The Magic Engineer by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Returning to Recluse is again a sheer delight. Classic, easy storytelling, development of the core ideas of his magic system, and a great exploration of the balance between Chaos and Order.

Specifically, this man, totally devoted to Order magic, devoted his life in exile to creating machines, from steam engines to much more difficult (emotionally) devices, proving to the world that Order magic is more than a match for that of Chaos magic, which happens to be rife off the island of Recluse.

This is not, as people might assume, a novel of good versus evil. None of them are. They are, however, a poignant and complex study in nature, idealism, loss of innocence, and the Law of Unintended Consequences.

In other words, there's nothing about this that I dislike.

This is the kind of Fantasy I could read all day long and never grow tired of. It's a nice counterpoint to, say, WoT or Sanderson, which delve deep in different thematics but are just as fun in characters and storytelling.

Yes, I rank this series up there. And why not? It's not a clone, it's clever, and it's well-written. And best of all, I never once got bored. That's a fine, fine point.

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