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Magician: Apprentice

(The Riftwar Saga #1)

Raymond E. Feist

4.17 · Rating details · 79,404 ratings · 1,776 reviews

An alternate cover edition of this ISBN can be found here.

To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. His courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, but he was ill at ease with normal wizardry. Yet his strange magic may save two worlds from dark beings who opened spacetime t ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 485 pages

Published January 1st 1994 by Bantam Spectra (first published October 1st 1982)

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Jul 17, 2013 Matthew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: series, 2013, read-more-than-once, favorites, fantasy, library

FANTASY FANS PLEASE READ!

Updating this review in June 2016. I was just discussing this series with a friend I recommended this to and we were both saying how shocked we are how few people have read it because it is so good. It can be hard to find Feist's books in stores or at the library - but it shouldn't be!

I am not saying that everyone will end up liking this, but I think there are a lot of people missing out. To give you a statistical analysis of how many people are missing out - I currently FANTASY FANS PLEASE READ!

Updating this review in June 2016. I was just discussing this series with a friend I recommended this to and we were both saying how shocked we are how few people have read it because it is so good. It can be hard to find Feist's books in stores or at the library - but it shouldn't be!

I am not saying that everyone will end up liking this, but I think there are a lot of people missing out. To give you a statistical analysis of how many people are missing out - I currently have 627 friends on Goodreads. 135 of them have read A Game of Thrones. Only 8 of them have read the first book in this series.

You might look at my book list and say, "Matthew, you hypocrite! You may be reading this series, but you have yet to read Game of Thrones! How can you compare the two?" This is true. Maybe Game of Thrones is superior. I look forward to reading it eventually and finding out, but my point is that I think Feist's series is great and I want to spread the news (also, it is 30 books long - with two to four book story arcs within it. The first arc is just 4 books. But, the series is complete. No waiting years for the next one!)

So, here is challenge to fantasy fans (friends on here or otherwise). As soon as 30 more people give this series a try because of this review, I will immediately begin reading Game of Thrones. I know that isn't much of an incentive for you, but I hope the joy you find in reading this series is enough. If this review leads you to read this, please let me know in the comments. Or, I will just keep an eye on how many of my friends have rated it and as soon as it gets to 38, Game of Thrones is a go!

Note: In this series, I am up to book 11 and it is still going great!

Warning to readers! Book 1 and 2 really are "book one" of a trilogy. Frequently they are combined into one volume (Magician) If you only read the first book, this is not a case where you get the complete first part of the story. You really need to read a least the first two before you will be able to tell if this story is for you or not! ...more

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Jan 04, 2017 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ by: Matthew

Shelves: own, fantasy-all

Buddy read with some wonderful peeps over at BB&B

I really enjoyed this book! I love the main character, Pug. I loved his friendship with his best friend Tomas.

Pug got picked to be the magician Kulgan's apprentice while Tomas was to be trained as a soldier. But they found plenty of time to spend together and get into this, that and the other. One day there was a wrecked ship and it turns out they were people from another time. A rift in the world and Pug and the people called them aliens. I mean ...more

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Dec 22, 2008 Ori Fienberg rated it did not like it

Shelves: oh-well

Earlier this year I got back into the fantasy genre by reading Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind. Since then I've been reading backwards; finding the authors Rothfuss was favorably compared to and reading their books.

I was very taken with the author I read next, George R. R. Martin, and would happily have continued the Song of Fire and Ice series, but apparently the next book in that series has been postponed till 2013. So I chose Raymond Feist who was next on my list.

To a total fantasy v Earlier this year I got back into the fantasy genre by reading Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind. Since then I've been reading backwards; finding the authors Rothfuss was favorably compared to and reading their books.

I was very taken with the author I read next, George R. R. Martin, and would happily have continued the Song of Fire and Ice series, but apparently the next book in that series has been postponed till 2013. So I chose Raymond Feist who was next on my list.

To a total fantasy virgin it may hold some appeal, but even the books I read at the peak of my dorkiness, at a time when I read almost nothing except books by R.A. Salvatore and others published by Forgotten Realms, are significantly better than this book.

