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The Magic of Recluce (The Saga of Recluce #1)

by L.E. Modesitt Jr. (Goodreads Author)

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 8,751 ratings · 220 reviews

An epic adventure world that has so far spanned fifteen novels and has run for twenty years was launched in The Magic of Recluce, a triumph of fantasy. Young Lerris is dissatisfied with his life and trade, and yearns to find a place in the world better suited to his skills and temperament. But in Recluce a change in circumstances means taking one of two options: permanent...more

Paperback, 464 pages

Published June 21st 2011 by Tor Books (first published 1991)

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Mar 09, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I debated the rating on this and went with 4. I considered 3 but it is really an enjoyable book. Good fantasy....

The above was my original review of this book, I'm a little surprised that it got a vote (LOL). I'm also a little surprised at my comment. In retrospect I like the book much better than my initial impression above. Over the years, the book has apparently gotten better LOL. It stayed with me and I own most of the series...I like it and the series a great deal. I read this book a good m...more

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Nov 03, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fan-group

An engaging read that starts out as a coming-of-age fantasy and advances into something...else. It reminds me in places of Robert Jordan, Michael Moorcock, and Steven Erikson, yet has its own voice.

Modesitt gets a high score for his world building. The world of Recluce is wonderful and the surface is only scratched at here. I'm intrigued enough by this to read more in the series at some point. Since all but one of the 15 or so other books out there happen before this one, there's plenty of backs...more An engaging read that starts out as a coming-of-age fantasy and advances into something...else. It reminds me in places of Robert Jordan, Michael Moorcock, and Steven Erikson, yet has its own voice.

Modesitt gets a high score for his world building. The world of Recluce is wonderful and the surface is only scratched at here. I'm intrigued enough by this to read more in the series at some point. Since all but one of the 15 or so other books out there happen before this one, there's plenty of backstory to add to the world here.

I also enjoyed Modesitt's pace and style. He uses the first person narrative style as the story is revealed by the main character, Lerris. He's a young man learning his powers and his way in the world. He seems to start out as a typical Rand/Frodo/Richard Cypher/Luke Skywalker type but eventually matures into an interesting character in his own right. And he does this mostly by learning things for himself, rather than having a Gandalf figure to tell him what to do.

The magic system of Recluce is excellent. Basically, all of the magic is centered around the forces of order and chaos, and the manipulation or of keeping them up. This is where the Moorcock reminders are. I enjoyed seeing Lerris learn about the system and seeing it in practice from him and others utilizing it. The chaos-masters and order-masters, commanding the white of chaos and black of order fascinated me. I love the switch from typical by having white reprsent evil and black for good, though they're not quite as black and white (forgive the play on words) as that. Chaos leads to evil but isn't evil in and of itself. Same thing with order. The relationships and manipulations of chaos and order are what end up defining good and evil here.

There are some small breaks in the course of the novel where the author switches to a present tense third person and gives us hints as to other happenings away from Lerris. I had mixed feelings about those. While they were interesting and helped set up some of the big picture drama, they were too few and far between to really help the story that much. They were also pretty vague and honestly took away from some of the surprise later. It was a jolt in the narrative whenever one of these came up, both to switch into the third person and then back to Lerris's view. In my opinion, they should have been left out. Or, where there was something useful there, maybe it could have been told to Lerris by someone on the road. As far as giving the reader something that Lerris didn't know, that doesn't make sense in a first person story. There was a LOT going on that he didn't pick up all the details on, and that was fine. It added to the mystery of the world and story.

The other annoying thing wasn't as minor. In fact, it bugged the piss out of me and might have helped keep this book from a 5-star rating. The f**king sound effects! That was a narrative flaw that could very well get a book tossed into the burn pile. If this story wasn't as engaging as it was, that would have had me heading right back to the library to drop this thing in the overnight return.

Here's an example:

"Tharoom...thud...tharoom... Walking the white fir was walking across a massive drum. Antonin's coach must have vied with the real thunder when it rumbled across his bridge...Tharummmm...
Creaaakkkk...The heavy wooden gate, set on massive bronze hinges, eased open even more widely as I watched."

That's annoying. I felt like I was watching one of those old cheesy Batman television episodes. There are ways to describe sound without treating the reader like an idiot or make them feel like they're reading a comic book without pictures. Luckily he didn't really get rolling with this technique too early in the book, and by the time he did I was already hooked by the story. Otherwise it would have been "holy cheesy effects, Batman" and I would have moved on to something else. I was able to live with them eventually, my eyes blurring over and past to the real narrative beyond.

Overall, I give this book high points for the world building, the magic system, the characters, and the writing voice used by Modesitt over the course of most of the novel. I'm definitely interested in reading more books in the Recluce series, I'm just hoping he cuts back on the special effects.(less)

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Jul 27, 2010 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: heroic fantasy readers

Recommended to Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress by: Jim

Shelves: fantasy, part-of-a-series, heroic-fantasy, hero-i-loved, unlikely-hero-or-heroine, warrior-woman, mage, animal-character-steals-the-show, older-woman-younger-man, coming-of-age, favorites

This was a book where patience proves to be a virtue. It started very slowly, with an almost tedious amount of detail. As I continued to read, it started to make sense.

This is a book about the battle between two opposing forces: chaos and order. The tedious amount of detail really ties into this story, for it defined the foundation of Recluce. Recluce is a city of almost pure order. Everything is so perfect and ordered that it is perceived as being boring to our hero, Lerris. Any persons who co...more This was a book where patience proves to be a virtue. It started very slowly, with an almost tedious amount of detail. As I continued to read, it started to make sense.

This is a book about the battle between two opposing forces: chaos and order. The tedious amount of detail really ties into this story, for it defined the foundation of Recluce. Recluce is a city of almost pure order. Everything is so perfect and ordered that it is perceived as being boring to our hero, Lerris. Any persons who compromise that order are exiled. Our hero is such a person. But, like any good heroic fantasy, this reluctant, unlikely hero does save the day.

Lerris was a bit annoying at first, like one of those eternally bored youngsters that made my life miserable when I taught. I don't think I've ever seen the word 'boring' so much in my life. When I was a kid, I was not allowed to be 'bored', so I don't have much patience for people who go through life bored with everything. Fortunately, I came to see how this plays a role in the story. Lerris is looking for answers. He's like the kid who always asks 'why' about everything, wanted to be told instead of finding out the answers for himself. His exile from Recluce turns out to be the making of him. He finds a strength and a purpose over the course of this novel that can only be gained the hard way, through action and practice.

At first, I didn't think Mr. Modesitt's style of writing was going to work for me, but then I began to appreciate it. His attention to detail is very important to the narrative. I especially liked his descriptions of woodworking. I am not very good with my hands, despite being a decent artist and gardener. I do respect those who can build functional things with their hands. Lerris's approach to woodworking--initially one of boredom and disinterest, which changed to one of intense focus and commitment to perfection--was a metaphor for his maturation from boy to man. He has a hard, often lonely road ahead of him in this novel. Seeing that slow, often painful growth made me come to love him as a hero. He showed that his heart was in the right place, although he seemed so disinterested and self-absorbed initially.

The magic system was very interesting. It turned a a big thing on its head as far as conventions: the black wizards are the good wizards, and the white wizards are the evil wizards. That was an unique twist that I liked. I was surprised that I figured out some of how the chaos versus order dynamic worked. I was putting the pieces together along with Lerris. I liked how the order in persons and things were manipulated by Lerris and his eventual mentor, gray (mostly black but a little white) wizard, Justen. That was their power as order-masters. And it wasn't just a matter of creating things to solve problems. If done wrongly or for the wrong motives, this could become an act of chaos. Lerris had to continually weigh his actions to make sure he wasn't doing that. As I read, I wondered what could and couldn't be done and stay on the side of order.

Although this story is focused on Lerris, there are some interesting secondary characters, and quite a lot of strong, well-developed women characters. I liked that the women were in powerful roles, often serving in the military and as soldiers. Krystal turned out to be a good character, showing her own evolution in character for the best. And I loved Lerris trusty mountain pony, Gairloch. He's quite the boon companion.

I am the risk of being long-winded, so I'll bring this review to a close. This was a very good book. I'm glad I hung in there and kept reading past the slow beginning, and that I paid attention. Mr. Modesitt lays a powerful foundation for this story, and everything ties in together. I appreciate being recommended this story by a fellow Goodreads friend. I will definitely continue reading this series. Recommended to readers who like an intricate fantasy story.
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Aug 14, 2009 Ben Babcock rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-read, fantasy, from-library

Sometimes I worry I've become too cynical in my old age (says the nineteen-year-old). When I read The Magic of Recluce for the first time, I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, and I went on to devour the next several books of the Recluce saga before promptly breaking for lunch.... (Well, OK, the span of several months may have elapsed sometime among all that, but you get the idea.) Now I feel less charitable toward this book. The Magic of Recluce has a couple of problems, none of...more

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Dec 04, 2007 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fantasy aficionados

Shelves: fantasy

"The Magic of Recluce" is the first book in L.E. Modesitt's long-running "Recluce" saga. This series has grown to encompass 14 books.

The denizens of Modesitt's world are all human beings. The magic system of this world is based on order and chaos. Chaos wizards enhance the chaos in people and things while order wizards enhance the order in people and things. Chaos is classified as an "evil" magic and order as a "good" magic. It's a pretty cool and logical system, although I was disappointed that...more

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Nov 10, 2008 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sword-sorcery

It's the first one he wrote, but is currently next to the last or so in the chronology. He recommends his books be read in the order he wrote them & I have to agree for the first read, at least. After reading them once, a second round in chronological order is better, though. I've read it several times, at least. Very enjoyable.

He posits an interesting world where Order (Black) & Chaos (White) are separate forces that can be manipulated by humans. Those who wield each, don't generally pl...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Sam Moschel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To think that Lerris's boredom is what led this book to become one of my favorite all time books as well. The Magic of Recluce by L.E Modesitt was all about the fight of Chaos and Order, but the thing that made it interesting was that this was no run of the mill good vs. evil story. Order and Chaos, though in constant conflict often tended to go hand in hand when it came to how much suffering the 2 forces created outside of Recluce.

The obvious history and wonder of the isolated Recluce was, perh...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Marlie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'll probably keep on with this series because, well when you're in the mood for long epic fantasy, there's only so much to choose from. I've read Modesitt's Imager series and a few others and there are a few tiring trophes/pattern you're going to have to deal with with this story, which will be very familiar if you've read those.

The main character is inevitably, a normal everyman with lots of questions, surrounded by people who won't answer his questions. He just wants to be left alone but STU...more I'll probably keep on with this series because, well when you're in the mood for long epic fantasy, there's only so much to choose from. I've read Modesitt's Imager series and a few others and there are a few tiring trophes/pattern you're going to have to deal with with this story, which will be very familiar if you've read those.

The main character is inevitably, a normal everyman with lots of questions, surrounded by people who won't answer his questions. He just wants to be left alone but STUFF HAPPENS. Thankfully he is amazingly good at whatever the current brand of magic is, so good that he breaks the rules of the universe and does a bunch of things that no one had ever known was possible. But the main chara would like you to know that its really hard being so good at everything, thank you very much, and he's still no where near as good as his teacher.

Oh, then he goes home gets the girl whose been wandering around the edge of a few scenes. This female character will have little to do with the plot and has just enough screen time to let you know that she is NOT a princess (she has swords, or guns, and kicks butt) - except when you rescue her. You're certain she's intelligent, unfortunately she isn't remotely interesting, and you'll hear little to nothing about what she's doing.

There's little emotional connection or talking about mutual interests, you're just to know that everyone is now deeply in love after they've seen each other some ridiculously tiny percentage of the book and the main character is silly for thinking she might not be interested. You will spend far more time hearing about exactly how much money everything costs and how the main chara is to make a living than will be devoted to his budding romance.

It's weird, I read this like it was candy, but came out without even the emotional attachment and understanding that I do to any of the characters that I have for all 11-20 ridiculous Merry Gentry boyfriends. Well except for Lerris's pony.

What keeps me in it is the world building. Each of these series have very unique well-developed universes with unique magical systems and ways of life. Strangely (or not so strangely considering I watched all of Painter of the Wind) some of the best parts of the story are reading about Lerris trying to hold together his woodshop and growing into his talent as a craftsman. All of the day-to-day slice of life things you don't normally get as a part of a fantasy story because the main chara is too busy obsessing over the big bad.(less)

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Jan 19, 2012 Jayaprakash Satyamurthy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This isn't pathbreaking fantasy, and it suffers from issues of pacing, prose and characterisation, but it's an engaging and sometimes moving story for all that.

