The Order War (Recluce series, Book 4)

This book brings the Rucluce Saga full circle with the introduction of Justen the Gray and the destruction of Fairhaven. I was really excited about this story because I thought that those two topics could be really great. However, I was somewhat dissapointed in many aspects of this book. I don't really know what it was, but I just wasn't able to get into this book as much as I did the last couple. Much of the book seemed to drag on with very little being accomplished, and while the action was thrilling (with Justen and Gunnar whipping the Whites, and the Whites whipping innocent people in turn) it was few and far between. I think more could have been done with the druids (I don't feel like the reader really learns much about them) and with the Black Devil (which just supplied transport for Justen to get to Fairhaven) and what was with the metal rods that Justen used to kill those last Whites??Look, this is a good book that fits nicely into the saga, but it just didn't live up to what I was expecting. I still look forward to the next book, in which the story returns to Lerris.

This, the fourth book in the series (after THE MAGIC OF RECLUCE, TOWERS OF THE SUNSET, and THE MAGIC ENGINEER), is a vast improvement over the others. The pacing in this book was so much better. The other three had large sections in the middle where nothing really happened, at least in terms of plot progression. This book has slow areas, but they were the slow areas of mostly any other good book out there. They were used for character development rather than for philosophy, as in the first three books. In addition to the better pacing, Modesitt has cut down on the utterly confusing leaps of intuition that were a glaring mark throughout the first three books.Modesitt's characterizations continue to be very strong here. All of the characters in his books are believable and the villains are not just some two dimensional cardboard cutout. I think the characterizations are the strongest part of Modesitt's writing. Since there's not always a lot of action, the growth of the characters is what keeps my attention in these books.Modesitt continues to build a vivid, interesting world. I can't wait to find out what this "Legend" he keeps talking about really is. The only real shortcoming of this book is the lack of maps so I can figure out where the heck the characters are in relation to places they've been!

While I am a great fan of Modesitt's writing style and excellent characterization, in this novel he also supplies the reader with a well-developed, completely unique magic system that might almost be considered a science in its complexity and realism. A must-read for fans and newcomers alike!

I am by far a novice at reading. But "The Order War" so grabbed my attention, that I spent all of my free time engrosed in the book. The main character, Justin, had so much for me to attach to. His personal internal trials very much transfered to our real world. Yes, there is the violence that war brings out and the cruel weapon that Justin created, but the primary draw of the story is the personalities of the minor characters in addition to the primary characters...Order and Chaos alike. Yes, you like to hate the bad guys, but here you also get a kick out of the troubles they have. The Recluce world and the magic it holds in it's balance is creative and attractive to new readers like myself. I recommend this to all readers.

I have been enthralled with Mr. Modesitt's book's since I recently discovered him while waiting for a plane. I think his Recluse novels bring out the best in the fantasy/ Scifi genre. Although his style is predictablehe still manages to keep the intent of his book to himselfuntil the final chapters. By predictable I mean that I had guessed that Justin was going to destroy Fairhaven.I had know idea he was to become a druid in the process. This is the essence of L.E.'s books. You think you know what is supposed to happen, and it usually does, for a while, but the left curves more than make up for the obvious know it all syndrome