Earlier this year, I delved back into the captivating world of fantasy by reading Patrick Rothfuss' remarkable The Name of the Wind. Since then, I've been on a literary journey, reading backwards. I sought out the authors who Rothfuss was favorably compared to and began devouring their works.

I was truly enamored with the next author I encountered, George R. R. Martin. I was more than happy to continue with his Song of Fire and Ice series. However, it was a disappointment to learn that the next book in that series has been postponed until 2013. So, I turned to Raymond Feist, who was next on my list.

For a total fantasy novice, this book might hold some charm. But even the books I read during the height of my geeky phase, when I devoured almost nothing but the works of R.A. Salvatore and those published by Forgotten Realms, are significantly superior to this one.

In simple terms, Magician: Apprentice lacks the finesse, beauty, and complexity of the other fantasy works (or even ordinary fiction) that I've read this year. Overall, it reads like a compilation of what were likely very engaging D&D styled scenarios and RPG adventures.

The characters seem to be overly adored by the author. They are all rather generic "nice guys" thrust into challenging situations. They lack flaws and weaknesses, and as a result, they don't develop as characters. They are chivalrous and handsome. When they do fail (which is rare), it's not their fault. All personal conflicts are resolved with a good cry, some laughter, and then a drink. The most significant change in a character is not brought about by learning from experience, harsh reality, or personal introspection, but rather by donning mysterious magical armor. None of the characters face more than brief moral or ethical dilemmas. Since these men only encounter deus ex machina type problems, their growth is never shown; we're just told it's happened after random narrative leaps. Four months pass and generic male hero #1 wants to go home, or 2 years pass and generic male #2 is now battle-hardened. Okay, if you say so. The female characters are even more one-dimensional. All those who are given more than one line of dialogue are beautiful, playful, strong-willed, and eager to find a partner. Even the elven Queen is essentially the same, just with a title.

Putting aside the otherworldly opposition for a moment, the only villains are mentioned in passing. None are fully developed characters, just convenient tools to create minor shifts in the action. The opposition from another world is the most interesting, but unfortunately, much of the consideration and description of them is repetitive. They have different concepts of honor, they're fearless, they speak a tonal language, they come from a world without metal, and they employ a magic beyond the understanding of the Midkemians. These basic points are emphasized over and over again.

"Over and over again" is one of the main issues with this book. So much of it feels like a repetition of the same fight, the same history, and the same description. I read the author's preferred text or edition or something like that. Having not read the original, I can't be certain, but I'm confident that if 20 - 40 pages were trimmed, while many of my complaints about the characters would remain the same, at least the plot would move more quickly.

I also read Magician: Master, which I won't bother to review in detail, but it is a slight improvement. I'd probably give it two stars. The description and exploration of the Kelewan world, its people, and their customs is far more interesting than anything in the first book, but the writing and characters still feel stale and one-dimensional.

Why hello old school fantasy! Long time no see.

I see that you still have dwarves of Moria, beautiful elves living in trees, farm boys who turn into great warriors, plucky princesses and overwhelmingly likable characters. Oh and a cute dragon pet.

Not that I mind them much in this book. The writing and the pacing are good. In fact, I didn't yawn even once when reading this book. And the main characters, at least Pug and Tomas, are so endearing that you just want to hug them and muss their hair. Pug reminds me of Fitzchivalry Farseer, albeit with much less suffering.

Centering on a Duchy household, aside from the Duke himself and his sons, there is an assorted staff including a magician, a priest, a huntmaster, a swordmaster, and so on. With the background of a war, the book actually takes great pains in describing what each character is doing and experiencing in their respective capacities. So, there is politicking with the duke, commanding the army with the prince, organizing defense with the swordmaster, guerilla work with the magician and the huntmaster and so on. It's pretty cool. I even forget sometimes that they are having a war with aliens from another world coming through a rift. I just enjoy reading about competent people working together towards one goal.

There are also lots of subplots, such as the ancient, extinct (?) dragon riders (the Valyrians? Kidding.. ), the dark elves (of Mirkwood...argh, can't help it), the upcoming (now-adult) love triangle (le sigh) and the outworlders' own strange war/political issues. I guess I'll find out more in the next book.

