The Magician's Apprentice

This is a great read. It brings to life a very real feeling fantasy world, with a contrast of the grittyness of the rural commoner's life to the silk and gold gilded life of the merchant class in the city. And then you mix in an invasion of rogue wizards from a neighboring country and the excitement builds. I felt for the main character who had to struggle against both class and gender restrictions in seeking her desired life path, which is then complicated by an accidentally discovered innate magical ability which suddenly raises her from a healer's apprentice to a magician's apprentice status. The magical system presented in the book also presents some interesting implications of what can happen in a society where certain life energy can be transferred from person to person. The two opposing cultures in this book show two different paths that have been taken by societies with that ability. So, all in all, a deep read with many levels of story going on. I look forward to reading other works by Trudi Canavan.

This is my first Trudi Canavan book, but it certainly will not be my last. She writes with a clarity and detail. I have been disappointed in the past with this type of 'epic' book which has multiple layers of storyline. But, this in not the case in Ms. Canavan's book. She remembers her separate storylines and ties up all the loose ends neatly before the end of the book. No character is left 'dangling'. The books opens on the scene of an amputation of finger. It sets the scene on the main character, Tessia, who is assisting her father in his work as the local "healer". It goes on to show how meticulous Tessia is in her role of assistant. She has compassion and desire to help the sick and injured and this is manifested throughout the book. Then the stage is set for conflict as her mother especially is pushing Tessia to marry and provide them with grandchildren. Even her father is supportive as he reminds Tessia that he is going to take on a young male to train as his assistant and she will not longer have her position. She is summoned to the residence of the local leader to help treat a gravely injured servant of the nearbylord Takado. In a followup visit to check on the condition of the servant, Tessia is sexually harassed by Takado and from inside her erupts a to this point unknown magical ability that blasts the would be rapist across the room and leaves her with the wonder of training her magical ability. Takado is but one of the rival group of magicians that has been scouting the countryside in preparation for a massive killing spree of his quiet neighbors and claiming their land for his own (with lip service to his ruler of course). The rest of this book is a dark and magical journey with Tessia and various other women caught up in the intrigue of magic, war, destruction and betrayal. It is also a journey in which she and the other characters of the book find themselves, their life partners and shape a future in a land recovering from killing and destruction on both sides. It is a good book with graphic details of violence and destruction in places. Over all, I would rate this a very enjoyable read.

Some people have called this book boring and slow, but magic isn't only about fast pased fighting. This book really shows you the world that Tessia lives in. How the classes are different and how the different countries are different. This book shows how Tessia goes from being a healer's assistant to a magician. She enters a new and complicated world. Unfortunatly she doesn't have long to enjoy her new place before her country is under attack.

I haven't read others from Canavan's series but I'm going to rectify that soon. Magician's Apprentice peaked my curiosity about the world she created in her series. I agree that as a stand alone it would be somewhat confusing, but I'm sure it makes a great addition to her stories. The battle scenes were a bit drawn out for me, but I tend to be like that with all books. I definitely liked the main character, Tessia.

I wouldn't let The Magician's Apprentice out of my sight. From page one, I dived deep into the characters - Tessia, Jayan, Dakon, Stara, and Hanara - each became my close personal friend, a person I cared for, and whose success was important to me, even though at times I loathed their decisions. This epic fantasy is a multiple perspective work, each portion of the tale being told through the eyes of the characters previously mentioned. When their country home is destroyed, Dakon, Jayan, and Tessia are forced to go to war with the Sachakan invaders, and in doing so learn a lot about themselves and each other. Ultimately, this is a beautifully constructed tale of love, war, power and consequence. Each character is interesting in its own right, and the story is so well-constructed and paced that hours fly by in its reading. Since this is a stand-alone novel and prequel, it is also an excellent entry point into the world Canavan has made. The Magician's Apprentice, without reservation, should be a pick for anyone who loves the works of Robert Jordan, Karen Miller, David Eddings, or Margaret Weis. Reviewed by John Ottinger III