The Magician's Apprentice

The Magician's Apprentice by Trudi Canavan

ISBN# 978-0-316-03788-4

Available now

Published by Orbit/Hachette Book Group

Format: HC, 593 pages

Genres: fiction, fantasy

Trudi Canavan is the Australian author behind The Black Magician and the Age of the Five trilogies, both firmly in the fantasy category.  This is her first stand-alone novel, but it's also a prequel, set several hundred years before, to The Black Magician trilogy.  This book contains the history Kyralian officials would never want known, like that black magic was once called high magic and was widely practiced or who's really to blame for the Sachakan Wastes.  Two of the main characters, Tessia and Jayan, start out as apprentices and go on to make major changes to how magic is taught and what it's used for.  If you haven't read the trilogy this book is still a good story all on its own, but if you have this book will fill in some missing history and probably answer a few questions you didn't even know you had.

A few centuries ago the lands of Kyralia and Elyne were finally granted their Independence from Sachaka.  Now, the younger generation of Sachakan magicians think they can reclaim these nations because for one reason or another a lot of them are without land of their own.  All Tessia wants is to follow in her father's footsteps as the village healer, but her fate is soon changed as a visiting Sachakan magician's unwanted advances awaken her magic.  Along with being apprenticed to the local lord, Dakon, she also leaves her village for the first time to go to the capital, and she even meets the king.  The novelty is short lived, however when Lord Narvelan sends news that Mandryn, Tessia's village, has been attacked.  Lord Dakon, his apprentices, and Lord Werrin leave ahead of the magicians the king is rounding up, but there is nothing to save of the town.  Tessia learns that her parents, along with most of the town, are dead, and finds herself in the midst of a hunting party.  More magicians slowly trickle in to find the Sachakans and send them packing back across the border, but they always seem to be a village away.  While the Kyralians are learning to share their hoarded magical knowledge the Sachakans are getting more distrustful with every new recruit.  After some scrimmages the invaders finally set their sights on the capital, but it's what happens after the invasion that truly decides the victor.  If Kyralia wins will it really be enough revenge for all of their dead and the razed to the ground villages?

For this being such a long book I didn't find my attention wandering much, but that could be because I had to keep up with the point-of-view changing every few paragraphs without warning.  Suprisingly, the main plot of Sachaka vs. Kyralia wasn't even the interesting part of the book for me.  I liked reading about the gender issues that kept popping up for the women of both nations.  Tessia wanted to be a healer and she had the talent for it too, but even her father told her that the village would never accept a woman.  Stara grew up Elyne learning to be a merchant, hoping to win her father's affection by showing him she could run his business.  He lives in Sachaka and when he finally does call for her it's only to marry her off and make the best alliance he can.  Then there is the issue of slavery, Sachakans have them and Kyralians have outlawed the practice.  That's not even everything I enjoyed about this book, but the different characters and differing cultures are definitely what make this book good.  Give this book a try if you're up for a character driven fantasy, but if you're looking for a lot of action and a story you haven't read before skip it.