Magician: Apprentice is the inaugural book in Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga, which is the first subseries within the extensive Riftwar Cycle series. Approximately 20 years ago, when I was just over 20 years old, this book ignited my passion for the fantasy genre. During my childhood, I had read some fantasy works, but I wasn't truly aware of it as a distinct genre, especially not one for adult readers. And I had never encountered anything quite like this book before. I was instantly captivated and voraciously consumed the first 16 or so books that had been published at that time. Then, I moved on to other pursuits, including other fantasy works, and never revisited it. Now, with another 15 books having been published and the series being declared complete, I've decided to reread the earlier books and continue until the end, assuming, of course, that I continue to enjoy it.

I wouldn't say the title is exactly misleading, but it might give the impression that there is more magic than there actually is. If you're anticipating a magic school story, this definitely isn't it. In the Kingdom, there are very few magicians, and we don't encounter many in this book. Pug is the apprentice mentioned in the title. We meet him as a teenager, just before he discovers his magical potential. We do witness some spells, but Pug struggles to learn how to cast them, and magic isn't yet the central focus of the story. Even Pug himself becomes less prominent later in the book as we start following other characters. I thoroughly enjoyed all the point-of-view characters. The book encompasses coming-of-age stories, politics, strategy, and battles. The world is somewhat Tolkien-like in that it features elves, dwarves, and goblins, but the story didn't remind me of Lord of the Rings at all. Instead, the world has its own fully developed political structure and geography.

Since it has been such a long time since I last read this, I remembered very few details. The main things I recalled were some of the characters. I had a vague memory of the main story, and as I read, some of the plot details did resurface, but much of it felt as if I were reading it for the first time. I was concerned that it might not live up to my memories now that I've read a substantial amount of epic fantasy, but it was just as good as I remembered, and I think I probably appreciated it for different reasons this time around.

I was surprised to realize that this is a kind of feel-good, comfort-read type of book. I hadn't noticed that the first time I read it, perhaps because I've read many more books with darker themes since then. Pug is an orphan, but he isn't a mistreated or abused orphan like those commonly found in epic fantasy. He has good friends, the adults in the story aren't cruel or oblivious, and he isn't abused, ridiculed, or ignored. Most of the rulers we meet are good people who govern with wisdom and concern for their subjects. Everyone generally gets along, with just a few minor rivalries. This is a book filled with people you can respect, and I really liked that. I also enjoy dark books where the main character and maybe a couple of close friends are alone against a cruel, dark world, but this was a nice change of pace.

I'm extremely happy that I've finally resumed this series; I've wanted to do this for a long time. There were a few moments here and there where my interest waned slightly, but they didn't last long. I'm rating it at 4.5 stars and rounding up to 5 on Goodreads.

I have a complex set of emotions regarding this.

Summary: It's a good adventure and action story with less emphasis on fantasy/magic. The magic system and elements are interesting, but their utilization is improper and inadequate.

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I initially liked the book as the world was being established along with the characters who would later become important in the entire series. The magic system, despite having only vague and few descriptions of its manifestations, was at least intriguing. The writing wasn't outstanding, but it was sufficient to keep me engaged with the plot. Some of the central characters were well-written, while others were not. I appreciate the breadth to which the story/plot evolves. I like everything that occurs as the plot progresses. There are adventures, elves, dwarves, goblins, a Smaug-like dragon, magical artifacts, and all the typical lore from the fantasy genre. If I consider the essence and the sense of adventure this book provided, the story was great.

However, I can't help but feel extremely disappointed at the same time.

*WARNING: SPOILER-ISH RANT AHEAD*

When I understood what a 'rift' meant in the name The Riftwar Cycle, I was extremely excited about what was to come. But boy, was I let down. The word 'rift' is used only 13 times in the book, with 11 of those times in a single chapter where this magical concept is explained as the characters themselves start to learn about it. And if the 'rift' concept didn't exist in the world the book creates, this book, this trilogy, and the entire 30-odd book Cycle wouldn't even exist as the 'rift' concept is what initiates the whole crux of the plot. So, I can't come to terms with the fact that this alien magical concept that ultimately brings war to the kingdom is not only not referred to enough times, but the characters themselves don't act as if it matters much.

This is unacceptable! So, let's say the author never intended magic to be the core driver of the book or the series. Then why the hell is this book called Magician: Apprentice when there are clearly 2 or more protagonists who receive almost equal importance during narration, while only one of them is a sorta-magician whose greatest trick was choking 2 trolls through magic he didn't intend. I mean, seriously?

The whole world seems quite strange when I think about how there is only 1 magician (and his apprentice) in the whole kingdom, and when a 'rift' appears that leads to war, no one bats an eyelid about this magical phenomenon that should leave people stunned if the characters had any sense at all. The magic is so vague that instead of seeming like a deliberate choice by the author, it feels like bad writing and world-building, which I really don't want to believe because of all the things I've read about this trilogy and a few others in the Cycle.

I'm still very hopeful as I move on to book #2 Magician: Master. Even if I end up not liking this series, I'm going to try reading The Empire trilogy (the next saga in The Riftwar Cycle) written by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts (who has been on my fantasy TBR for a while now), which is supposed to be better than this.

Note to prospective readers: Magician: Apprentice was book #1 when it was first published. Magician: Master was book #2 at that time. Now, in newer editions, these two are combined into 1 book called Magician. Now I know why. Because Magician: Apprentice ends on an absurd cliffhanger that makes me question the storytelling skill of the author (which I don't want to do as I liked many things about the book), that's why.

I 100% read this book because a popular Goodreads' reviewer, Matthew, challenged all fans of Fantasy to read it 6 years ago.

Is this book a hidden gem that I had been missing? The answer is yes. This series is truly delightful for fans of epic fantasy. It features a rich cast of characters including elves, dwarves, mythical creatures, and even aliens! It reminds me a little of The Lord of the Rings.

At the start of the story, an orphaned teenager resides in a castle with servants and ultimately finds his niche apprenticing an old magician. This is the Duke's castle, and he oversees the village of Crydee and all those living within the castle. I constantly anticipated someone to be mean, but to my surprise, no one was. These are the kindest people living together in a fantasy castle!

Eventually, trouble does arrive at the shores of Crydee, and the story begins to gain momentum.

There are only two aspects that I disliked about this book.

Firstly, it took me a whopping TWO months to read. It may sound silly, but I firmly believe that I would have enjoyed this a great deal more if I had the Kindle version instead of the library's paperback. Eventually, I discovered the audiobook on Scribd and was able to complete it quickly.

Secondly, parts of the story remain unresolved! I suppose I'll have to pick up the next book. I did realize that I would likely need to read all three books of the trilogy if I渴望 to obtain answers.

The audiobook is well-produced. There is one particular part of the book where the characters encounter a mythical creature, and I played it over the speakers of the car for my kids to listen to. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed that segment of the story.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this story is mostly clean. The violence isn't overly gruesome. I'm unsure if the story will maintain its cleanliness as readers delve deeper into the enemy's territory, but the first book was refreshingly devoid of any unnecessary physical romance and R-rated language.

I was initially concerned that the story would solely feature strong male characters and the females would be swooning princesses in need of rescue, but that wasn't the case by the conclusion of the book.

When I finished the audio, I heard the author mention that this was his first book, and the edition I had just read is a revised edition with more story details. I envision that each book gets progressively better. I'll definitely have to pick up book 2 when I'm in the mood for epic fantasy.

I really enjoyed this story overall!

The beginning was truly interesting, which immediately caught my attention and made me eager to continue reading.

However, as I got to the middle part, I felt that it dragged a little bit. The pace seemed to slow down, and I found myself losing a bit of the initial excitement.

Thankfully, the story line picked up again towards the end. It became more engaging and exciting, and all the loose ends started to come together.

The mix of characters in this story was also quite good. Each character had their own unique personality and traits, which added depth and interest to the story.

In 2024, I decided to reread this story. As I started reading, I thought it seemed familiar. To my surprise, I had forgotten that I had read it before!

