Click for Source Image By Samantha Payne
The Magician’s Apprentice is a fascinating novel filled with political intrigue and conflicting opinions on the controversial topic of war. This particular novel is set hundreds of years before the events in Trudi Canavan’s debut trilogy, The Black Magician Trilogy. Though it is a prequel, it is advised that you read the above trilogy first as it will introduce you to the world and the events in this stand-alone novel will be put into a greater perspective.
The Magician’s Apprentice is a fascinating novel filled with political intrigue and conflicting opinions on the controversial topic of war. This particular novel is set hundreds of years before the events in Trudi Canavan’s debut trilogy, The Black Magician Trilogy. Though it is a prequel, it is advised that you read the above trilogy first as it will introduce you to the world and the events in this stand-alone novel will be put into a greater perspective.
Click for Source Image The characters of this narrative are fully engaging, often contradictory and a pleasure to watch as they evolve and grow as the story progresses. Tessia, the main character, is a head strong and logically minded young woman who is often given to bouts of over-thinking when faced with any situation; be it big or small. Even the way she thinks is different to those around her. For example ‘She didn’t care about status, but there was no point arguing. Other people did, so it had to be taken into account.’ These kind of thoughts also shows her astonishing wisdom which is often glimpsed throughout the book. All these qualities make her an amazing healer and through the course of the book, she makes seemingly small discoveries in the field of healing through magic. The readers who have read the debut trilogy first will find this thrilling to read as they will recognise the humble beginnings of an entire discipline of magic that is taught in the future Magician’s Guild.
Jayan, Tessia’s fellow apprentice, enters the narrative as a judgemental and narrow-minded young man. He is passive aggressive towards Tessia when they first meet, resentful of having to share his master’s time as he is so near to becoming a higher magician. As the story progresses, it is amusing to see how he slowly warms to Tessia and feels shame from how he first treated her. That doesn’t stop him from annoying her at almost every chance he gets, a way to cover up his growing feelings towards her. Lord Dakon is Tessia and Jayan’s master, a higher magician sworn to train them to become higher magicians themselves. He is kind-hearted and often indulges Tessia with his support of her experimentations with healing magic. Both of his apprentices worry for him whenever he is faced with a dangerous situation, a sign that they both feel genuine affection for their good natured master. The story is told from many other characters’ perspectives, a technique that gives the narrative levels of depth that is difficult to obtain from just three close companions.
The main plot follows the invasion of Kyralia by some neighbouring Sachakans and the subsequent events that follow. As mentioned before, the story is told from many different perspectives so the reader gains insight into both sides of the conflict. Through this style of writing, it becomes clear that there are no true winners when it comes to war. On both sides, there are good people that suffer through no fault of their own other than being in the wrong place when the struggle to control Kyralia begins. The Sachakans did once rule Kyralia and its surrounding neighbours but they regained their independence. At the beginning of the invasion, it is only a handful of renegade Sachakan magicians that initiate the conflict between the two lands. They are desperate to gain lands of their own and win back the favour of their emperor. Soon they are joined by the emperor’s own magicians in a shadowed attempt to take back control from the rebels’ leader, Takado. The armies of both sides are made up of magicians, not armoured soldiers so the battle scenes are more unique and suspense filled than regular battles. Political tensions are rife on both sides during the conflict, showing that some characters will always try to up their social standing even during wartime. This results in a lot of interesting dialogue between many different characters.
Jayan, Tessia’s fellow apprentice, enters the narrative as a judgemental and narrow-minded young man. He is passive aggressive towards Tessia when they first meet, resentful of having to share his master’s time as he is so near to becoming a higher magician. As the story progresses, it is amusing to see how he slowly warms to Tessia and feels shame from how he first treated her. That doesn’t stop him from annoying her at almost every chance he gets, a way to cover up his growing feelings towards her. Lord Dakon is Tessia and Jayan’s master, a higher magician sworn to train them to become higher magicians themselves. He is kind-hearted and often indulges Tessia with his support of her experimentations with healing magic. Both of his apprentices worry for him whenever he is faced with a dangerous situation, a sign that they both feel genuine affection for their good natured master. The story is told from many other characters’ perspectives, a technique that gives the narrative levels of depth that is difficult to obtain from just three close companions.
The main plot follows the invasion of Kyralia by some neighbouring Sachakans and the subsequent events that follow. As mentioned before, the story is told from many different perspectives so the reader gains insight into both sides of the conflict. Through this style of writing, it becomes clear that there are no true winners when it comes to war. On both sides, there are good people that suffer through no fault of their own other than being in the wrong place when the struggle to control Kyralia begins. The Sachakans did once rule Kyralia and its surrounding neighbours but they regained their independence. At the beginning of the invasion, it is only a handful of renegade Sachakan magicians that initiate the conflict between the two lands. They are desperate to gain lands of their own and win back the favour of their emperor. Soon they are joined by the emperor’s own magicians in a shadowed attempt to take back control from the rebels’ leader, Takado. The armies of both sides are made up of magicians, not armoured soldiers so the battle scenes are more unique and suspense filled than regular battles. Political tensions are rife on both sides during the conflict, showing that some characters will always try to up their social standing even during wartime. This results in a lot of interesting dialogue between many different characters.
Click for Source Image War and its consequences is the main theme of the narrative. Though mostly encouraged to take the side of Kyralians, who are the ones aggressively invaded by their neighbours, a perspective of the enemy is given in a way that garners sympathy and sadness towards the fact that both sides can’t seem to come to a peaceful agreement. Sachakans are a proud race with a superiority complex; making them believe that it is their sole right to conquer and rule the lands that surround them. Kyralia is often seen as the underdog, fighting to free itself for good from the oppression of their former masters. The arrogance of the invading Sachakans makes them easy to hate and the bravery of the defending Kyralians inspires admiration and respect. It is the perspective of the normal people of Sachaka and the characters you meet through it, which gives raise to conflicting opinions over what punishment the country should face through their unprovoked invasion. As is the case with most wars, it is the common people that suffer more from the consequences of the conflict than the people that initiate it.
The continuing struggle for equality of both sexes is one of the less prominent themes of the book. Tessia is always struggling with the fact that women are seen as lesser beings, especially when it comes to healing. As the story progresses, Tessia’s unique aptitude for healing magic even makes the most stubborn men around her start to change their views on what women can and can’t do. When seeing the story from the viewpoint of a Sachakan woman living in Arvice (the Sachakan capital), the theme of female equality is put into an even stronger contrast. The ‘free’ women are not treated much better than slaves within the patriarchal society. This ill-treatment eventually accumulates into an organised group of Sachakan women fleeing the city to start their own society in the mountains; a sign that their freedom is more important to them than the relative security provided by their respective husbands.
This book can only be most appreciated by those who have previously read The Black Magician Trilogy. That’s not to say that it is a novel that can’t be enjoyed by a newcomer, but to get the most out of the story one must have the knowledge from the previous books. It is a thrilling story, one that’s hard to put down, and though the narrative can become slow at times it soon makes up for it with action and emotion filled scenes as the characters are easy to connect to. The ending of the book seems a little more rushed than the rest but some may see this as an exciting climax to end the story on. Trudi Canavan is an exceptionally talented writer and The Magician’s Apprentice is highly recommended for any fans of magic and high fantasy.
The continuing struggle for equality of both sexes is one of the less prominent themes of the book. Tessia is always struggling with the fact that women are seen as lesser beings, especially when it comes to healing. As the story progresses, Tessia’s unique aptitude for healing magic even makes the most stubborn men around her start to change their views on what women can and can’t do. When seeing the story from the viewpoint of a Sachakan woman living in Arvice (the Sachakan capital), the theme of female equality is put into an even stronger contrast. The ‘free’ women are not treated much better than slaves within the patriarchal society. This ill-treatment eventually accumulates into an organised group of Sachakan women fleeing the city to start their own society in the mountains; a sign that their freedom is more important to them than the relative security provided by their respective husbands.
This book can only be most appreciated by those who have previously read The Black Magician Trilogy. That’s not to say that it is a novel that can’t be enjoyed by a newcomer, but to get the most out of the story one must have the knowledge from the previous books. It is a thrilling story, one that’s hard to put down, and though the narrative can become slow at times it soon makes up for it with action and emotion filled scenes as the characters are easy to connect to. The ending of the book seems a little more rushed than the rest but some may see this as an exciting climax to end the story on. Trudi Canavan is an exceptionally talented writer and The Magician’s Apprentice is highly recommended for any fans of magic and high fantasy.
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