Customer Reviews

The Magicians' Guild: Book 1 of the Black Magician: Black Magician Trilogy, Book 1

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(68)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

This is an easy read: I went through the entire book in an evening, and almost picked up the second book and started reading until I realised it was almost 1am. It's paced well and doesn't have too many annoying fantasy clichés. The characters are likeable, and there's plenty going on to keep them interesting.

It could have done with a few thousand less words on Sonea hiding from the Guild though. It wasn't *quite* boring me, but I could see boredom looming on the horizon, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was over. There's also a couple of the places where the point of view switches abruptly between two people mid-scene, which is confusing until you stop, go back, and realise what happened.

"It is said, in Imardin, that the wind has a soul, and that it wails through the narrow city streets because it is grieved by what it finds there..." Canavan starts her novel with that sentence, and it just gets better.

There have been loads of fantasy books written about young people growing up not knowing they are mages/magicians/witches and suddenly finding out. And who are a danger because they don't know how to control the magic... sound familiar? Well, this is another one. But don't let that put you off, because Trudi Canavan can write. She can write very well indeed. Her world is well developed, her characters well-rounded, and the story line is gripping. Likeable characters, except for a really unlikeable well-drawn villain. Put simply: it is a great read.

I haven't given it five stars because I reserve that for books that offer me something new and mind-blowing as well as good writing, but don't let that put you off. This book is superb and well-worth the buy. I suspect this writer is going to go a long, long way as she explores the opportunities open to her as a writer of fantasy - this after all, is her first book.

There were aspects of this book that i really enjoyed, the magic system for one. But after reading some amazing epic fantasies e.g. A song of fire and ice (that seems to be poking up alot) many of the less structured books seem to be lacking something, structure maybe?

I appreciate that these are shorter books and more has to be taken on faith, and i actually disagree with many of the 1 star reviewers with saying that there is no imagination or depth, far from it.

I ploughed through the trilogy in about a week and found it to be quite satifying, imagination wise. The few twists and turns are well thought out and placed, if not a little predictable. But all in all, it was something to keep me occupied, which it did, and i don't begrudge the time spent while i wait for another big one.

I think we've just been spoiled by some excellent authors and some truely epic fantasies, i know i have.

The first in the Black Magician trilogy, a coming-of-age tale focusing on a girl called Sonea, a commoner who's power is so strong she is able to work rudimentary magic (something that hasn't happened for hundreds of years, as magic must be unlocked.) The first novel follows her from the gutter, to a minor riot, to a cat-and-mouse game between herself and the magicians and then finally her inevitable capture.

This book came out clinging to the coat-tails of Harry Potter, though offers none of the action or humour. The style of writing is smooth - so much so I want to call it airbrushed. It is so carefully non-insulting it's dull. Pleasant enough but there is nothing that throws sparks in the mind. Nothing that bursts with flavour. It's also far too fussy at times. Ms Canavan for some reason can't call an ox and ox. That goes for spiders, sheep, cows, wolves, rats and mice. It is so redundant when the animals are obviously things with familiar names.

There is also the issue with humour. I know not everyone can write it, I myself have a similar issue, but Ms Canavan disguises the fact in the most jarring, irksome way. Take one scene, where Sonea is spying on a lesson within the Guild. She can hear the teacher loud and clear, but when the students make a joke she can't hear a word.

The male characters have some interesting points, but Sonea is very, very badly created. She is stupid but thinks herself clever, she is oddly reserved and polite for someone who grew up in the slums and she is uninteresting to the extreme. They all seem to be very hollow and 2D.

And then the culture. The city the book is set in apparently didn't have organised thieves until fifty years or so before. It's been standing for over 800 years, and the thieves only seem to hang out in the slums. Why, when no one in the slums have anything worth stealing? There is so much potential and it's just fluttered at meekly. It's so very frustrating.

For itself, the book is, well, boring. The chase doesn't climax until over midway through and the rest is dedicated to persuading her to become a member of the Guild. It lacks plot and action. I have no idea what possessed me to purchase the entire trilogy. I seem to remember the next books being a vast improvement, which I hope is correct.