Since I'm a big fan of Pug, I decided to up my rating to 3.5 stars. Overall, it was a good read, with a few flaws but also many redeeming qualities.

This was okay, but I never truly felt myself immersed in the story or engaged with the characters. The writing was decent, yet there was nothing that could compensate for my lack of interest in the narrative.

I haven't delved into a great deal of traditional fantasy, and perhaps it simply isn't as much to my liking as science fiction. Oh well. It wasn't bad, just not outstanding.

Maybe I need to explore more traditional fantasy works to see if I can find that spark of interest. Or perhaps my preference for science fiction is just too strong.

Either way, this particular experience with traditional fantasy has left me with a somewhat lukewarm impression. I'll keep an open mind, though, and continue to explore different genres to see what else might capture my imagination.

I haven't liked every single book written by Feist since... However, this particular one had such a powerful charm that it completely sucked me in. As soon as I could get my hands on the next two books in the series, I devoured them.

Since then, I have remembered this book very fondly. Just recently, I replaced my long lost (or perhaps worn out) copy. I vividly remember thinking at that time what an odd name Pug was to be given to a main character. But as the story progresses, it masterfully builds the characters, the world, and the overall narrative. Before I knew it, I was quickly hooked and remained so for several volumes.

While Mr. Feist's writing can sometimes be inconsistent, with moments that are almost infuriating, this particular book is truly an excellent read. It has a unique allure that keeps the readers engaged from start to finish.

I first read this book during my high school days.

It was among the very first adult sci-fi/fantasy books that came into my hands, and ever since then, it has occupied a special niche in my heart.

Recently, upon rereading it, I found that it didn't quite have the same level of amazingness as it did back then. However, it still remains a solid and worthwhile read.

I did encounter a couple of issues. For instance, the passage of time seemed inconsistent at times, which a bit disrupted the flow of the story. Additionally, towards the end, a particular storyline seemed to disappear rather abruptly.

Nevertheless, I can overlook these flaws to some extent. This is because this book and the second one are actually intended to be read as one continuous narrative.

Back then, I only managed to read the first two books of the series. But this time around, I'm determined to finish all four and explore the complete story arc.

I liked this story, but I did not love it.

The not loving was not due to the story itself. It is indeed a great story, being original and filled with action.

However, it was the writing that I, personally, did not favor.

There were a plethora of detailed descriptions within it. At times, it would jump ahead several months without a clear indication that it was about to do so.

This made it very confusing at times. (Although, it could potentially have been an issue with the ebook version of this book.)

With this particular writing style, I simply couldn't fully immerse myself in the story.

It just wasn't the right fit for me.

Perhaps others might appreciate this style more, but for my personal taste, it didn't quite hit the mark.

Nevertheless, I can still recognize the quality of the story beneath the writing that didn't resonate with me.

Maybe with a different approach to the writing, I would have been able to love this story as much as I liked it.

This is the second time I've read this book. The first time was nearly 20 years ago.

I read it within two days and was astonished by how much I relished it. At times, it progresses slowly, yet the character and world-building never become tiresome.

Overall, I derived greater enjoyment from this second reading and anticipate concluding, at least, this portion of the extensive and overall series.

The story seems to have a certain charm that keeps pulling me back. Even though I remember some of the major plot points from the first reading, there are still many details that I overlooked before.

The author's writing style is engaging, and the descriptions of the characters and the world they inhabit are vivid. It makes me feel as if I am truly a part of their story.

I'm excited to see what else this series has in store for me and can't wait to continue reading.

I very much enjoyed the reread of this. It is a classic epic fantasy that truly stands the test of time.

The story is filled with rich and detailed world-building, transporting the reader to a realm of magic, adventure, and heroic deeds. The characters are well-developed and engaging, each with their own unique personalities and motives.

As I delved back into this epic, I was once again captivated by the thrilling plot and the numerous twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The author's writing style is immersive and descriptive, painting a vivid picture in the reader's mind.

Whether you are a long-time fan of epic fantasy or new to the genre, this book is definitely worth a read. It offers an escape into a world of wonder and excitement that will leave you longing for more.

I highly recommend this classic epic fantasy to anyone looking for a captivating and unforgettable reading experience.