Magician: Apprentice & Master, Raymond E. Feist

The Riftwar Saga – Raymond E.Feist

Original Release: Magician

New Release:
Magician – Apprentice
Magician – Master

Why split the 2 books?

I’m intrigued. I’ve recently purchased the revised 10th anniversary edition of this masterpiece, Magician one of the original books that got me interested in the whole genre of Sci-Fi Fantasy and Adventure. Splitting the 2 books may make it easier to tote around, but also increases the coffers of the publisher. I’m not convinced. Getting to the books themselves, (Apprentice & Master) they have a rousing style of story telling. Using language that is easy and accessible, they nonetheless detail in oratorical prose the tale of “proud, noble men & women, of sturdy character, unimpeachable honour, unquestioned loyalty and faith”. Oppositely they detail enemies and fiends of pure evil and unspeakable cruelty, leaving much for the reader to detail – tis a fine line that Feist treads, but he pulls it off well. Candidates of the genre will relate well to the accepted traits of the races – Elves are wise, long lived and otherworldly beautiful, The Dwarves are ever the stalwarts of mining, good cheer, bastions of faith and loyalty, unsurpassed in their battle prowess, and the world of men, is ever the mixed bag of the best and worst of everything. You find that often, you’ll relate to various of the characters, all admirable in their own way, and draw parallels with your own life and the people you know. Essentially a tale of humanities struggle against unknown forces, the story telling preserves the interest of the genre, expanding the magic system with some neat concepts and ideas. Dragons, magic, battles, triumph, loss, love & hate are all covered in finite detail and ample measure. Where the strength of the books is however is the way Feist describes the depth of the way people think and his ability to distill the characters into those that possess that all too rare quality of focusing on the things that are important in any given situation. It’s not muddy and boring but! They’re funny too, with rare flashes of humour and dialogue between the characters a highlight of the story telling. Overall, one of my favourite tales, they remind me much of my hopes and dreams I had as I grew up and entered the world. Rereading these some 15 years on, I am reminded keenly of what I have achieved and what I yet hope to achieve. These books come with a thorough recommendation if you like the genre of Fantasy & Adventure. Which character do I aspire myself to be? Arutha, the Prince of Crydee. He’s ultra cool in my book and his sister Carline is impeccable.

3 Comments

• 
  Alexander January 26, 2012 at 00:52

  Dear Colin Yeung,

  A few years ago I have read this wonderful saga. Now I want to read it again, but I found out that there are several versions of the first book now. The first book Magician, the split up version Apprentice and Master, and also the 10th anniversary version. I have no clue which one to read now, either the split up version, or the 10th anniversary version.
  Please help.

  Sincerely,

  Alexander
• 
  Colin Yeung January 30, 2012 at 09:55

  Hi Alexander – I’d read the 10th Anniversary Edition – it’s the more rounded of the releases. Buying the split books Apprentice/Master is useful if you have to lug around the books in the backpack on your daily commute. The split editions are the same as the 10th Anniversary – it’s just you’ll be charged for the price of 2 books.
• 
  Alexander February 1, 2012 at 03:08

  Thank you Colin,

  I think a day after I posted the message, I started chose to read the 10th Anniversary Edition. I just finished it. I LOVE these book. Thank you for your comment anyway I guess I made the right decision.