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Imager Portfolio #5
Princeps
The thrilling follow-up to Scholar—in which, after discovering a coup attempt and preventing a bloody civil war, Quaeryt was appointed princeps of Tilbor—begins a new episode in the young Imager's life. Now second only to the governor, and still hiding his powers as an Imager, Quaeryt is enjoying his new position, as well as his marriage to Lord Bhayar’s youngest sister, Vaelora, when a volcanic eruption devastates the old capital of Telaryn.
He and his wife are dispatched to Extela, Telaryn’s capitol city, to replace the governor killed in the eruption. Quaeryt and Vaelora must restore order to a city filled with chaos and corruption, and do so quickly. The regiment under his command must soon depart to bolster Telaryn’s border defenses against a neighboring ruler who sees the volcanic devastation as an opportunity for invasion and conquest.
He and his wife are dispatched to Extela, Telaryn’s capitol city, to replace the governor killed in the eruption. Quaeryt and Vaelora must restore order to a city filled with chaos and corruption, and do so quickly. The regiment under his command must soon depart to bolster Telaryn’s border defenses against a neighboring ruler who sees the volcanic devastation as an opportunity for invasion and conquest.
661 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 22, 2012
94 people are currently reading
988 people want to read
About the author
L.E. Modesitt Jr.
191 books2,591 followersL. E. (Leland Exton) Modesitt, Jr. is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels. He is best known for the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, lived in Washington, D.C. for 20 years, then moved to New Hampshire in 1989 where he met his wife. They relocated to Cedar City, Utah in 1993.
He has worked as a Navy pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, unpaid radio disc jockey, real estate agent, market research analyst, director of research for a political campaign, legislative assistant for a Congressman, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues, and a college lecturer and writer in residence.
In addition to his novels, Mr. Modesitt has published technical studies and articles, columns, poetry, and a number of science fiction stories. His first short story, "The Great American Economy", was published in 1973 in Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact.
-Wikipedia
He has worked as a Navy pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, unpaid radio disc jockey, real estate agent, market research analyst, director of research for a political campaign, legislative assistant for a Congressman, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues, and a college lecturer and writer in residence.
In addition to his novels, Mr. Modesitt has published technical studies and articles, columns, poetry, and a number of science fiction stories. His first short story, "The Great American Economy", was published in 1973 in Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
January 6, 2022
I have to say, the more that I think about it, Modesitt's fantasies are genre-equivalent military competence porn. Problem-solving is the whole thing, whether it's disaster relief or rooting out corruption, or fending off an army or two.
I'm reminded, yet again, of all the Recluse books, but that's a fine thing. The writing is very grounded, rational, and pleasurable. It's super easy to rip through all these books.
* This book is a direct sequel to Scholar, btw.
I'm reminded, yet again, of all the Recluse books, but that's a fine thing. The writing is very grounded, rational, and pleasurable. It's super easy to rip through all these books.
* This book is a direct sequel to Scholar, btw.
March 31, 2017
March 2017 Review: Modesitt gave me plenty to think about in this book. He simplifies a lot of politics & economics into Quaeryt's rebuilding of Extela. Governing is definitely a thankless job & sometimes the law just doesn't stretch far enough to cover what really needs to be done to uphold the social contract. Even when it does, what is best for all often doesn't seem that way. It's definitely thought-provoking in light of the current political situation in the US.
I was disappointed in the ending. Oh, it was action-packed, but the logic of the magic didn't work well for me. It was all a bit convenient & messed up. I've certainly read worse, but I hold Modesitt to a pretty high standard since he usually manages it. I don't think he kept up his end as well as he could have this time, though.
Overall, it's still a 4 star read because of all the thought it provokes. He continues to philosophize with the 'religion' of the Nameless, some of which I enjoy very much. The whole idea of naming as a deadly sin is interesting.
June 2014 Review: I finished this several days ago & was so excited to get into the next book that I forgot to review this one. It continues on with the same character from the 4th & is every bit as good. Can I say more? Sure. Should I? No. Don't start with this book. You can start with the 4th book, although I'd suggest starting with the first & read them in published order. While this set comes first chronologically, Modesitt grows our understanding of the world better in published order.
I was disappointed in the ending. Oh, it was action-packed, but the logic of the magic didn't work well for me. It was all a bit convenient & messed up. I've certainly read worse, but I hold Modesitt to a pretty high standard since he usually manages it. I don't think he kept up his end as well as he could have this time, though.
Overall, it's still a 4 star read because of all the thought it provokes. He continues to philosophize with the 'religion' of the Nameless, some of which I enjoy very much. The whole idea of naming as a deadly sin is interesting.
June 2014 Review: I finished this several days ago & was so excited to get into the next book that I forgot to review this one. It continues on with the same character from the 4th & is every bit as good. Can I say more? Sure. Should I? No. Don't start with this book. You can start with the 4th book, although I'd suggest starting with the first & read them in published order. While this set comes first chronologically, Modesitt grows our understanding of the world better in published order.
May 31, 2012
Excellent sequel to Scholar; Quaeryt and Vaelora solve one problem at a time until the **** hits the fan badly.
Typical Modesitt ultra-competent hero deals with one problem at a time yes, but I love the style, the world building and the main two characters here; a minor spoiler below about how the series differs a little from usual fantasy in a way that appeals quite a lot to me
one thing I like about this series (Imager in general both Rhenn and this) is also that rather than having the hero's love interest suffer unexpected reverses and the two being apart, the author has the hero getting engaged fast and then he marries too so there are two main characters, and possibly kids to come too.
Will have a full review asap but a top 25 novel for sure and I really want next (Imager's battalion and next, Antiagon's fire and last with Quaeryt aka Rex Regis, all written btw asap...)
Full FBC Rv below:
INTRODUCTION: After the trilogy consisting of Imager, Imager's Challenge and Imager's Intrigue that introduced us to Rhenn, one of the most enchanting narrators in recent fantasy, LE Modesitt goes back in time before the unification of Solidar to give us a tale that introduces another great character, scholar and secret imager, Quaeryt Rytersyn.
This time we will be treated to five Quaeryt volumes in the next few years - all written and all but the last titled and edited to go - so Princeps which picks up exactly where Scholar ends is the second volume of a huge five volume novel.
I will try to keep spoilers for Scholar at the minimum but obviously there will be some, so if you have not yet read the first Quaeryt novel and do not want to find out some major developments there, check my review of Scholar above instead.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: First a quick refresher of the setup: the island continent of Lydar - in Rhenn's books named Solidar - separated in various states since time immemorial has recently been consolidated into three countries, of which big bad Bovaria in the East under sinister Rex Kharst plans to unite the whole continent with fire and sword and cleanse it of undesirable elements like the Pharsi minority - darker hued merchants, industrialists and seers famous for their beautiful and beguiling women as we have seen Seliora, Rhenn's wife in the original trilogy - the learned scholars and the magic wielding Imagers.
Opposing it, Telaryn is the other main continental power which has expanded to conquer most of the Western part of Lydar under its warlord Yaran dynasty, while the smaller southern Antiago stands for now mostly due to the reputation of its war Imagers and dreaded Antiagon Fire weapon.
Married with beautiful Pharsi women, so their prophetic capabilities run also in their family, the lords of Telaryn, brutal and unforgiving as they may be, are still better than the alternatives, and current Lord Bhayar is actually milder than his father and grandfather, though of course that invites ambitious governors with armies at their back to plot against him as some feel they offer a better chance to fight bigger Bovaria.
But Bhayar has a secret weapon - not that he fully knows it to start, though as the master manipulator he is slowly revealed through the first two books, he soon realizes it and becomes ruthless in using it -and of course that weapon is his former childhood classmate, Quaeryt, orphan raised by scholars, blond but with Pharsi blood so making him one of "the lost ones" as he keeps hearing it, super competent trouble shooter, scholar and secret Imager.
And as Quaeryt starts solving some of Bhayar most pressing internal problems, while keeping a semi-official correspondence with Vaelora, the headstrong and very intelligent youngest sister of Bhayar, what better way for the manipulator lord to marry the two and get rid of a potential domestic problem and tie Quaeryt even stronger to Bhayar's reign - not that Quaeryt does not realize it but as this dialog with Bhayar shows it, that's how it is:
"Quaeryt could not have expected anything else, he supposed. “Not Vaelora. Don’t bring her into it—”
“I won’t, not so long as I can count on you.”
You truly are a bastard. Quaeryt didn’t speak those words. “What other choice do we have?” He kept his voice level.
“Not much. You more than anyone should know what Kharst—or any other ruler—would do … has done to imagers and scholars.”
“Why do you think I’ve done what I’ve done—even before Vaelora?”
While keeping the same essential structure as "Scholar" - third person narration focusing on Quaeryt and storyline divided into three parts with the short first, more of an introduction, and the second and third parts being the "meat" of the book all ending with a concluding few pages at a good "to be continued" point, "Princeps" has a few differences, most notably the addition of Vaelora as main character whom we see quite a lot of as Quareyt's wife and the clearer division between Quaeryt as problem solver and Quaeryt as soldier since they roughly correspond to the second and third parts respectively.
I actually quite like that in this series - unlike the usual genre approach - rather than having the hero's love interest suffer unexpected reverses and the two being apart for contrived reasons, the author has the hero getting engaged and married fast so there are two main characters, and possibly kids to come too.
Another good point that is driven very well home in Princeps is that competence is not necessarily appreciated in a society that does not follow a democratic capitalist organization like ours, as being good at what you do may be threatening to the vested interests and may also rub them in the face with the fact that money or noble blood does not really make one superior.
"Still, as he waited, Quaeryt couldn’t help but ponder about the situation in which he found himself. For far more than the first time, he wanted to shake his head. If he provided flour at a reasonable price for the poorer inhabitants of Extela, the factors and holders complained. If he didn’t, the poor complained."
This very sfnal approach to fantasy - which is a trademark of both the Imager and the long running Recluce series is also something I really like and it is part of why with around 30 books read from his 56 or so published to date, L.E. Modesitt is second in living authors ranked by how much I read from and any new book of his is at least a "try" if not a must.
Overall Princeps is a top 25 novel of mine for 2012 and I will end with the one phrase summation from Goodreads that could stand in place of the longer review above: "excellent sequel to "Scholar"; Quaeryt and Vaelora solve one problem at a time until the **** hits badly the fan."
