Wanderer Ward
12 years ago
Wanderer Ward
Dreamscape Artist
Read it! It's a classic! And it's been in the A&R Top 100, so it must be good. I'll be rereading it later in the month when I can retrieve my copy from home.
Wanderer Ward
12 years ago
Wanderer Ward
Mage
I have read this!
My fiance loaned it to me a few years ago, but I don't know if I'll be able to reread it, as I'd want to keep reading all the subsequent Feist books >P<
Still, from what I remember, I found the storyline to be quite compelling, and the storyline engaging.
I've just picked this up too! Not too far into it, but enjoying it so far! :)
I've tried reading it a couple times actually, but have found it hard to get into.
I first read Daughter of the Empire, Servant of the Empire and Mistress of the Empire (by Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurts) when I was a kid. I went to read Magician a couple of years ago and was like "I know those place names!" To explain, the books I read first were written after and are set in the other half of the two worlds.
I quite liked Magician, but I haven't managed to read its sequel yet. I think I liked the other trilogy more but it is very different and it was written a long time afterwards, perhaps he got better at writing :P
I read this when I was fourteen and loved it, though I got progressively less interested with the series. I read it several years later and was less impressed, but it's still a good story. My favourite parts involved Pug in Kelewan, and I remember reading the scene at the arena, where Pug goes all 'VENGEANCE IS MINE!!!' on everyone.
One problem with it, that I noticed even at fourteen, is how Midkemia. which is clearly based on European culture yet often including modern sentiments, is seen as superior to Kelewan, which is, as clearly, Asian, perhaps especially reminiscent of Japan. Kelewan has to be Midkemia-ised in the Empire books before it is seen as morally equal to Midkemia. These books were written in the 80s and 90s - I would have thought you could expect authors to be beyond othering Asian culture. High fantasy is often a conservative genre - one step behind other forms of speculative fiction when it comes to politics and social justice - perhaps the books are one more example of that.
I agree with, Sionainn - I have it because I heard it's a classic... but I have tried reading it a few times, but have never got too far into it... did anyone else have that problem??
Wait, which one's Kelewan and Midkemia? I think Pug's from Midkemia, the European one, and Mara (Empire books) is from Kelewan, the Asian one. But I don't remember there being much about Kelewan becoming European-ised or that Midkemia ever sees it as an equal, there wasn't really that much about Midkemia in general. Although it's been a fair few years since I've read them!!
Sorry, that all happens in the Empire books, by Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurts, not in Magician and its sequels, which are mainly set in Midkemia.
Yeah, sorry, that's what I was referring to. I just don't remember that all happening, I don't really remember there being much about Midkemia in the Empire books except for the slave guy.
I totally did the same thing, read the empire trilogy many years before the magician. I actually finished the magician before I put it together.
I collect copies of the magician. The older and more well-read the better.
I must read the empire trilogy again soon. I have found the latter two in op shops but not the first, yet.
I finally read the Magician this year with the thought I had never read a Raymond E. Feist book before. While reading it I realized I had read one of his years before (8 years ago in fact).I think it was called Daughter of the Empire and I nearly had a pink fit when I connected the two. Sooo incredibly good. I admit it took me a little bit to get into the Magician but once I did, I was hooked. I haven't yet read the rest of the series but I hope to soon. Seriously once you get past the first few or so chapters it gets quite good. I have found that often the first book in a series does not always contain too much action first off as it is more of an establishing story, for example Pawn of Prophecy in the Belgariad. That's not always the case though.
