Publication Date:July 22, 2008 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping:International shipping available Condition:Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20081130225628T
Acclaimed author L. E. Modesitt, Jr. continues his new Recluce story in Mage-Guard of Hamor, the second of two volumes set mostly on the continent of Hamor, far across the sea from Recluce, where the story began.
Rahl was a young apprentice on the island of Recluce sent to the mages training school for testing, then banished to Hamor. His education now continues under dangerous circumstances. In Hamor, his powers have increased, but so has the amount of trouble he attracts.
The whole society of Hamor is a new culture for Modesitt—and Rahl—to explore, one in which magic is a monopoly of the state. Rahl is a mage now, powerful and still just as dangerous to himself and to others. This is the story of how he gains both more knowledge and power, and more self-control.
Another fun readNovember 23, 2008 Great book, and a very fun read. However the main character is very whiny, this is how the character was supposed to be, but it makes it a little hard to read, as compared to the many other amazing characters created from by the author.
I would Highly recomend this book, make sure to read Natural Ordermage (Saga of Recluce) first. Both of these books are great, and open great concepts to the Order & Chaos abilities and really open up the nation of Hamor and Recluse, showing that Hamor is not the Evil concurring nation of all time, and Recluse is not the utopia we always thought.
Good formulaic fantasyNovember 10, 2008 Modesitt has a nice formula for enjoyable books with good writing. Each is a variation on a theme, and with law enforcement/government as the current vocation he's targetting (each book seems to detail the effect of his magic system on a vocation) it's even more interesting than most.
Grabbed my attention and held itOctober 27, 2008 After his exile from Recluce, Rahl had some tough times--before being enlisted into the ranks of Hamor's Mage-Guards. A combination of white and black mages, the Mage-Guards preserve the laws of Hamor with ruthless fairness. But a civil war has broken out in Hamor and the Mage-Guards, as well as others at the highest levels of government and military, are involved. Powerful Hamor's neighbors scheme for ways to take advantage of Hamor's weakness--with Fairhaven even sending white wizards to help the revolt.
Rahl's mentor, Taryl, is tasked to assist in the war against the rebels. Using Rahl like a weapon, Taryl sets out to end the rebellion--no matter what the cost. Rahl soon finds himself in a mounted infantry company sent out to scout enemy-held territory. Although the mages of Recluce believed Rahl untrainable, Taryl believes differently. What Rahl learns, however, is that real-life lessons sometimes come at a fearsome price--a price often paid not by Rahl himself, but by those around him.
Author L. E. Modesitt, Jr. continues his Recluce series with a solid adventure story. Rahl continues to grow as a character, transforming from the sulky young man of NATURAL ORDERMAGE to a more mature warrior. While he's still inclined to want answers handed to him, Rahl has learned that this often won't happen. He's also learned that he must get along with others--even those he doesn't like and doesn't trust. He'd better--because sometimes supposed allies are more deadly than avowed enemies.
Modesitt's Recluce series features a dual magic form--with order and chaos represented by black and white, respectively. As a mage of order, Rahl's powers don't contain the same shock value as do those of chaos, but he's gradually able to bring the lessons he's learned to bear, turning mistakes into weapons. Hard lessons turn out to be lessons he needed to take.
Rahl's story gives us another look at what Recluce has become--narrow-minded as it's caught up in its supposed virtues--and at another side of a nation that is often at odds with Recluce. The story lacks some of the twists and turns I look for in a Modesitt novel, but it definitely caught my attention and held my interest.
Great continuationOctober 9, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
We get the next installment of what is going on im Rahl's life. More about Hamor is reviled... very good read.
The tale of Rahl matures.. excellent continuation of the story.September 22, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Another well-written and entertaining novel set in Modesitt's world of Recluce, this one picks up where Natural Ordermage leaves off, following Rahl as he continues to make a life for himself in Hamor. This book tracks along a very similar pattern to many of the other books in the series, both in content and in writing style. We once again have the privilege of following a young and inexperienced mage through trials and difficulties that force him to grow, learn, and reflect on his role in life. Once again, he becomes incredibly powerful and finds himself in a position to shape history. Modesitt's writing style is very distinct, being almost overly detailed and leaving much of the emotion to the reader's imagination. Very enjoyable and certainly having improved over the course of his writings, Modesitt's writing style is a major reason his books continue to be successful.
Parts of this book felt a bit repetitious to me, with Rahl and company fighting battle after battle with similar results, and the characters struggling with the same issues throughout most of the 600-something pages. One good aspect of the book is the expansion of the world Modesitt has created. We finally learn all about Hamor in this book and the previous, something that has been a long time in coming. The character of Rahl remains imperfect, generally acting rather melancholy, but growing in confidence and bearing during the course of the book. Taryl may be my favorite supporting character in the whole series. Both mysterious and undeniably likable, Taryl plays a big part in making this book enjoyable. I'm not sure if this wraps up the story of Rahl, but this book ended with a solid conclusion that doesn't demand a sequel. Modesitt did leave the option viable, however, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Very good addition to the series. Recommended. You can read these books as stand-alones, but to get the full enjoyment, start at the beginning with The Magic of Recluce (Recluce series, Book 1).
