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Raymond E. Feist's Magician: Apprentice #1
Magician: Apprentice Volume 1
Collects comic 1-6.
To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. But though his courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, he was ill at ease with the normal ways of wizardry. Yet Pug's strange sort of magic would one day change forever the fates of two worlds. For dark beings from another world had opened a rift in the fabric of spacetime to being again the age-old battle between the forces of Order and Chaos.
To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. But though his courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, he was ill at ease with the normal ways of wizardry. Yet Pug's strange sort of magic would one day change forever the fates of two worlds. For dark beings from another world had opened a rift in the fabric of spacetime to being again the age-old battle between the forces of Order and Chaos.
168 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Raymond E. Feist
344 books8,675 followersRaymond 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 1982 by Doubleday. Feist currently lives in San Diego with his children, where he collects fine wine, DVDs, and books on a variety of topics of personal interest: wine, biographies, history, and, especially, the history of American Professional Football.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
May 14, 2014
This book was OK at best. Pretty sloppy writing, fantasy by numbers. Chosen one / coming of the age story where main characters can't do no wrong and everyone has infinite amounts patience for them - be it princes, mages, kings or dragons. There are five female characters in the book - one is Queen of elfs for one of the main characters to fall in love, second in a princess to fall in love with, third - mentioned princess maid / help lady, one of the main characters mom and lastly another 9 year old princess at the castle in Krondor. Great effort. But I guess it's a man
s world.
I remember reading it as a kid and it felt great, but now I you clearly see this a s a first book author ever wrote. It's painfully obvious, from fantasy tropes (city of Valinor, evil orcs, evil dark elves, dragons, magic weapons that give you superpowers), stumbling thru adolescent romance to black and white supporting characters without any depth to them. Run of the mill western fantasy.
If you enjoy reading about other people RPG campaigns - this is a decent but flawed effort, otherwise you could have been reading something else.
s world.
I remember reading it as a kid and it felt great, but now I you clearly see this a s a first book author ever wrote. It's painfully obvious, from fantasy tropes (city of Valinor, evil orcs, evil dark elves, dragons, magic weapons that give you superpowers), stumbling thru adolescent romance to black and white supporting characters without any depth to them. Run of the mill western fantasy.
If you enjoy reading about other people RPG campaigns - this is a decent but flawed effort, otherwise you could have been reading something else.
February 15, 2019
It won’t win any fuckin oscars but it does all right
December 5, 2016
my rating 3.75
storyline has been built on a world named midkemia. on the far westerncoast of the human kingdom of Rillanon there is a province named crydee where a ritual is maintained that as per requirement they set a day of choosing. On which day 15 year old boys are chosen under few specific masters for apprenticeship. tomas and pug are two friends who were chosen as well. this is the beginning. (don't like to tell much about the story, better read it yourself if u feel like)
there are some other characters like the princes of crydee lyam and arutha and a wonderfully described princess named carline. so, few bits of romanticism will come at firsthand. there are elves and dwarves and bit of goblins as well. you will be introduced to a dragonlike creature named firedrake oh and there is dragon as well though not covering much of the story.
let me tell crisply what I liked and didn't like which may help you take the decision whether or when you will read this riftwar series.
dislikes first: too much description of the surroundings at few of the places. though for high fantasy description is of prime importance to get the reader oriented but in comparison to the specific plot building its too much.
only 5 female characters of which only 2 of them have important roles in story. its more like a man's world.
the main characters and the achievement of their power seemed too hasty and without meeting reader's passion about a hero.
It's really bothering that there is very insufficient description about the tsurani people who invaded.
Likes now: a new world of fantasy always attracts me :D
The dislikes I mentioned can be assumed to be eliminated soon in the consecutive books. (Not at all worried about that)
Few of the characters are really adorable.
The idea of another world from where the invaders came is intriguing.
