|
|
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First Midkemia, then the universe!, April 3, 2000
I bought a copy of the original Magician (with no embellishments) for $2 on a bargain table more than 15 years ago, simply for the magnificent representation of a jewelled dragon on the cover (I've never seen that edition again). It sat on the shelf, unread for months. After all, I was far to logical and practical to want to get involved in reading fantasy (even though I could appreciate an elegantly designed dragon). But all impulse book buyers suffer those times of "all these books and nothing to read", so I eventually picked it up. I must admit for the first few pages I wondered if I could really be bothered, but before I realised, I was 30+ pages beyond the 20 page barrier (... if I can't get involved within 20 pages, it gets tossed...) and realised I'd been transported - I was there, in Crydee. Then began the marathon reading sessions, including about several Midkemia and Kelewan sequels. Within a short time, I progressed from fantasy to SF fantasy, straight on to "hard core" sci-fi. Me, who had previously never seen a purpose to speculative fiction! Suddenly I found I could open my mind to absorb all these wonderful, imagined realms. Even though I can take my sci-fi straight now, I always remember I came to it via fantasy, and to a very large degree, I have Feist to thank for that.I lent the Magician out several times, but it didn't return from the last lending. So, when I was fortunate enough to attend a book signing by Raymond E Feist in Melbourne many years ago, along with the book he was flogging, I purchased another copy, personally dedicated to me. It has never been lent, and never will be. For me, it is one of "those" books; one that helped shape my reading habits. I don't know if the book signing was badly publicised or Melbourne only contained about 10 Feist fans, but after our books were signed, along with the other 9 or so who turned up, I was treated to a wonderful little Q&A time with this storyteller. Those we admire often take on larger-than-life proportions, and the generousity this quite ordinary bear of a man showed his (disappointingly) small group of fans revealed a man of impressive stature. My reading tastes changed and I didn't read any Feist for years, until a recent binge when I read from the Prince's Buccaneer (which I'd owned, unread, for about six years!) up to date (from the library) in about a month. (I was a bit sick of the endless highly detailed battle scenes, but that was a small criticism - after all, most of it was the SerpentWAR series!) I slipped back into Midkemia (and the other worlds - it doesn't stop at Kelwan!) like I'd never been away and picked up with all my old friends and met new; grieving at Arutha's death and falling in love with Calis along the way. After browsing the reviews posted here, it seems people either love the Magician or hate it. Like a lot of other books, you can easily pick it full of holes if you have particular areas of expertise, or if you refuse to give yourself over to the fantasy (fantasy, remember, is where anything can happen). In the end, it's a just a story, fortunately for us entertainingly told by an enthusiastic storyteller, leaving you wanting more from the characters who somehow endear themselves. With all the thousands of books out there, I rarely reread, and even with 15,000 extra words, haven't been compelled to read the embellished version. However, for the hours spent frantically turning pages (sometimes all night), for introducing me to the realms of fantasy via Midkemia and Kelewan, and through it, the infinite realms of sci-fi, I can only rate this a 5-star book.
|
by Raymond E. Feist
by Raymond Feist
by Raymond E. Feist
by Raymond Feist
by Raymond E. Feist
See all Editorial Reviews