Typical Modesitt ultra-competent hero deals with one problem at a time yes, but I love the style, the world building and the main two characters here; a minor spoiler below about how the series differs a little from usual fantasy in a way that appeals quite a lot to me
one thing I like about this series (Imager in general both Rhenn and this) is also that rather than having the hero's love interest suffer unexpected reverses and the two being apart, the author has the hero getting engaged fast and then he marries too so there are two main characters, and possibly kids to come too.
Will have a full review asap but a top 25 novel for sure and I really want next (Imager's battalion and next, Antiagon's fire and last with Quaeryt aka Rex Regis, all written btw asap...)
Full FBC Rv below:
INTRODUCTION: After the trilogy consisting of Imager, Imager's Challenge and Imager's Intrigue that introduced us to Rhenn, one of the most enchanting narrators in recent fantasy, LE Modesitt goes back in time before the unification of Solidar to give us a tale that introduces another great character, scholar and secret imager, Quaeryt Rytersyn.
This time we will be treated to five Quaeryt volumes in the next few years - all written and all but the last titled and edited to go - so Princeps which picks up exactly where Scholar ends is the second volume of a huge five volume novel.
I will try to keep spoilers for Scholar at the minimum but obviously there will be some, so if you have not yet read the first Quaeryt novel and do not want to find out some major developments there, check my review of Scholar above instead.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: First a quick refresher of the setup: the island continent of Lydar - in Rhenn's books named Solidar - separated in various states since time immemorial has recently been consolidated into three countries, of which big bad Bovaria in the East under sinister Rex Kharst plans to unite the whole continent with fire and sword and cleanse it of undesirable elements like the Pharsi minority - darker hued merchants, industrialists and seers famous for their beautiful and beguiling women as we have seen Seliora, Rhenn's wife in the original trilogy - the learned scholars and the magic wielding Imagers.
Opposing it, Telaryn is the other main continental power which has expanded to conquer most of the Western part of Lydar under its warlord Yaran dynasty, while the smaller southern Antiago stands for now mostly due to the reputation of its war Imagers and dreaded Antiagon Fire weapon.
Married with beautiful Pharsi women, so their prophetic capabilities run also in their family, the lords of Telaryn, brutal and unforgiving as they may be, are still better than the alternatives, and current Lord Bhayar is actually milder than his father and grandfather, though of course that invites ambitious governors with armies at their back to plot against him as some feel they offer a better chance to fight bigger Bovaria.
But Bhayar has a secret weapon - not that he fully knows it to start, though as the master manipulator he is slowly revealed through the first two books, he soon realizes it and becomes ruthless in using it -and of course that weapon is his former childhood classmate, Quaeryt, orphan raised by scholars, blond but with Pharsi blood so making him one of "the lost ones" as he keeps hearing it, super competent trouble shooter, scholar and secret Imager.
And as Quaeryt starts solving some of Bhayar most pressing internal problems, while keeping a semi-official correspondence with Vaelora, the headstrong and very intelligent youngest sister of Bhayar, what better way for the manipulator lord to marry the two and get rid of a potential domestic problem and tie Quaeryt even stronger to Bhayar's reign - not that Quaeryt does not realize it but as this dialog with Bhayar shows it, that's how it is:
"Quaeryt could not have expected anything else, he supposed. “Not Vaelora. Don’t bring her into it—”
“I won’t, not so long as I can count on you.”
You truly are a bastard. Quaeryt didn’t speak those words. “What other choice do we have?” He kept his voice level.
“Not much. You more than anyone should know what Kharst—or any other ruler—would do … has done to imagers and scholars.”
“Why do you think I’ve done what I’ve done—even before Vaelora?”
While keeping the same essential structure as "Scholar" - third person narration focusing on Quaeryt and storyline divided into three parts with the short first, more of an introduction, and the second and third parts being the "meat" of the book all ending with a concluding few pages at a good "to be continued" point, "Princeps" has a few differences, most notably the addition of Vaelora as main character whom we see quite a lot of as Quareyt's wife and the clearer division between Quaeryt as problem solver and Quaeryt as soldier since they roughly correspond to the second and third parts respectively.
I actually quite like that in this series - unlike the usual genre approach - rather than having the hero's love interest suffer unexpected reverses and the two being apart for contrived reasons, the author has the hero getting engaged and married fast so there are two main characters, and possibly kids to come too.
Another good point that is driven very well home in Princeps is that competence is not necessarily appreciated in a society that does not follow a democratic capitalist organization like ours, as being good at what you do may be threatening to the vested interests and may also rub them in the face with the fact that money or noble blood does not really make one superior.
"Still, as he waited, Quaeryt couldn’t help but ponder about the situation in which he found himself. For far more than the first time, he wanted to shake his head. If he provided flour at a reasonable price for the poorer inhabitants of Extela, the factors and holders complained. If he didn’t, the poor complained."
This very sfnal approach to fantasy - which is a trademark of both the Imager and the long running Recluce series is also something I really like and it is part of why with around 30 books read from his 56 or so published to date, L.E. Modesitt is second in living authors ranked by how much I read from and any new book of his is at least a "try" if not a must.
