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Magician's Law
A figure stepped out from beneath the trees-and the bard stopped in his tracks. The shape was man-like, a head and taller than Paedur, as thin as a sword – and completely enveloped from head to foot in a cloak of seared and withered leaves.
‘Bard come forth; face me.’
So begin the extraordinary adventures of Paedur the Bard. Confronted by the hideous figure of Mannam, Lord of the Dead, Sovereign of the Silent Wood, a perilous deal is struck. And in the course of its mysterious fulfilment, Paedur travels through awesome, magical realms of enchantment, terror and brutal powers, where the forces of darkness are always at his heels, threatening to engulf the enlightenment he so boldly upholds…
‘Bard come forth; face me.’
So begin the extraordinary adventures of Paedur the Bard. Confronted by the hideous figure of Mannam, Lord of the Dead, Sovereign of the Silent Wood, a perilous deal is struck. And in the course of its mysterious fulfilment, Paedur travels through awesome, magical realms of enchantment, terror and brutal powers, where the forces of darkness are always at his heels, threatening to engulf the enlightenment he so boldly upholds…
305 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 1987
5 people are currently reading
1139 people want to read
About the author
Michael Scott
186 books6,854 followersIrish-born Michael Scott began writing over thirty years ago, and is one of Ireland's most successful and prolific authors, with over one hundred titles to his credit, spanning a
variety of genres, including Fantasy, Science Fiction and Folklore.
He writes for both adults and young adults and is published in thirty-seven countries, in over twenty languages.
Praised for his “unparalleled contribution to children’s literature,” by the Guide to Children’s
Books, Michael Scott was the Writer in Residence during Dublin’s tenure as European City of Culture in 1991, and was featured in the 2006 edition of Who’s Who in Ireland as one of the 1000
most “significant Irish.”
variety of genres, including Fantasy, Science Fiction and Folklore.
He writes for both adults and young adults and is published in thirty-seven countries, in over twenty languages.
Praised for his “unparalleled contribution to children’s literature,” by the Guide to Children’s
Books, Michael Scott was the Writer in Residence during Dublin’s tenure as European City of Culture in 1991, and was featured in the 2006 edition of Who’s Who in Ireland as one of the 1000
most “significant Irish.”
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 23, 2009
Nobody seems to have read this book. There doesn't seem to be any discussion of it online, even on sites like goodreads, and the copy I have seems to be very very rare. Which is a shame, because the trilogy as a whole was one of my favourites when I was younger. The collected edition I have of it doesn't help, I think, with a shoddy clichéd blurb that's overfond of the phrasing "for he had [whatever:]". It isn't wonderfully proofread, either. I winced at missing punctuation and shoddy capitalisation.
The story, however, is still one I loved and got easily absorbed into. Reading it now, I wonder how easy some people found it to get into the book. The main character, Paedur, is actually a frightening sort of character, grim and cold and driven and, increasingly, not entirely human. I actually like reading about his journey, his growing power and strangeness, but I suspect some people would find him very hard to relate to.
There's also a lot of world-building. Many, many gods and legends, many different lands, peoples, etc. It doesn't seem overdone, to me: I know I managed to hold the details in my head when I was rather younger, and some of it stuck with me for a long, long time. One of the names in this book is a screenname of mine.
The book plays with a familiar concept, the idea that "faith lends substance". When I was reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods, I was constantly reminded of this book, although the tone of the two is entirely different. Both of them concern the take-over of new, different, perhaps usurping gods, and the fight that ensues. American Gods takes it in a different direction, but it's a similar concept in the end. I like the way it begins in this book, with the gods choosing a champion and him travelling around and spreading the stories. Kind of realistic, really: propaganda first, open fighting later. And the stories both provide more background to the story and are relevant later for explaining things.
There are some lovely ideas in this story -- the fields of knowledge particularly, although I also like the idea of the Cords.
There are not many main characters in this book, really. It's necessary to see it as a part of a trilogy to understand why some characters -- Kutor, Owen and Tien, for example -- were introduced. It's actually pretty good that they were introduced and explained now, setting up for later, but if you didn't know, you might think it was pointless. The other main characters for this book, Cliona and Tuan, have a bit of a non-developed love affair that irritated me somewhat, and weren't nearly as fascinating to me as the real main character. And they served a purpose in the plot, so it wasn't too bad.
Not as all-consumingly good as I remembered, but not bad, either. I'm sad there's no one else I know who's read them, apart from my mum.
The story, however, is still one I loved and got easily absorbed into. Reading it now, I wonder how easy some people found it to get into the book. The main character, Paedur, is actually a frightening sort of character, grim and cold and driven and, increasingly, not entirely human. I actually like reading about his journey, his growing power and strangeness, but I suspect some people would find him very hard to relate to.
There's also a lot of world-building. Many, many gods and legends, many different lands, peoples, etc. It doesn't seem overdone, to me: I know I managed to hold the details in my head when I was rather younger, and some of it stuck with me for a long, long time. One of the names in this book is a screenname of mine.
The book plays with a familiar concept, the idea that "faith lends substance". When I was reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods, I was constantly reminded of this book, although the tone of the two is entirely different. Both of them concern the take-over of new, different, perhaps usurping gods, and the fight that ensues. American Gods takes it in a different direction, but it's a similar concept in the end. I like the way it begins in this book, with the gods choosing a champion and him travelling around and spreading the stories. Kind of realistic, really: propaganda first, open fighting later. And the stories both provide more background to the story and are relevant later for explaining things.
There are some lovely ideas in this story -- the fields of knowledge particularly, although I also like the idea of the Cords.
There are not many main characters in this book, really. It's necessary to see it as a part of a trilogy to understand why some characters -- Kutor, Owen and Tien, for example -- were introduced. It's actually pretty good that they were introduced and explained now, setting up for later, but if you didn't know, you might think it was pointless. The other main characters for this book, Cliona and Tuan, have a bit of a non-developed love affair that irritated me somewhat, and weren't nearly as fascinating to me as the real main character. And they served a purpose in the plot, so it wasn't too bad.
Not as all-consumingly good as I remembered, but not bad, either. I'm sad there's no one else I know who's read them, apart from my mum.
November 24, 2009
I started reading this book on the flight to Australia a few months ago, and finally finished it last weekend, having read it piecemeal.
The book tells the tale of Paedur, who has risen to the status of legend, through the ages and his work to restore the "Old Faith" against an incomer which has grown in size rapidly. Mannam, the Lord of the Dead, assigns Paedur the task of keeping the Old Faith alive through his work as a bard, telling the myths and expanding the knowledge of the old gods. As they are want to do, the gods assign Paedur a further task ... a dangerous undertaking.
The author borrows from the myths of a few cultures, though the Irish seems most apparent, and creates his own world, peoples, cultures, myths, legends and religions. On reading the pantheon at the front of the book, the reader might feel overwhelmed, but as the tales unfold the names slip easily into place.
The book was written such that, although I picked it up and put it down often, the characters and the tale stuck in my mind. The action builds relatively quickly and there are several peaks, arriving at the last sequence with relative ease. You can feel yourself drift into the action and these other worlds. There was only one small quibble and that was my imagination was stifled (a smidge) by some overly descriptive passages, especially in the last few sequences, when it made the story feel a little stilted instead of racing (on a smooth track) to the end. I suspect, however, this won't bother most readers.
I hope to read the sequels, "Demon's Law" and "Death's Law" before the end of the year, that is if I can obtain them through one of the book swapping sites.
The book tells the tale of Paedur, who has risen to the status of legend, through the ages and his work to restore the "Old Faith" against an incomer which has grown in size rapidly. Mannam, the Lord of the Dead, assigns Paedur the task of keeping the Old Faith alive through his work as a bard, telling the myths and expanding the knowledge of the old gods. As they are want to do, the gods assign Paedur a further task ... a dangerous undertaking.
The author borrows from the myths of a few cultures, though the Irish seems most apparent, and creates his own world, peoples, cultures, myths, legends and religions. On reading the pantheon at the front of the book, the reader might feel overwhelmed, but as the tales unfold the names slip easily into place.
The book was written such that, although I picked it up and put it down often, the characters and the tale stuck in my mind. The action builds relatively quickly and there are several peaks, arriving at the last sequence with relative ease. You can feel yourself drift into the action and these other worlds. There was only one small quibble and that was my imagination was stifled (a smidge) by some overly descriptive passages, especially in the last few sequences, when it made the story feel a little stilted instead of racing (on a smooth track) to the end. I suspect, however, this won't bother most readers.
I hope to read the sequels, "Demon's Law" and "Death's Law" before the end of the year, that is if I can obtain them through one of the book swapping sites.
July 16, 2017
The lore is pretty cool and sucked me in a couple times. The main character is fairly solid, but I found the companions towards the end were unconvincing, as well as Paedur's interaction with them. Especially where they come in so late, changing the flow of the narrative from a disparate sequence of storytelling occasions to a fast paced, longshot, push for the finish that should have been fairly dramatic, but instead I found it hard to appreciate around the awkward dialogue of the bard's followers.
While the concept of the series seems pretty cool from this first book, I hope for some improvement in its execution as they go on.
While the concept of the series seems pretty cool from this first book, I hope for some improvement in its execution as they go on.
September 16, 2011
A little disjointed. Not quite joined together stories at the start, and then a big finish against a supposed nemesis that has only just been introduced. Just felt a little off.
July 29, 2017
Yeah.....a main character that can't die and knows everything.........hard to create suspense.
