Magician: The Author's Preferred Edition
by Raymond E. Feist
Doubleday
681 pages
First Published: 1992 (this edition)
In 1993, Sierra On-line subsidiary Dynamix released a game based on Raymond E. Feist's popular fantasy novels set in the fictional world of Midkemia. This game, the computer RPG Betrayal at Krondor, was critically hailed for its unique gameplay, large world, and most of all, its enthralling story. Though Feist himself had little hand in writing the game's story, it was later canonized in the novel Krondor: The Betrayal, while the game itself remains one of the best examples of the genre, as well as one of my all-time personal favorites.
Because of my devotion and love for Betrayal at Krondor, I purchased the first two books in Feist's Riftwar Saga, Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master in my early teens, at the height of my interest in fantasy books and Dungeons & Dragons campaigning. I must admit, I failed at grasping Magician. While Feist's Midkemia had been built as an alternative, thus was obviously somewhat inspired by, Dungeons & Dragons-based worlds, it was vastly different in style to the beloved Dragonlance books I had been weened on.
Instead of the action-packed high fantasy of Dragonlance was a more subdued work, heavily infused with politics. Despite the book's title, its main character, the young squire Pug, only used his magical abilities once during my time with Apprentice. It wasn't long before the long-winded political discussions and overall lethargic pace of the novel bored me and I put it on my shelf, thinking perhaps I'd revisit it someday.
Much like Tolkien's seminal Lord of the Rings, Feist's publisher had insisted on splitting the extremely large novel into two smaller books. After they proved financially and critically successful, Feist revisited Magician many years later, adding in some deleted text that appeared in the European editions, but was excised in the United States, and making it a singular work once more. It may have seemed a self-defeating prophecy to attempt to read an even longer version of a book I couldn't finish years earlier, but this Author's Preferred Edition sparked my interest in Feist anew and I finally decided to give Magician a second chance.
Pug's apprenticeship is not entirely fruitful, but whilst playing escort to the stubborn Princess Carline they stumble upon a pack of trolls and are saved only by Pug's latent, though inexplicable and uncontrollable magic, earning him a place not only in the Duke's service, but in Carline's heart.
I still found Magician gets off to a slow start. There are a handful of great moments, but by and large it takes a while to introduce its myriad characters, including Pug, Tomas, Kulgan, Carline, Martin Longbow, Crydee's mysterious Huntmaster, Father Tully, Squire Roland, Pug's early rival for Carline's affections, Duke Borric, and his sons, Lyam and Arutha. It's a little much to take on at first, trying to juggle so many characters whose lives intersect in some way or another, but each of them is unique and a piece of a larger whole, which is enough to keep you interested until Pug and Tomas discover a beached warship with strange foreign passengers.
It is soon discovered the ship hails from another world, come to Midkemia by way of a magical rift. The inhabitants of this world, the warlike Tsurani, seek to invade Midkemia for its precious metals, a rarity on their home of Kelewan. In spite of its sluggish start, the book really takes off once the war begins as the Kingdom forces struggle to maintain control and repel the seemingly limitless Tsurani forces.
Ironically, the politics that made Magician such a chore to read in my youth were now some of the most intriguing aspects when revisted with the wisdom of my advancing years. What truly separates Feist's work from other fantasy luminaries like Tolkein or Anne McCaffrey is the amazing, truly rich sense of history and political discourse in his world. That's not to say those authors, the former of which is unquestionably the standard for the fantasy genre, lacked those qualities, but not even Tolkien's exquisitely-crafted Middle Earth feels as real as Midkemia when Feist discusses back-alley dealings, underhanded alliances, power-grabs, and political machinations of the various Dukes and Lords. One gets the sense they are reading the real history of some far-away land at times, so genuine does it feel.
Feist's characters, though numerous, are equally well-crafted. Each has their own distinct personality, and several go through drastic changes throughout the course of the story. Feist introduces more characters to compliment those introduced at the start, including the dwarven warrior Dolgan, the Elven Queen Aglaranna, and the eccentric and mysterious but fascinating sorcerer Macros the Black, all of whom have a profound impact on Tomas' character arc, if not the whole novel. During the book's second half, better known as Master as a separate volume, Pug spends a great deal of time in Tsurani captivity, whereupon discovering his hidden talents, they train him to become a Great One - a revered magician, outside and above the complexities of Tsurani law and their convoluted politics. There he meets Laurie, a Midkemian minstrel and fellow slave, as well as Katala, a beautiful girl who rekindles Pug's romantic flame in the absence of Princess Carline.
Despite the book's title referring to Pug, it is Arutha, the youngest son of Duke Borric, who becomes the book's focal point midway through. It's clear that sometime during the writing, the story evolved and shifted from Pug as the central character to Arutha, though not necessarily through any intent of the author. Arutha's strong will and complex personality makes him a compelling and dynamic character, and it's easy to see why Magician's sequel, Silverthorn, retains him as the central character. Many of Magician's best passages revolve around Arutha, including his ill-fated trip to the city of Krondor, where he meets a young thief by the name of Jimmy the Hand and discovers his father's scheming cousin, Guy du Bas-Tyra has taken control of the city in a bid for the crown.
This is one of the most remarkable aspects of Magician. Guy himself does not appear in the book, yet presence is felt through his actions, giving the reader a clear understanding of his ambitions. Feist may not be the most technically proficient writer, and he often reuses the same words and phrases, but he is able to craft stunningly realistic characters and place them in a fully-realized world that feels alive.
Many of this editions largest problems stem not from Feist's writing itself, but from some horrible editing. The book is littered with typos, some of which are downright confusing. A small sect of critics have also expressed frustration that the book covers too large a timespan, skipping entire years in a single leap, but I would argue that nothing of significance is left out. In a war that spans a decade, there are bound to be numerous smaller battles of little consequence, and I personally would not desire to read every one of them. The book's key battle sequences, however, are exciting and fast-paced, particularly a fantastically written chase through the forest in the early goings of the war.
Magician is not a book for everyone. The same could be said of all books, but even those accustomed to fantasy may find its pace too slow, its politics too dull, and its pages bursting at the seams with too many characters. As a youth, these were the reasons I put the book down, but returning to it as an adult has given me a new perspective. Midkemia feels alive, and the characters that inhabit it equally so. It takes a while to get off the ground, but once Magician takes flight, it soars through a lengthy and rewarding adventure.
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