Simply put Magician: Apprentice lacks the subtlety, beauty, and complexity of the other works of fantasy (or even plain old fiction) I've read this year. Overall I'd say it reads like the collected notes of what were probably very engaging D&D styled scenarios and RPG adventures.

The characters are perhaps over-loved by the author. All are sort of generic "nice guys" thrown into tough situations. They lack flaws, they have no weaknesses, and so they don't broaden as characters. They're chivalrous and handsome. When they fail (rarely) it's through no fault of their own. All personal conflicts are resolved with a good cry, some laughter, and then drinks. The most major change in a character is enacted not by learning from experience or harsh reality, or personal introspection, but instead by donning mysterious magical armor. None of the characters face more than brief moral or ethical dilemmas. Because these men are only faced with deus ex machina type problems their growth is never shown, we're merely told it's happened after random narrative leaps. Four months has passed and generic male hero #1 wishes to return home, or 2 years have passed and generic male #2 is now battle hardened. Okay, I guess if you say so. The females are even more one dimensional. All those given more than one line of dialog are beautiful, playful, strong-willed, and eager to find a partner. Even the elven Queen is essentially the same, she just has a title.

Leaving aside for a moment the other worldly opposition, the only villains are mentioned in passing. None are full characters, just useful tools to create minor shifts in the action. The opposition from another world are the most interesting, but unfortunately much of the consideration and description of them is repetitious. They have different notions of honor, they're fearless, they speak a tonal language, they come from a world without metal, and employ a magic beyond the understanding Midkemians. Those basic points are hammered home over and over again.

Over and over again is one of the main problems of this book. So much feels like repetition of the same fight, the same history, and the same description. I read the author's preferred text or edition or some such nonsense. Having not read the original I can't be sure, but I'm sure that with 20-40 pages trimmed while many of my complaints about the characters would be the same, at the very least the plot would move that much faster.

I also read Magician: Master, which I won't bother reviewing, but is a slight improvement: I'd probably give it two stars. The description and consideration of the Kelewan world, its people, and their customs is far more interesting than anything in the first book, but the writing and characters still feel tired and one dimensional. ...more

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Jan 02, 2017 Choko rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, dragons, fantasy-forgotten-realms

*** 4 ***

A buddy read with the Epic Fantasy aficionados at BB&B!

I can't believe I waited so long to read this series! Unfortunately, I am weird and used to start on a series only when the last book of said series was published. Then I came to the understanding that if I stuck with this trend, there would be way too many good books I might never get to enjoy in my lifetime. Too many authors, for one reason or another, take decades to finish up a story... So, instead of starting the series as I wa *** 4 ***

A buddy read with the Epic Fantasy aficionados at BB&B!

I can't believe I waited so long to read this series! Unfortunately, I am weird and used to start on a series only when the last book of said series was published. Then I came to the understanding that if I stuck with this trend, there would be way too many good books I might never get to enjoy in my lifetime. Too many authors, for one reason or another, take decades to finish up a story... So, instead of starting the series as I wanted to in the 80's...hm, I am dating myself, I read the first volume in the first week of this new 2017 year.

"...“- Nisi se ružno ponela prema meni, Karlina. Ja sam se ponašao kao tupan.
- Ne, ti si se samo ponašao kao prijatelj Rolande. Rekao si mi istinu, a ne ono što sam želela da čujem.”..."

It is a good thing that I was raised on the Fantasy genre as mother's milk, because there are obvious trends from the time this work was written and were more typical then. The biggest such trend is the mostly linear story line, which seems to have gone by the wayside in the storytelling of today. We have about 4-5 POV's and they are not as jarring as the way the contemporary writers tend to employ them. I call the Feist way, a classic fairy tail for adults:-) And I love it! It feels cozy, comfortable and somehow, despite a certain degree of predictability, feels like an adventure you set on with your best friend and the sky is the limit!

I am not very good at justifying why I feel one way or another about something I read. Different books affect me in different ways, and thank goodness for that abundance of diversity out there! But I am also not blind to some of the weaknesses in the writing. Despite that, I am going to rate this on how it made me feel, and I thoroughly enjoyed and loved it!

"...“Dolgan: ’Tis a wise thing to know what is wanted, and wiser still to know when ‘tis achieved.
Rhuagh: True. And still wiser to know when it is unachievable, for then striving is folly.”..."

The story is mostly about a young orphan boy who becomes an apprentice to an old magician, and the community where he grows up and finds himself having to defend against invading forces from a place far, far away... The world is populated with humans, Elves, Fae folks, Dwarfs, there was a Dragon, and a distant cousin of it, the little Drake, which is no bigger than a dog and loooooves to cuddle:-) Oooo...

"...“Some love comes like the wind off the sea, while others grow slowly from the seeds of friendship and kindness."..."

I would recommend this book and series to everyone who loves the Fantasy genre, those who are interested in getting acquainted with it, and even those who just now start showing interest in reading - a story like this is bound to get anyone addicted to the magic of reading!!! I loved this book and I ma looking forward to going into the next one:) What a wonderful journey it promises to be!!!

Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you find joy in every book you read!!! ...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-library-catalogue

Via Book Reviews by Niki Hawkes at www.nikihawkes.com

When customers approach me for a fantasy recommend, I always ask: have you read Feist? As the long-time favorite of my family, "Magician: Apprentice" is the book that first inspired my love of the genre. I've gone through hundreds of books since then, and it is still one of the best novels I've ever read. It's got all of the elements I loved about the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but it is written in a much more vibrant and story-driven manner. ...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, 2018-shelf

Re-read.

I devoured this book and the next four back in the late eighties and SERIOUSLY desired more... and yet, I never did get around to picking up all the subsequent books... until now.

Of course, I needed to re-read an old love and see if it stands up to the test of time, and you know what I found?

Fantastical fantasy goodness! I love it! And you know what's better? The author did a bang-up job of re-editing this "author-preferred" text. An extra 50k words, side plots, characters, and more roun ...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Josh rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, adventure

I wanted to like this book. I really did. First, a major caveat: The Magician: Apprentice is only one part of a two-volume novel. The second volume, The Magician: Master, completes the tale. Given this, it isn’t really fair to judge the first volume on many points, so keep in mind that my review applies almost exclusively to this first volume.

The Magician: Apprentice is a story centered on — you guessed it — a magician’s apprentice named Pug who finds himself an unlikely hero when the world of M ...more

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Aug 03, 2007 Holly rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

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

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Feb 10, 2009 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: epic fantasy readers

Shelves: epic-fantasy, 2013-200s-club-challenge, chubby-chunkster-2013, war, faerie, library-checkout, wizard-warlock-sorcerer, dwarves-or-kobolds, action-adventure-challenge-2013, coming-of-age

Magician: Apprentice is an appealing introduction into an epic fantasy series that a newbie can enjoy. It offers a young hero who is just at the beginning of his journey to find his purpose in life. Feist offers a fantasy world on the brink of war from a threat that has the capacity to bring great change to Midkemia as they know it.

While the world has a typical medieval-type feel, the variety of races presented give the world an incredible texture. I loved the descriptions of the elves and thei Magician: Apprentice is an appealing introduction into an epic fantasy series that a newbie can enjoy. It offers a young hero who is just at the beginning of his journey to find his purpose in life. Feist offers a fantasy world on the brink of war from a threat that has the capacity to bring great change to Midkemia as they know it.

While the world has a typical medieval-type feel, the variety of races presented give the world an incredible texture. I loved the descriptions of the elves and their way of life, how they are similar and different from the Dark Brotherhood, Elves who have fallen into a darker way of life. I have to say that the dwarves really caught my attention. Their beliefs, values and their skill at fighting and navigating the mines of the Stone Mountains. Of course, loved the dragon!

I wasn't sure about the Tsurani storyline initially, but it takes this story in a different direction from what I initially expected. It sets up an incredible culture clash that takes this novel to a wider focus as the Midkemians have to work together to stave off the invasion of forces from another world.

Initially, it seems that Pug, our young magician apprentice, is the center of this story. But it becomes clear that various characters gain the focus of Feist. Starting out like a coming of age story, and I suppose it continues to be one in some way, this story becomes one about people dealing with their world being invaded by a formidable group of people whose values are completely alien to their own, and who seem invincible.

One detractor I'd have for this story is that it's not a standalone. The story doesn't end on an obvious cliffhanger, but you definitely have to keep reading to find out what happens to all the pivotal characters. With a massively overflowing to read list, I am not eager for too many series to add, but the strength of the story and the good writing here, guarantees I will be back for more.

Fantasy Beginner Rating (explanation: Scale is based on whether this is a good book for beginner fantasy readers or it is better for one who has read a lot of fantasy. High-Good starter book. Medium-Okay for a beginner. Low-May be confusing for a novice fantasy-reader.):

High.
...more

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Dec 19, 2007 Jim rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, sword-sorcery, 2fiction, 3series, 1paper

I first read this book shortly after it came out in the early 80's while in my 20's. It's every bit as enjoyable on the 4th read almost 30 years later. In many ways, it is a very typical fantasy, but the character's pop very well & the world has enough new elements to make it quite intriguing. The quick pace hides a complexity that becomes apparent as the story progresses & we're led deeper into the world.

Since I have a towering TBR pile, I re-read sparingly. I'm so happy I did this again.

On to ...more

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Nov 07, 2013 Chad rated it it was amazing

One of the first fantasy novels I read as a teenager. Feist remains one of my favorite authors to this day. Pug is a struggling magician's apprentice when a ship from another world washes up to shore. Most of this first book is an entryway to the world of Midkemia, building up the world and relationships between the races. I love Pug's (and Tomas's) journey through the Riftwar Saga.

I would recommend this to anyone who has read other fantasy adventure series like A Song of Ice and Fire , T ...more

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Mar 03, 2017 Shobhit Sharad rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This book gave me all that I look for in a good fantasy. People, races, cities, battles, and characters that I can like and appreciate. While lacking a certain level of complexity, it was at all points entertaining, with the story beginning from a point and then branching out to several story-lines, and I can't point out which one I like better than the other. Though Pug's story-line ends in a manner that makes me anxious, I liked best Arutha's development and the going-ons at Crydee. I can't se ...more

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Jun 30, 2015 Mario rated it liked it

This was a really hard book for me to rate. It went from amazing 5 stars to disappointing 2, so after giving it a thought I decided to go with solid 3 stars.

I’m still not sure how to write this review, because my feelings towards the book are mixed (to say the least), so I’m gonna go with the old way: things I liked and things I didn’t like.

Let’s start off with the things I liked:
-Amazing world Feist created. I think the world building was my favorite part of the book
-Interesting characters, es ...more

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Mar 08, 2019 Jordan Neville rated it really liked it

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. This was the perfect fantasy for me to read as a follow up to Erickson's "Gardens of the Moon". I loved the first Malazan book but it is very dark, chaotic, and harsh. "Magician: Apprentice" is more what I think you could call cozy sweater fantasy. Which I enjoy probably even more than the grimdarkish stuff.

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Jun 03, 2008 Matt rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This is the story of how Raymond Feist had a very good Dungeon Master.

I recently read this book for the first time since sixth grade. I adored it in sixth grade. I find I still have some affection for it now.

Like many young nerds, Raymond loved to play Dungeons & Dragons. His Dungeon Master who ran the game was a fan of the two preeminent world builders of his day: JRR Tolkien who had created a now familiar fantasy world of elves and dwarves that celebrated Western myth called Middle Earth, and This is the story of how Raymond Feist had a very good Dungeon Master.

I recently read this book for the first time since sixth grade. I adored it in sixth grade. I find I still have some affection for it now.

Like many young nerds, Raymond loved to play Dungeons & Dragons. His Dungeon Master who ran the game was a fan of the two preeminent world builders of his day: JRR Tolkien who had created a now familiar fantasy world of elves and dwarves that celebrated Western myth called Middle Earth, and a lesser known figure named MAR Barker who created an alien, more science fiction world, with an Oriental flavor called Tekumel. His DM took these two settings, loosely filed off the serial numbers (Middle Earth becomes Midkemia, Tekumel becomes Tsurani), and set an apparently well beloved game on those worlds with the interesting premise - "What if these two worlds came into contact?" Young Mr. Feist, enthused by the mind-blowing concepts that the game introduced to him, and apparently largely unaware that all this is mostly coming to him second hand rather than out of the mind of his formidable Dungeon Master, and having thoroughly enjoyed the story that was collectively produced, decided to novelize the game and its major themes in his first novel: "Magician".

The 1st edition AD&D tropes are rattling behind the scenes of this novel so hard, you can hear the echo and rattle of the dice every time you turn the page. What isn't derivative of Tolkien, or Barker, is derivative of Gygax. Virtually every feature of the story can be found in some page or the other of the D&D rules, so that if you are in the know, then you know the Hit Dice of pretty much everything on the page. Most readers will pick up on the Tolkien quite easily, and indeed much of the first half of the book has repeated echoes of The Fellow of the Ring. Only the very well read will pick up on the even greater influence of MAR Barker.

So if it's all so derivative, what saves this work from the scorn rightly heaped on works like Terry Brook's 'The Sword of Shannara', especially given the Gifted and Talented High School level prose and character depth that the story is written in. And why don't we remember MAR Barker better, rather than his second hand plagiarist?

Well first, because Feist is a better story teller than MAR Barker, and indeed a better story teller than just about anyone who has ever tried to turn the transcript and ideas of a D&D campaign into a novel - certainly better than anyone who had tried to that point, including the redoubtable Gary Gygax. Just as I can see through the text into the game that was played, I can also see the alchemical transformation Feist has pulled on the characters and story of the game to make it suitable for his Bildungsroman. Feist paints a daub of foreshadowing, and a touch of metaphor on to the canvas of his game, and turns his protagonists into something a little more than playing pieces gaining experience points.

The other important thing is that because we get the source material by a distant hand, having been once revised and transformed by Gygax, and then revised and transformed again by Feist's skilled DM from Gygax, Tolkien and Barker, and then once again revised and transformed by Feist, the ultimate result is something almost wholly new. This isn't the same process of reading The Lord of the Rings, being blown away, and then retelling the same story again with the serial numbers filed off that you see in 'The Sword of Shannara'. By the point we the reader get the story, the settings are plagiarized, but the story is a new thing. I've long thought that creativity is what you do to fill in the spaces when you get something wrong, forget something, or can't see something clearly. What's interesting about the Riftwar Saga is that for all the quality in the source material, all the really good stuff in this story is in those invented spaces.

But for all of that, this story is saved and ennobled by one thing and one thing only - the character of Tomas Ashen-Shugar. Without Tomas, the rest of the story is as deep as a thimble and as forgettable and derivative as any number of Tolkien inspired epics that came out in the decades following the publication of 'The Lord of the Rings'. But the story of Tomas, who is mortal and immortal, who lives simultaneously in two times, and where cause and effect become jangled up so that the future and the past are one and the same, ends up creating one of the coolest and most interesting characters in all of fantasy. In the over used trope of time travel, Tomas's story is by far one of the most effective uses of Time because it never once pretends that it is linear and so never creates the paradoxes involved in escaping from the linear flow of time but acting as if cause and effect can just proceed as normal.

Sadly though, all that redeeming value is mostly in the three following volumes. This first volume ends up mostly being exposition and introduction, is dreadfully slow, and forces the reader to suffice with the wonderful foreshadowing of two boys with fantasies of manhood, where one says, "I will be the greatest warrior that ever lived.", and the other says, "I'll be the greatest magician that ever lived", and then we get the beginnings of the story of how they become just exactly that.
...more

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Feb 08, 2008 Seth T. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Raymond Feist is to fantasy literature what Greg Rucka is to crime/espionage literature. He presents stories in a workmanlike fashion, neither embracing literary elegance or dwelling overlong on that which does not forward the story itself, and yet he offers a rollicking good time. His characters are all interesting and his narrative twists retain reader interest. He is not a great author, but he is certainly a good author.

And sometimes, good is just what the doctor ordered.

Both halves of Magic ...more

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May 03, 2020 Mimi rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club-pick, 2020, not-for-me

I. . . can't take the words in this book anymore.

Well, it's not entirely the book's fault. Everything makes me want to take a shot of hard liquor at the moment, and this book didn't do a good job of taking my mind off that.

I guess I'm just not cut out for retro high fantasy. Didn't grow up reading SFF or playing RPG and didn't start reading Tolkien until the movies came out. So I have zero memories connected to these genre classics and absolutely no appreciation for chosen farm boys with extra ...more

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Jun 06, 2008 Mikel C. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I must admit, when I was really young, I did not read that much. I was a sports kid, Soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in spring and summer. Many years straight through, and if I wasn't practicing or playing, I was playing sports with the neighborhood kids.

It was not until I was 10 or so that I started actually reading the books that the teachers told us to, rather than skimming them over or getting the notes from the dilligent kid in the neighborhood to pass a quiz or test. I must admit, when I was really young, I did not read that much. I was a sports kid, Soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in spring and summer. Many years straight through, and if I wasn't practicing or playing, I was playing sports with the neighborhood kids.

It was not until I was 10 or so that I started actually reading the books that the teachers told us to, rather than skimming them over or getting the notes from the dilligent kid in the neighborhood to pass a quiz or test.

My first real read was Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three when I was 10. Then, since I liked the movie Halloween so much (yes, at 10 years of age I had watched it about a dozen times), I started reading Stephen King. Lovecraft. And the cheesy 80's Dark Forces series at that time.

But, the fantasy genre appealed to me more. I finished Alexander's series, breezed through Narnia and Watership Down and then engaged Tolkien. Though my family and friends think that the Lord of The Rings is my favorite books of all time, it is not. I stumbeld across Feist's Riftwar Saga later on, and I feel it is the best fantasy series I have ever read.

Magician: Apprentice is one of the cleanest, direct and at the same time emotionally involved books I have ever read. It reads easy, almost as if you are watching the movie on the screen unfold before your eyes. Fesit has the ability, in my opinion, to give you just enough description to set the stage in your mind's eye, defining both the scene and the traits of the characters, to the point where you can map it out perfectly in your vision but at the same time he leaves enough open for you to add your own twists and scenery that existed from your past or childhood.

I fell in love with the characters in an instant and could not stop turning the pages to see what happened next. That was Fesit's best characteristic as a writer: No character was perfect, no character in this work was without fault. All were...human. In a different world, in a different and simpler, but yet more complex world, those that were written about were the most human and the easiest to relate to.

Whether it was the time of my life that the story spoke to so well or just my own mentallity, this book and series is my flagship of favorite works, and I still revert to reading them when I am depressed, happy, sad, joyous, lonely or content.

...more

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Feb 25, 2016 Silvana rated it liked it

Shelves: growing-up, fyeahfantasy, reading-with-friends

Why hello old school fantasy! Long time no see. I see that you still have dwarves of Moria, beautiful elves living in trees, farm boys turns great warriors, plucky princess and overwhelmingly likable characters. Oh and a cute dragon pet.

Not that I mind them much in this book. The writing and the pacing are good (I didn't yawn when reading this book) and the main characters, at least Pug and Tomas, make you want to hug them and muss their hair. Pug reminds me of Fitzchivalry Farseer, albeit with ...more

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Aug 15, 2008 Stephen rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, on-deck-next, ya, to-re-read, 1980-1989, potteresque, tolkienesque

2.5 stars. It has been a while since I read this but I remember thinking it was decent but not great. Given the number of really positive reviews, I have put this on my list of books to re-read in case I missed something the first time around.

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Nov 06, 2016 Lashaan Balasingam (Bookidote) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, classic, read-in-2017, fantasy

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

Raymond E. Feist is known for creating the Riftwar Cycle and with Magician: Apprentice, he sets the foundation to one of the most popular universes ever created in fantasy. It is hard to go around today not knowing what he has accomplished by writing up the story of a boy who became a magician. Having finally the opportunity to read this classic, I have to say: I am a fan.

In Magician: Apprentice, the orphan Pug is taken under the wings of the on ...more

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Sep 19, 2010 Paul rated it did not like it

Sorry, but how is this plainly described, one dimensional book so well rated? I'm 200 pages in and bored rigid and utterly fed up of the random lucky events the characters go thru.

The line that sticks out is: Dragons were the hereditary enemy of dwarves.

Sorry it's just poorly written, based in a second hand middle earth and I've seen better characters in the mr men books.

I paid 95p for it from a a charity shop and I feel robbed.

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Aug 24, 2019 YouKneeK rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, completed-series

Magician: Apprentice is the first book in the Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist, the first subseries in the very long Riftwar Cycle series. About 20 years ago, when I was a little over 20 years old, this book began my addiction to the fantasy genre. I had of course read some fantasy throughout my childhood, but I wasn’t really conscious of it as a genre, especially not a genre for adult readers, and I had never read anything like this book. I was immediately hooked and devoured the first 16 books Magician: Apprentice is the first book in the Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist, the first subseries in the very long Riftwar Cycle series. About 20 years ago, when I was a little over 20 years old, this book began my addiction to the fantasy genre. I had of course read some fantasy throughout my childhood, but I wasn’t really conscious of it as a genre, especially not a genre for adult readers, and I had never read anything like this book. I was immediately hooked and devoured the first 16 books or so, which were all that had been published at the time. Then I moved on to other things, including other fantasy works, and never went back to it. Now that another 15 books have been published and it has been proclaimed complete, I’ve decided to re-read the earlier books and continue through to the end, assuming of course that I continue to enjoy it.

I wouldn’t call the title misleading exactly, but it might lead one to expect more magic than there really is. If you expect a magic school story, that is definitely not what this is. There are very few magicians in the Kingdom, and we don’t meet many in this book. Pug is the apprentice referred to by the title. We meet him as a teenager, just before he learns that he has magical potential. We do see some spells, but Pug has trouble learning how to cast them and magic isn’t really at the forefront of the story yet. Even Pug himself becomes less of a focus later in the book when we start following other characters. I enjoyed all the point-of-view characters. The book consists of coming-of-age stories, politics, strategy, and battles. The world is kind of Tolkien-like in that we have elves and dwarves and goblins, but the story did not remind me of Lord of the Rings at all and the world has its own fully-fleshed-out political structure and geography.

Since it has been so long since I’ve read this, I remembered very few details. The main thing I had remembered were some of the characters. I remembered a bit of the main story, and some of the plot details did come back to me as I read, but much of it was as if I were reading it for the first time. I was worried that this wouldn’t hold up to my memories of it now that I have a lot more epic fantasy under my belt, but it was as good as I remembered and I think I probably appreciated it for different reasons this time around also.

I was surprised to realize that this is kind of a feel-good, comfort-read type book. I hadn’t noticed that the first time around, maybe because I’ve read a lot more books with darker tones since then. Pug is an orphan, but he’s not a mistreated or abused orphan as is so common in epic fantasy. He has good friends, the adults in the story are not cruel or oblivious, and he is not abused or ridiculed or ignored. Most of the rulers we meet are good people who rule with wisdom and concern for their people. Everybody mostly gets along, with just a few minor rivalries. This is a book full of people you can respect, and I really enjoyed that. I enjoy the dark books too, where it’s the main character and maybe a couple close friends alone against a cruel, dark world, but this was a nice change of pace.

I’m very happy that I’ve finally started this series again; I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. There were a few places here and there where my interest faded a little, but they didn’t last long. I’m rating it at 4.5 stars and rounding up to 5 on Goodreads. ...more

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Jan 08, 2017 Maria Dimitrova rated it really liked it

Shelves: br-bbb-2017, br-bbb, tbr-clean-up-2017, fantasy, buddy-reads

Buddy read with the Fantasy Freaks from BB&B.

Choko did it once again! I used to avoid high fantasy because of the specifics of the genre. Mainly that it takes a hell of a long time to get to the point. But my dearest sister-wife got me to read another one and it was great. So thank you, Choko!

This was a surprisingly easy to read book. After the first chapter or two it gets it's claws into you and refuses to let go. As with most Fantasy books we get an orphan with magical potential and mysterious ...more

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Feb 05, 2017 Emily rated it liked it

I was going to give this 4 stars until 60-70% through. The last part of the book was pretty boring. The main character exits the book around this point, and then the 2nd main character exits shortly after and then it just feels like filler until the end. I liked many of the characters and wasn't as bothered as some reviewers by the "fantasy cliche" of it all. I am on the fence about this and I guess I need to read the next book to figure out if I want to keep going or not.

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Jun 05, 2012 Wanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: here-be-dragons, reading-project, speculative-fiction, read-in-2015

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

It is interesting to be reading the Belgariad by David Eddings and the Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist at the same time. Published very close together in time, they have some striking similarities and I can see why they were very popular in their day. Both feature boys becoming men and also becoming sorcerers/magicians.

For me, the Riftwar Saga is much more engaging of the two. I like Feist’s writing better and I find that the plot moves along at a slightly swifter p 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

It is interesting to be reading the Belgariad by David Eddings and the Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist at the same time. Published very close together in time, they have some striking similarities and I can see why they were very popular in their day. Both feature boys becoming men and also becoming sorcerers/magicians.

For me, the Riftwar Saga is much more engaging of the two. I like Feist’s writing better and I find that the plot moves along at a slightly swifter pace than the rather glacial Belgariad. Feist also introduces a very interesting plot device—a rift in time/space that allows another culture to invade. I am used to this device’s use in science fiction and in a technological environment, but I found its use in a rather medieval fantasy setting to be interesting. I believe it was Arthur C. Clarke who said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, so it is appropriate that it is apparently magicians who have control of this rift in spacetime. (The rather unbelievable part of the plot is that both civilizations on both sides of the rift have virtually identical technologies otherwise).

Pluses: fast moving plot, innovative way to introduce enemies, interesting magical system.

Minuses: not much for female characters to do (and they are depicted as moody & changeable, very stereotypical), can’t stand the name Pug for the main character.

I wonder why we, as fantasy fans, are so enamoured of medieval-type settings? What is it about swords and horses that we prefer to ray guns and spaceships? Why do we romanticize that very difficult way of life? Mind you, I know that many or most science fiction & fantasy fans love both, but I wonder why there are so many of these fantasy worlds with medieval technology in print.

Also noticeable: reflections of LOTR’s Galadriel and Lothlorien. A settlement in the tree canopy is frequent in these epics (see Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant as well as Feist).

Now, my main problem is finding book 2, Magician: Master, which is not to be found in either library that I have access to. Interlibrary loan, here I come!
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Dec 31, 2014 Rob rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, read-2015, fantasy, author-male

Executive Summary: Traditional fantasy that while enjoyable for me, isn't as good as the fantasy being released today.

Full Review
Last month I was visited Borderlands and wanted to pick up something to read on the flight home. Yes I have a ton of unread ebooks, but I still prefer paper, especially when on a plane. Also, I have a book buying problem.

I've been meaning to check out Raymond Feist for awhile, so this seemed like a good time to finally do so. I read about half of the book during my ...more

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Oct 13, 2010 Thumbelina-thighs rated it did not like it

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

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Jun 08, 2016 Lubinka Dimitrova rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure, faeries, fantasy, magic, epic, romance, the-narrator-nailed-it, beautifully-written, dragons, green-monster-of-jealousy

Ah, at last I finished it! Strangely enough, I have mixed feelings about this one - it was actually a really engaging book, with likable characters and a nice plot (although not without its flaws), good writing and an interesting story, but it was soooo long! I felt as if I was wading through the pages, oppressed by the amount of the remaining pages. I'll probably read the next one, but much later, when I gather some courage to face it.

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Jan 03, 2016 George Jankovic rated it really liked it

This book was not my favorite. It can be a tad slow at times and it doesn't have a lot of action, but I liked the world and the story. I will definitely read the second book.

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About Raymond E. Feist

Raymond E. Feist

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Raymond E. Feist was born Raymond E. Gonzales III, but took his adoptive step-father's surname when his mother remarried Felix E. Feist. He graduated with a B.A. in Communication Arts with Honors in 1977 from the University of California at San Diego. During that year Feist had some ideas for a novel about a boy who would be a magician. He wrote the novel two years later, and it was published in 1 ...more

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“Dolgan: ’Tis a wise thing to know what is wanted, and wiser still to know when ‘tis achieved.
Rhuagh: True. And still wiser to know when it is unachievable, for then striving is folly.” — 37 likes

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