Overall Princeps is a top 25 novel of mine for 2012 and I will end with the one phrase summation from Goodreads that could stand in place of the longer review above: "excellent sequel to "Scholar"; Quaeryt and Vaelora solve one problem at a time until the **** hits badly the fan."
December 22, 2018
“You will either break the world or it will break you.”
Another extended sermon on morals and actions disguised as an adventure fantasy. The pace is occasionally glacial and everything--even the disasters--are too easy and predictable. Still, excellent storytelling.
“And what right did you have to act as justice and executioner? No right at all, only the responsibility not to let a man who caused death after death keep doing it when no one else could or would stop it.”
Finally addresses his protagonist’s vigilantism. Even allows him to be troubled by the lawless monster he might become as the sole arbiter of guilt and innocence.
“Could it be that all evenings are good, because each offers us the possibility of affirming what we are and what we can be at our best? If there were no evil … could there be good? And what would good be worth?”
Extended meditations on beliefs, faith, doubt, and action. Created a religion as a hand puppet for his musings, but did a better job than many who create religions merely to beat on ones in this world.
“Most people don’t care whether a governor gets the job done, only how it affects them.”
The voice and character Quaeryt is indistinguishable from Rhenntyl (hero of first trilogy).
“Most of life’s problems can be handled by being where you’re supposed to be and doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”
Quibbles: Inner dialogues shifts between first and second person. Confusing. Food: Potatoes. lots of mushrooms in improbable quantities, but not mention of onions. Needed one last proofreading; Modesitt’s beta readers failed him again.
“Governing isn’t just doing it well; it’s doing it in a way where no one is truly satisfied, but no one with power is fiercely dissatisfied.”
Another extended sermon on morals and actions disguised as an adventure fantasy. The pace is occasionally glacial and everything--even the disasters--are too easy and predictable. Still, excellent storytelling.
“And what right did you have to act as justice and executioner? No right at all, only the responsibility not to let a man who caused death after death keep doing it when no one else could or would stop it.”
Finally addresses his protagonist’s vigilantism. Even allows him to be troubled by the lawless monster he might become as the sole arbiter of guilt and innocence.
“Could it be that all evenings are good, because each offers us the possibility of affirming what we are and what we can be at our best? If there were no evil … could there be good? And what would good be worth?”
Extended meditations on beliefs, faith, doubt, and action. Created a religion as a hand puppet for his musings, but did a better job than many who create religions merely to beat on ones in this world.
“Most people don’t care whether a governor gets the job done, only how it affects them.”
The voice and character Quaeryt is indistinguishable from Rhenntyl (hero of first trilogy).
“Most of life’s problems can be handled by being where you’re supposed to be and doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”
Quibbles: Inner dialogues shifts between first and second person. Confusing. Food: Potatoes. lots of mushrooms in improbable quantities, but not mention of onions. Needed one last proofreading; Modesitt’s beta readers failed him again.
“Governing isn’t just doing it well; it’s doing it in a way where no one is truly satisfied, but no one with power is fiercely dissatisfied.”
February 22, 2025
This is the sequel to Scholar. The first half of the book was pretty slow; the last third was much better. I would have enjoyed it better as an ebook I think; even though I was reading a hardback, the font was small, possibly smaller than a lot of paperbacks, and the width of the characters was thin so if you have eye problem it causes a lot of eye strain.
I like the first three books in the Imager series and all the Recluce (sp?) ones much better, but this was still worth reading once. I assume that the next book in this series will discuss the founding of the Imager collegium.
I like the first three books in the Imager series and all the Recluce (sp?) ones much better, but this was still worth reading once. I assume that the next book in this series will discuss the founding of the Imager collegium.
August 3, 2020
This is an excellent read and the fifth book in the Imager Portfolio. Its the second book that focuses on the Imager and Scholar Quaeryt. Quaeryt and his wife Vaelora are sent to Extela, for Quaeryt to be acting Governor for Extela, that is in ruins due to a volcano. The volcano has spewed lava and ash over the city. Many have died and many survivors are hungry.
Upon arrival Quaeryt discovers a web of politics and greed in the area as he and Vaelora start the process to restore balance to Extela. They uncover multiple plots that include the wealthy High Holders absconding money and power for their own benefit. Quaeryt and Vaelora ensure people are fed, and strategically assure that the High Holders assist the lower classes by reducing their cost and profit for food and timber for rebuilding.
I love this couple and that they extend a kindness and warmth to people that is not often found in royalty. There are several ethical and moral challenges that are dealt with in this novel along with the strategy and skill required for Quaeryt and Vaelora to succeed. Quaeryt continues to strengthen his knowledge and understanding in the way of imaging and Vaelora in her visions.
Upon arrival Quaeryt discovers a web of politics and greed in the area as he and Vaelora start the process to restore balance to Extela. They uncover multiple plots that include the wealthy High Holders absconding money and power for their own benefit. Quaeryt and Vaelora ensure people are fed, and strategically assure that the High Holders assist the lower classes by reducing their cost and profit for food and timber for rebuilding.
I love this couple and that they extend a kindness and warmth to people that is not often found in royalty. There are several ethical and moral challenges that are dealt with in this novel along with the strategy and skill required for Quaeryt and Vaelora to succeed. Quaeryt continues to strengthen his knowledge and understanding in the way of imaging and Vaelora in her visions.