This book is just the beginning of another cool fantasy series. Till now I don't think it's a must read but who are die hard fantasy lovers I'd like to recommend this series for them.
storyline has been built on a world named midkemia. on the far westerncoast of the human kingdom of Rillanon there is a province named crydee where a ritual is maintained that as per requirement they set a day of choosing. On which day 15 year old boys are chosen under few specific masters for apprenticeship. tomas and pug are two friends who were chosen as well. this is the beginning. (don't like to tell much about the story, better read it yourself if u feel like)
there are some other characters like the princes of crydee lyam and arutha and a wonderfully described princess named carline. so, few bits of romanticism will come at firsthand. there are elves and dwarves and bit of goblins as well. you will be introduced to a dragonlike creature named firedrake oh and there is dragon as well though not covering much of the story.
let me tell crisply what I liked and didn't like which may help you take the decision whether or when you will read this riftwar series.
dislikes first: too much description of the surroundings at few of the places. though for high fantasy description is of prime importance to get the reader oriented but in comparison to the specific plot building its too much.
only 5 female characters of which only 2 of them have important roles in story. its more like a man's world.
the main characters and the achievement of their power seemed too hasty and without meeting reader's passion about a hero.
It's really bothering that there is very insufficient description about the tsurani people who invaded.
Likes now: a new world of fantasy always attracts me :D
The dislikes I mentioned can be assumed to be eliminated soon in the consecutive books. (Not at all worried about that)
Few of the characters are really adorable.
The idea of another world from where the invaders came is intriguing.
This book is just the beginning of another cool fantasy series. Till now I don't think it's a must read but who are die hard fantasy lovers I'd like to recommend this series for them.
February 5, 2020
I'm currently reading this book and frankly i'm at the point that I just want to stop reading it all together and give it to a kid. The author has good intentions of creating this new world with a portal to another dimension and discovering this alien race. The book is about 480ish pages.. I'm currently on page 211 and so far the little amount of action this book could give has barely shown after half way through the book. It's titled the magician's apprentice, and so far Pug the main character (aka the magician apprentice) has only managed to have two magic tricks up his sleeve. I thought the book not only would talk about pug's life, but have some magic action, hence the title, but so far after half way through a 400 page book, no magic from Pug other than the only two tricks mentioned. As for his Master Kulgan... no magic there either other than using magic to build fog in a forest.. which was mentioned until page 206 or so.. I purchased the book in the hopes of some more magic action in the book as the summary described or of how the title misleads for that matter, but nothing. I will continue to read the book to see if any more magic is mentioned at all through out the book and once done i'll make sure to come back and make yet another review of my thoughts.
March 1, 2015
Boooooooo.
May 10, 2020
The Graphic Novel of the adventures of Pug and Thomas.
March 1, 2017
Classic good/bad tale with orphan protagonist that overcomes odds to become ....
I ready plenty of fantasy books (TLOTR, The Belgariad etc) as a young teenager, and after a recent spate of Game of Thrones thought I'd visit this series that I overlooked a few decades ago. I probably would have liked it more then, but I see it has so many issues in writing style and story that sometimes I was a bit disappointed. Overall, it was OK - I will give the 2nd book a try and see if there is some growth in both the characters and author.
I ready plenty of fantasy books (TLOTR, The Belgariad etc) as a young teenager, and after a recent spate of Game of Thrones thought I'd visit this series that I overlooked a few decades ago. I probably would have liked it more then, but I see it has so many issues in writing style and story that sometimes I was a bit disappointed. Overall, it was OK - I will give the 2nd book a try and see if there is some growth in both the characters and author.
November 10, 2015
I remember the first time reading this. The book was passed down to me from a friend of mine. We were both in the Navy and in the process of going through electronics school. In my opinion a classic of the fantasy genre. The only downsize to this book and later the series is that it borrows to much material from other fantasy novels in order to make a lasting tale. Tolkien, Brooks, Donaldson.... their books can be seen through the riftwar saga as well.
February 25, 2020
This one is a 3.5 for me - I actually found I enjoyed it more in the beginning, and got a bit lost in the wackiness at the end. Might carry on with the series, but lots of other books to read first.
January 9, 2020
Someone recommended me this book and I was kind of afraid of reading it. “Another fantasy book”, I thought. The truth is that this book is very well written.
Just in the first part we have, maybe, a span of six years. Some chapters are days, weeks, months and even years after the previous one, which makes the action progress at a really good rhythm. The action also follows different characters, each one with a well defined personality, and different parts of the world. Several characters have a very particular humor and the drama put in some scenes feels real.
The change between perspectives sometimes has us thinking “and what about that character?”, but Feist’s way of writing the story quickly makes us forget about what’s happening in the other side of this fantastic world and focus solemnly on the new perspectives being thrown at us.
