. I don't really know what it was, but I just wasn't able to get into this book as much as I did the last couple. Much of the book seemed to drag on with very little being accomplished, and while the action was thrilling (with Justen and Gunnar whipping the Whites, and the Whites whipping innocent people in turn) it was few and far between. I think more could have been done with the druids (I don't feel like the reader really learns much about them) and with the Black Devil (which just supplied transport for Justen to get to Fairhaven) and what was with the metal rods that Justen used to kill those last Whites??

Look, this is a good book that fits nicely into the saga, but it just didn't live up to what I was expecting. I still look forward to the next book, in which the story returns to Lerris.

I enjoyed this novel in the Recluse series because it gives further insight into the complex magical system that Modesitt has created. It is fun to see how Justen changes through the book, and to watch the relationships with his brother, and other characters evolve. The pacing was a bit slow, just as in other Modesitt novels, and at times I got tired of the myriad of details he provides. Overall, enjoyable, especially the second half.

I've read the first 3 books of "The Saga of Recluce", and found them bearable at best. Due to the good reviews on "The Order War", I decided to give it a try in the hopes that the series would pick up in excitement and plot development.

I can now safely say that this series is not worth continuing and has been the worst series I have ever read. In "The Order War", the main character, Justen, is almost an exact mold copy of the Black Wizards/Engineers that preceded him. He is an exceedingly simple and predictable character who talks, thinks and acts just like Lerris, Dorrin and Creslin. You can plug in any of the previous protagonists from the previous books into this new one and the story would be written in exactly the same way.

Similarly, the primary antagonists, Renwek, Zerchas and Beltar, are another set of dull, undeveloped characters who are mentioned intermittently throughout the book. Their only purpose is to discuss the obstacles they will place in the path of the hero of the book in the form of short conversations that are 1-2 pages long. They will converse amongst themselves and tell you exactly what they plan on doing to try to stop Justen. Again, there is so little character development that you can plug in any of the previous white wizards from the other Recluce books and the story would read the same.

Finally, my last issue with the book is it's lack of complexity and excitement. Modesitt likes to tell you exactly what everyone is thinking and what is going to happen. He drops extremely blatant hints about who might betray Recluce, yet no one does anything to confirm their suspicions or even to keep an eye on the person. For example, from the very beginning of the book, Justen mentions a few times that he has a, "strange feeling" about someone, and that person eventually betrays them during a battle in Candar. Also, if you haven't read any of the Recluce series, the battle scenes are bland and undescriptive. It is almost like watching a war from behind a black screen. All you read is a series of, "Whhssssttttttt", "Crumpppp" and "Aeeeiii", and then the battle is over.

I was extremely disappointed in this book and it was a painful read. I had to try multiple times in order to finish the book and it was so bad I actually came on to write my first ever book review. I advise anyone who only found the first few books "average", to stay away from this one and the rest of the series altogether. I will certainly never again pick up a Modesitt book.

In this, the fourth volume of the Saga of Recluce, Modesitt hits all the right notes. As Justen battles the evil white wizards. This book is the best in the series so far with excellent characterizations and a tight story that keeps the reader wanting to read more and more and more. If you liked any of the first three books you will not be disappointed with this one. Highly recommended!

I purchased this book at a used bookstore in my area because it seemed intriguing and didn't have some reviewer comparing it to The Lord of The Rings... In that I at least saw hope. Tolkien was a master of his art and no one ought to compare something to him that is, almost always, an epic fail. Anyway, I bought the book and sat down as soon as I got home, filled with excitement.

That feeling didn't last long.

First, I hate the way the chapters are divided. It is so confusing. Within the chapter there are segments split off with roman numerals that indicate a change in viewpoint. By the end of the first chapter, I was so confused by the plot, characters, and sad rendering of a storyline that I soon found out something earth shaking - these shifts didn't matter since I never understood a word in them.

Second, there are so many names (people names, place names, book names, ship names, etc.) to be memorized within the first three pages I soon gave up trying to get a fix on them. There were no "Aragorn's" or "John Carter's" or even "Morgana LeFay's." Not one single named really stood out to me. I think I have succeeded in establishing who Justen is, but as to what an "engineer" does in respect to his craft, or what "black iron" is capable of in respect to "order," well, your guess is as good as mine.

I really did try to read the book. I promise I tried really, really hard. I kept on hoping that it would take a turn somewhere and excite my senses, but alas, it did not. By page 45 I had decided to just skip ahead to find SOME sort of action. Then I found it....AAAANNNND got lost once more.

That brings up my third issue with the book. The descriptive details seem rushed. I read them but I was soon lost between trying to discern who was who, what was what, and why it even mattered what color the sails were. There was little by way of description that actually....welll.....described!

I won't even discuss characters because the fact is, they were so poorly fleshed out I can't even begin to. The whole concept of "show, don't tell" is woefully absent. Dialogue appears forced, rushed, and jumbled.

The book is so....strange....I am struggling to even write a review of it.

This is not intended to be a beat down on Modesitt. I cannot imagine how hard it is to write a book, nor how much effort is required. But this book needed a lot more effort than it received. A few months worth, at least. I think it was doomed by the third page.

Since it wasn't very expensive I am not as disappointed as I would be if I had paid the full price. I am, however, upset because I won't even be able to finish it and put it on my shelf of "so-so fiction." It is that bad. I revere books but this one may end up in the trash simply because I cannot even justify allowing it to inhabit space on my bookshelf.

Some people may find it appealing and I say more power to them. But if you want a book filled with characters who make your emotions swell, descriptive language that is poetic and enriching, a complex plot that is delectably twisted, and other divine elements of good fantasy such as magic, monsters, and mythic elements, this book is not the one for you. :(

In truth most of the the books in this series have essentially the same theme. Anyone new to the series should read them in chronological order to get the most enjoyment from the series. Chrono order of all 16 current books is below.
Magi'i of Cyador
Scion of Cyador
The Fall of Angels
The Chaos Balance
Arms-Commander
The Towers of Sunset
The White Order
Colors of Chaos
The Magic Engineer
Natural Ordermage
Mage-Guard of Hamor
The Order War
Wellspring of Chaos
Ordermaster
The Magic of Recluce
The Death of Chaos

If you wish more background for the series I'd suggest
[...]

I may be a bit biased because i started reading them after "Towers of Sunset" was published in '92 and really like the depth and was hooked. I grew up reading books like Xanth, Incarnations of immortality, and Apprentice adept series by Piers Anthony and Modesitt fits in well with that particular niche of the genre.

I love this series. Modessit creates a world like no other. Black and White magicians not what you would think . Great characters!! Every one I have read is a feast. Now I'm at the point where I by the hardbacks. I don't want to wait for paper.

So far, I have been very pleased with all of the Recluce novels I have read, namely the first four. Modesitt's weakness is that he often starts his books with the exact same plot device--a young man on Recluce is for some reason forced to go to Candar and there becomes a very powerful wizard and turns the world on its head, all the while winning the girl of his dreams. However, not every detail is replicated and Modesitt could easily be described as doing a "Theme and Variation" approach to this saga. This series isn't as on grand a scale as say Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series or Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, but in many ways that makes it better--there are significantly less details to remember, so you don't spend each new book trying to recall what happened in the last one. In the end, it shouldn't be compared to either of the aforementioned series because it isn't as good. But, it still is a good read and a very enjoyable tale.