July 18, 2013
After reading both Scholar and Princeps, I honestly think I was wrong about Modesitt’s motivations behind abandoning the ‘present-day’ progression of his Imager Portfolio series. Pinceps is the second book in the Portfolio to follow Quaeryt, an imager that lived hundreds of years before the events of Imager. In my review of Quaeryt’s first novel, Scholar, I accused Modesitt of fighting off stagnation by radically shifting the setting and the protagonist. But now I’m beginning to think that he wrote a huge amount of backstory for the island nation of Solidar and was getting frustrated at being unable to use it in Rhennthyl’s storylines.
Princeps continues to flesh out the formation of Solidar, as the restless city-states of the continent are gearing up for full-fledged war. But the primary focus of these books is increasingly an ongoing treatise on the value of intellectualism, the dangers of populism and an indictment of racial intolerance.
Princeps opens a few months after the conclusion of Scholar, with Quaeryt and his new wife Vaelora abruptly reassigned from oversight of the province of Tilbor to the governorship of Tealryn, a region devastated by a recent volcanic eruption. With half the capital city under still-cooling lava, the new governor is confronted with the challenges of a failing infrastructure, hostile nobles and an impending war that will rob him of his last military support.
This is obviously not your typical fantasy fare, but Modesitt nevertheless presents a compelling story that has more in common with novels of historical fiction like The Pillars of the Earth than with fantasy books. The majority of the plot is moved by the everyday demands of governing a city in crisis. And while Quaeryt has some additional magical abilities to call on to help solve those problems; Princeps spends more time distancing itself from the magic of Imaging than it does exploring those mysteries. Instead we get an enhanced version of the ‘daily life’ fantasy that has become the trademark of the Imager Portfolio.
Hiding inside the day-to-day events of the book is a surprisingly biting manifesto criticizing the present-day United States. The Imager Portfolio has always been pro-education and pro-art, but both of Quaeryt’s novels have taken it a step further by presenting a world where scholarship is looked upon with suspicion and fear and the protagonist has been cast in opposition to this version of populism. The ‘good guys’ are those who are accepting and respectful of peoples’ differences, be they intellectual, racial or cultural, while the ‘bad guys’ are depicted as intolerant despots who enslave talent in order to control or suppress it.
Add to this undertones of anti-racism that have been in the series since the beginning in the form of the Pharsi, a cultural analogue of the Jews or possibly Gypsies, who have repeatedly ended up on the right side of the plotline but the wrong side of the Solidar’s cultural norms. Authors of science fiction and fantasy have always used current events as creative fodder for their stories, but Modesitt seems to be hitting these particular nails harder than he usually does. Personally, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Of course, I count myself in favor of that segment of the population he’s defending, so take all this with a grain of salt.
One thing that is a little disappointing is how bland the actual events of the book are. The major plot point, taking over the governorship, occupies a surprisingly small amount of the text, with the journey to the new province and the somewhat surprising climactic action taking up large chunks at the beginning and end. In some ways, Princeps is a transitional novel, setting up the conflicts that will occur in the next book, Imager’s Battalion. As such, of course the internal content won’t be up to snuff. But the challenges of being a governor of a region that has just been devastated by a natural disaster are interesting, and relevant to our experience, and Modesitt doesn’t do them justice.
Another minor problem is the relationship between Quaeryt and Vaelora, which swings between sickeningly sweet and dangerously on the ropes pretty much every chapter. It is unclear if Vaelora is holding her new husband to ridiculously high standards that no man could possibly meet, or if she just likes to make him feel at fault for everything, but the dynamic feels artificial, particularly given the pacing of the book. On the one hand, it plays up the importance of communication between partners, but it does so by making the baseline for the relationship dangerously reliant on drama. This is not to say that Vaelora isn’t intelligent or well written. She’s just a little crazy too.
Ultimately, if you’ve gotten four books into a long fantasy series, you’re probably going to keep reading regardless of the quality or content of the individual novels. And the message underneath the somewhat thin plot is worth reading, even if it is a bit heavy handed at times. Princeps isn’t a bad book, but it also isn’t a reason to fall in love with the Imager Portfolio again.
Princeps continues to flesh out the formation of Solidar, as the restless city-states of the continent are gearing up for full-fledged war. But the primary focus of these books is increasingly an ongoing treatise on the value of intellectualism, the dangers of populism and an indictment of racial intolerance.
Princeps opens a few months after the conclusion of Scholar, with Quaeryt and his new wife Vaelora abruptly reassigned from oversight of the province of Tilbor to the governorship of Tealryn, a region devastated by a recent volcanic eruption. With half the capital city under still-cooling lava, the new governor is confronted with the challenges of a failing infrastructure, hostile nobles and an impending war that will rob him of his last military support.
This is obviously not your typical fantasy fare, but Modesitt nevertheless presents a compelling story that has more in common with novels of historical fiction like The Pillars of the Earth than with fantasy books. The majority of the plot is moved by the everyday demands of governing a city in crisis. And while Quaeryt has some additional magical abilities to call on to help solve those problems; Princeps spends more time distancing itself from the magic of Imaging than it does exploring those mysteries. Instead we get an enhanced version of the ‘daily life’ fantasy that has become the trademark of the Imager Portfolio.
