The Magicians' Guild (Black Magician Trilogy, Book 1)
by Trudi Canavan
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 568)
Read in December, 2007
recommended to Veronikah by:
My friend Silja gave it to me for Christmasrecommends it for: Anyone, but especially fantasy lovers
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2008
I picked this book up because I was missing on Harry Potter, there I said it! I had never really ventured into the world of Science Fiction prior to HP. Someone recommended this series to me.
In the first book in the trilogy of the Magician's Guild the reader meets Sonea, a girl from the dwells (poor neighborhood) who one day realizes she has magical powers that she never knew about. The Guild is concerned because a magician who's powers are self-discovered as opposed to cultivated tend to b...more
In the first book in the trilogy of the Magician's Guild the reader meets Sonea, a girl from the dwells (poor neighborhood) who one day realizes she has magical powers that she never knew about. The Guild is concerned because a magician who's powers are self-discovered as opposed to cultivated tend to b...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
recommends it for:
anyone who needs to get away and read a great fantasy book
This is a definite "need to read" the author Trudi Canavan is a wonderful writer and is able to describe things in such detail and is able to put you into the mind of the main character with such grace, may i say, that you cant help but fall into it.
This is a book of adventure but what is so great about it is that the main character never leaves the city in which she lives, but it still has a fantastic storyline that is easier to follow since the author doesn't send you to the four...more
This is a book of adventure but what is so great about it is that the main character never leaves the city in which she lives, but it still has a fantastic storyline that is easier to follow since the author doesn't send you to the four...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
fantasy lovers
Sonea, a young slum girl has magical abilities but isn´t aware of them. Only when she throws a stone at a magician at the day of the Purge (the day when the city is cleared of beggars, homeless people and suspected criminals) and it is able to go through his magical shield and hurt him she suddenly knows. Now she has to hide. With the help of her friend Cery she finds shelter with the thieves who want in return use her magical powers to their own advantage. But her powers are wild and uncontrol...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
future writers- for hope, perspective, and cannon fodder
I always thought that the door to the publishing world was closely guarded, and that to be a successful novelist you had to be brilliant enough to shine through the sea of muck pouring through to the editor's desk. Trudi's characters are interesting enough to force me to buy the second (not the third) book in this trilogy, but only with the gritted teeth and angry soul with which a house wife watches the next day's As The World Turns, knowing that she could watch all year and she'd never know...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2008
I thought I would review the three novels in this series as a group (since I've been so bad about keeping up with this). I've found my taste in novels changing substantially across recent years. As recently as five years ago I would probably have given these novels three or four stars, but at this point they are not that satisfying. My main problem with them is that the complexity of the characters and the story line is somewhat lacking. There were a few nice twists, but the richness of the sett...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Black Magician Trilogy - Book 1
The old magician paused. 'If this young woman is a natural, we should expect her to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician.'
Each year, the magicians of Imardin gather together to purge the city streets of vagrants and miscreants. Masters of the disciplines of magic, they know that no ordinary lowlife can oppose them. But their protective shield is not as imprenetrable as they think.
Sonea, angry, fr...more
The old magician paused. 'If this young woman is a natural, we should expect her to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician.'
Each year, the magicians of Imardin gather together to purge the city streets of vagrants and miscreants. Masters of the disciplines of magic, they know that no ordinary lowlife can oppose them. But their protective shield is not as imprenetrable as they think.
Sonea, angry, fr...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
no one
The premise was interesting and I liked how the main character and focus of the story was the slums. However, the writing wasn't consistently executed. I kept having to stop reading to figure out what was going on, why characters in the scene had suddenly disappeared or where they'd appeared from. It was like watching a poorly edited movie with lots of jump cuts and spotty continuity.
Plus, the main character goes from a strong, intelligent young woman to a passive accessory to the story. She...more
Plus, the main character goes from a strong, intelligent young woman to a passive accessory to the story. She...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I really enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to the next two until I read some reviews about them off of Amazon. Apparently one of the characters turns out to be gay in the second book! How disappointing. There wasn't any real hint of this in the first book. It is very annoying when authors do this. They try and get you hooked and then throw something like that in there. I realize there are those out there who enjoy or don't mind reading these kinds of books, but it would be nic...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2006
As a first novel it's not bad and, while it's enjoyable enough, that fact shows throughout.
