Magician Apprentice (Riftwar Saga) [Mass Market Paperback]

In deference to the negative reviews I must say that this is not a highly thought provoking book. However, it is a very fast paced enjoyable read. I have read hundreds of fantasy novels and this series is one that I have enjoyed more than most (Top Ten). I read novels in a series as some others read chapters, so it is a little hard to just review this book. I highly recommend any fantasy lover to read this series. There are also many novels that come after this series that are just as good (i.e. Serpentwar Saga).
Also, at least read books 1 and 2 before making any final judgments (since they were originally one novel).

CONCEPT: Epic scope here. See two young boys in a backwater Duchy rise up in power as they help the lands from an alien invasion coming through a gateway. Lots of mystery with this alien race, which is a combination of Japanese, Korean and Chinese Kingdoms. Lots of wonder, exotic and mystical places as well as a real delving into the two different cultures. Excellent to superb characters. OVERALL FEELING: epic scope; wondrous; superbly woven characters

SCORING: Superb (A), Excellent (A-), Very good (B+), Good (B) Fairly Good (B-) Above Average (C+), Mediocre (C ), Barely Passable (C-) Pretty Bad (D+), Dismal (D), Waste of Time (D-), Into the Trash (F)

DIALOGUE: B+ STRUCTURE: A HISTORY SETTING: B CHARACTERS: A EVIL SETUP/ANTAGONISTS: A- EMOTIONAL IMPACT: A- SURPRISES: B+ MONSTERS: B PACING: B+ THE LITTLE THINGS: A OVERALL STYLE: A- FLOW OF WORDS: B+ CHOICE OF FOCUS: A TRANSITIONS/FLASHBACKS/POV: A- COMPLEXITY OF WORDS/SYMBOLISM/THEMES: A-

OVERALL GRADE: A-

CONCEPT: A beautiful epic fantasy whose true strength lies in the emotional details of its characters. Story focuses on the orphan pug who starts out as an apprentice to the wizard, Kulgan, and shows little promise. As events continue to progress, the nation faces a devastating war with the Tsurani, a warrior Asian race of beings who come through a rift from another world. In the meantime, each different character must deal with the war and its effects on their territories.

HISTORY: Good. Feist gets away with talking about only bits and pieces of the History. Also, one thing I appreciate about his History (unlike Robert Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME) is that he doesn't bombard it upon his readers. Instead, the History is incorporated into the storyline as it progresses. No stupid tangents where the novelist goes off talking about such things while the rest of us wait around for the details.

CHARACTERS: This is Feist's forte'. Just about every character, from the main character all the way down to the sub characters, are richly detailed. Just like a tapestry that entrances the eyes and you never get tired of looking at them day after day. While it's true that all novels allow you to get inside the heads of the characters, Feist goes further; especially with the two boys (who seem to be the main characters); Pug and Tomas. We especially are privileged to get into Pug's head where we read his conflicting emotions of confusion and infatuation for Carline, the princess of the Duchy. And, it doesn't just read that pug is crestfallen or something short. Feist develops the pain and worries of each character where it feels justified, logical and stirring. I noticed he did this to a lesser extent with Tomas when it came time for the young boy to decide if he was going to leave the dwarves for home during the various raids against the Tsurani. And, so too, we see Tomas' connection with some being of old who is long gone.

Each character has a clear and understandable motivation. Even better, these motivations overlap or come into conflict. For instance, there's a good deal of interplay between Pug and Carline in the beginning.

DIALOGUE: Medieval dialogue is difficult to write for starters. Feist does a very good job with it for the most part. Not too many contractions and usage of medieval words that tie into the dialogue ("He came straight away" "We both played to her tune."). In other words, medieval slang that added a sense of realism to the story.

The first 1/3 seems to be about Pug and his adjustments to the new challenges around him (i.e. dealing with Carline, becoming a squire, apprenticeship, the discovery of the Tsurani); the next 1/3 is Pug and allies going to Rillanon to warn the king of this new threat (this has two smaller categories when Tomas and Pug get separated; and we do both of their stories; this is also the biggest chunk of the three parts); and the last 1/3 is mostly focusing on Tomas and his magical armor but most of the focus goes back to Crydee where we concentrate on the siege, as well as Carline and Rolands' love blossoming. Again, I must STRESS that the excellent to fabulous characters enriched the structure here. There were a certain degree of cliff hangers here that leapt from one story to another in the novel, but not like a movie. Feist definitely wanted to bring us in slowly and in a world of instant gratification there's definitely something to be said for it.

In retrospect it seems like the original book was begging for a split. Almost exactly half way through, there was a major change in direction. The focus moved from one world to another along with the central character, Pug. Naturally, the Apprentice and Master mentioned in the book's titles refer to Pug's stages in his training as a magician.

I was not completely happy with the remaining books in the series, however, the two Magician novels are perfect and also work well without ever reading the proceeding books. The characters are real, rich and engrossing. The plot is complex but focused. The environment, is carefully crafted, particularly the political landscape.

At the risk of becoming hackneyed, you will have difficulty putting these books down. The underlying level of suspense is intense which in itself is the sign of a good writer but even more, you will begin to care deeply for Pug and a need will grow to find out how everything turns out.