Planar Chaos: Bk. 2 (Time Spiral Cycle) [Mass Market Paperback]

I was pretty happy with this book. I was however somewhat disappointed with the way the Weaver King was killed, a little too easy and not explained well. He seemed very powerful to be killed in such a way. Also, it was kind of annoying that freyalise and windgrace refused to listen to teferi just because they didn't like him. All in all, it was good. Also, he should have elaborated more on Karn's character and role in the whole ordeal. It is a very good book though, the ending is good, makes you really anticipate book 3.

I am very disappointed by the newest magic storyline, or rather how it is being handled by Scott McGough. McGough's work on the Legends Cycle Two saga Volume 1 and the Kamigawa arc were excellent. He portrays characters, whose cards have black mana in their casting cost, as deep emotional beings. When he tries to show green, white and red characters McGough makes them seem like angry primal beasts. What I find even worse is his understanding of Dominaria's history.

In Planar Chaos and Time Spiral I found myself questioning whether he knew anything of the history of MTG. As I read through the books I found myself eager to learn more of the story, but let down by the "realizations" that the characters came to when it was something the characters already knew.

Radha, the "keldon" elf, hardly acted like a keldon. If anything she was a bully. I realize that Keldon warriors are brutish soldiers, but there was an intense honor about them, like the Klingons from Star Trek. She constantly failed to beat her foe, but always boasted that he was nothing. Having her as the head of a Keldon war party is a terrible farce. Radha doesn't care for Keld, or the glory of it, she's simply angry and mean spirited. Of all the characters in MTG's history I have never openly hated a character as much as I hate her.

Windgrace and Freyalise did not seem like passionate protectors, but acted like spoiled children who refused to listen to others. I understood why they hated Teferi, as it was brought it up constantly in every conversation, but it seemed like they ignored Teferi's advice only because the book needed filler. In the end Freyalise has a "relavation" and claims she always knew Teferi's way was the right way. Windgrace's admission of being afraid was well done, and added depth to his character's passion, but again he seemed like a child who wanted everything 100% his way.

Jodah returns in this book as well. I could have sworn he moved like an ancient old man when he encountered Urza at the end of the Ice Age story arc, he seems to have regained the youthful spark of his past. Also he mentions Jaya's death, but no more is mentioned about her or what happened. While I wouldn't mind finding out in the next book, McGough's past of asking questions that he will never answer makes me wonder if the readers will ever find out what happend to Jaya.

The Weaver king was introduced in Planar Chaos, and was a mind-vampire (or spider as he's referred to) who appeared as a harlequinn ghost. He wove threads from one person's mind to another and enjoyed "playing" with them like a malicious child would play with a wounded animal. As a villian the Weaver King did his part, but he seemed to only exist to draw attention away from the other flaws in McGough's writting. It was as if McGough didn't know how to work with the time rifts, so he created a spirt/mental vampite/spider to cause trouble. Then killed him in the book to save the hassel of using him later. The Weave King was basically a lack-luster version of Yawgmoth.

Yawgmoth, the god of Phyrexia, the Father of Machines, the Lord of the Wastes, and the Ineffable is probably the greatest villian the Magic the Gathering storyline has ever known in my opinion. He incorporates all the worst that the multiverse has to offer. Unlike villians from other MTG storylines Yawgmoth threatens not just a plane, but ALL planes of existance. His touch has killed planeswalkers and caused the souls of his enemies to rise to his cause.

According to Scourge, Yawgmoth's soul still permeates the land of Urborg, and its been mentioned that he still lives in both Dominaria and in Phyrexia. This may be retconned in Time Spiral to merely an illusion that Karona experiences, since Teferi never recalls meeting her. Of course in a story where time is important it could also mean that Teferi simply hasn't met her yet.

When Windgrace links his spirit to the land he never feels Yawgmoth's being inside it. He also draws the green and black mana that Urborg is "famous for" into himself. I understand that Multani moved a large portion (if not all) of Yavimaya in the invasion, but Urborg is still primarily a Red/Black locale, and Windgrace is primarily seen through red magic cards.

The Slivers were originally an unknown even to the inhabitants of Rath. Unknown until McGough started messing with them. Now the reader is told Slivers were created by Volrath, who appearantly has some means of control over them. The slivers lost their queen with the destruction of the Stronghold, and thus needed a hive mind. If McGough had made the Weaver King into a new Sliver Queen it might have made sense, and there were allusions to the fact that this might happen. However McGough opted out of this and just killed the Weaver King with some power stones.

The Stronghold was destroyed in the Apocalypse when a groupd of stone dwarves summoned magma from Dominaria's core to burn it from existance. By doing so this destroyed the Sliver Queen as well. However in McGough's Dominaria the Stronghold is undamaged.

At times I also questioned his ability to use the English language. I realize Magic the Gathering novels are not scholarly works, but McGough's lack of editing in Time Spiral and Planar Chaos really disturbs me. Often he switched tenses in the same sentence, and wrote about individuals with plural pronouns.

I really love the Magic the Gathering story line, and the world of Magic, but I find the latest arc to be terrible. It reminds me of reading a high school short story that was stretched into a novel.

I hope that Future Sight will be a change from what has become the norm for McGough's Dominaria.

I got the product in just a couple days, and it was in perfect condition! Thanks!