What we have here is a fast paced fantasy book, with lots of humor, lots of smart and strong characters that is, indeed, one of the best in it’s kind.
https://www.bookdepository.com/Magici...
Just in the first part we have, maybe, a span of six years. Some chapters are days, weeks, months and even years after the previous one, which makes the action progress at a really good rhythm. The action also follows different characters, each one with a well defined personality, and different parts of the world. Several characters have a very particular humor and the drama put in some scenes feels real.
The change between perspectives sometimes has us thinking “and what about that character?”, but Feist’s way of writing the story quickly makes us forget about what’s happening in the other side of this fantastic world and focus solemnly on the new perspectives being thrown at us.
What we have here is a fast paced fantasy book, with lots of humor, lots of smart and strong characters that is, indeed, one of the best in it’s kind.
https://www.bookdepository.com/Magici...
May 16, 2021
One of my all time favourite books and also the book that solidified my interest in the Fantasy/Science Fiction genre of books.
I must have read through this book (and Magician: Master) atleast a dozen times so it really holds some nostalgic value for me.
When compared to some more hardcore Fantasy novels such as Wheel of Time, A Song of Fire and Ice, Stormlight Archive etc, this series is a bit more easier to get into as the story is more straightforward and has less characters to follow. There were less inter-woven plot points which makes it great for casual readers. The characters as well are quite interesting and its great to see them grow and change in subsequent books.
Therefore I would recommend this for those who are starting off their reading adverntures rather than the hardcore fantasy buffs!
I must have read through this book (and Magician: Master) atleast a dozen times so it really holds some nostalgic value for me.
When compared to some more hardcore Fantasy novels such as Wheel of Time, A Song of Fire and Ice, Stormlight Archive etc, this series is a bit more easier to get into as the story is more straightforward and has less characters to follow. There were less inter-woven plot points which makes it great for casual readers. The characters as well are quite interesting and its great to see them grow and change in subsequent books.
Therefore I would recommend this for those who are starting off their reading adverntures rather than the hardcore fantasy buffs!
September 20, 2013
I'm coming to the conclusion that these graphic novel adaptations of important fantasy books don't really work for me. The detail of them often gets lost in the art, the stories becoming kind of diluted, and the format doesn't often lend itself to quality storytelling.
On the other hand, this made me want to read this series in its original form quite a bit. So it wasn't a complete loss, but given that it took me 10 days to want to finish this says quite a bit...
On the other hand, this made me want to read this series in its original form quite a bit. So it wasn't a complete loss, but given that it took me 10 days to want to finish this says quite a bit...
May 27, 2018
I finally finished this, after having it sitting around for years. It's ok. The formulas are pretty formulaic; the characters are so stereotyped it was hard to get past that. There are a couple of interesting angles, especially what is happening with one of the characters, but there was nothing here to make me want to keep reading. I hear there are over twenty novels set in this world.
September 19, 2011
I read this series back in High School and enjoyed it then and plan on re reading it at some point ad Feist does an excellent job of character development and story involvement.
August 8, 2012
Yeah, I read it. But why bother when there is George RR Martin?
January 13, 2018
Great page turning story filled with rich mythical characters. My only complaint is that the book ends at the apex of the story 😡.
And now on the the continuation Magician Master 🙄
And now on the the continuation Magician Master 🙄
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2020
This book is a very interesting book.Although i had found it a little slow at the beginning after a while the pace did start to pick up.
The main characters are Pug and Tomas who both aspire to be a swordsman at the start of the story The plot of the book is very good and it is one of the most intriguing and captivating book that I have ever read.
The main characters are Pug and Tomas who both aspire to be a swordsman at the start of the story The plot of the book is very good and it is one of the most intriguing and captivating book that I have ever read.
August 10, 2021
This is another disappointing read. It features at number 89 on the Big Read list and I've no idea how it got there. It's full of Lord of the Rings type themes, journeys, wars, elves, dwarves, and two maps at the beginning to help the reader navigate the world. I read the revised addition where the author indulged himself by putting back the editor's cuts. This made it a stonking 840 page read. I didn't mind the story so much and in the end I did care about the characters. The reason it is disappointing is the writing was sloppy and poor. I felt it could do with a good edit, but I suppose that's what the original editor thought as well.
