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Earlier this year I got back into the fantasy genre by reading Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind. Since then I've been reading backwards; finding the authors Rothfuss was favorably compared to and reading their books.

I was very taken with the author I read next, George R. R. Martin, and would happily have continued the Song of Fire and Ice series, but apparently the next book in that series has been postponed till 2013. So I chose Raymond Feist who was next on my list.

To a total fantasy virgin it may hold some appeal, but even the books I read at the peak of my dorkiness, at a time when I read almost nothing except books by R.A. Salvatore and others published by Forgotten Realms, are significantly better than this book.

Simply put Magician: Apprentice lacks the subtlety, beauty, and complexity of the other works of fantasy (or even plain old fiction) I've read this year. Overall I'd say it reads like the collected notes of what were probably very engaging D&D styled scenarios and RPG adventures.

The characters are perhaps over-loved by the author. All are sort of generic "nice guys" thrown into tough situations. They lack flaws, they have no weaknesses, and so they don't broaden as characters. They're chivalrous and handsome. When they fail (rarely) it's through no fault of their own. All personal conflicts are resolved with a good cry, some laughter, and then drinks. The most major change in a character is enacted not by learning from experience or harsh reality, or personal introspection, but instead by donning mysterious magical armor. None of the characters face more than brief moral or ethical dilemmas. Because these men are only faced with deus ex machina type problems their growth is never shown, we're merely told it's happened after random narrative leaps. Four months has passed and generic male hero #1 wishes to return home, or 2 years have passed and generic male #2 is now battle hardened. Okay, I guess if you say so. The females are even more one dimensional. All those given more than one line of dialog are beautiful, playful, strong-willed, and eager to find a partner. Even the elven Queen is essentially the same, she just has a title.

Leaving aside for a moment the other worldly opposition, the only villains are mentioned in passing. None are full characters, just useful tools to create minor shifts in the action. The opposition from another world are the most interesting, but unfortunately much of the consideration and description of them is repetitious. They have different notions of honor, they're fearless, they speak a tonal language, they come from a world without metal, and employ a magic beyond the understanding Midkemians. Those basic points are hammered home over and over again.

Over and over again is one of the main problems of this book. So much feels like repetition of the same fight, the same history, and the same description. I read the author's preferred text or edition or some such nonsense. Having not read the original I can't be sure, but I'm sure that with 20-40 pages trimmed while many of my complaints about the characters would be the same, at the very least the plot would move that much faster.

I also read Magician: Master, which I won't bother reviewing, but is a slight improvement: I'd probably give it two stars. The description and consideration of the Kelewan world, its people, and their customs is far more interesting than anything in the first book, but the writing and characters still feel tired and one dimensional.