A coming of age novel set in a fantastic world (aren't they all?), The Magic Of Recluce often seems bogged down in diurnal detail: meals at inns, distances travelled, long hours of discomfort, but I can also see how Modesitt felt the need to include these things as a way to ground his fantasy narrative, give it a lived-in feel. The prose...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Henning rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've re-read the books in the Recluce series more than any other series on my shelf. This is the book that started it all. It follows a young man named Lerris as he tries to find his place. His homeland doesn't want him, and he has to figure out everything for himself.

Having to figure things out for himself is a major part of the story, and sometimes his self pity gets a bit much. But it's not too bad. On the whole Lerris is a likeable character, and it's not hard to identify with him.

The magic...more

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Mar 21, 2010 MarsianMan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book greatly. Lerris is a young man who is being kicked out of his country because he feels that order is boring. He agrees with it completely, but wishes it could be...more exciting. Before being exiled, he and the other exiles are taught self defense and some history/politics/language before they are shipped off to make their own place in the world. Some of them will be allowed to return if they achieve an objective and hopefully become wiser.

He is saved from a Chaos magician b...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Tracey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a bit torn on whether I want to give this book three or four stars. The world of this book is very interesting, and the author has created an intriguing magic system, however the pacing of the book was too slow for my taste. I could forgive the pacing, as this is a part of a series, but what I could not get over was the main character.

If the main character is unintelligent, and that is part of the plot, the story can still be good. However, this character was both an idiot and not. I spent...more

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May 19, 2010 Richard Tran rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 01, 2013 Mark Muckerman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

8? 12? 15? I don't really know how many times I've read this book, and each time I enjoy it as much as the last. Modesitt delivers a winner on so many levels: As a stand-alone, it's a fine fantasy story. It also serves as a strong first volume in what has become an epic collection of stories, told (unlike Jordan's Wheel of Time) out of sequence. As a morality tale, shifting the tired concept of good vs. evil to illustrate the necessities and benefits of Balance between Order and Chaos, and final...more

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Apr 05, 2009 Leone rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The Magic of Recluse introduces a very interesting world where there is "black" magic and "white" magic. The "black" magic deals with order (generally considered good) and the "white" magic deals with chaos (generally considered bad). There is an amazing consistency in the world described. The rules make sense and seem to be fixed. There is very little of the tendency of some fantasy writers to write there hero into a mess and then invent some outlandish new trick to get him out.

The story involv...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in fantasy.

In Magic of Recluce, L.E. Modesitt, Jr. tells an engaging tale of a teenage boy who is all but forced to leave his home and embark on a journey of discovery to determine his place amidst Order and Chaos - and in the meantime faces danger while making a name for himself.

Overall, the plot and characters of the book are fresh and interesting. You get the feeling that these are real people with all their strengths and weaknesses that you would expect. While sometimes Modesitt presents information th...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was hoping for another "Wheel of Time" series and just didn't get it. The main character, Lerris, was really annoying at times. At the beginning of the book he was bored and annoyed with everything. It is hard to enjoy a character like that. All the sudden in the middle of the book he changed and it was much more interesting after that.

Holy sound effects!!! He has a sound effect for everything and uses it everytime he mentions the horse or the bird or whatever else might make a sound. Seriousl...more

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Nov 03, 2010 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Brad by: Jon Moss

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fantasy, exceeded-my-expectations, unforgivable-cover-art

There are three reasons why I love The Magic of Recluce: 1) it's not like the Star Wars movies in one crucial way; 2) it is built around training rather than adventure; 3) woodworking.

1) Not Star Wars: There is a line in Empire Strikes Back where Yoda says, "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, NEVER for attack." There is no equivocation in that. It is NEVER for attack. Pretty simple, I would think. Yet the movies are packed with our Jedis on the offensive, including Yoda in the preq...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Bookboy Brown rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: end-of-the-world-challenge-books, fantasy

The first book in any fantasy series has a difficult job. Introduce a new world, a set of characters, and a magic system, all of which should be as original as possible, while presenting an interesting story and plot at the same time. Those who succeed (The Eye of the World, Gardens of the Moon, The Warded Man, Kushiel's Dart to name but a few) manage to pull off something magical, setting up and dragging in readers for the long haul. In The Magic of Recluce, L.E. Modesitt Jr. manages the first...more The first book in any fantasy series has a difficult job. Introduce a new world, a set of characters, and a magic system, all of which should be as original as possible, while presenting an interesting story and plot at the same time. Those who succeed (The Eye of the World, Gardens of the Moon, The Warded Man, Kushiel's Dart to name but a few) manage to pull off something magical, setting up and dragging in readers for the long haul. In The Magic of Recluce, L.E. Modesitt Jr. manages the first step of an introductory volume, but fails in my opinion on the last.

The introduction to the Saga of Recluce - currently running to 16 volumes - The Magic of Recluce introduces us to a world caught up in the battle between Order and Chaos. Both sides of this conflict have types of magic, although the exact limits and abilities of each are never precisely defined, and magicians able to wield them. Through the first-person narration of the main character, Lerris, we discover the world in a kind of travel-log, deftly set up by forcing Lerris and his companions into a choice: go on a dangergeld (a kind of quest for enlightenment) or accept permanent exile. Although the novel sometimes breaks away into present-tense third-person to show us what is happening to Lerris' former companions and/or with the 'bad guys', we basically follow Lerris as he travels around, trying to figure out why he has been sent on this quest, why everyone seems to fear or hate his home, the Island of Recluce, and what exactly he is supposed to be learning.

This plot is where the book fails to excite. I don't have a problem with coming-of-age stories, despite the fact that they have been done ad nauseum in fantasy. Nevertheless, when done well, even a 'tired' storyline can be reinvigorated. In my opinion, The Magic of Recluce failed to do that, mainly through the lack of interest I had in the adventures of Lerris himself. Neither a compelling nor an attaching character, Lerris comes across as little more than a cipher whose eyes we are using to discover the world.

The world itself is interesting, with hints of a long term history and some startling events (the melted city of Fairhaven comes to mind) and a relatively interesting magical system. However, in terms of world-building, there is little to surprise a fantasy fan who has more than a passing familiarity with the genre.

As with any first book in a fantasy series, the key question is whether it makes me want to read the next. There are two answers to this one. If I was to base myself entirely on the novel, without taking into account what I know of the series as a whole, I would probably say no. However, having spent some time looking into the Saga itself and the way L.E. Modesitt Jr. has developed it, I will probably read at least the sequel before giving up on the saga as a whole. (less)

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Nov 26, 2010 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: random-comments-review

...The Magic of Recluce is not the most accessible of novels, especially considering the fact that it is the start of a large fantasy series. Modesitt probably didn't expect to write this many books in the series, but in this first novel he is clearly building something larger than this first novel. The magic system and geopolitical situation in the world of Recluce is still a bit underdeveloped in this novel and a lot of hints the author drops make more sense when the reader has read a few more...more

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Mar 28, 2010 Justin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Bleh. Technically I shouldn't mark this as "read," since I've only made it through about 175 pages or so.

I've seen these books praised by fantasy readers, and am lucky enough to have a set signed by the author. But I can't really see the appeal. This is a book in dire need of a more merciless editor. It's turgid past the point of forgiveness. Everything moves so. Slow. That. I. Find. Myself. Not. Giving. A. Damn.

Modesitt takes great care to describe each room his characters enter in excruciating...more

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Aug 29, 2009 Elijah Kinch Spector rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a hard one to make a decision on, because there was a large section in the middle of the book that, all things considered, I really didn't like much, and yet it was all so well-done that it was still compulsively readable and I still cared about what was going on. All in all, I'd probably give it 3 and a half, if I could.

Basically, it's a very well-done fantasy, with a compelling main character, that takes 100 pages in the middle to have him living in a town and being a woodcarver. The...more This was a hard one to make a decision on, because there was a large section in the middle of the book that, all things considered, I really didn't like much, and yet it was all so well-done that it was still compulsively readable and I still cared about what was going on. All in all, I'd probably give it 3 and a half, if I could.

Basically, it's a very well-done fantasy, with a compelling main character, that takes 100 pages in the middle to have him living in a town and being a woodcarver. The section is very important to his development and to our understanding of a lot of the book's concepts--but in no ways that couldn't have been made clear by, say, 50 pages. That section is never badly written, per se, but I was definitely struck with a good many "when is something going to fucking HAPPEN?" moments.

That said, most everything else about The Magic of Recluce is quite good. The choice of first person is a strange one for epic fantasy, but it works very nicely and makes Lerris, the main character, feel like more than the typical young hero of this kind of book. He really feels like a teenager thrust into some bullshit that he wants no part of, and seeing his thought process makes that so much more palatable. A funny side effect of the point of view, is that he also really seems like a teenager because he's horny most of the time, which I feel isn't usually the case for our traditional young, male fantasy heroes.

Still, it's really the world and magic system that are the stars in this book (the plot's a little meandering), and they both manage to be very traditional (medieval world with crappy little towns, order and chaos are at odds and must be balanced) without feeling cliche, unoriginal, or uninteresting. Though the 100 pages of woodworking were not my cup of tea, it was still very readable largely because it's pretty satisfying to just sit in that world for awhile and watch it work. All in all, a very enjoyable book, and I certainly intend to continue the series someday.(less)

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Feb 17, 2013 Vincent rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Enjoyable but slow. I wasn't blown away but I enjoyed some parts immensely and there was almost always focus on one character (and in first person too, kudos), which is very important in my book. During the day I could feel the want to sit down and read and get into that world again. All part of a good book. In the end I didn't mind all the slowness, I could just flip the pages a bit quicker to the good parts. The ending was perhaps a bit forced, quickly wrapped up.

I put a three star on books I...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Deanna Knippling rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A reread. I love the opening of this book, the world that's built--and it's an irresistable page turner once you get started. If you have something important going on, just don't pick it up.

But the plot just goes weird toward the end of the book, mostly due to the modest, kind of clueless nature of the narrator. It's inventive, and it's really entertaining when you get a glimpse of how other people see the narrator and realize just how mega he is, but...from the inside of this humble character...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Joy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It took me half the book to get into this foundation novel of the fantasy Recluce series. Young Lerris knows he's growing up among secrets, and all he wants is someone willing to give him answers. His seeking becomes so disruptive that his family sends him into exile, still without answers.

Across the ocean, Lerris travels an assigned land to an assigned location, still without knowing why. But he is gradually learning that crises can make action more important than understanding. His talent for...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Danielle Mccormick rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This book doesn't even deserve one star. I would give it zero if that was an acceptable rating. Let me just clarify that I DO enjoy fantasy and science fiction novels. For a long time I read nothing else. But I am honestly surprised that this was even published. It randomly switches from first to third person. I hated the main characters... they were flat and I couldn't find anything fascinating or good about any of them, and the villains didn't appear to be doing anything evil to my mind. This...more

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Oct 18, 2011 David rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2011-reading-challenge

If ever there was an argument for Goodreads to expand beyond a 5-star rating system, this is it: better than some other books I've rated 1 star, but not as good as some others I've rated as 2 stars.

The first book in what has become known as The Saga of Recluce, I found this to be quite unusual in that (in this world world), it equates the White Wizards with evil (or chaos) and Black Wizards with good (or order). In many respects, this is also a coming-of-age tale, with the central protaganist ma...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Ed Little rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm giving this book a 5, because I was totally immersed in this when I was reading it. The world built around this book is immense, but is seen entirely from the point of view of the main character, Lerris. The story is basically a order vs chaos affair (as opposed to good and evil). It is extremely well written, and is full of originality especially when the author describes the "magic" within the world he has created.
If you like your books action packed, then don't read this. It is a very we...more

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Jan 11, 2010 Hayley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Sep 30, 2010 Eric Moreno rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Fantasy

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Fantasy > Epic Fantasy

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Science Fiction Fantasy

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Fantasy > High Fantasy

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Fantasy > Magic

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Epic

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Heroic Fantasy > Sword And Sorcery

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About L.E. Modesitt Jr.

L. E. (Leland Exton) Modesitt, Jr. is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels. He is best known for the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, lived in Washington, D.C. for 20 years, then moved to New Hampshire in 1989 where he met his wife. They relocated to Cedar City, Utah in 1993.

He has worked as a Navy pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, u...more

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Books by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

The Magic Engineer (The Saga of Recluce, #3)

The Death of Chaos (The Saga of Recluce, #5)

The Towers of the Sunset (The Saga of Recluce, #2)

Fall of Angels (The Saga of Recluce, #6)

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Trivia About The Magic of Recluce

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title link	preview: The Magic of Recluce
avg rating	preview: The Magic of Recluce Goodreads rating: 3.80 (8751 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10020239-the-magic-of-recluce?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312075568l/10020239.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10020239-the-magic-of-recluce?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt Jr.[/url]

The Magic of Recluce (The Saga of Recluce #1)

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