January 23, 2021
+ high fantasy, love it
+ loveable characters
+ dragons
- too much politics for my taste
- al the girls are either cooks, princesses or helpless
- there are many moments I thought was a good end yet it dragged on
+ loveable characters
+ dragons
- too much politics for my taste
- al the girls are either cooks, princesses or helpless
- there are many moments I thought was a good end yet it dragged on
March 16, 2021
While not bad another book that was fantasy 101 more suited for somebody in middle school.
April 2, 2021
It was a 5 star once
July 18, 2023
4.0 stars
May 13, 2020
At 680 pages, this is the kind of book that's with you for the long haul. Such is the quality of Raymond E Feist's writing, however, that the pages turn quickly. The plot sounds basic - a coming of age story about a lad apprenticed to a magician - but it's actually very intricate. There are subplots involving a long war, a young fighter whose mind is literally drawn back to a bygone age, a clash of cultures, and, and, and... Suffice to say, there's plenty happening and it's a compelling read.
April 11, 2020
Around 7.5 stars out of 10. Stars above are rounded off.
We got a chance to listen to an audiobook [Magician] containing first two books of Magician series]
[Combined book review is available at: https://thinkerviews.com/books/englis... ]
We got a chance to listen to an audiobook [Magician] containing first two books of Magician series]
[Combined book review is available at: https://thinkerviews.com/books/englis... ]
May 17, 2017
First published in 1982, this weighty fantasy was inspired by a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and the story lends heavily from Lord of the Rings. So, obvious, I’m completely in my element.
Some editions are edited as the story is very long, but I personally enjoyed the long scenes and character development. If you are a fan of fantasy then ‘Magician’ is in the canon, and is so for a reason.
There are a wealth of characters to keep each part of the plot interesting, although I was disappointed by a screaming lack of female characters. There is a fleeting glimpse of a Mother and two ongoing Love Interests but that is where the inclusion of women ends. It is a disappointing omission but one which the fantasy genre has started to makes amends on since the 1980s.
There is also a lot of fight-scenes. I mean a LOT of fight-scenes. But they are well written and as a seasoned D&D fan, pretty enthralling. If you enjoyed the second Hobbit film, the second LoTRs film, or any of GoT, then these fight scenes are for you.
Rating: 9/10 - for anyone who has read and enjoyed a fantasy book: fill that bath high and turn your phone off, you’re in for a treat!
Review by Vikki Heaven @ Escapology Reviews . Com
Some editions are edited as the story is very long, but I personally enjoyed the long scenes and character development. If you are a fan of fantasy then ‘Magician’ is in the canon, and is so for a reason.
There are a wealth of characters to keep each part of the plot interesting, although I was disappointed by a screaming lack of female characters. There is a fleeting glimpse of a Mother and two ongoing Love Interests but that is where the inclusion of women ends. It is a disappointing omission but one which the fantasy genre has started to makes amends on since the 1980s.
There is also a lot of fight-scenes. I mean a LOT of fight-scenes. But they are well written and as a seasoned D&D fan, pretty enthralling. If you enjoyed the second Hobbit film, the second LoTRs film, or any of GoT, then these fight scenes are for you.
Rating: 9/10 - for anyone who has read and enjoyed a fantasy book: fill that bath high and turn your phone off, you’re in for a treat!
Review by Vikki Heaven @ Escapology Reviews . Com
April 4, 2018
Magician Apprentice. Vol.1
[Magician: Apprentice Riftwar Saga #1 (Raymond E. Feist's Magician: Apprentice)]
A most enjoyable interaction with this intriguing world.
Issue #1
“Fantus is a firedrake, cousin of dragons. When the mood suits him, he can belch out a flame or two, though he seems rarely in the mood.” - Master Kulgan
Issue #2
“Master Fannon says a soldier must keep a cool head at all times or he'll lose it.”
Issue #3
“LEAVE HIM ALONE! He saved my life! He almost got killed saving me. He's done nothing wrong. And I wont have any of you bullying him.”
Issue #4
“If this man's dying dreams were not the product of fevered imaginings, then I fear his appearance heralds a grave situation.” - Father Tully
Issue #5
“Magic is a collection of folk arts and skills passed along from master to apprentice since the beginning of time. Despite ….” - Master Kulgan
Issue #6
“Goodbye, Princess.
I'm going to hate myself tomorrow.” - Pug
- - -
[Magician: Apprentice Riftwar Saga #1 (Raymond E. Feist's Magician: Apprentice)]
A most enjoyable interaction with this intriguing world.
