The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan
Jan. 14th, 2006 07:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Each year the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city streets of vagrants, urchins and miscreants. Masters of the disciplines of magic, they know that no one can oppose them. But their protective shield is not as impenetrable as they believe.
For as the mob are herded from the city, a young street girl, furious at the authorities’ treatment of her family and friends, hurls a stone at the shield, putting all her rage behind it. To the amazement of all who bear witness, the stone passes unhindered through the barrier and renders a magician unconscious.
It is an inconceivable act, and the guild’s worst fear has been realised - an untrained magician is loose on the streets. She must be found, and quickly, before her uncontrolled powers unleash forces that will destroy both her, and the city that is her home.
For a first novel (which I understand this to be), this is not a bad book. If that sounds like I’m damning it with faint praise, then it shouldn’t. Trudi Canavan writes in an assured manner, pacing her action well and using nice touches to give her fantasy realm some real spark. She has obviously put a considerable amount of thought and effort into this book (evidenced by the glossary of terms in the back) and she uses this novel to really set up the world in which Sonea and Cery, the main characters operate.
Saying that, this book is essentially there as a scene-setter for the remaining two volumes and as such, does not have a whole lot of plot of its own. In essence, it’s a chase sequence, with Canavan weaving in the society’s structure and history around the pursuit by the Magician’s Guild of the renegade. There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach.
The big advantage is that it allows Canavan to set out the hierarchical structure of the Guild, how it operates and an idea of the political forces flowing within it by showing us the chase from the magicians perspective (specifically though the characters of Rothen and Dannyl). At the same time, she gives us a grounding in the spider’s web of people and machinations that are the Thieves by having a Thief called Faren take her into his protection whilst offering work to Cery to give us an idea of their activities and own sense of ‘honour’. Against all this, she also hammers home a central theme of a society of two halves - the haves (essentially the Magicians and those living within the inner city) and the have notes (into which category Sonea, Cery and the Thieves fall). In addition, it does allow her to set up her character of Sonea and the effect on her of the discovery of these powers (together with the reaction of some of her friends).
However, the disadvantage is that if you like your fantasy full of action and thrills, then you’re going to find this interesting but a little frustrating. To keep the chase going, Canavan has to provide for near-misses, glimpse of capture and sudden escapes. After the first couple of times, this becomes cliched and it’s not helped by the fact that there are times when to keep the pursuit going, she has supposedly intelligent Magicians falling for obvious traps.
In addition, she is so caught up in setting up the society that she doesn’t really pay that much attention to establishing the side characters. Fergun is a cartoon villain and never really poses a threat - in fact, his big plan for Sonea is so ridiculous and obvious that you have to suspend belief to maintain interest. In addition, I found Rothen and Dannyl to be a little bland and defined by their roles more than by their words and deeds - Rothen for example, is your stereotypical magical tutor with a painful past and Dannyl is his sidekick and former pupil who’s there to keep the action going and give a big hint that Fergun is Not A Nice Man.
Where Canavan does do well is with the High Lord of the Guild - Akkarin is just enough of an enigma to hold the interest and the revelation that he’s not above doing something Very Wrong Indeed creates a sense of uncertainty in the reader as to where Canavan is going to take the plot for the rest of the arc. I also think that there’s potential in Sonea and Ceryni, although they do at times seem a little two-dimensional (which I think is more a product of the plot focus). I’m also a little concerned at the potential of Sonea to be too perfect - in particular, Canavan has set her up as a magician with an extraordinary amount of power, she’s small, skinny and attractive. At the same time though, for someone who’s supposed to be street-wise, there are times when she’s too trusting - most particularly in her initial scenes with Fergun. Canavan needs to resolve this and do more to humanise Sonea in the next two books. The same is also true of Cery who frustratingly, is also conveniently trusting when it comes to Fergun.
To be fair though, I like the way that whilst the reader automatically assumes that there will be some kind of romance between Sonea and Cery as the books move forward, she deliberately ends The Magician’s Guild by putting cold water on this idea by having Sonea see him as just a friend. Whilst I’m fearful that she will eventually go down that route, it’s nice to see a plotline being set up that’s not automatically flavoured with romance.
As a side-note, I would add that I was disappointed by Canavan’s decision to signpost Sonea’s interest in the Healing discipline. In part, this is because it is such a traditional ‘girly’ fantasy role that it once again takes her down the road of cliché. However it is also because Caravan takes the time to set out the alternative Warrior and Alchemist classes, but by making Sonea’s destiny immediately obvious, those classes become somewhat redundant.
Finally, I wanted to make a point that does cut across the praise given above to the thought put into this. Specifically, whilst it is refreshing to see an author thinking out slang and language, it’s a little frustrating to have to keep flicking to the glossary every time she uses it. For example, there are a number of references to “Ceryni” being a kind of rat, which went over my head the first time, and similarly I wasn’t originally clear on what a “Bolhouse” was and got a little confused. Obviously, this is a really picky point, but I think it’s worth mentioning as I think that she might have done better to use footnotes to explain new terminology rather than a separate glossary.
Nitpicking aside, this really isn’t a bad read and will keep fantasy enthusiasts entertained. Whilst there is nothing new or innovative in this book and it certainly doesn’t take the genre to a new level, it is intelligently written and produced with a lot of care and attention.
The Verdict:
This is not a novel that will set the fantasy genre on fire, but it is well-written and she’s done enough to make you want to read more. However, she will really need to pick up on the actual plot if she’s to sustain the trilogy and there is a danger of her characters remaining two-dimensional cliches if she is not too careful.
Each year the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city streets of vagrants, urchins and miscreants. Masters of the disciplines of magic, they know that no one can oppose them. But their protective shield is not as impenetrable as they believe.
For as the mob are herded from the city, a young street girl, furious at the authorities’ treatment of her family and friends, hurls a stone at the shield, putting all her rage behind it. To the amazement of all who bear witness, the stone passes unhindered through the barrier and renders a magician unconscious.
It is an inconceivable act, and the guild’s worst fear has been realised - an untrained magician is loose on the streets. She must be found, and quickly, before her uncontrolled powers unleash forces that will destroy both her, and the city that is her home.
For a first novel (which I understand this to be), this is not a bad book. If that sounds like I’m damning it with faint praise, then it shouldn’t. Trudi Canavan writes in an assured manner, pacing her action well and using nice touches to give her fantasy realm some real spark. She has obviously put a considerable amount of thought and effort into this book (evidenced by the glossary of terms in the back) and she uses this novel to really set up the world in which Sonea and Cery, the main characters operate.
Saying that, this book is essentially there as a scene-setter for the remaining two volumes and as such, does not have a whole lot of plot of its own. In essence, it’s a chase sequence, with Canavan weaving in the society’s structure and history around the pursuit by the Magician’s Guild of the renegade. There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach.
The big advantage is that it allows Canavan to set out the hierarchical structure of the Guild, how it operates and an idea of the political forces flowing within it by showing us the chase from the magicians perspective (specifically though the characters of Rothen and Dannyl). At the same time, she gives us a grounding in the spider’s web of people and machinations that are the Thieves by having a Thief called Faren take her into his protection whilst offering work to Cery to give us an idea of their activities and own sense of ‘honour’. Against all this, she also hammers home a central theme of a society of two halves - the haves (essentially the Magicians and those living within the inner city) and the have notes (into which category Sonea, Cery and the Thieves fall). In addition, it does allow her to set up her character of Sonea and the effect on her of the discovery of these powers (together with the reaction of some of her friends).
However, the disadvantage is that if you like your fantasy full of action and thrills, then you’re going to find this interesting but a little frustrating. To keep the chase going, Canavan has to provide for near-misses, glimpse of capture and sudden escapes. After the first couple of times, this becomes cliched and it’s not helped by the fact that there are times when to keep the pursuit going, she has supposedly intelligent Magicians falling for obvious traps.
In addition, she is so caught up in setting up the society that she doesn’t really pay that much attention to establishing the side characters. Fergun is a cartoon villain and never really poses a threat - in fact, his big plan for Sonea is so ridiculous and obvious that you have to suspend belief to maintain interest. In addition, I found Rothen and Dannyl to be a little bland and defined by their roles more than by their words and deeds - Rothen for example, is your stereotypical magical tutor with a painful past and Dannyl is his sidekick and former pupil who’s there to keep the action going and give a big hint that Fergun is Not A Nice Man.
Where Canavan does do well is with the High Lord of the Guild - Akkarin is just enough of an enigma to hold the interest and the revelation that he’s not above doing something Very Wrong Indeed creates a sense of uncertainty in the reader as to where Canavan is going to take the plot for the rest of the arc. I also think that there’s potential in Sonea and Ceryni, although they do at times seem a little two-dimensional (which I think is more a product of the plot focus). I’m also a little concerned at the potential of Sonea to be too perfect - in particular, Canavan has set her up as a magician with an extraordinary amount of power, she’s small, skinny and attractive. At the same time though, for someone who’s supposed to be street-wise, there are times when she’s too trusting - most particularly in her initial scenes with Fergun. Canavan needs to resolve this and do more to humanise Sonea in the next two books. The same is also true of Cery who frustratingly, is also conveniently trusting when it comes to Fergun.
To be fair though, I like the way that whilst the reader automatically assumes that there will be some kind of romance between Sonea and Cery as the books move forward, she deliberately ends The Magician’s Guild by putting cold water on this idea by having Sonea see him as just a friend. Whilst I’m fearful that she will eventually go down that route, it’s nice to see a plotline being set up that’s not automatically flavoured with romance.
As a side-note, I would add that I was disappointed by Canavan’s decision to signpost Sonea’s interest in the Healing discipline. In part, this is because it is such a traditional ‘girly’ fantasy role that it once again takes her down the road of cliché. However it is also because Caravan takes the time to set out the alternative Warrior and Alchemist classes, but by making Sonea’s destiny immediately obvious, those classes become somewhat redundant.
Finally, I wanted to make a point that does cut across the praise given above to the thought put into this. Specifically, whilst it is refreshing to see an author thinking out slang and language, it’s a little frustrating to have to keep flicking to the glossary every time she uses it. For example, there are a number of references to “Ceryni” being a kind of rat, which went over my head the first time, and similarly I wasn’t originally clear on what a “Bolhouse” was and got a little confused. Obviously, this is a really picky point, but I think it’s worth mentioning as I think that she might have done better to use footnotes to explain new terminology rather than a separate glossary.
Nitpicking aside, this really isn’t a bad read and will keep fantasy enthusiasts entertained. Whilst there is nothing new or innovative in this book and it certainly doesn’t take the genre to a new level, it is intelligently written and produced with a lot of care and attention.
The Verdict:
This is not a novel that will set the fantasy genre on fire, but it is well-written and she’s done enough to make you want to read more. However, she will really need to pick up on the actual plot if she’s to sustain the trilogy and there is a danger of her characters remaining two-dimensional cliches if she is not too careful.