Characters: 2/10
Setting: 3/10
Plot: 2/10
Dialogue: 3/10
Overall: 2.5/10

this is the first of the black magicians trilogy, its a promising start but the pace of the book is somewhat slack. Sonea is hiding from the guild for about half of the book and because of this the story plods along a bit. It takes a while to get into the book because its somewhat too slow paced but once she gets to the guild the pace does pick up and from then on the story develops a lot more fuller thge characterisations become more fuller and more real. For a first book on average its pretty good despite some of its flaws.

I bought this book from a local library; it having caught my eye when browsing. If I had bought it from here I might have not, as many of the reviews are VERY critical of it. I am glad I did not, as it is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish; devouring it within a joyful four hour period.

First the bad stuff: It is true that some parts of the book are a little slow, and there are a number of clichéd wrtiting devices and plot points. But this book has certainly proven that a cliché is not necessarily a bad thing. Once you get past their superficial simularites to old and overused ideas; you find that Trudi Canavan has added a wealth of detail and complexity that truely makes the ideas her own. The characters are well presented with believeable motives and reactions to the events around them.

I must also recommend this book as the beginning of a trilogy that gave me much enjoyment, the series staying just as complex and interesting as the first throughout. Through there is a slight overuse of the 'love' plot device, and the use of relationships in particular was overused. This is the only thing I can say against the trilogy, and it is nowhere near a large enough problem that it should turn anyone away.

So in summary, an excellent book if you can forgive a few clichés, and a beginning of a fantastic trilogy. I heartily recommend it.

The Magician's Guild is refreshing in that it's not about a reluctant male hero's quest to save the world. Instead, Trudi Canavan presents us with a spirited female lead who discovers that she has magic, which puts her in a social dilemma.

Should she accept her powers and join the "snobbish" magicians who are hated by ordinary people? Or should she stay ordinary but risk destroying those she loves with her uncontrolled magic?

The Magician's Guild is an enjoyable, easy read. Trudi Canavan's flowing narrative style will keep you turning the pages until the end. Though not as good a writer as Robert Jordan or Robin Hobbs (yet), Canavan keeps your interest with her likeable characters and familiar situations that readers will relate to. Themes such as social class divisions, friendships and betrayals, finding your true identity and figuring out where you truly belong are explored.

The books comes to a satisfying ending but readers are left in no doubt that this volume merely sets the scene for The Novice and The High Lord, the next two books in The Black Magician Trilogy.

I bought this book purely by chance whilst waiting for a flight home from Melbourne. Being an avid fantasy reader I have read a lot of debut novels and been disapointed that the plot and characters are often weak and trudge along. What a lovely surprise to find that Ms Canavan drops you straight into a world fully formed and ready to be explored. After only brief introductions the reader is hurled into a world of strong characters, intrigue, discovery and an edge-of-seat plot that keeps you reading and eager for more. To anybody looking for a good read with characters you will love and hate I recomend this book without reservation. I only wish that I had been brave enough to buy all three books of this trilogy at the same time as they are not yet available here in UK and now I will have to wait to find out how things develop.

Ok, some people have really beat up on this series (sadly, for all of the right reasons). But don't let this put you off.

This is a story that has great potential and the author works hard to reach this, but problem is that you really feel like kicking the editor for not pushing the author hard enough.

It takes three books to develop a story that could have been told in two with a bit of tight editing and THEN turned into a trilogy by pushing the authors skills a little more.

Don't be put off, this is worth a read but her next series, "Priestess Of The White" shows a lot more experience of character developement and better editorial control than this.

For a first novel (which I understand this to be), this is not a bad book. If that sounds like I'm damning it with faint praise, then it shouldn't. Trudi Canavan writes in an assured manner, pacing her action well and using nice touches to give her fantasy realm some real spark. She has obviously put a considerable amount of thought and effort into this book (evidenced by the glossary of terms in the back) and she uses this novel to really set up the world in which Sonea and Cery, the main characters operate.