Hiding inside the day-to-day events of the book is a surprisingly biting manifesto criticizing the present-day United States. The Imager Portfolio has always been pro-education and pro-art, but both of Quaeryt’s novels have taken it a step further by presenting a world where scholarship is looked upon with suspicion and fear and the protagonist has been cast in opposition to this version of populism. The ‘good guys’ are those who are accepting and respectful of peoples’ differences, be they intellectual, racial or cultural, while the ‘bad guys’ are depicted as intolerant despots who enslave talent in order to control or suppress it.
Add to this undertones of anti-racism that have been in the series since the beginning in the form of the Pharsi, a cultural analogue of the Jews or possibly Gypsies, who have repeatedly ended up on the right side of the plotline but the wrong side of the Solidar’s cultural norms. Authors of science fiction and fantasy have always used current events as creative fodder for their stories, but Modesitt seems to be hitting these particular nails harder than he usually does. Personally, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Of course, I count myself in favor of that segment of the population he’s defending, so take all this with a grain of salt.
One thing that is a little disappointing is how bland the actual events of the book are. The major plot point, taking over the governorship, occupies a surprisingly small amount of the text, with the journey to the new province and the somewhat surprising climactic action taking up large chunks at the beginning and end. In some ways, Princeps is a transitional novel, setting up the conflicts that will occur in the next book, Imager’s Battalion. As such, of course the internal content won’t be up to snuff. But the challenges of being a governor of a region that has just been devastated by a natural disaster are interesting, and relevant to our experience, and Modesitt doesn’t do them justice.
Another minor problem is the relationship between Quaeryt and Vaelora, which swings between sickeningly sweet and dangerously on the ropes pretty much every chapter. It is unclear if Vaelora is holding her new husband to ridiculously high standards that no man could possibly meet, or if she just likes to make him feel at fault for everything, but the dynamic feels artificial, particularly given the pacing of the book. On the one hand, it plays up the importance of communication between partners, but it does so by making the baseline for the relationship dangerously reliant on drama. This is not to say that Vaelora isn’t intelligent or well written. She’s just a little crazy too.
Ultimately, if you’ve gotten four books into a long fantasy series, you’re probably going to keep reading regardless of the quality or content of the individual novels. And the message underneath the somewhat thin plot is worth reading, even if it is a bit heavy handed at times. Princeps isn’t a bad book, but it also isn’t a reason to fall in love with the Imager Portfolio again.
October 30, 2023
Lost are not good book
I'm involved in the lost ones saga of discovery and human condition motives. The Battle scenarios are complex and exciting.
I'm involved in the lost ones saga of discovery and human condition motives. The Battle scenarios are complex and exciting.
August 17, 2020
The second book in this series starts off a few months after the events of the first book. Married now to Bhayar's sister Vaelora, Quaeryt is a princeps (a kind of second in command to the governor) but is soon dispatched as governor of a city that has just been partially destroyed by a volcanic explosion. He now must get it up and running again as quickly as possible all while under constraints of money and opposition from the noble and merchanting classes.
Imaging abilities kind of take a back seat in this book until near the end. Instead the vast majority of the book is taken up with Quaeryt figuring out what he needs to do in the thankless task of getting a partially ruined city back on its feet again. He's also having to navigate his relationship with his new wife. Though it's obvious they are both in love with each other, they don't know each other that well so are still finding out the tics and foibles of one another and learning to navigate the tricky course of an intimate relationship. Modesitt nearly always has some sort of romance in his books, and though always signalled early on I do like that his relationships are very realistic, with the parties getting annoyed with each other over minor things and having to work out boundaries. It's subtle but very well done.
Honestly except for a few instances this could be a straight forward historical fiction of a mid to high level civil servant. The endless task of dealing with subordinates while also wrestling with money issues and the political backstabbing of the upper classes takes up pretty much all the space and as I've said before it might not be for everyone but I still find it interesting. There are also lots of rumination's on religion as it plays a big part in the life of our protagonist. He's an agnostic/atheist but is having to deal with a growing number of people thinking he might be someone special in a religious sense. It's a fascinating mix.
After this kind of bureaucratic book the end suggests that the next is going to be full on military and Quaeryt's goal of getting Imagers accepted as valued members of his society seems to be getting closer. Looking forward to it.
Please see this and other reviews at https://barrysbloodybooks.home.blog/
Imaging abilities kind of take a back seat in this book until near the end. Instead the vast majority of the book is taken up with Quaeryt figuring out what he needs to do in the thankless task of getting a partially ruined city back on its feet again. He's also having to navigate his relationship with his new wife. Though it's obvious they are both in love with each other, they don't know each other that well so are still finding out the tics and foibles of one another and learning to navigate the tricky course of an intimate relationship. Modesitt nearly always has some sort of romance in his books, and though always signalled early on I do like that his relationships are very realistic, with the parties getting annoyed with each other over minor things and having to work out boundaries. It's subtle but very well done.
Honestly except for a few instances this could be a straight forward historical fiction of a mid to high level civil servant. The endless task of dealing with subordinates while also wrestling with money issues and the political backstabbing of the upper classes takes up pretty much all the space and as I've said before it might not be for everyone but I still find it interesting. There are also lots of rumination's on religion as it plays a big part in the life of our protagonist. He's an agnostic/atheist but is having to deal with a growing number of people thinking he might be someone special in a religious sense. It's a fascinating mix.
After this kind of bureaucratic book the end suggests that the next is going to be full on military and Quaeryt's goal of getting Imagers accepted as valued members of his society seems to be getting closer. Looking forward to it.
Please see this and other reviews at https://barrysbloodybooks.home.blog/
May 30, 2012
Princeps, the newest novel by L.E. Modesitt Jr., is the second installment in the second sub-series of the Imager Portfolio, which thus far includes a trilogy about the imager-portraiturist Rhennthyl (Imager, Imager’s Challenge and Imager’s Intrigue), and two novels about the scholar-imager Quaeryt (Scholar and Princeps), with a third novel entitled Imager’s Battalion scheduled for January 2013 and two more to follow further down the line. The Quaeryt books are set in the same fantasy universe as the Rhennthyl ones, but several hundred years earlier, in the time before Solidar was unified as a country. Depending on your perspective you could call Scholar and Princeps prequels, but fans of L.E. Modesitt Jr. will know that he regularly skips back and forth in the timelines for his various fantasy worlds (see also: The Saga of Recluce, The Corean Chronicles), so it’s more or less par for the course for him.
Read the entire review on my site Far Beyond Reality!
Read the entire review on my site Far Beyond Reality!
June 15, 2012
It's really a tad pointless to say too much since if you've made it this far in the series, you already like the series and are aware of Modesitt's annoying quirks (like characters with crazy unpronounceable names) and his use of the same theme or idea in each book, just expanded or stretched a bit.
This part of the Imager series took us way back to the beginning, before the previous Imager books, and the main character here is working his way up the ranks, solving problems, hiding his abilities, and I can say without ruining anything for you that he will eventually found the school for Imagers to help them develop their abilities and hold a safe place in society.
So, the story continues, his new marriage develops on eggshells, he and his wife have Pharsee blood - big surprise - and things get a little closer to the end of this character's series as he develops new abilities and sets the stage for future development.
As always a great read, I look forward to the next one.
This part of the Imager series took us way back to the beginning, before the previous Imager books, and the main character here is working his way up the ranks, solving problems, hiding his abilities, and I can say without ruining anything for you that he will eventually found the school for Imagers to help them develop their abilities and hold a safe place in society.
So, the story continues, his new marriage develops on eggshells, he and his wife have Pharsee blood - big surprise - and things get a little closer to the end of this character's series as he develops new abilities and sets the stage for future development.
As always a great read, I look forward to the next one.
December 13, 2016
Not one of the better books in this series. It relied far too heavily on existing tropes, and skimmed over detail that should have been discussed. For example, the main character created a giant stone bridge through magic. In a world where magicians are feared and misunderstood, why didn't we hear almost ANY discussion of this incredible feat? We didn't even get a good description of it!
September 10, 2012
i liked this book much over Scholar- see my review of the series in general. Here, we finally get into the meat of things. At last he is a real man, not the wise fool, itinerant who has no stake in anything and can just pick up and leave if things get too hot. The end was weird. I was mad at Bhayar and the author. Does he really need to set B up as a bad guy? Why? Surely he is savvy enough to know that both Q and V respond most to positive feedback and not by being threatened with Bhayar practically going "Bwahahaha!". Anyway, for more on my thoughts about this series, see, my review of Scholar.
January 23, 2021
Solid Modesitt Jr. fare. I think I enjoy his books so much because I really like the idea of incremental advantages and gains leading to big changes. The main characters in Modesitt's books always do the little bit that they can, hoping to gradually improve life for everyone (before using their powers in a completely unfair way to win whatever battle they're in).
The worst part of this book (and the last book) was all the repetitive Nameless services, where he always makes a quip in the beginning about how the day is good, in spite of some minor hardship, which always elicits a chuckle...we get it already. But, that's a relatively small portion of the book.
The worst part of this book (and the last book) was all the repetitive Nameless services, where he always makes a quip in the beginning about how the day is good, in spite of some minor hardship, which always elicits a chuckle...we get it already. But, that's a relatively small portion of the book.
April 29, 2013
Picking up directly after Scholar Quaeryt now faces governing a city ravaged by natural disaster while combating corruption and moral choices versus expediency. This kind of internal conflict is what Modesitt excels in demonstrating. Some people may find the mundane details tedious but every bit adds color and additional depth to an already rich and compelling world. These details do make the first half of the book a bit slow, but the final third is fast paced and tense leaving you excited and demanding to know what happens next.
January 31, 2020
I enjoyed PRINCEPS more than SCHOLAR, which it follows. There's still a lot of focus on administration and ethics, but more humanity as Quaeryt learns about marriage by experience, and begins to relate to the world as an imager.
Read 2 times
Read 2 times
October 10, 2020
After Quaeryt marries the ruler's sister he is sent to govern a province decimated by volcanic eruption. He has to confront greed and corruption in the province. After numerous reforms, the ruler calls him away to help battle an invasion, placing him in charge of a band of imagers.