The story lacks any real depth, character development is minimal, the plot is extremely predictable and the dialogue very stilted. I get the impression that Ms. Canavan has done a bit of Dungeons and Dragons playing as it comes close to such an adventure - all surface, single-layer action and no deep storyline. There is a little hint of a darker story in there but we don't get to see much of it here - ...more
The story lacks any real depth, character development is minimal, the plot is extremely predictable and the dialogue very stilted. I get the impression that Ms. Canavan has done a bit of Dungeons and Dragons playing as it comes close to such an adventure - all surface, single-layer action and no deep storyline. There is a little hint of a darker story in there but we don't get to see much of it here - ...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Everyone
I was in the mood for some new fantasy, something totally new by an author unknown to me. I saw this and thought "Why not."
Let me tell you, this is book is a fantastic read. By the end of chapter one my mind was working overtime visualising the characters, the environment, the tones of voices etc etc.
So well written and perfectly paced.
I will say nothing about the story other than that if you like fantasy, this is a must.
On completion of this book I immediately purchas...more
Let me tell you, this is book is a fantastic read. By the end of chapter one my mind was working overtime visualising the characters, the environment, the tones of voices etc etc.
So well written and perfectly paced.
I will say nothing about the story other than that if you like fantasy, this is a must.
On completion of this book I immediately purchas...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
younger readers
This book falls into the category of sci-fi/fantasy books I probably would have enjoyed more had I read them as a teenager. I found the pacing in this one to be particularly slow...it picks up a bit in the following two books in the series. There's nothing particularly original here, though, for anyone very familiar with the genre. The Harry Potter series covers a lot of the same ground, but much better and with far greater detail.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2007
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
readers that enjoy fantasy
i have been reading this book for about a month every night before i go to bed.. i wish i had read it in fewer sittings and so tonight i stayed in and finally wrapped it up... im a bit new to this genre and do not have a lot to compare it to.. however the story proved interesting and engaging.. its part of a trilogy so i guess im not done yet.. but when i finished i wished i had the 2nd book on me.. that must be a good sign..
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
The first of a trilogy, this book focuses on a poor girl who, at chance encounter at a protest against the powerful mages of the town, discovers she herself possesses magical talents. Most of the book focuses on her trying to evade the mages searching for her, for they have a bad reputation in the town. The class struggle is laid out very well, and the book sets up the other two books in the trilogy well.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
THIS IS AWSOME!! My friend recommended it to me and I LOVED it!!! This is the first in the trilogy and I have already read the second, which is a fantastic sequel. I'm looking forward to reading the third, and then moving on to the sequel trilogy. I'd recommend all the books by Trudi Canavan because she is just a fantastic writer and is really appealing to young readers such as myself.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
Fantasy Fiction - Light
A bit light. It uses the simple and old concept of Wizards vs. Thieves.
But it is still good. Quite detailed. The characters emotional expression is captured easily, and that's ought to be a good sign.
Though this first book would fall a bit more into the category of a teaser rather than an opening to a trilogy. It barely gives the reader much insight on the plot of the trilogy.
But it is still good. Quite detailed. The characters emotional expression is captured easily, and that's ought to be a good sign.
Though this first book would fall a bit more into the category of a teaser rather than an opening to a trilogy. It barely gives the reader much insight on the plot of the trilogy.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
My full review of this trilogy will be posted on the last book, but I liked this. It drew me into the story, though I think there was perhaps a little too long spent in the same old rut in the slums. I got to caring about the characters that I was obviously meant to care about, and I hated the ones I was supposed to hate. Not groundbreaking, but enjoyable enough.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in August, 2008
I liked it enough to want to know what happens in the next book. But I'm not overly keen to read it ASAP. This book could have been incredible (I mean, it's magic. Great authors can do great things with MAGIC!) but it lacks a lot of action and suspense in most parts and I lost interest in Sonea after a while. Here's hoping the second book will be better.
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
after my bf spending months nagging at me to read this trilogy, i was blown away by it. canavan's writing style is absolutely outstanding. she's descriptive, yet frank in the meantime. her characters are real, despite being a fantasy series. anyone who loves fantasy or even just general fiction will enjoy this trilogy.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.92 (568 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.93 (464 ratings) number of reviews: 57popular shelves
other editions
quote
"It is said, in Imardin, that the wind has a soul, and that it wails through the narrow streets because it is grieved by what it finds there."
more quotes »