Issue #1
“Fantus is a firedrake, cousin of dragons. When the mood suits him, he can belch out a flame or two, though he seems rarely in the mood.” - Master Kulgan
Issue #2
“Master Fannon says a soldier must keep a cool head at all times or he'll lose it.”
Issue #3
“LEAVE HIM ALONE! He saved my life! He almost got killed saving me. He's done nothing wrong. And I wont have any of you bullying him.”
Issue #4
“If this man's dying dreams were not the product of fevered imaginings, then I fear his appearance heralds a grave situation.” - Father Tully
Issue #5
“Magic is a collection of folk arts and skills passed along from master to apprentice since the beginning of time. Despite ….” - Master Kulgan
Issue #6
“Goodbye, Princess.
I'm going to hate myself tomorrow.” - Pug
- - -
October 18, 2018
I recently came across an old copy of this book at a lending library box. I picked it up as I'd never read anything by Feist but had heard great things.
I was enjoying the book well enough, but I rarely get time to read these days and after 230 pages in, I wasn't floored. Ultimately, at only like halfway through the book, I decided that my time was best spent reading something I could actually be sucked into and returned the book.
As I said, it was interesting enough, and I was liking it, and perhaps if I had given it more time it would have really gotten good as clearly the ratings for this book are much better than I'm giving it.
That's just me and just the way it is. I honestly don't have anything bad to say about it other than it's a bit slow.
I was enjoying the book well enough, but I rarely get time to read these days and after 230 pages in, I wasn't floored. Ultimately, at only like halfway through the book, I decided that my time was best spent reading something I could actually be sucked into and returned the book.
As I said, it was interesting enough, and I was liking it, and perhaps if I had given it more time it would have really gotten good as clearly the ratings for this book are much better than I'm giving it.
That's just me and just the way it is. I honestly don't have anything bad to say about it other than it's a bit slow.
November 19, 2017
An orphan boy named Pug becomes a master magician’s apprentice. Due to his natural magic abilities he is drawn into a war between his world and invaders from another world called Tsuranuanni. Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist is a fantasy novel reminding the reader of a world created from Medieval Europe and Samurai Japan mixed in with some otherworldly magic. in the time of the Samurai. It's the first part by a trilogy and offers everything a fantasy fan might want from such a story. It's intriguing, impressive and very well thought out. The back story is very detailed and the characteres extremely memorable. It's a fantastic first novel.
July 26, 2018
I read this story in paperback form back when it first came out. My reaction then was an excellent story! Rereading it has not changed my opinion! Pug, Tomas and even Roland make an interesting group of friends. Pug is apprenticed to a magician, Tomas to the guards and Roland is a squire. Their relationship to begin with is not a smooth one but they do end up being friends.
In the course of learning magic Pug and Tomas come across a ship from another place. Learn about rifts, magic, and in this case a lot about politics. We have Tsunami from another world who want to conquer Midkemia. Why? Read and find out. Enjoy the action, romance, the humor and lots of plots twists!
In the course of learning magic Pug and Tomas come across a ship from another place. Learn about rifts, magic, and in this case a lot about politics. We have Tsunami from another world who want to conquer Midkemia. Why? Read and find out. Enjoy the action, romance, the humor and lots of plots twists!
March 2, 2019
Es una buena historia, pero la encuentro un poco lenta para mi gusto; me parece muy buena recomendación para adolescentes.
En lo personal me hubiera gustado leer más sobre Pug, Tomas y los dragones, pero entiendo que es una saga extensa por lo que espero que en las siguientes entregas haya más sobre éstos personajes.
It's a good story, but I find it a bit slow for my taste; I think it's a good recommendation for teenagers.
Personally I would have liked to read more about Pug, Tomas and the dragons, but I understand that it is an extensive saga so I hope that in the following installments there will be more about these characters.
En lo personal me hubiera gustado leer más sobre Pug, Tomas y los dragones, pero entiendo que es una saga extensa por lo que espero que en las siguientes entregas haya más sobre éstos personajes.
It's a good story, but I find it a bit slow for my taste; I think it's a good recommendation for teenagers.
Personally I would have liked to read more about Pug, Tomas and the dragons, but I understand that it is an extensive saga so I hope that in the following installments there will be more about these characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews