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The Black Magician Trilogy #1
The Magicians' Guild
"We should expect this young woman to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician."
This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear of the vagrants and miscreants who despise them and their work-—until one enraged girl, barely more than a child, hurls a stone at the hated invaders...and effortlessly penetrates their magical shield.
What the Magicians' Guild has long dreaded has finally come to pass. There is someone outside their ranks who possesses a raw power beyond imagining, an untrained mage who must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet control.
This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear of the vagrants and miscreants who despise them and their work-—until one enraged girl, barely more than a child, hurls a stone at the hated invaders...and effortlessly penetrates their magical shield.
What the Magicians' Guild has long dreaded has finally come to pass. There is someone outside their ranks who possesses a raw power beyond imagining, an untrained mage who must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet control.
467 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2001
2057 people are currently reading
59908 people want to read
About the author
Trudi Canavan
91 books6,619 followersTrudi Canavan was born in Kew, Melbourne, and grew up in Ferntree Gully, a suburb at the foothills of the Dandenongs.
In 1999 she won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story with “Whispers of the Mist Children”. In the same year she was granted a writers residency at Varuna Writers’ Centre in Katoomba, New South Wales.
In November 2001, The Magicians’ Guild was first published in Australia. The second book of the trilogy, The Novice, was published in June 2002 and was nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. The third book The High Lord was released in January 2003 and was nominated for the Best Novel Ditmar category. All three books entered Australian top ten SF bestseller lists.
The Black Magician Trilogy reached the international market in 2004, published by HarperCollins’ EOS imprint in North America and Orbit Books in the UK. The trilogy is now rated by Nielsen BookScan as the most successful debut fantasy series of the last 10 years.
Trudi’s second trilogy, Age of the Five, has also enjoyed bestselling success. Priestess of the White reached No.3 in the Sunday Times hardback fiction bestseller list, staying in the top ten for six weeks.
In early 2006 Trudi signed a seven-figure contract with Orbit to write the prequel and sequel to the Black Magician Trilogy. The prequel, The Magician’s Apprentice was released in 2009 and won the Best Fantasy Novel category of the Aurealis Awards.
In 1999 she won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story with “Whispers of the Mist Children”. In the same year she was granted a writers residency at Varuna Writers’ Centre in Katoomba, New South Wales.
In November 2001, The Magicians’ Guild was first published in Australia. The second book of the trilogy, The Novice, was published in June 2002 and was nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. The third book The High Lord was released in January 2003 and was nominated for the Best Novel Ditmar category. All three books entered Australian top ten SF bestseller lists.
The Black Magician Trilogy reached the international market in 2004, published by HarperCollins’ EOS imprint in North America and Orbit Books in the UK. The trilogy is now rated by Nielsen BookScan as the most successful debut fantasy series of the last 10 years.
Trudi’s second trilogy, Age of the Five, has also enjoyed bestselling success. Priestess of the White reached No.3 in the Sunday Times hardback fiction bestseller list, staying in the top ten for six weeks.
In early 2006 Trudi signed a seven-figure contract with Orbit to write the prequel and sequel to the Black Magician Trilogy. The prequel, The Magician’s Apprentice was released in 2009 and won the Best Fantasy Novel category of the Aurealis Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,758 reviews
April 23, 2025
This is in no way a romance (there is a TINY romance thread). So why am I even mentioning romance?
Well. The mechanics of many romances are to bring two people together and have them misunderstand and mistrust each other despite it being obvious to the reader that they belong together.
The heart of this story centres on our main character, Sonea, a young magically gifted girl from the lower orders, and Rothen, an old magician from the aristocracy. We know from the early pages that Rothen intends only good things for Sonea and that Sonea's mistrust of him and the majority of magicians is misplaced. What follows is an extended dance of misunderstandings and roadblocks.
The consummation we ache for is not the first kiss of two will-be lovers but simply the acceptance of the obvious by our frustratingly mistrustful heroine. I spent most of the book muttering "just fucking tell him".
That aside, the book is well written but for me felt rather generic and generally lacking in excitement. It's a fairly gentle book that lacks threat and (for much of it) tension. The threat/tension arises from the potential for Sonea to continue making the wrong decisions all the way to the end of the book - but I never felt for a moment that all would not resolve itself at the end.
The "bad guy", again feels a bit generic, and his evil goals aren't actually that damaging to anyone - they basically give Sonea what she wants and prevent a small fracture being inflicted on an unfair social system.
A large chunk of the book is spent with the Thieves in the slums, and in the end this part feels like it doesn't really go anywhere. The Thieves have a seemingly vast network of unground tunnels and chambers that stretched my credulity as it seems an engineering feat far in excess of the slums above and no historical source is given for them. The investment in (secretly) building this network seems to beggar what could be extorted/stolen from the poor folk above.
Anyway. I've been fairly negative in this review. Basically it just wasn't a book for me. That's certainly not to say it's a bad book, and for many it might make a refreshing change from the violent, high stakes yarns that are often encountered these days.
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...
Well. The mechanics of many romances are to bring two people together and have them misunderstand and mistrust each other despite it being obvious to the reader that they belong together.
The heart of this story centres on our main character, Sonea, a young magically gifted girl from the lower orders, and Rothen, an old magician from the aristocracy. We know from the early pages that Rothen intends only good things for Sonea and that Sonea's mistrust of him and the majority of magicians is misplaced. What follows is an extended dance of misunderstandings and roadblocks.
The consummation we ache for is not the first kiss of two will-be lovers but simply the acceptance of the obvious by our frustratingly mistrustful heroine. I spent most of the book muttering "just fucking tell him".
That aside, the book is well written but for me felt rather generic and generally lacking in excitement. It's a fairly gentle book that lacks threat and (for much of it) tension. The threat/tension arises from the potential for Sonea to continue making the wrong decisions all the way to the end of the book - but I never felt for a moment that all would not resolve itself at the end.
The "bad guy", again feels a bit generic, and his evil goals aren't actually that damaging to anyone - they basically give Sonea what she wants and prevent a small fracture being inflicted on an unfair social system.
A large chunk of the book is spent with the Thieves in the slums, and in the end this part feels like it doesn't really go anywhere. The Thieves have a seemingly vast network of unground tunnels and chambers that stretched my credulity as it seems an engineering feat far in excess of the slums above and no historical source is given for them. The investment in (secretly) building this network seems to beggar what could be extorted/stolen from the poor folk above.
Anyway. I've been fairly negative in this review. Basically it just wasn't a book for me. That's certainly not to say it's a bad book, and for many it might make a refreshing change from the violent, high stakes yarns that are often encountered these days.
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Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
February 15, 2021
"She was special, but in a way he could not have guessed. She had magic!"
- DNF 67% - I am sorry, but I can't take more of the insipid interactions between these flat and dull characters (also, stupid) who keep running around in this vague and generic world where nuance doesn't exist and where everyone generalize to excess. Don't even get me started about the writing, so bland and repetitive that it would be laughable if it wasn't so terrible. I really don't care if it gets better after. I can't suffer from one more second of Sonea's spechulness. Even if she has magic!!! Even if they finally stopped!! Oh my god. What kind of nightmare is this.
PS. Kudos to Cery who manages to widen his already wide eyes in the same dialogue. Now THAT's something I would want to see. *snorts*
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May 6, 2021
3,5 dobra zabawa!
October 17, 2008
I was going to put this up on my "currently reading" shelf, but it didn't take me long enough to finish it. Or, perhaps, I read more than I check this website.
Either way, this book I just finished half an hour ago is a cute little start to what seems to be a simple and inoffensive fantasy trilogy set in a stock-and-trade fantasy setting with basic characters and a plot you would expect. THAT being said, it was interesting enough to make me go look for the second and third books. Or, rather, I WILL go look for the other book this weekend, but only if I find myself in a bookstore.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the modern paperback fantasy. It's familiar, light, and untaxing; the literary equivalent of a muffin and a cup of coffee.
Either way, this book I just finished half an hour ago is a cute little start to what seems to be a simple and inoffensive fantasy trilogy set in a stock-and-trade fantasy setting with basic characters and a plot you would expect. THAT being said, it was interesting enough to make me go look for the second and third books. Or, rather, I WILL go look for the other book this weekend, but only if I find myself in a bookstore.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the modern paperback fantasy. It's familiar, light, and untaxing; the literary equivalent of a muffin and a cup of coffee.
November 29, 2011
A protagonist that is super special, and a world apparently divided into slums and powerful rich magic people? I like my fantasy in shades of grey, not black and white, and I'm sick of protagonists that are born more special than other people, rather than character development and hard work making them more special, so I guess I should have known this one wouldn't thrill me. But I was looking for a kickass female magician protagonist, and I thought maybe this would give it to me.
Pet Peeve: Canavan can't bear to call a horse a horse. Nope. It's got to be a Dolag or a Mehai or a Ihrdsoihg'afdaf.
Maybe that's a little sarcastic, but the constant inclusion of invented words for common, real-world concepts is really annoying.
The first half of the book drags on and on while Sonea runs away from the magicians who are trying to catch her because if she doesn't get their help she'll die and probably blow up half the city with her. So, it's inevitable that she'll end up with the magicians, but we still get 200 pages of dragging writing about her trying to escape them. Would have been more interesting if her running away was condensed to a couple of chapters of high-impact action.
The characters don't seem to have real feelings and I have a hard time believing the relationships between them because of that. Sonea in particular is so untrusting that I find it hard to believe anyone would want to help her out. Not to mention, the writing doesn't facilitate much emotional connection, being colourless, e.g. " Cery's eyes widened, then he put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. 'They won't catch you.' "
It could have been emotional. It could have been strong. Instead it's just... there.
And I didn't find the kickass female protag I was looking for. Sonea is reactive, not proactive, untrusting, stubborn, ignorant and ultimately 'wins' through other people's actions.
Pet Peeve: Canavan can't bear to call a horse a horse. Nope. It's got to be a Dolag or a Mehai or a Ihrdsoihg'afdaf.
Maybe that's a little sarcastic, but the constant inclusion of invented words for common, real-world concepts is really annoying.
The first half of the book drags on and on while Sonea runs away from the magicians who are trying to catch her because if she doesn't get their help she'll die and probably blow up half the city with her. So, it's inevitable that she'll end up with the magicians, but we still get 200 pages of dragging writing about her trying to escape them. Would have been more interesting if her running away was condensed to a couple of chapters of high-impact action.
The characters don't seem to have real feelings and I have a hard time believing the relationships between them because of that. Sonea in particular is so untrusting that I find it hard to believe anyone would want to help her out. Not to mention, the writing doesn't facilitate much emotional connection, being colourless, e.g. " Cery's eyes widened, then he put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. 'They won't catch you.' "
It could have been emotional. It could have been strong. Instead it's just... there.
