Customer Reviews

Time Streams (Magic the Gathering: Artifacts Cycle, Book 3) (Bk. 3)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I personally feel that compared to the other books in the series, this is the best. There are no extreme leaps in time, the plot is well defined, the main characters have many colors etc. I would recommend it to all fantasy lovers out there!

This third book in the tale of Urza the Planeswalker is much better than the second, Planeswalker, and possibly even better than the excellent The Brothers' War. Picking up where PLANESWALKER ended, TIMESTREAMS tells of the continuing war between Urza and the minions of Phyrexia. Similar to the previous two books, this one spans around 50 years of time, skipping multi-year periods in which armies are built and characters grow older, resulting in a action-packed and exciting read. J. Robert King is a very talented writer, bringing the world of Dominaria to life like few (if any) other MTG authors have.

Most of this book is taken up by battle sequence after battle sequence, with Urza's armies of students and artifacts fighting off a never-ending stream of attacking Phyrexian mutants. While there is action galore, this book also introduces some great and intriguing characters. Jhoira, Teferi, and Barrin are Urza's disciples and proteges and are each developed into believable and highly individual characters that you'll really get to know as the story progresses. Karn, a silver golem that appears in a number of other MTG books (Rath and Storm, Mercadian Masques, and others), is created by Urza in the first chapter, and much of the book is devoted to developing his personality and purpose. The idea of Urza's Legacy, including Karn and the Weatherlight, is also developed here.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about this book is the exploration of time rifts, where the flow of time is either faster or slower than normal. King does an excellent job of making this concept seem somewhat believable and uses the rifts masterfully to make this story one you're not likely to forget. I'd feel comfortable saying that this is the best MTG book I've ever read.

Highly recommended.

5 stars is way too low. 7 should do it. I haven't read such a riveting, enthralling fantasy in a long time! My only complaint is that there should've been more on Barrin and more in depth look at Kerrick, and it was too short! The entrapment of Urza by Multani was ingenious. The detail on the corruption of Serra's Realm was chilling. Marvelous! Let's hope BloodLine (the next book in the series)can be the same!

This is where so many of the characters are developed that lead to the other series. Seeing the obsession of Urza as he seeks a way to destroy Phyrexia and his interaction (or lack thereof) with those around him made the story compelling.Great addition to the cycle; I just wish Jeff Grubb or J.Robert King had done the second book in the Cycle.

This is actually the greatest fantasy book I've ever read. From the very start I couldn't put it down. There was never a dull moment, and I was almost always in suspense for what was going to happen next. I can't wait for Bloodlines to come out. I hope it is as good.

As good as the first (The Brothers War) and FAR better than the second (Planeswalker)in this series. King explains many of the cards and occurrences, and even makes it easy to follow the plot and timeline. A must read if one wants to understand the game and do more than just play it.

I read this book during my lunch breaks while I was teaching SUmmer School. I found it extremely enjoyable and I particularly liked the way he used time paradoxes when he described the Time Bubbles.

Very Good. My students liked it too.

Of all the magic books I've read, this is my favorite. The plot is very interesting, a good bit a twists with a lot of different challenges. The characters are also well written with a good bit of insight into their thoughts.
It is the story of some of the most famous magic characters at one of the most well known places. It is by far my fav of the artifacts cycle and of every other magic book I've read so far.

Well, I've got to say, it was hard to top the writing quality of Planeswalker. What Planeswalker lacked in plot it made up for in writing quality, and vice versa for The Brother's War. The Circle completes itself with the introduction of Time Streams. Finally, a Magic Book that combines good plot with good writing. Hats off to J.R.K.! This book rocks. We can only hope that the next book is as good.

Time Streams continues the tale of the continuing of Urza's striving goal to eliminate the Phyrexians from the world of Dominaria. Introducing the characters of Karn and Jhoira, great thinkers as well as good friends to Urza, they make an alliance with the Viashino and Goblins of Shiv, and the nature spirit Multani to bring the end of Phyrexia and later, the minions of Phyrexia hanging out in Serra's Realm. A great story for those fans of Magic and others.

If you haven't read The Brother's War (Jeff Grubb) or Planeswalker (Lynn Abbey), I encourage you to read these two books before reading Time Streams for better understanding of this book. Fans of the Artifacts Cycle series of books for Magic the Gathering should look for Bloodlines (Loren Coleman) in August, and Mercadian Masques (Lynn Abbey, Francis LeBaron) in September.