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| The Magicians' Guild (The Black Magician Trilogy, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Trudi Canavan
Publisher: Eos
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (80 reviews)
Sales Rank: 23898
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.3 x 1
ISBN: 006057528X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780060575281
ASIN: 006057528X
Publication Date: January 2004
Release Date: January 27, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
"We should expect this young woman to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician." This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear of the vagrants and miscreants who despise them and their work?until one enraged girl, barely more than a child, hurls a stone at the hated invaders . . . and effortlessly penetrates their magical shield. What the Magicians' Guild has long dreaded has finally come to pass. There is someone outside their ranks who possesses a raw power beyond imagining, an untrained mage who must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet control.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 75 more reviews...
 Bad Editing October 7, 2008
It's very rare that I read a book and finish it and say, "You know, that could have been a good book, but the editor screwed it up."
This is one of them. The editing is appalling.
I don't mean things like typos or grammatical mistakes, I mean storyline editing. There's just no way this trilogy should have passed muster. There's setups with no payoffs, payoffs with no setups, major characters who don't do anything, major conflicts mainly revolving around a misunderstanding (which later gets cleared up), and plot points that repeat themselves and repeat themselves over and over.
These problems are found throughout the trilogy (the second major character in the book only appears once, briefly, during the second book, and then at the end, doesn't really have anything to do with anything), but the first book is the worst. The entire first half of the book should have been axed by the editor, and rewritten down to 20 pages. There's just no point, you know how it will turn out, and it's repetitive. I barely managed to slog my way through it after trying four or five times.
The second book is a little better, though the same central plot point repeats through the entire book (she's an outsider! she's being picked on!). It is a little bit more interesting though. The third book, and really, the second half of the third book, is the only part of this trilogy where things actually start to happen.
Seriously, the editor of this series needs to be fired. It's not a bad trilogy - I didn't mind reading it, but it really feels like it needs two or three more drafts before it's ready for print. As Brian Sanderson says, "Don't describe a shotgun on the wall of a cabin unless someone is going to use that shotgun later." There's just entire, major, characters and places that are set up to do something, but then never do. (Cery's girlfriend, the Arena and layout of the Guild in general, etc.)
Even though I liked it, I can't really recommend it to others due to these problems.
 Could Have Been Half as Long August 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The first few chapters, where Sonea discovered her magic and the Guild discovered her, were interested. After that, the book went downhiil quickly.
Almost the entire first half of the book involves Sonea hiding from the Guild, being discovered, running, and hiding again. Occasionally the reader gets a glimpse of the Magicians discussing her, which is interesting, but then the book goes back to endless hide-run-hide.
I almost gave up in disgust, but hate not finishing a book. Once Sonea is found by the Guild, the book picks up considerably. There are still several places where it drones on, however. It never got to the point of flipping pages, looking for when the action picked up again, but it got close a few times.
OK for teens June 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I just read the first book, but I bought all three at once so I'll probably read the whole thing.
Back when I was 12-15 I would have enjoyed the story as the standard plot elements of this novel would have been new to me back then. But for my adult tastes it was a bit too much like Enid Blyton meets Harry Potter.
There was one jarring scene in the book which I didn't find at all believable. When Cery is persuaded to pop in to a building and murder someone whom his mentor at the Thieves' Guild wants out of the way. In just two or three paragraphs of brief conversation Cery goes from anguishing over whether he could ever do such a thing, to pulling his knives out with a cheerful smile. And then he never gives it a second thought after that; it doesn't seem to change his attitude or outward behaviour. He's a thief and now a murderer with a heart of gold and boy-next-door demeanour. Not convincing for me.
 Good read April 29, 2008
This is a well written beginning to a new world for Canavan. It's definately not high fantasy, but it's a good read for someone looking for an escape, or for younger fantasy readers. The plot and characters are strong, if somewhat predictable.
This is a nice read from a new series. It gets a bit dark at times, and the later books get darker, but it's an overall easy read.
Ideal for the younger readers, although the old ones can appreciate it too January 19, 2008
I read the entire series and one thing came out of it: I myself fell in love with the highlord akkarin. It's just such a romantic story above all.
I'm not going to explain what happens in the book but i think this trilogy will mostly appeal to women and girls.
The characters are thourough, yet standard. the plotline is entertaining yet predictable. it's one of those let's crawlup by the fireplace and let us dream away for a few hours, without much thinking or remembering.
It's a good story but not the best.
I would certainly recommend it for young readers (girls) and as light literature.
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