And I didn't find the kickass female protag I was looking for. Sonea is reactive, not proactive, untrusting, stubborn, ignorant and ultimately 'wins' through other people's actions.
October 9, 2010
This review was written by Manon for RantingDragon.com
The redundant beginning
Sonea is a dwell that lives in the slums. Everyone in the slums hates the Magicians that live safely, luxuriously and arrogantly up in their Magician’s Guild. Only those of the Houses can become Magicians, and those in the slums are regarded as rats of the city, without any magical potential.
Until Sonea and her gang start throwing rocks to the heads of the Magicians that have gathered for the annual Purge (the Purge being the event where Magicians throw out the poor inhabitants of the slums out of their houses to live on the streets). The stone that Sonea throws at one of the Magicians’ heads, actually breaks through their magical barrier, uncovering Sonea’s magical potential.This will ensue a lot of trouble for Sonea, her friends and family.
Sonea is forced to go into hiding as she does not want to join the Guild. For about 300 pages, nearly 50 percent of the book, we follow her running from the Magicians. Then, finally, after her magical potential becomes so strong and she can no longer control her magic and she nearly destroys the city of Imardin, she is caught and brought to the Guild. She is assigned a benign mentor, Lord Rothen, one of the few Magicians actually interested in helping her instead of working her out of the Guild. According to most Magician’s, Sonea should be kicked out as soon as possible, because slum dwellers do not belong in the Guild.
Negative vibes
In her early time in the Guild, Sonea is manipulated, angered, scared, freaked out, confused, lost and sad. She is insanely hard-headed, almost to the point where it’s annoying. Her being so distrustful of the Guild is not helped by the fact that she saw one of the higher-ups of the Guild coming back from a secret assassination, before she was caught by the Guild. Sonea thinks every one of the Magicians are self-centered, manipulative bastards and in fact, most of them are.
What seemed silly was that from both sides, both the developed, educated Magicians and the lowly slum dwellers are full of generalizations. One slum dweller steals? All of them steal. One Magician accidentally kills a boy? They all are senseless murderers. The generalizations became a little too evident and in my opinion, too easy.
There are not a whole lot of positive vibes in these books, whereas it’s mostly about Sonea’s very negative, insecure feelings. That 50 percent of the book is about the hiding from and being chased by the Magician’s Guild to only end up there was really very redundant – I felt fooled when she was caught by the Guild. What is the point of elaborating so much about her running from the Guild, while it could have been done with in only a few chapters?
Why should you read this book
I’m not a person who stops reading a series or Trilogy. When I’ve started a story, I like to finish it. In this case, I’m glad I did continue to read, because the following two books in the Trilogy, “The Novice” and “The High Lord” were both very enjoyable reads. If this were a standalone, I would not have recommended it to anyone, because it was simply a boring story with a lot of redundancy.
If you want to read an enjoyable trilogy with a meager first novel, go read this trilogy. I promise, the second and third books are a lot better than this one!
The redundant beginning
Sonea is a dwell that lives in the slums. Everyone in the slums hates the Magicians that live safely, luxuriously and arrogantly up in their Magician’s Guild. Only those of the Houses can become Magicians, and those in the slums are regarded as rats of the city, without any magical potential.
Until Sonea and her gang start throwing rocks to the heads of the Magicians that have gathered for the annual Purge (the Purge being the event where Magicians throw out the poor inhabitants of the slums out of their houses to live on the streets). The stone that Sonea throws at one of the Magicians’ heads, actually breaks through their magical barrier, uncovering Sonea’s magical potential.This will ensue a lot of trouble for Sonea, her friends and family.
Sonea is forced to go into hiding as she does not want to join the Guild. For about 300 pages, nearly 50 percent of the book, we follow her running from the Magicians. Then, finally, after her magical potential becomes so strong and she can no longer control her magic and she nearly destroys the city of Imardin, she is caught and brought to the Guild. She is assigned a benign mentor, Lord Rothen, one of the few Magicians actually interested in helping her instead of working her out of the Guild. According to most Magician’s, Sonea should be kicked out as soon as possible, because slum dwellers do not belong in the Guild.
Negative vibes
In her early time in the Guild, Sonea is manipulated, angered, scared, freaked out, confused, lost and sad. She is insanely hard-headed, almost to the point where it’s annoying. Her being so distrustful of the Guild is not helped by the fact that she saw one of the higher-ups of the Guild coming back from a secret assassination, before she was caught by the Guild. Sonea thinks every one of the Magicians are self-centered, manipulative bastards and in fact, most of them are.
What seemed silly was that from both sides, both the developed, educated Magicians and the lowly slum dwellers are full of generalizations. One slum dweller steals? All of them steal. One Magician accidentally kills a boy? They all are senseless murderers. The generalizations became a little too evident and in my opinion, too easy.
There are not a whole lot of positive vibes in these books, whereas it’s mostly about Sonea’s very negative, insecure feelings. That 50 percent of the book is about the hiding from and being chased by the Magician’s Guild to only end up there was really very redundant – I felt fooled when she was caught by the Guild. What is the point of elaborating so much about her running from the Guild, while it could have been done with in only a few chapters?
Why should you read this book
I’m not a person who stops reading a series or Trilogy. When I’ve started a story, I like to finish it. In this case, I’m glad I did continue to read, because the following two books in the Trilogy, “The Novice” and “The High Lord” were both very enjoyable reads. If this were a standalone, I would not have recommended it to anyone, because it was simply a boring story with a lot of redundancy.
If you want to read an enjoyable trilogy with a meager first novel, go read this trilogy. I promise, the second and third books are a lot better than this one!
November 28, 2015
“If this young woman is a natural, we should expect her to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician.”
This one started off a bit slow and dragged on a bit but for some strange reason I kept on reading as I felt that it would eventually pay off. The characters were well developed and the world building great. The heroine annoyed the crap out of me at times but I'm glad that I held on.
I really would like to see where this trilogy goes so I eagerly look forward to continuing on to The Novice.
This one started off a bit slow and dragged on a bit but for some strange reason I kept on reading as I felt that it would eventually pay off. The characters were well developed and the world building great. The heroine annoyed the crap out of me at times but I'm glad that I held on.
I really would like to see where this trilogy goes so I eagerly look forward to continuing on to The Novice.
November 10, 2024
“It is said, in Imardin, that the wind has a soul, and that it wails through the narrow streets because it is grieved by what it finds there.”
I picked this up with every intention of reading this the same as with every book I pick up. The synopsis piqued my interest and I'm ready to cut my arm for a copy of this. However, when I took a quick look at the review section, I was surprised to see that it has so many bad reviews. Did that deter me from reading this? Absolutely not. I read books that fascinate me and might provide me a lasting enjoyment and I'm not letting the polarizing reviews dissuade me from doing that.
Imagine my joy when I followed my guts and started feasting on this book! I was surprised to know I completely agreed with those reviews that it moved at a snail's pace. It sure did but, boy, when it picked up, it picked up good .
I find this book very hard to put down especially after the 50 percent mark. I feel like it redeemed this book and turned the whole story into so much more. The first half had so much potential but the second half... it exceeded and shattered my expectations! It. Was. Divine. I thought I would pass out from excitement with each second that passed. Every scene was exhilirating and heart-pounding.
I think it's time for me to make a list! Below is a list of specific things I LOVE about this book:
‣ Sonea was definitely a winning character. She's easy to like and her actions were justified. Everything she did was totally what everyone would do if put in her shoes.
‣ Zero romance. Now, this is unusual of me to like this predicament but, you are not seeing things, I actually liked this. And by zero romance it means zero instalove, zero blushes (thankfully) and zero silly love declarations and I'm all for that.
‣ Sonea was no Mary Sue. Yes, people say (1) she has powers so strong she can even destroy the city if she wants to and (2) she's expected to do great things but she never did anything flawlessly and unrealistically. It was very satisfying to see.
‣ The storyline was very engaging and complex. Not once did I predict what would happen next and that's how I want my fantasy books to be!
‣ The worldbuilding was very thought out and everything was explained well. There were no loose ends when it comes to the culture, magic system and history of this world where the magicians, thieves and ordinary people reside. Everything was believable. Everything was logical.
‣ The characters, main and secondary characters alike, felt very real. Each one of them were carefully written. They were to-the-point. You will like the good characters, you will loathe the bad ones and you will doubt those who were painted in gray too. I like it. The characters were carved really well.
‣ Cery, Rothen and Dannyl were the characters I genuinely care about apart from Sonea. They're very different but you can see the same innate goodness in them. A little in-depth look about them:
• Cery was Sonea's friend who was secretly in love with her. It's the kind of love that is mature. He's genuinely fond of her and he goes to great lengths for Sonea's sake alone with no ulterior motive like win her love or anything like that and it brings tears to my eyes. I just want to make a Cery Protection Squad so bad.
• Rothen was the father figure I never knew I needed in this story. I needed him so badly for Sonea to hold on to. I needed him to be good and trustworthy and understanding and he turned out to be all that. And more. He's a good life and magic mentor for Sonea and I loved that he never gave up trying to win her trust. There's more to his story that what this book let on and I hope it gets explored in the sequel.
• Dannyl was your typical naughty character but he has a deep layer in him that makes him really likeable. He knows when to be serious too. He's the character that has the full potential to be in a ship I'd ship with all my heart.
List of HATES:
‣ The three-legged turtle pace in the first half of the book. I think it just dragged the story in circles and some of the scenes depicted in that first half were repetitive as well. I could do without the first few Sonea chase scenes too. I felt they were not essential to the storyline.
‣ Excessive info dumping. I think that's self-explanatory. I also think that too much info dumping was the primary cause of the bullet above. I could do without some of the information too BUT, hear me out, I think they were important for the foundation of the story. My only problem was that I just think it was not important in this first installment. It doesn't add up to the current story.
You will not regret pushing through the first half because the second half will redeem the bleakness of how the beginning was written.
Lesson learned: Don't let bad reviews stop you from reading any book you fancied!
I picked this up with every intention of reading this the same as with every book I pick up. The synopsis piqued my interest and I'm ready to cut my arm for a copy of this. However, when I took a quick look at the review section, I was surprised to see that it has so many bad reviews. Did that deter me from reading this? Absolutely not. I read books that fascinate me and might provide me a lasting enjoyment and I'm not letting the polarizing reviews dissuade me from doing that.
Imagine my joy when I followed my guts and started feasting on this book! I was surprised to know I completely agreed with those reviews that it moved at a snail's pace. It sure did but, boy, when it picked up, it picked up good .
I find this book very hard to put down especially after the 50 percent mark. I feel like it redeemed this book and turned the whole story into so much more. The first half had so much potential but the second half... it exceeded and shattered my expectations! It. Was. Divine. I thought I would pass out from excitement with each second that passed. Every scene was exhilirating and heart-pounding.
I think it's time for me to make a list! Below is a list of specific things I LOVE about this book:
‣ Sonea was definitely a winning character. She's easy to like and her actions were justified. Everything she did was totally what everyone would do if put in her shoes.
‣ Zero romance. Now, this is unusual of me to like this predicament but, you are not seeing things, I actually liked this. And by zero romance it means zero instalove, zero blushes (thankfully) and zero silly love declarations and I'm all for that.
‣ Sonea was no Mary Sue. Yes, people say (1) she has powers so strong she can even destroy the city if she wants to and (2) she's expected to do great things but she never did anything flawlessly and unrealistically. It was very satisfying to see.
‣ The storyline was very engaging and complex. Not once did I predict what would happen next and that's how I want my fantasy books to be!
‣ The worldbuilding was very thought out and everything was explained well. There were no loose ends when it comes to the culture, magic system and history of this world where the magicians, thieves and ordinary people reside. Everything was believable. Everything was logical.
‣ The characters, main and secondary characters alike, felt very real. Each one of them were carefully written. They were to-the-point. You will like the good characters, you will loathe the bad ones and you will doubt those who were painted in gray too. I like it. The characters were carved really well.
‣ Cery, Rothen and Dannyl were the characters I genuinely care about apart from Sonea. They're very different but you can see the same innate goodness in them. A little in-depth look about them:
• Cery was Sonea's friend who was secretly in love with her. It's the kind of love that is mature. He's genuinely fond of her and he goes to great lengths for Sonea's sake alone with no ulterior motive like win her love or anything like that and it brings tears to my eyes. I just want to make a Cery Protection Squad so bad.
• Rothen was the father figure I never knew I needed in this story. I needed him so badly for Sonea to hold on to. I needed him to be good and trustworthy and understanding and he turned out to be all that. And more. He's a good life and magic mentor for Sonea and I loved that he never gave up trying to win her trust. There's more to his story that what this book let on and I hope it gets explored in the sequel.
• Dannyl was your typical naughty character but he has a deep layer in him that makes him really likeable. He knows when to be serious too. He's the character that has the full potential to be in a ship I'd ship with all my heart.
List of HATES:
‣ The three-legged turtle pace in the first half of the book. I think it just dragged the story in circles and some of the scenes depicted in that first half were repetitive as well. I could do without the first few Sonea chase scenes too. I felt they were not essential to the storyline.
‣ Excessive info dumping. I think that's self-explanatory. I also think that too much info dumping was the primary cause of the bullet above. I could do without some of the information too BUT, hear me out, I think they were important for the foundation of the story. My only problem was that I just think it was not important in this first installment. It doesn't add up to the current story.
You will not regret pushing through the first half because the second half will redeem the bleakness of how the beginning was written.
Lesson learned: Don't let bad reviews stop you from reading any book you fancied!
May 19, 2015
This was a very enjoyable read with an interesting story and some very likeable characters. I particularly enjoyed the chapters about magic and entering other people's minds. Loved the descriptions likening minds to rooms in houses. It was all very interesting and made a change from the usual magic books where everyone is throwing magical stuff around and killing each other. The ending was very obviously the lead up to the next book and I have no problem being led. In fact I am looking forward to part two.
November 24, 2024
Wow… jakie to było…. słabeXD
Jak na książkę, która zawiera w tytule słowo MAG, system magiczny był rozczarowujący. O ile można w ogóle o jakimś mówić. Bez akcji i z płaskimi bohaterami.
Ocena: 1,5
Jak na książkę, która zawiera w tytule słowo MAG, system magiczny był rozczarowujący. O ile można w ogóle o jakimś mówić. Bez akcji i z płaskimi bohaterami.
Ocena: 1,5
May 8, 2010
Canavan became so popular that she unavoidably made me interested - she is getting lumped together with big names in industry, such as Rowling, Paolini and even Meyer. Out of these only Rowling is worth something, being the one to cause this avalanche. I was really curious whether Canavan was as bad as other fantasy-related authors loved by the public and finally got to read her books, courtesy of a friend.
The Magicians' Guild starts simply enough - lowest caste tangles into skirmishes with the nobles. The entire society system, as well as everything in this novel, is uncomplicated, designed so as to avoid any thinking while parsing it. Magicians (c'mon, no real fantasy novel calls these guys magicians, they're mages! Magicians do tricks on the streets... oh well, Canavan's magicians are pretty pathetic either, so maybe the name suits) (it is to be noted that the translated version I've read calls them mages, too - one positive point to the translator) are recruited from higher castes and - surprise! - no commoner is allowed in the Guild.
The book tells a story of a young girl from lower caste, who discovers her powers and needs to be tutored since untrained mages... magicians are very destructive to their surroundings and themselves. Sounds good enough. Of course, the girl is spooked and tries to run. The Guild tries to catch her, as you can read on the back cover of the novel. And that constitues half of the book. Haha.
Lol?
The Magicians' Guild in short:
- very, very repetitive - it's basically run and hide, repeat;
- long-winded sections of narrative on nothing in particular;
- very, very cliche;
- suitable for 5-year-olds;
- villain taken from... I don't know, your 8-year-old sister's real-life school story about evil teachers;
- stupid and dumb - i.e.: the characters were pursued by a guy. They hid in hidden passage, behind a wall and... talked and waited there till the pursuer noticed them and started to approach the wall! Only then did they flee. And don't even get me started on their talking part.
- any normal author would have squeezed the entire plot of this book in 50 pages!! And sprinkle it with tidbits of information that would make the world and characters real, instead of cardboard, schematic stuff that has been already included in 'generic fantasy elements' listings.
Summing up, this book was even worse than I expected. It's young adult directed at brainless readers who require explaining everything and don't notice glaring plotholes.
The Magicians' Guild starts simply enough - lowest caste tangles into skirmishes with the nobles. The entire society system, as well as everything in this novel, is uncomplicated, designed so as to avoid any thinking while parsing it. Magicians (c'mon, no real fantasy novel calls these guys magicians, they're mages! Magicians do tricks on the streets... oh well, Canavan's magicians are pretty pathetic either, so maybe the name suits) (it is to be noted that the translated version I've read calls them mages, too - one positive point to the translator) are recruited from higher castes and - surprise! - no commoner is allowed in the Guild.
The book tells a story of a young girl from lower caste, who discovers her powers and needs to be tutored since untrained mages... magicians are very destructive to their surroundings and themselves. Sounds good enough. Of course, the girl is spooked and tries to run. The Guild tries to catch her, as you can read on the back cover of the novel. And that constitues half of the book. Haha.
Lol?
The Magicians' Guild in short:
- very, very repetitive - it's basically run and hide, repeat;
- long-winded sections of narrative on nothing in particular;
- very, very cliche;
- suitable for 5-year-olds;
- villain taken from... I don't know, your 8-year-old sister's real-life school story about evil teachers;
- stupid and dumb - i.e.: the characters were pursued by a guy. They hid in hidden passage, behind a wall and... talked and waited there till the pursuer noticed them and started to approach the wall! Only then did they flee. And don't even get me started on their talking part.
- any normal author would have squeezed the entire plot of this book in 50 pages!! And sprinkle it with tidbits of information that would make the world and characters real, instead of cardboard, schematic stuff that has been already included in 'generic fantasy elements' listings.
Summing up, this book was even worse than I expected. It's young adult directed at brainless readers who require explaining everything and don't notice glaring plotholes.
March 19, 2025
Telling the story of Sonea a girl trying to live in a world of division where the magicians rule. Not only is she a girl but she is a commoner who could never be part of such a precious world. Well, things change and in an instant Sonea life changes through no fault of her own but all by accident.. The adventure begins when she discovers that she too possess the same precious power, that is ten times the strength of an ordinary magician.. Not only does this shock her but it also shocks the magicians guild who must find her...
I cannot say how much I love this book. It is absolutely brilliant. From the moment you open it to the moment you close it, you engulf yourself in the world. The adventure of the world makes you want to know what happens next. I found that it was very well written because you instantly pictured the world that the author created. You could see the characters almost touch them. I have read the series up to the last release and now wait in vain for the next book. Try it!!
I would definitely recommend these books to a very confident reader. A child from year 5 upwards who have mastered good level of comprehension. Just anyone who enjoys reading.
I cannot say how much I love this book. It is absolutely brilliant. From the moment you open it to the moment you close it, you engulf yourself in the world. The adventure of the world makes you want to know what happens next. I found that it was very well written because you instantly pictured the world that the author created. You could see the characters almost touch them. I have read the series up to the last release and now wait in vain for the next book. Try it!!
I would definitely recommend these books to a very confident reader. A child from year 5 upwards who have mastered good level of comprehension. Just anyone who enjoys reading.
October 31, 2023
This book started out promisingly, with a breezy style and a welcome exploration of class differences as told in a fantasy setting. And its central characters felt fresh and alive.
But as it wore on, it became clear that Canavan had almost no sense of dramatic tension or plot momentum, and a tedium set in that, coupled with mounting excessive cliches such as all characters sighing multiple times on a page, made me resist picking up the book, until at long last I finished it.
Ah well, another popular fantasy selection that I read because it was voted up by the SF and Fantasy Book Club goes into my growing pile of two-star reads.
But as it wore on, it became clear that Canavan had almost no sense of dramatic tension or plot momentum, and a tedium set in that, coupled with mounting excessive cliches such as all characters sighing multiple times on a page, made me resist picking up the book, until at long last I finished it.
Ah well, another popular fantasy selection that I read because it was voted up by the SF and Fantasy Book Club goes into my growing pile of two-star reads.
February 7, 2015
★: TE ODIO MERECÉS MORIRRRRR
*Da vuelta el libro para leer la sinopsis*
No me encontré con nada de eso.
Me decepcioné. No demasiado, porque no le había puesto tantas fichas, pero no me gustó. Fue aburridísimo, ABURRIDÍSIMO!!!
Spoilers.
Sonea es una plebeya que vive entre ladrones y que odia a los magos del gremio porque parece ser que son como la policía abusiva del reino. Oh, casualidad, un día, de la nada, descubre que ella también es maga, y entonces se desata una serie de acontecimientos que culminan prácticamente en nada, vaya Tehlu Misericordioso a saber qué.
Les explico por qué. La novela tiene dos partes. En la primera parte, Sonea escapa de allá para acá, de un lado a otro, sin rumbo fijo, conoce personajes a lo tonto, ladrones, muchos ladrones, túneles, demasiados túneles y alcantarillas, Cery, oh Cery, el mejor amigo de Sonea, etc, etc. Explotan un par de cosas (solo un par de cosas, por decir unos muebles), ya que ella no tiene control sobre su magia. Oh, como si hacer explotar cosas fuera lo único que puede hacer un mago. Y mientras tanto, los magos del gremio se desviven buscándola por todos lados, ya que no puede haber un mago que no sea del gremio, está prohibido por la ley.
Dos meses tardaron los magos en encontrarla. Dos meses. Ahora, yo digo, teniendo a tantos magos dentro del gremio, con tantas habilidades y tantos poderes y taaaaaanto talento, ¿cómo es que no pudieron rastrearla fácilmente y encontrarla, no sé, en dos días? Malísimo. ¿Qué clase de magos son? A todo esto, la autora casi no describe la apariencia de los magos. Nos encontramos con Rothen, Fergun, Dannyl, Lorlen y tantos más, y yo ni siquiera sé si son altos, flacos, gordos, rubios, castaños, ancianos, jóvenes, ni siquiera sé si son mujeres ya que los nombres no me dicen nada, y tampoco puedo proyectarlos en mi cabeza, así que cada vez que aparecía uno de ellos, en mi mente aparecía una persona con el rostro oscurecido, ya que no sabía qué apariencia tenía. Y me daba lo mismo Fergun que Rothen, algo que a la larga me di cuenta que no podía dar por sentado.
La cuestión, no sucede nada. En 200 hojas, Sonea no hace nada. Cery hace cosas, pero eran totalmente irrelevantes para la historia. No sé qué pito tocaba Cery en esta novela, en serio. Ni todos los demás personajes. Sonea no hace más que esconderse, ser llevada de un lado a otro, como una autómata. Nada. En serio. Nadah, así con "h" al final.
En la segunda parte, Sonea por fin es llevada al gremio (POR FIN), y Rothen se convierte en su profesor provisional. La cuestión es que Sonea debe aprender a controlar sus habilidades de maga antes de poder ingresar al gremio. Si se queda en el gremio, tendrá comodidades, lujos y educación; si se va del gremio, le bloquearán sus poderes y podrá volver con "su familia" (que eran sus tíos, a saber) y Cery. Lo que ella no sabía era que Cery estaba encerrado en el gremio por culpa de Fergun, que vendría a ser el malo de la historia. No sé. Más de 130 páginas en las que Sonea debería aprender algo, en la que se desviven contándole todo lo que puede hacer en el gremio, todo lo que puede aprender, todo lo que le van a enseñar, viajes turísticos por el edificio del gremio todo el tiempo a toda hora, contándote cuándo se creó tal cosa y cuándo se construyó tal otra. Y a la hora del verdadero entrenamiento, te lo pasan por alto. Uau, qué poder de la descripción y la narración asombroso. La novela termina de la manera más predecible posible, como si fuera una película para niños de Disney. No hay ningún plot twist ni nada que diga "¡uh, uh, cómo seguirá el siguiente!"
Sonea no tiene personalidad. Es chata, chaaaataaaa. La autora quiere plantear a una muchacha joven que se preocupa por los demás, pero apenas si se nota eso, porque lo único que hace es preguntar cosas, y no especialmente relacionadas con los demás. Sí, quiere ser sanadora, pero eso no la convierte en un alma caritativa automáticamente. Carece de personalidad totalmente. No tenía ni buenas contestaciones ni ningún ingenio, ni podría decirse que haya tenido frases memorables. Nada. Una caja de cartón vacía.
Cery me parecía un buen personaje, pero demasiado cliché. El mejor amigo enamorado de la chica, y la chica no le presta atención. Por cuestiones hormonales y amorosas, se mete en donde no es llamado, y se convierte en el cebo para que Fergun controlara a Sonea a su antojo. Estúpido, estúpido Cery, exististe nomás para complicar las cosas. ¿Por qué hay personajes que complican la vida? En serio pregunto.
Fergun me pareció el villano más soso del mundo. ¿Conocen Phineas y Ferb? Conocen a Doofenshmirtz entonces. Fergun es como Doofenshmirtz. Tiene ideas pero son tontas y al final al único al que se daña es a sí mismo. Estúpido, estúpido Fergun. Me caés mal, te hacés el malo y alto pelotudo sos. No te banco.Perdonen, se me escapan los sentimientos.
Rothen me caía bien, pero de nuevo caemos en el personaje cliché paternal, profesor, que trata bien al desconocido (Sonea) y que se convierte en el único en que ella puede confiar. Y Dannyl también me caía bien, pero lástima que cayó en una historia totalmente tonta y sin basamento. En otro libro habría actuado mejor.
El rey ni pintó, no se sabe quién es, no se sabe si gobierna bien, si el país está en guerra, si la gente lo quiere o no, no se sabe nada del país en donde habita Sonea. Nada de contexto. Nada. Los odio.
POR PRIMERA VEZ CONECTÉ CON UN PERSONAJE AL LEER ESO!!!
Yo solo quería leer una historia de fantasía. Una historia con magia. Toda esa magia que me vende el libro, no la tiene. Los magos se la pasan discutiendo cosas que parecen importantes pero que no lo son, hablando mentalmente y peleándose por ver quién sería mejor maestro de Sonea. No. Yo quería ver cosas explotar, edificios caer, luces volando, bolas de fuego, teletransportaciones, bastones embrujados, mitología, espíritus y traiciones. No hubo nada. Era como andar viajando en un auto por la ruta, solo que el auto era un Fiat 600 de principios del siglo pasado, que iba a 20km/h, lento, lento, despacio. De vez en cuando veías una vaca o una granja a lo lejos, pero nada más. Y cuando llegás a destino, estás más contento de que el viaje se terminó de por el proceso que fue llegar hasta ahí.
Además, me siento insultada. Siento que esta novela es arrogante. Les cuento por qué: tiene un mapa, un mapa al principio, del gremio, como si con las explicaciones que te dan en 50 hojas no fueran suficientes (y como si me interesara saber dónde está cada cosa. A ver, el gremio no es Hogwarts, no me interesa, y ni siquiera Hogwarts tenía un mapa en los libros. Andá a encontrar las mazmorras de Slytherin en tu cabeza), y al final de la novela, hay al menos diez hojas con argot casual del reino, con palabras y frases que se usan habitualmente entre los ladrones de la ciudad y entre los magos del gremio. Les digo algo: en ningún momento me fijé qué significaban las palabras. Me temo que es algo que se desprende del contexto y no es necesario tener un glosario (ni siquiera Maze Runner, con todas las palabras inventadas que tenía, traía un glosario al final. Te terminabas aprendiendo los significados por contexto, porque el libro te considera lo suficientemente inteligente como para que descubras los significados vos mismo, pero no, esta novela te cree tonto y te pone, como insulto un glosario al final). Es una novela arrogante, soberbia, porque se cree que necesita todo eso, todos esos agregados, cuando en realidad no sucede nada, y ni el mapa ni el glosario colaboran con la historia, solo enardecieron más mi ya destruido respeto que tenía. Querida, no sos Tolkien ni George Martin, bajate los humos. Te creo que ellos precisen un mapa cuando hablan de tierras y tierras y más tierras de las que si no tenés un mapa te perdés, pero ¿un mapa del gremio? ¿En serio? Como tener un mapa de mi casa. INÚTIL.
Ya me descargué. Precisaba decir esto tras haber leído más de la mitad de la novela hoy. Ya solo quiero vaciar mi currently reading y por desgracia este estaba en ese shelf. Ya no más, por suerte. Mi primera lectura del año que me quiso arrancar los ojos de las cuencas.
*Da vuelta el libro para leer la sinopsis*
MAGIA, ACCIÓN Y AVENTURA EN LA ÓPERA PRIMA DE UNA AUTORA QUE HA TRIUNFADO EN EL MUNDO ENTERO
No me encontré con nada de eso.
Me decepcioné. No demasiado, porque no le había puesto tantas fichas, pero no me gustó. Fue aburridísimo, ABURRIDÍSIMO!!!
Spoilers.
Sonea es una plebeya que vive entre ladrones y que odia a los magos del gremio porque parece ser que son como la policía abusiva del reino. Oh, casualidad, un día, de la nada, descubre que ella también es maga, y entonces se desata una serie de acontecimientos que culminan prácticamente en nada, vaya Tehlu Misericordioso a saber qué.
Les explico por qué. La novela tiene dos partes. En la primera parte, Sonea escapa de allá para acá, de un lado a otro, sin rumbo fijo, conoce personajes a lo tonto, ladrones, muchos ladrones, túneles, demasiados túneles y alcantarillas, Cery, oh Cery, el mejor amigo de Sonea, etc, etc. Explotan un par de cosas (solo un par de cosas, por decir unos muebles), ya que ella no tiene control sobre su magia. Oh, como si hacer explotar cosas fuera lo único que puede hacer un mago. Y mientras tanto, los magos del gremio se desviven buscándola por todos lados, ya que no puede haber un mago que no sea del gremio, está prohibido por la ley.
Dos meses tardaron los magos en encontrarla. Dos meses. Ahora, yo digo, teniendo a tantos magos dentro del gremio, con tantas habilidades y tantos poderes y taaaaaanto talento, ¿cómo es que no pudieron rastrearla fácilmente y encontrarla, no sé, en dos días? Malísimo. ¿Qué clase de magos son? A todo esto, la autora casi no describe la apariencia de los magos. Nos encontramos con Rothen, Fergun, Dannyl, Lorlen y tantos más, y yo ni siquiera sé si son altos, flacos, gordos, rubios, castaños, ancianos, jóvenes, ni siquiera sé si son mujeres ya que los nombres no me dicen nada, y tampoco puedo proyectarlos en mi cabeza, así que cada vez que aparecía uno de ellos, en mi mente aparecía una persona con el rostro oscurecido, ya que no sabía qué apariencia tenía. Y me daba lo mismo Fergun que Rothen, algo que a la larga me di cuenta que no podía dar por sentado.
La cuestión, no sucede nada. En 200 hojas, Sonea no hace nada. Cery hace cosas, pero eran totalmente irrelevantes para la historia. No sé qué pito tocaba Cery en esta novela, en serio. Ni todos los demás personajes. Sonea no hace más que esconderse, ser llevada de un lado a otro, como una autómata. Nada. En serio. Nadah, así con "h" al final.
En la segunda parte, Sonea por fin es llevada al gremio (POR FIN), y Rothen se convierte en su profesor provisional. La cuestión es que Sonea debe aprender a controlar sus habilidades de maga antes de poder ingresar al gremio. Si se queda en el gremio, tendrá comodidades, lujos y educación; si se va del gremio, le bloquearán sus poderes y podrá volver con "su familia" (que eran sus tíos, a saber) y Cery. Lo que ella no sabía era que Cery estaba encerrado en el gremio por culpa de Fergun, que vendría a ser el malo de la historia. No sé. Más de 130 páginas en las que Sonea debería aprender algo, en la que se desviven contándole todo lo que puede hacer en el gremio, todo lo que puede aprender, todo lo que le van a enseñar, viajes turísticos por el edificio del gremio todo el tiempo a toda hora, contándote cuándo se creó tal cosa y cuándo se construyó tal otra. Y a la hora del verdadero entrenamiento, te lo pasan por alto. Uau, qué poder de la descripción y la narración asombroso. La novela termina de la manera más predecible posible, como si fuera una película para niños de Disney. No hay ningún plot twist ni nada que diga "¡uh, uh, cómo seguirá el siguiente!"
Sonea no tiene personalidad. Es chata, chaaaataaaa. La autora quiere plantear a una muchacha joven que se preocupa por los demás, pero apenas si se nota eso, porque lo único que hace es preguntar cosas, y no especialmente relacionadas con los demás. Sí, quiere ser sanadora, pero eso no la convierte en un alma caritativa automáticamente. Carece de personalidad totalmente. No tenía ni buenas contestaciones ni ningún ingenio, ni podría decirse que haya tenido frases memorables. Nada. Una caja de cartón vacía.
Cery me parecía un buen personaje, pero demasiado cliché. El mejor amigo enamorado de la chica, y la chica no le presta atención. Por cuestiones hormonales y amorosas, se mete en donde no es llamado, y se convierte en el cebo para que Fergun controlara a Sonea a su antojo. Estúpido, estúpido Cery, exististe nomás para complicar las cosas. ¿Por qué hay personajes que complican la vida? En serio pregunto.
Fergun me pareció el villano más soso del mundo. ¿Conocen Phineas y Ferb? Conocen a Doofenshmirtz entonces. Fergun es como Doofenshmirtz. Tiene ideas pero son tontas y al final al único al que se daña es a sí mismo. Estúpido, estúpido Fergun. Me caés mal, te hacés el malo y alto pelotudo sos. No te banco.
Rothen me caía bien, pero de nuevo caemos en el personaje cliché paternal, profesor, que trata bien al desconocido (Sonea) y que se convierte en el único en que ella puede confiar. Y Dannyl también me caía bien, pero lástima que cayó en una historia totalmente tonta y sin basamento. En otro libro habría actuado mejor.
El rey ni pintó, no se sabe quién es, no se sabe si gobierna bien, si el país está en guerra, si la gente lo quiere o no, no se sabe nada del país en donde habita Sonea. Nada de contexto. Nada. Los odio.
"Sonea se aburría."
POR PRIMERA VEZ CONECTÉ CON UN PERSONAJE AL LEER ESO!!!
Yo solo quería leer una historia de fantasía. Una historia con magia. Toda esa magia que me vende el libro, no la tiene. Los magos se la pasan discutiendo cosas que parecen importantes pero que no lo son, hablando mentalmente y peleándose por ver quién sería mejor maestro de Sonea. No. Yo quería ver cosas explotar, edificios caer, luces volando, bolas de fuego, teletransportaciones, bastones embrujados, mitología, espíritus y traiciones. No hubo nada. Era como andar viajando en un auto por la ruta, solo que el auto era un Fiat 600 de principios del siglo pasado, que iba a 20km/h, lento, lento, despacio. De vez en cuando veías una vaca o una granja a lo lejos, pero nada más. Y cuando llegás a destino, estás más contento de que el viaje se terminó de por el proceso que fue llegar hasta ahí.
Además, me siento insultada. Siento que esta novela es arrogante. Les cuento por qué: tiene un mapa, un mapa al principio, del gremio, como si con las explicaciones que te dan en 50 hojas no fueran suficientes (y como si me interesara saber dónde está cada cosa. A ver, el gremio no es Hogwarts, no me interesa, y ni siquiera Hogwarts tenía un mapa en los libros. Andá a encontrar las mazmorras de Slytherin en tu cabeza), y al final de la novela, hay al menos diez hojas con argot casual del reino, con palabras y frases que se usan habitualmente entre los ladrones de la ciudad y entre los magos del gremio. Les digo algo: en ningún momento me fijé qué significaban las palabras. Me temo que es algo que se desprende del contexto y no es necesario tener un glosario (ni siquiera Maze Runner, con todas las palabras inventadas que tenía, traía un glosario al final. Te terminabas aprendiendo los significados por contexto, porque el libro te considera lo suficientemente inteligente como para que descubras los significados vos mismo, pero no, esta novela te cree tonto y te pone, como insulto un glosario al final). Es una novela arrogante, soberbia, porque se cree que necesita todo eso, todos esos agregados, cuando en realidad no sucede nada, y ni el mapa ni el glosario colaboran con la historia, solo enardecieron más mi ya destruido respeto que tenía. Querida, no sos Tolkien ni George Martin, bajate los humos. Te creo que ellos precisen un mapa cuando hablan de tierras y tierras y más tierras de las que si no tenés un mapa te perdés, pero ¿un mapa del gremio? ¿En serio? Como tener un mapa de mi casa. INÚTIL.
Ya me descargué. Precisaba decir esto tras haber leído más de la mitad de la novela hoy. Ya solo quiero vaciar mi currently reading y por desgracia este estaba en ese shelf. Ya no más, por suerte. Mi primera lectura del año que me quiso arrancar los ojos de las cuencas.
December 11, 2020
In the first volume of this fantasy trilogy we hear the story of young Sonea from the poor district of the city, who suddenly develops magical powers. However, it is forbidden to work or be able to work magic outside of the Magician Guild, so the city guard and the mages immediately start seaching for Sonea. If you want to know, if they find her and what happens next, you’ll have to read for yourself. 😊
I finished reading the book, but I have to admit that it didn't really grab me. The reason for this is that it is a generic YA fantasy. The whole story is perfectly predictable, i.e. there is not a single new or surprising element in the story. The author tries again and again at worldbuilding, but unfortunately she does not succeed very well and makes the corresponding sections seem rather boring.
I believe that this book could be suitable for quite young readers and perhaps for beginners in the fantasy genre. Personally, I've just read too much in this genre to develop any interest here.
From my perspective it’s an ok read, but not more. 2 stars.
--------------------------------------
Der erste Band dieser Fantasy-Trilogie erzählt die Geschichte der jungen Sonea aus dem Armenviertel der Stadt, die plötzlich magische Kräfte entwickelt. Es ist jedoch verboten außerhalb der Magiergilde Magie zu wirken oder dazu in der Lage zu sein, daher machen sich die Stadtwache und die Magier unverzüglich auf die Suche nach Sonea. Ob man sie findet und was dann passiert, muss jeder selbst lesen. 😊
Ich habe das Buch zu Ende gelesen, muss aber gestehen, dass es mich nicht wirklich gepackt hat. Der Grund dafür dürfte sein, dass es sich um eine generische YA-Fantasy handelt. Die ganze Geschichte ist vollkommen vorhersehbar, d.h. es gibt kein einziges neues oder überraschendes Element in der Story. Die Autorin versucht sich immer wieder am Worldbuilding, dass ihr aber leider nicht sehr gut gelingt und die entsprechenden Abschnitte eher langweilig wirken lässt.
Ich glaube, dass dieses Buch für recht junge Leser und vielleicht zum Einstieg in das Genre Fantasy ganz geeignet sein könnte. Ich persönlich habe einfach schon zu viel aus diesem Bereich gelesen, um hier noch Interesse entwickeln zu können.
Aus meiner Perspektive ist das Buch nicht unlesbar, hat aber nicht mehr als 2 Sterne verdient.
I finished reading the book, but I have to admit that it didn't really grab me. The reason for this is that it is a generic YA fantasy. The whole story is perfectly predictable, i.e. there is not a single new or surprising element in the story. The author tries again and again at worldbuilding, but unfortunately she does not succeed very well and makes the corresponding sections seem rather boring.
I believe that this book could be suitable for quite young readers and perhaps for beginners in the fantasy genre. Personally, I've just read too much in this genre to develop any interest here.
From my perspective it’s an ok read, but not more. 2 stars.
--------------------------------------
Der erste Band dieser Fantasy-Trilogie erzählt die Geschichte der jungen Sonea aus dem Armenviertel der Stadt, die plötzlich magische Kräfte entwickelt. Es ist jedoch verboten außerhalb der Magiergilde Magie zu wirken oder dazu in der Lage zu sein, daher machen sich die Stadtwache und die Magier unverzüglich auf die Suche nach Sonea. Ob man sie findet und was dann passiert, muss jeder selbst lesen. 😊
Ich habe das Buch zu Ende gelesen, muss aber gestehen, dass es mich nicht wirklich gepackt hat. Der Grund dafür dürfte sein, dass es sich um eine generische YA-Fantasy handelt. Die ganze Geschichte ist vollkommen vorhersehbar, d.h. es gibt kein einziges neues oder überraschendes Element in der Story. Die Autorin versucht sich immer wieder am Worldbuilding, dass ihr aber leider nicht sehr gut gelingt und die entsprechenden Abschnitte eher langweilig wirken lässt.
Ich glaube, dass dieses Buch für recht junge Leser und vielleicht zum Einstieg in das Genre Fantasy ganz geeignet sein könnte. Ich persönlich habe einfach schon zu viel aus diesem Bereich gelesen, um hier noch Interesse entwickeln zu können.
Aus meiner Perspektive ist das Buch nicht unlesbar, hat aber nicht mehr als 2 Sterne verdient.
April 21, 2023
When I first read this series, I was an impressionable young teen who had not yet had an inkling of what could be achieved within the fantasy genre. Alas, my overexcited and undemanding self rated this a full five stars?! Something this book absolutely doesn’t deserve, and here’s why:
The setup is so simple, I don’t even have to break it down for you to understand what’s going on.
The whole story is set in the city of Imardin in the country of Sachaka. Every year, the Magicians Guild purge the city of the unwanted, the slum dwellers, who, in the eyes of the magicians, are nothing more than vagrants, petty thieves, and miscreants. Having no love for magic-wielding folk, Sonea joins her friends in causing trouble by throwing stones at the Magicians. Only, Sonea’s stone penetrates the magical shield that has never before been broken through. For the first time, someone from outside the noble Houses shows signs of magical potential, but whatever Sonea may be, she won’t let them catch her and steal her away from everything and everyone she has ever known or loved.
I wish I could tell you there was more to this novel, but there wasn’t. The entire first half is about Sonea continuously running and hiding away from the Magicians, nothing else. I appreciate that the author decided against rushing the entire plot and not letting Sonea get caught on page 20 to switch the setting to the Magicians’ Quarters and introduce Sonea to the Guild, but 50% of the whole book??? Which was about nothing more than her running away from everyone and hiding in dark cellars?? Nah, miss me with that.
The obvious reason Sonea is running from the Magicians, is because she can’t trust them. After all, she thinks they would want to hurt her and lock her up which, you know, are solid reasons for being on the run, but because the book is written from multiple POVs (including the POVs of two Magicians), the reader knows from the onset that the Guild doesn’t want to harm but help Sonea. This results in the non-existence of any stakes that could have made the book’s first half thrilling and exciting. But no: we had to read over and over again that Sonea was scared, that she just HAD to keep avoiding the Magicians at all cost even though WE knew they only wanted the best for her.
However, while the whole hiding and running thing while the Magicians were searching the city for Sonea was tedious, at least it was easy to read. The writing style is so simple and plain, you could easily read this book in a day as it requires almost no brainpower, also thanks to its wonderfully flat characters.
Sonea is your typical “her mother was pretty,but she wasn’t, she is a bit too thin and gangly, her best friend is in love with her, but she doesn’t realise it, she’s special in a way others always knew, but she didn’t” female main protagonist. There is barely anything to her. At one point, it even says:
“She was different. Special (…) She was special, but in a way he could not have guessed. She had magic!”
Like, dear friends and acquaintances, we have all been here at least a dozen times. It could literally not get more generic. It’s no surprise then that I found Dannyl’s (who is one of the magicians looking for her and definitely a secondary character) POV so much more interesting than Sonea’s, and booo, is it tough when your MC is so boring, people like me would rather read any other character’s POV than hers.
Anyway, Dannyl. He is a former student of Rothen, undoubtedly the second most important character after Sonea. Rothen is an elderly Magician who leads the search for Sonea. Again, we are told very early on that he is one of the good guys, and he is. He is kind and patient, and all he wants is to help Sonea tame her powers and become her guardian should she choose to become a Magician. We like Rothen, but Dannyl, we love. He’s a bit older than Sonea and now a former apprentice of Rothen’s. Driven, with a sense of humour, a quick tongue, and an interesting personal vendetta against another Magician, his POVs were my favourites to read, even though he, just like Sonea and Rothen, is on the blander side of fictional characters I have recently come across.
Let me warn you, though, that neither Rothen nor Dannyl is introduced or developed as a potential love interest for Sonea. There is something so psychologically interesting about this novel’s most popular review in which someone complains about how the goal of romance books should be to bring two people together and to “have them misunderstand and mistrust each other despite it being obvious to the reader that they belong together.”
Okay, fam, idk where you got your info from that this was a romance book because it isn’t. No need to air your frustration on something that wasn’t even promised in the first place. Some of y’all should seriously consider getting your synapses checked. If you are looking for a romantic teacher/student relationship story, might I direct you to AO3? Or just keep reading, but it ain’t in this book and sure as hell not between Sonea and Rothen. 💀
I already mentioned the bland and super simple writing style, but before closing off, I did want to highlight the absolutely ridiculous way the characters talk:
At one point, a group of other slum dwellers wants to turn in Sonea to bag a reward. Cery, Sonea’s best friend, obviously won’t let them do that, so he says:
HELLO, Marvel headquarters? ☎️ I just found you a new scriptwriter. Because seriously, who talks like that??
Furthermore, I found it a bit icky that a Black female character was described as having “long dark hair (…) fram[ing] exotically beautiful features. The woman’s skin was dark…” Like hmmm, I know this is from 2001 but Black people should never have been described as ‘exotic’ in the first place.
There was another scene in which Cery uses a dark paste to paint Sonea’s face so that it won’t be visible in the dark, and he says: “Now you look like Faren (a dark-skinned character).” Again, hmm. 🧐
All in all this review wasn’t as spicy as some of y’all know my 1- or 2-star rants to be which was mainly down to the fact that this novel was just so simple and light-fare. Few things happen, the characters have little personality, no one talks like a real human being, the villain is rather generic, and the worldbuilding is of no consequence, but there was nothing too offensive about all of that to rate it 1 star. I will pick up the second book to see what will happen to Dannyl, though (mind you, I read this trilogy a LONG time ago so I don’t remember shit).
The setup is so simple, I don’t even have to break it down for you to understand what’s going on.
The whole story is set in the city of Imardin in the country of Sachaka. Every year, the Magicians Guild purge the city of the unwanted, the slum dwellers, who, in the eyes of the magicians, are nothing more than vagrants, petty thieves, and miscreants. Having no love for magic-wielding folk, Sonea joins her friends in causing trouble by throwing stones at the Magicians. Only, Sonea’s stone penetrates the magical shield that has never before been broken through. For the first time, someone from outside the noble Houses shows signs of magical potential, but whatever Sonea may be, she won’t let them catch her and steal her away from everything and everyone she has ever known or loved.
I wish I could tell you there was more to this novel, but there wasn’t. The entire first half is about Sonea continuously running and hiding away from the Magicians, nothing else. I appreciate that the author decided against rushing the entire plot and not letting Sonea get caught on page 20 to switch the setting to the Magicians’ Quarters and introduce Sonea to the Guild, but 50% of the whole book??? Which was about nothing more than her running away from everyone and hiding in dark cellars?? Nah, miss me with that.
The obvious reason Sonea is running from the Magicians, is because she can’t trust them. After all, she thinks they would want to hurt her and lock her up which, you know, are solid reasons for being on the run, but because the book is written from multiple POVs (including the POVs of two Magicians), the reader knows from the onset that the Guild doesn’t want to harm but help Sonea. This results in the non-existence of any stakes that could have made the book’s first half thrilling and exciting. But no: we had to read over and over again that Sonea was scared, that she just HAD to keep avoiding the Magicians at all cost even though WE knew they only wanted the best for her.
However, while the whole hiding and running thing while the Magicians were searching the city for Sonea was tedious, at least it was easy to read. The writing style is so simple and plain, you could easily read this book in a day as it requires almost no brainpower, also thanks to its wonderfully flat characters.
Sonea is your typical “her mother was pretty,but she wasn’t, she is a bit too thin and gangly, her best friend is in love with her, but she doesn’t realise it, she’s special in a way others always knew, but she didn’t” female main protagonist. There is barely anything to her. At one point, it even says:
“She was different. Special (…) She was special, but in a way he could not have guessed. She had magic!”
Like, dear friends and acquaintances, we have all been here at least a dozen times. It could literally not get more generic. It’s no surprise then that I found Dannyl’s (who is one of the magicians looking for her and definitely a secondary character) POV so much more interesting than Sonea’s, and booo, is it tough when your MC is so boring, people like me would rather read any other character’s POV than hers.
Anyway, Dannyl. He is a former student of Rothen, undoubtedly the second most important character after Sonea. Rothen is an elderly Magician who leads the search for Sonea. Again, we are told very early on that he is one of the good guys, and he is. He is kind and patient, and all he wants is to help Sonea tame her powers and become her guardian should she choose to become a Magician. We like Rothen, but Dannyl, we love. He’s a bit older than Sonea and now a former apprentice of Rothen’s. Driven, with a sense of humour, a quick tongue, and an interesting personal vendetta against another Magician, his POVs were my favourites to read, even though he, just like Sonea and Rothen, is on the blander side of fictional characters I have recently come across.
Let me warn you, though, that neither Rothen nor Dannyl is introduced or developed as a potential love interest for Sonea. There is something so psychologically interesting about this novel’s most popular review in which someone complains about how the goal of romance books should be to bring two people together and to “have them misunderstand and mistrust each other despite it being obvious to the reader that they belong together.”
Okay, fam, idk where you got your info from that this was a romance book because it isn’t. No need to air your frustration on something that wasn’t even promised in the first place. Some of y’all should seriously consider getting your synapses checked. If you are looking for a romantic teacher/student relationship story, might I direct you to AO3? Or just keep reading, but it ain’t in this book and sure as hell not between Sonea and Rothen. 💀
I already mentioned the bland and super simple writing style, but before closing off, I did want to highlight the absolutely ridiculous way the characters talk:
At one point, a group of other slum dwellers wants to turn in Sonea to bag a reward. Cery, Sonea’s best friend, obviously won’t let them do that, so he says:
“‘Get out, Burril.’”
A knife flashed into Burril’s hand, and he pointed it at Sonea. ‘Not without the girl. Give her over.’
‘No.’
‘Then we’ll have to take her.’”
HELLO, Marvel headquarters? ☎️ I just found you a new scriptwriter. Because seriously, who talks like that??
Furthermore, I found it a bit icky that a Black female character was described as having “long dark hair (…) fram[ing] exotically beautiful features. The woman’s skin was dark…” Like hmmm, I know this is from 2001 but Black people should never have been described as ‘exotic’ in the first place.
There was another scene in which Cery uses a dark paste to paint Sonea’s face so that it won’t be visible in the dark, and he says: “Now you look like Faren (a dark-skinned character).” Again, hmm. 🧐
All in all this review wasn’t as spicy as some of y’all know my 1- or 2-star rants to be which was mainly down to the fact that this novel was just so simple and light-fare. Few things happen, the characters have little personality, no one talks like a real human being, the villain is rather generic, and the worldbuilding is of no consequence, but there was nothing too offensive about all of that to rate it 1 star. I will pick up the second book to see what will happen to Dannyl, though (mind you, I read this trilogy a LONG time ago so I don’t remember shit).
June 26, 2016
Vollständige Rezension hier
Kurzbeschreibung:
Willkommen in Imardin, eine Stadt in Kyralia. Eine Stadt, in der der Unterschied zwischen arm und reich deutlich zu spüren ist. In Imardin findet seit langer Zeit die Säuberung statt. Ein Mal im Jahr werden die Bettler und Obdachlosen aus der Stadt vertrieben – und das von Magiern.
Die Magier gelten als unverwundbar, niemand kann ihnen etwas anhaben.
Bis auf Sonea, das Straßenkind, welches aus Wut, den Schutzwall der Magier durchbricht und einen von ihnen mit einem simplen Stein verletzt. Es ist klar, dass diese Tat nicht unbeachtet bleibt.
Sofort beginnt die halsbrecherische Suche nach dem Mädchen, welches, als aller erstes Hüttenkind, Anzeichen für eine magische Begabung gezeigt hat. Es wird alles daran gesetzt, Sonea zu finden, bevor ihre Kräfte zu einer Gefahr für die Gilde, die Stadt und sogar Sonea selbst werden können.
Der Auftakt einer grandiosen Fantasytrilogie!
Kurzbeschreibung:
Willkommen in Imardin, eine Stadt in Kyralia. Eine Stadt, in der der Unterschied zwischen arm und reich deutlich zu spüren ist. In Imardin findet seit langer Zeit die Säuberung statt. Ein Mal im Jahr werden die Bettler und Obdachlosen aus der Stadt vertrieben – und das von Magiern.
Die Magier gelten als unverwundbar, niemand kann ihnen etwas anhaben.
Bis auf Sonea, das Straßenkind, welches aus Wut, den Schutzwall der Magier durchbricht und einen von ihnen mit einem simplen Stein verletzt. Es ist klar, dass diese Tat nicht unbeachtet bleibt.
Sofort beginnt die halsbrecherische Suche nach dem Mädchen, welches, als aller erstes Hüttenkind, Anzeichen für eine magische Begabung gezeigt hat. Es wird alles daran gesetzt, Sonea zu finden, bevor ihre Kräfte zu einer Gefahr für die Gilde, die Stadt und sogar Sonea selbst werden können.
Der Auftakt einer grandiosen Fantasytrilogie!
June 22, 2023
Historia de Fantasía típica que hemos visto ya mil veces. Niña que no sabe que tiene poderes los descubre y es tutelada por un gremio de magos que la educan en las artes mágicas.
Al principio Trudi Canavan lo plantea de tal forma que le da un giro a la típica historia y que es lo que más me ha gustado del libro. Pero una vez que se resuelve esa primera trama se convierte en una historia del montón con unos personajes que no tienen mucho gancho.
El antagonista no tiene mucho trasfondo y el background de la protagonista me parece interesante pero no consigue explotar del todo.
Además es una historia pensada como trilogía según la autora y se ve claramente en el final de esta primera parte, que deja todo en el aire y si vienes buscando algo autoconclusivo no lo vas a encontrar.
Continuaré la saga, no la voy a abandonar ni es tan mala. Pero es prescindible y no te pierdes mucho si prefieres leer otra cosa.
Al principio Trudi Canavan lo plantea de tal forma que le da un giro a la típica historia y que es lo que más me ha gustado del libro. Pero una vez que se resuelve esa primera trama se convierte en una historia del montón con unos personajes que no tienen mucho gancho.
El antagonista no tiene mucho trasfondo y el background de la protagonista me parece interesante pero no consigue explotar del todo.
Además es una historia pensada como trilogía según la autora y se ve claramente en el final de esta primera parte, que deja todo en el aire y si vienes buscando algo autoconclusivo no lo vas a encontrar.
Continuaré la saga, no la voy a abandonar ni es tan mala. Pero es prescindible y no te pierdes mucho si prefieres leer otra cosa.
September 4, 2017
CORA AND THE REREADS
5 Words: Magic, power, misunderstanding, prejudice, secrets.
It is said, in Imardin, that the wind has a soul, and that it wails through the narrow streets because it is grieved by what it finds there.
Buddy read with my bookish bestie Steph.
Yeah, I just love this book.
5 Words: Magic, power, misunderstanding, prejudice, secrets.
It is said, in Imardin, that the wind has a soul, and that it wails through the narrow streets because it is grieved by what it finds there.
Buddy read with my bookish bestie Steph.
Yeah, I just love this book.
August 21, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
A tutti gli effetti un prologo a una storia che deve ancora cominciare veramente e che, personalmente, sono estremamente curioso di scoprire.
Un world building elegante e pulito, ampio e pieno di dettagli che fanno immaginare un'immersione ancora più complessa nei prossimi volumi.
Personaggi secondari eccezionali: tutti hanno una personalità carismatica, un background che ci viene raccontato e che permette di conoscerli ed apprezzarli, in tutte le loro sfumature.
Ammetto che mi mancava leggere questo tipo di fantasy che, per quanto ormai superato e rimasto nel passato, riesce sempre ad appassionarmi e ad affascinarmi.
A tutti gli effetti un prologo a una storia che deve ancora cominciare veramente e che, personalmente, sono estremamente curioso di scoprire.
Un world building elegante e pulito, ampio e pieno di dettagli che fanno immaginare un'immersione ancora più complessa nei prossimi volumi.
Personaggi secondari eccezionali: tutti hanno una personalità carismatica, un background che ci viene raccontato e che permette di conoscerli ed apprezzarli, in tutte le loro sfumature.
Ammetto che mi mancava leggere questo tipo di fantasy che, per quanto ormai superato e rimasto nel passato, riesce sempre ad appassionarmi e ad affascinarmi.
June 23, 2018
I first read this as a teenager and I remembered loving it. Re-reading it now,it's lost a little of its shine.
The book centres around Sonea,a teenager living in the slums who discovers she has magic powers. Magic has traditionally belonged to the upper classes alone, and so Sonea flees the magicians,believing they will attempt to kill her. In reality, they want to bring her in to teach her to control her powers.
The first half of the novel feels like a cat and mouse tale that goes on far too long. There is a noticable improvement in the second half...
It's a pretty straightforward young adult fantasy novel, but it is a nice story that sets up the next two books marvelously.
The book centres around Sonea,a teenager living in the slums who discovers she has magic powers. Magic has traditionally belonged to the upper classes alone, and so Sonea flees the magicians,believing they will attempt to kill her. In reality, they want to bring her in to teach her to control her powers.
The first half of the novel feels like a cat and mouse tale that goes on far too long. There is a noticable improvement in the second half...
It's a pretty straightforward young adult fantasy novel, but it is a nice story that sets up the next two books marvelously.
July 18, 2024
A pesar de ser un libro muy lento y con escenas escritas de una manera demasiado extensa, puedo decir que la trama me atrae mucho. Aunque sea simple, tiene pinta de convertirse en una historia muy buena. La magia prohibida, la Universidad de magos con sus laberintos secretos, las clases, la lectura de mentes… son ingredientes perfectos y ya estoy deseando leer el siguiente.
May 10, 2019
3.5 stars. This was *ok*. If the pacing had been better it would have scraped a 4, but I’m not sure that I will continue the series.
May 30, 2020
This book is a perfect example of the phrase "saying a lot without saying anything"
The first part of this book, over 200 pages, could have been captured in like 50 pages. The second half of the book is better but still dragged on. There is no reason for this to be over 400-pages long
The first half
Girl finds out she has magical powers by attacking a magician. Magicians are surprised because girl is poor and poor people are not meant to have powers. Girl runs away because she thinks magicians would want to kill her. Magicians actually want to find and help her because magic left uncontrolled is dangerous.
This storyline was the basis of the first few chapters. It then got repeated over and over again for over 200 pages. It was basically a glorified hide & seek plot. Magicians almost find girl, girl runs away again. Rinse and Repeat
Then finally, this repetition ended and another one beginned.
Second half
Girl doesn't want to be a magician, Magician wants girl to become one of them. Rinse and Repeat with added tension that wasn't really tension.
Overall, The magic concept was nice, the characters seemed like okay people. I didn't hate anything in particular but the storyline was way too repetitive
The first part of this book, over 200 pages, could have been captured in like 50 pages. The second half of the book is better but still dragged on. There is no reason for this to be over 400-pages long
The first half
Girl finds out she has magical powers by attacking a magician. Magicians are surprised because girl is poor and poor people are not meant to have powers. Girl runs away because she thinks magicians would want to kill her. Magicians actually want to find and help her because magic left uncontrolled is dangerous.
This storyline was the basis of the first few chapters. It then got repeated over and over again for over 200 pages. It was basically a glorified hide & seek plot. Magicians almost find girl, girl runs away again. Rinse and Repeat
Then finally, this repetition ended and another one beginned.
Second half
Girl doesn't want to be a magician, Magician wants girl to become one of them. Rinse and Repeat with added tension that wasn't really tension.
Overall, The magic concept was nice, the characters seemed like okay people. I didn't hate anything in particular but the storyline was way too repetitive
September 3, 2013
Reading through this felt like trudging through mud. The writing was horrible, it was so dry and lifeless that I had to push myself really hard to reach even a quarter of the book. The characters are cardboard cutouts, having some traits borrowed from other more successful novels.
And don't get me started on the dialogue. It was nightmarish. The magic in this book has no construct to it, its just random people reading thoughts and throwing balls of fire. No joke.
The protagonist is a scared little girl do just happens to be able to do everything. If I've read about a girl or guy coming out of poverty because of magic, I've heard it a million times. There's nothing new in this novel, it adds nothing on top of the plethora of other fantasy novels.
This feels like the work of someone who's written a fantasy novel just after reading a mediocre fantasy novel. Just plain ridiculous.
However, if the target audience was not for anyone above 12, then I guess it could provide some entertainment (very little), but then again we do bore the hell out of our kids.
And don't get me started on the dialogue. It was nightmarish. The magic in this book has no construct to it, its just random people reading thoughts and throwing balls of fire. No joke.
The protagonist is a scared little girl do just happens to be able to do everything. If I've read about a girl or guy coming out of poverty because of magic, I've heard it a million times. There's nothing new in this novel, it adds nothing on top of the plethora of other fantasy novels.
This feels like the work of someone who's written a fantasy novel just after reading a mediocre fantasy novel. Just plain ridiculous.
However, if the target audience was not for anyone above 12, then I guess it could provide some entertainment (very little), but then again we do bore the hell out of our kids.
March 5, 2017
En realidad no son 4 estrellas serían 3'5, pero no quería ponerle 3.
La parte final hace que el libro remonte bastante.
El principio es interesante pero un poco lento para mí. Estaba deseando que los magos encontrasen a Sonea para conocer más sobre ellos.
Rothen, Dannyl y Cery han sido mis personajes favoritos y espero que sigan apareciendo bastante en los próximos libros.
Fergun me ha parecido lo peor. Un personaje malo porque sí, clasista, con ansias de venganza; un malo bastante flojo la verdad, pero muy desagradable.
Me gustaría saber más sobre los ladrones en los próximos libros, me han parecido muy interesantes porque no son una banda cualquiera, sino que están tan organizados como los magos y eso me ha llamado la atención.
También me gustaría saber más sobre las vidas de los magos "buenos", como Rothen, Dannyl o Lorlen.
Y por último el Gran Lord...Por lo que vemos en este libro va a ser el malo de la historia, aunque todo puede cambiar.
Es el primer libro de Trudi que leo y me ha gustado bastante como escribe y como describe el mundo en el que viven sus personajes. Se ha inventado un un mundo y sistema de magia simple pero efectivo y eso hace que la historia no se haga pesada. Sin duda leeré más cosas de ella cuando acabe esta trilogía.
La parte final hace que el libro remonte bastante.
El principio es interesante pero un poco lento para mí. Estaba deseando que los magos encontrasen a Sonea para conocer más sobre ellos.
Rothen, Dannyl y Cery han sido mis personajes favoritos y espero que sigan apareciendo bastante en los próximos libros.
Fergun me ha parecido lo peor. Un personaje malo porque sí, clasista, con ansias de venganza; un malo bastante flojo la verdad, pero muy desagradable.
Me gustaría saber más sobre los ladrones en los próximos libros, me han parecido muy interesantes porque no son una banda cualquiera, sino que están tan organizados como los magos y eso me ha llamado la atención.