December 22, 2018
I was warned to start with Volume 2 and not Volume 1. The conformist in me didn't heed this advice, sadly.
I did finish this book but have a number of issues with it. The protagonist, Paedur doesn't really evolve once he receives his gifts from the gods. I found him hard to emphasise with and never really thought he had any chance of failing. So not much dramatic tension there.
Problem 2 was the supporting cast were so thinly drawn as to be instantly forgettable and the main female character is constantly being saved by men. I suppose one should keep in mind when this book was written, but still. *shakes head*
Problem 3 was the role of the gods. It seemed they were not adverse to direct contact with mortals, especially early in the story. However the author tries to build suspense by sending his characters on a mysterious mission, supposedly because it was the will of the gods. Which begs the question, why didn't they just tell Paedur what they wanted? It's the epic fantasy equivalent of not pulling out your smart phone and making a call.
Perhaps Book 2 is better...?
I did finish this book but have a number of issues with it. The protagonist, Paedur doesn't really evolve once he receives his gifts from the gods. I found him hard to emphasise with and never really thought he had any chance of failing. So not much dramatic tension there.
Problem 2 was the supporting cast were so thinly drawn as to be instantly forgettable and the main female character is constantly being saved by men. I suppose one should keep in mind when this book was written, but still. *shakes head*
Problem 3 was the role of the gods. It seemed they were not adverse to direct contact with mortals, especially early in the story. However the author tries to build suspense by sending his characters on a mysterious mission, supposedly because it was the will of the gods. Which begs the question, why didn't they just tell Paedur what they wanted? It's the epic fantasy equivalent of not pulling out your smart phone and making a call.
Perhaps Book 2 is better...?
January 22, 2020
I wouldn't say this is a particularly well-written book. Much has happened in the fantasy scene since 1987 setting the bar for quality somewhat higher today. I did enjoy much of it, though. It has a complex world-building and at least on the beginning a really interesting structure, which it sadly abandons in the last quarter or so of the book. And there is a certain nostalgia in reading it. Like watching a childhood movie and recognizing all the flaws, that I didn't see or care about back then, but still remembering the joy it brought. Magician's Law is terribly sexist, and the protagonist is an utter douche. And this is just a few of the book's flaws. If you can enjoy the nostalgia of this and read it with an ironic perspective, I would really recommend it. Otherwise, you are not missing much. I do think, I will give the next volume a go. I guess, I have a masochistic tendency.
February 22, 2026
Read this novel way back. The figure Mannam was interesting, so interesting in fact, when the World Wide Web was still in its infancy, met a woman in Bangladesh who happened to be named Mannam, albeit her first name was Shagota, which also mean “welcome” in Bangladesh. Then she met someone in Seattle. Says she was pure , albeit a Muslim dressed in red with henna tattoos and golden jewelry about her face as in marriage. Looking for her mom Ali, says she owns a jute factory there in Bangladesh. Jute , all know is what Manila rope is made, and or burlap sacks.
July 3, 2018
A disappointment really, as I had good memories of this story. It was disjointed and I often felt that I had no idea what was going on. Parts of it were good fun, but there was not enough world building, character development, or depth of plot to really recommend to others.
July 24, 2021
Although it's been some 20 odd years since I read this trilogy, I did read these books to destruction and would dearly like to get these again. The bard is one of the most bad add characters I have ever read. Truly amazing. The only way this story could be any better is if it had Bluetooth.
April 9, 2022
I loved all three of these, as others have pointed out they aren't perfect but they were really different. I think that they may still be at my mothers house somewhere or lost in the mists of 30 years.
I wish I could read them again, these would be ideal for a kindle re-release.
I wish I could read them again, these would be ideal for a kindle re-release.
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
April 18, 2016
The phrase that, in my opinion, describes this book the best is: too much of a good thing! I must admit it's beautifully written like any other epic, but it's just soooooo boring. I didn't like the main character at all; all the things in the book are explained through the presence of myriad gods whose names and origins are too many to pay attention to - basically, everything happens just because or because the bard said so. It has too much of everything and the end is like "What?". I really doubt I will read the rest of the series.
December 27, 2011
This book has been read and re-read quite a few times. It is the book that got me hooked on the fantasy genre, I just loved it, the characters, their motivations and the dark battle of magic - brill!
October 23, 2016
This, the first in his trilogy "Tales of the Bard" is mostly (entirely?) forgotten these days, but I love it. Hard to find now (ebay, perhaps? I haven't looked) as it's out of print, and there is no e-book version that I have been able to find, but well worth it if you can manage it.
July 2, 2009
i loved the book, it took me some time to get into the story but towards the last third the story picked up and now i'm going to read volume two
Want to read
March 14, 2014trtrt
August 3, 2015
Loved this book! Great central character and interesting and engaging story
August 4, 2014
Excellent start to a series.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews