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

As I was reading, I kept having to stop and convince myself that I wasn't reading a book that came out in the last few years. It's style and worldbuilding and quick developments belied the fact that it was pubbed in 1991. And yet?

I was entranced. I felt like I was reading Robin Hobb (this came out before her popular epic fantasy) mixed with some Robert Jordan and some of the high-fantasy elements of Moorcock.

And it wasn't even the magic dichotomy between Order vs Chaos and how it felt like a gigantic Yin/Yang motif that got me revved up. It wasn't even the interesting feel of reading LeGuin's fantasy tucked away in these pages.

It was the Main Character.

I've never seen the ultimate growth of a wet-nosed teen to a magician of the high order come packaged in such a MODEST package.

I'll be frank. The main character charmed me the most.

I love the magic system and learning how it worked and following his long discoveries was fantastic, but it was his personality that made me love this book. :)

I'm definitely going to continue this series. I had a misstep with one of his other, later books, but if I had started here, I never would have worried. :)

View all my reviews