Agents of Artifice

I had purchased this book at a Friday Night Magic session a few months back. By then, they had already sold out of the Jace cards (of course). Nevertheless, I picked up the book as well as the Divine vs. Demonic pack and went on my way. I must say that the first chapter or so of this book is a bit tedious, but good things truly do come to those who wait. I very much like how the author incorporated multiple planeswalkers into his novel, even though my personal favorite doesn't make it in the end (or does he?), as well as how he develops Jace's character. Granted, some of the other characters are left somewhat incomplete, but this can be expected as they are not as vital to the story. Once I muddled through the first few chapters I couldn't put this book down! On the whole, much better than the Shadowmoor book and even the Llorwyn and Morningtide books. I highly reccomend this book!

As the other reviewers have said, this book is very good for an MTG novel. I was surprised at how well the author balanced the exploration of sheer power that planeswalkers posses in the setting and the soul searching (though often adolescent) that the use of such power for personal gain can bring about. The main characters are well written; they have enough in the way of archetypes to make them readily understandable, yet have enough individuality to make them capable of surprising the reader. All in all, the book was a light and enjoyable read cover to cover, though the structure of the first half (flashback technique) left me slightly confused for a bit.

I have been reading Magic Novels from the beginning. I have read the Brothers War probably three times and most of the early novels more then once. The sad thing is Magic Novels have been dwindling in their quality since the newest creative team has taken over and I haven't been able to get into the characters and the setting were pretty mediocre. Then this gem came along! This novel was excellent form th emoment I picked it up! I simply could not put it down! It flowed very well and the writing style of Ari is very, very nice to read. The story itself is good also and makes me enjoy the characters very much. If you are looking for your next MtG novel or just looking to read a good fantasy novel then pick this one up!

"Agents of Artifice" tells the story of the Planeswalker Jace Beleren, a powerful mage capable of traveling between the many worlds of the Multiverse, and his adventures and misadventures with the Infinite Consortium. From the beginning the reader will discover that not everything is as it seems. The story has a little something for everyone: lots of action and adventure, a large dose of magic, and a diverse set of characters. In addition to Jace, we are introduced to Khallist, a skilled fighter, Liliana Vess, a powerful necromancer, Emmara, the Elven healer, and Tezzeret, the leader of the Infinite Consortium. I found the characters interesting and well thought-out. Overall the plot/story was interesting and well written. While a few of the plot `twists' were not really a surprise, the story more than made up for it. I found the story exciting and well paced. But as mentioned above, it was really the characters that made the book for me. One of the more interesting aspects of the book for me was the development of Jace's character over the course of the story and the emotions he experiences due to situations that were often beyond his control. I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to readers looking for character-driven fantasy, especially if they like their fantasy heavy with magic. I'd also recommend the book to fans of the Magic the Gathering novel line. I should note that it is not necessary to have any knowledge of Magic the Gathering to enjoy this novel. I had never played the game or read a Magic the Gathering novel before reading "Agents of Artifice" and I was able to follow everything. In fact, I enjoyed the novel so much I plan to pick up some more novels in the line.

I've read a lot of the Magic novels. Some I've really enjoyed, a couple I've struggled to make it through. Agents of Artifice is easily among the best. It's about planeswalkers. Who doesn't love planeswalkers? From the back cover, you know it's about Jace Beleren, Tezzeret, and Liliana Vess. These are great characters. And there's even more waiting inside. I really enjoyed it. Really good story.. nice backstory on some of the recent (ok.. like a year ago for Jace & Lilliana) additions to the Magic mythos. But there's lots of surprises and twists... I literally had trouble putting it down through the last quarter. It's a good read. Buy it (hardcover!! which is a first i think for an MTG novel.. nice) and read it. And you get a sweet looking foil Jace card (art from the book cover.. which is `foil' as well... sweet). Dave