También me gustaría saber más sobre las vidas de los magos "buenos", como Rothen, Dannyl o Lorlen.
Y por último el Gran Lord...Por lo que vemos en este libro va a ser el malo de la historia, aunque todo puede cambiar.
Es el primer libro de Trudi que leo y me ha gustado bastante como escribe y como describe el mundo en el que viven sus personajes. Se ha inventado un un mundo y sistema de magia simple pero efectivo y eso hace que la historia no se haga pesada. Sin duda leeré más cosas de ella cuando acabe esta trilogía.
April 28, 2021
Leído en 2013:
(vale el comentario para toda la saga, me parecieron muy similares en desarrollo e interés)
La historia va sobre el aprendizaje de un personaje modesto que es llamado a lograr grandes cosas ... vaaaaaaaaale, a los lectores habituales no os extraña nada esto, os suena a historia repetida una y mil veces.
Y en efecto, no es que presente nada nuevo. La trama va de una chica humilde, de los suburbios, que desarrolla la magia y se ve admitida en el Gremio de los Magos, una casta elitista -los magos estos- que sólo admitían hijos de las grandes familias.
Y el resto de la trama, a lo largo de los tres libros, va sobre las dificultades de esta joven maga neófita- Sonea- y de los entuertos en los que se mete/la meten.
A ver, ya he dicho que no es demasiado original, pero se lee de forma amena si ya te has leído todo lo mejor que hay en la Fantasía actual. La recomendaron en un foro y yo no voy a decir que sea mala, pero es prescindible.
Tiene una precuela, La Maga, que no tengo demasiada intención de atacar.
El "7" con el que la he valorado para mi significa que está bien, que se lee sin pena pero sin gloria. La gloria en mi caso comienza en el "8". Y si no recibe gloria ... ¿por qué coño me he leído tres libros?.
Pues porque una vez te metes en la historia ya no puedes dejar de querer saber la resolución de la misma. Lo cual es un punto a favor de las novelas.
(vale el comentario para toda la saga, me parecieron muy similares en desarrollo e interés)
La historia va sobre el aprendizaje de un personaje modesto que es llamado a lograr grandes cosas ... vaaaaaaaaale, a los lectores habituales no os extraña nada esto, os suena a historia repetida una y mil veces.
Y en efecto, no es que presente nada nuevo. La trama va de una chica humilde, de los suburbios, que desarrolla la magia y se ve admitida en el Gremio de los Magos, una casta elitista -los magos estos- que sólo admitían hijos de las grandes familias.
Y el resto de la trama, a lo largo de los tres libros, va sobre las dificultades de esta joven maga neófita- Sonea- y de los entuertos en los que se mete/la meten.
A ver, ya he dicho que no es demasiado original, pero se lee de forma amena si ya te has leído todo lo mejor que hay en la Fantasía actual. La recomendaron en un foro y yo no voy a decir que sea mala, pero es prescindible.
Tiene una precuela, La Maga, que no tengo demasiada intención de atacar.
El "7" con el que la he valorado para mi significa que está bien, que se lee sin pena pero sin gloria. La gloria en mi caso comienza en el "8". Y si no recibe gloria ... ¿por qué coño me he leído tres libros?.
Pues porque una vez te metes en la historia ya no puedes dejar de querer saber la resolución de la misma. Lo cual es un punto a favor de las novelas.
February 5, 2021
Başta 3 vericektim çünkü kurgu yavaş işliyordu haliyle biraz sıkıldım(her ne kadar giriş kitabı olduğunu bilsemde) ama 250 den sonra kitap açıldı ve genel olarak karakterleride sevdim. Birde bazi şeyler havada kalıp geçiştirildi 🤷♀️
February 24, 2019
Žinoma, apie rašymą aš nieko neišmanau , ir taip toliau. Jeigu ką nors raukčiau apie šitą reikalą , tai tuo ir užsiimčiau užuot per 5 eurų kupiūrą šniodamas lino dulkes ir mirkdamas savo prakaite , besiklausant monotoniško ir liūdno audimo staklių choro , kuris man vis primena , kad esu niekas. Būčiau rašytojas kuriam jūs statytumėte išgerti niūriuose ir bohemišku pelėsiu nuklotuose baruose,su kuriuo darytumėtės selfiuką , kad pasigirtumėte savo vilniečiui draugeliui hipsteriui su Hitlerio ūsiukais ir Ginsbergo akiniais , kad gėrėte su tikru rašytoju ir taip toliau. Bet kaip užkietėjęs Knygų narkomanas pasakysiu , kad neužtenka sugalvot istoriją ir sukurti jos pasaulį. Svarbiausia yra paimti filosofinį akmenį ir savo kūriniui įkvėpti gyvybę. Kitaip sakant istorijai reikia gerai sukurtų veikėjų kurie skaitytoją įtrauktų į Knygą , kaip Harį Poterį į Tomo Marvolo Ridlio dienoraštį. Būtent Knygos personažai mus priverčia išgyventi pasakojamą istoriją , pajusti visus jausmus ir emocijas , paverčia mus pasakojimo dalimi. Reikia veikėjų kuriuos mylėtume , nekęstume , norėtume užvažiuot per pakaušį už tai , kad daro visišką kvailystę , apsiverkti kaip mažam vaikui , kai mūsų mylimas veikėjas ( ir dzin , kad epizodiškas) prasileidžia iš savo pusseserės avada kedavra , bet net negali pykti ant jos , nes ir ji tavo mylimas personažas. Būtent Hario Poterio Knygų serija yra tobulas pavyzdys , kokią didelę reikšmę turi gerai sukurti veikėjai.
Trudi Canavan kengūrų kilmės rašliavotoja , kuri iki 25 metų , šikpopieriui užsidirbo dirbdama grafikos dizainere , bet tada nusprendė , kad laikas įgyvendinti savo svajonę ir tapti rašytoja, tad užsirašė į kursus ir bla bla bla. Trilogija "Juodasis magas" jai atnešė tarptautinį pripažinimą , tapo kengūrų bestseleriais ir kažkokį ten apdovanojimą už geriausią fantasy Knygą...
Skaitant šią Knygą būtent jautėsi , kad tai žmogaus išmokusio rašyti kūrinys. Autorė iš tiesų puikiai sugebėjo perteikti pasaulį ir nereikėjo didelių pastangų , kad vaizduotė pieštų visa tą pasaulį. Problema ta , kad taip ir neatsirado veikėjo kuris įtemptų į Knygą ir priverstų ją išgyventi su visais jausmais ir emocijomis. Tiesa sakant nebuvo nė vieno veikėjo kuris sukeltų meilę , neapykantą ar nors gailestį. Jie tiesiog buvo. O apie istoriją išvis net neverta šnekėti , nes tai 440psl įžanga. Taip taip žinau , kad dauguma perspėja , kad pirma dalis nekokia , bet antra ir trečia dalis yra nuostabios , tačiau sunku kažko tikėtis iš likusių Knygų , kai perskaičius pirmą trilogijos Knygą , nėra nė vieno veikėjo kuriam kažką jaustum.
Trudi Canavan kengūrų kilmės rašliavotoja , kuri iki 25 metų , šikpopieriui užsidirbo dirbdama grafikos dizainere , bet tada nusprendė , kad laikas įgyvendinti savo svajonę ir tapti rašytoja, tad užsirašė į kursus ir bla bla bla. Trilogija "Juodasis magas" jai atnešė tarptautinį pripažinimą , tapo kengūrų bestseleriais ir kažkokį ten apdovanojimą už geriausią fantasy Knygą...
Skaitant šią Knygą būtent jautėsi , kad tai žmogaus išmokusio rašyti kūrinys. Autorė iš tiesų puikiai sugebėjo perteikti pasaulį ir nereikėjo didelių pastangų , kad vaizduotė pieštų visa tą pasaulį. Problema ta , kad taip ir neatsirado veikėjo kuris įtemptų į Knygą ir priverstų ją išgyventi su visais jausmais ir emocijomis. Tiesa sakant nebuvo nė vieno veikėjo kuris sukeltų meilę , neapykantą ar nors gailestį. Jie tiesiog buvo. O apie istoriją išvis net neverta šnekėti , nes tai 440psl įžanga. Taip taip žinau , kad dauguma perspėja , kad pirma dalis nekokia , bet antra ir trečia dalis yra nuostabios , tačiau sunku kažko tikėtis iš likusių Knygų , kai perskaičius pirmą trilogijos Knygą , nėra nė vieno veikėjo kuriam kažką jaustum.
started-but-didn-t-finish
June 8, 2014Here's me being ruthless. It's my new year's resolution.
I'm giving this away at 16%. I'm not going to rate it because I haven't given it enough of a chance - but the style of writing reminds me of the first Harry Potter book ie written for young children, but without the same charm. The audio narration by Richard Aspel wasn't terrible, but very average - maybe it was what he had to work with?
Possibly, if I gave this more of a chance, this would grow on me as I like coming of age, process of discovery, magic school books - which is where I suspect this is headed. It just hasn't grabbed my imagination and I may have to be in the mood to attempt it again.
On top of that I have heard her defend this book as the slow part of a bigger story and not to judge the series by this first book. Maybe if I persisted things would get better - then again, maybe they wouldn't and I'd be kicking myself for listening for 20 or 30 hours before deciding I wasted my time. Oh I feel so ruthless.
I may check out her latest book at some stage because she has written a lot of stuff since this debut and so theoretically should be vastly improved. It's just that there's so many books and series I really want to read and at times I'm very aware of how much potential crap I may have to wade through before getting to something I really like.
????? Stars
PS - Yes, you can make new year's resolutions in the middle of the year.
I'm giving this away at 16%. I'm not going to rate it because I haven't given it enough of a chance - but the style of writing reminds me of the first Harry Potter book ie written for young children, but without the same charm. The audio narration by Richard Aspel wasn't terrible, but very average - maybe it was what he had to work with?
Possibly, if I gave this more of a chance, this would grow on me as I like coming of age, process of discovery, magic school books - which is where I suspect this is headed. It just hasn't grabbed my imagination and I may have to be in the mood to attempt it again.
On top of that I have heard her defend this book as the slow part of a bigger story and not to judge the series by this first book. Maybe if I persisted things would get better - then again, maybe they wouldn't and I'd be kicking myself for listening for 20 or 30 hours before deciding I wasted my time. Oh I feel so ruthless.
I may check out her latest book at some stage because she has written a lot of stuff since this debut and so theoretically should be vastly improved. It's just that there's so many books and series I really want to read and at times I'm very aware of how much potential crap I may have to wade through before getting to something I really like.
????? Stars
PS - Yes, you can make new year's resolutions in the middle of the year.
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