Saying that, this book is essentially there as a scene-setter for the remaining two volumes and as such, does not have a whole lot of plot of its own. It's basically a chase sequence, with Canavan weaving in the society's structure and history around the pursuit by the Magician's Guild of the renegade. There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach.

The big advantage is that it allows Canavan to set out the hierarchical structure of the Guild, how it operates and an idea of the political forces flowing within it by showing us the chase from the magicians perspective (specifically though the characters of Rothen and Dannyl). At the same time, she gives us a grounding in the spider's web of people and machinations that are the Thieves by having a Thief called Faren take her into his protection whilst offering work to Cery to give us an idea of their activities and own sense of `honour'. Against all this, she also hammers home a central theme of a society of two halves - the haves (essentially the Magicians and those living within the inner city) and the have nots (into which category Sonea, Cery and the Thieves fall). In addition, it also allows her to set up her character of Sonea and the effect on her of the discovery of these powers (together with the reaction of some of her friends).

However, the disadvantage is that if you like your fantasy full of action and thrills, then you're going to find this interesting but a little frustrating. To keep the chase going, Canavan has to provide for near-misses, glimpse of capture and sudden escapes. After the first couple of times, this becomes cliched and it's not helped by the fact that there are times when to keep the pursuit going, she has supposedly intelligent Magicians falling for obvious traps.

In addition, she is so caught up in setting up the society that she doesn't really pay that much attention to establishing the side characters. Fergun is a cartoon villain and never really poses a threat - in fact, his big plan for Sonea is so ridiculous and obvious that you have to suspend belief to maintain interest. In addition, I found Rothen and Dannyl to be a little bland and defined by their roles more than by their words and deeds - Rothen for example, is your stereotypical magical tutor with a painful past and Dannyl is his sidekick and former pupil who's there to keep the action going and give a big hint that Fergun is Not A Nice Man.

Where Canavan does do well is with the High Lord of the Guild - Akkarin is just enough of an enigma to hold the interest and the revelation that he's not above doing something Very Wrong Indeed creates a sense of uncertainty in the reader as to where Canavan is going to take the plot for the rest of the arc. I also think that there's potential in Sonea and Ceryni, although they do at times seem a little two-dimensional (which I think is more a product of the plot focus). I'm a little concerned at Sonea's potential to be too perfect - in particular, Canavan has set her up as a magician with an extraordinary amount of power, she's small, skinny and attractive. At the same time though, for someone who's supposed to be street-wise, there are times when she's too trusting - most particularly in her initial scenes with Fergun. Canavan needs to resolve this and do more to humanise Sonea in the next two books. The same is also true of Cery who frustratingly, is also conveniently trusting when it comes to Fergun.

To be fair though, I like the way that whilst the reader automatically assumes that there will be some kind of romance between Sonea and Cery as the books move forward, she deliberately ends The Magician's Guild by putting cold water on this idea by having Sonea see him as just a friend. Whilst I'm fearful that she will eventually go down that route, it's nice to see a plotline being set up that's not automatically flavoured with romance.

As a side-note, I would add that I was disappointed by Canavan's decision to signpost Sonea's interest in the Healing discipline. In part, this is because it is such a traditional `girly' fantasy role that it once again takes her down the road of cliché. However it is also because Caravan takes the time to set out the alternative Warrior and Alchemist classes, but by making Sonea's destiny immediately obvious, those classes become somewhat redundant.

Finally, I wanted to make a point that does cut across my praise of the amount of thought put into this. Specifically, whilst it is refreshing to see an author thinking up new slang and language, it's a little frustrating to have to keep flicking to the glossary every time she uses it. For example, there are a number of references to "Ceryni" being a kind of rat, which went over my head the first time, and similarly I wasn't originally clear on what a "Bolhouse" was and got a little confused. Obviously, this is a really picky point, but I think it's worth mentioning as I think that she might have done better to use footnotes to explain new terminology rather than a separate glossary.

Nitpicking aside, this really isn't a bad read and will keep fantasy enthusiasts entertained. Whilst there is nothing new or innovative in this book and it certainly doesn't take the genre to a new level, it is intelligently written and produced with a lot of care and attention.