June 23, 2020
The first thing to say about ’Princeps’ is that L.E. Modesitt makes no concessions to new readers in this sequel and if you haven’t read ‘Scholar’, book four in ‘The Imager Portfolio’, it’s not worth getting this one. On the other hand, if you haven’t read books one to three in ‘The Imager Portfolio’, it doesn’t matter because ‘Scholar’ and ‘Princeps’ form a completely separate story, a prequel, in fact. I should also mention that ‘Scholar’ is worth reading.
‘Princeps’ opens a couple of months after the end of ‘Scholar’. Quaeryt is now married to Vaelora, younger sister of Bhayar, who is Lord of Telaryn. He is under strict orders to treat her with respect, which makes for a kind of running joke between them. She occasionally hints that some remark might be taken as disrespectful. Mr. Modesitt does a good job of portraying a happy marriage between persons of equal intelligence and good character who treat each other with respect and courtesy. This formula for marriage is much needed in our time. As a confirmed bachelor, I know all about these things.
Anyway, Quaeryt is still stuck in the cold northern province of Tilbor but now has the high rank of Princeps, a sort of chief executive to the Governor. Not long after he has settled into the new job, there is a national disaster and things change. A volcano erupts and parts of the southern city of Extela are covered in ash and lava. Lord Bhayar needs someone he can trust on the spot, especially as the nasty neighbours will probably take this opportunity to invade while times are bad. Quaeryt and his wife head south with a regiment to sort things out in Extela. He soon finds that his biggest problem will be the High Holders, the very wealthy landed nobility. They have flour and other foodstuffs for sale but are holding out for high prices while people starve. A more minor problem for Quaeryt is that he has to stand in as a chorister for the Nameless and give homilies. The Nameless is Modesitt’s version of God in ‘The Imager Portfolio’. Quaeryt is not at all sure there really is a Nameless and feels uncomfortable acting as a priest but does it because the men need it in troubled times. These two propositions, that very rich people are too greedy and there is no God, might dent Modesitt’s popularity in his homeland
Oddly, perhaps, no particular connection is made in the books between the Nameless and the Pharsi. The latter are a separate race mingled in with society as a whole but sometimes persecuted. They are very intelligent, work hard and tend to do well in business. Quaeryt has Pharsi blood, as does his wife. It is hinted that Pharsi genes are more likely to produce an imager. Pharsi women are sometimes given to having visions of future events. Vaelora, Quaeryt’s wife, has them very occasionally.
Modesitt is interested in the day-to-day realities of life. His dashing heroes notice if the porch has been swept and the shutters are on straight when assessing a person. Order is not only important in the Saga of Recluce, it’s important in all his works as a sign of worthiness. On arrival in Extela, one of the first thing’s Quaeryt does is have the paperwork sorted out in order to get things organised. This comes even before reviving the civic patrol to keep the peace. ‘Conan strode pantherishly across the room: ‘Fetch the purchase ledger clerk,’ he growled’ is not a line that Robert E. Howard ever wrote. It just goes to show that fantasy comes in many guises and this is not the worst. It’s hard to sit down and read one of Modesitt’s books if you haven’t washed the dishes, made the bed and paid all those bills on the mantelpiece. He makes you feel guilty about not being efficient. You feel you might be a villain in one of his stories or at least someone upon whom the hero could not rely.
I found ‘Princeps’ better than ‘Scholar’ because the first prequel seemed to hit a slow patch in the middle and this one did not. In fact, the middle bit where Quaeryt is struggling to govern a province was the best part. The last third rattles to a satisfactory conclusion but I won’t give away the plot. All in all, a very enjoyable read and there’s a lot more for Quaeryt to do before the position of imagers gets anywhere close to that which they have attained in the first three books of the Portfolio. So more prequels to come, which is good news for fans.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/
‘Princeps’ opens a couple of months after the end of ‘Scholar’. Quaeryt is now married to Vaelora, younger sister of Bhayar, who is Lord of Telaryn. He is under strict orders to treat her with respect, which makes for a kind of running joke between them. She occasionally hints that some remark might be taken as disrespectful. Mr. Modesitt does a good job of portraying a happy marriage between persons of equal intelligence and good character who treat each other with respect and courtesy. This formula for marriage is much needed in our time. As a confirmed bachelor, I know all about these things.
Anyway, Quaeryt is still stuck in the cold northern province of Tilbor but now has the high rank of Princeps, a sort of chief executive to the Governor. Not long after he has settled into the new job, there is a national disaster and things change. A volcano erupts and parts of the southern city of Extela are covered in ash and lava. Lord Bhayar needs someone he can trust on the spot, especially as the nasty neighbours will probably take this opportunity to invade while times are bad. Quaeryt and his wife head south with a regiment to sort things out in Extela. He soon finds that his biggest problem will be the High Holders, the very wealthy landed nobility. They have flour and other foodstuffs for sale but are holding out for high prices while people starve. A more minor problem for Quaeryt is that he has to stand in as a chorister for the Nameless and give homilies. The Nameless is Modesitt’s version of God in ‘The Imager Portfolio’. Quaeryt is not at all sure there really is a Nameless and feels uncomfortable acting as a priest but does it because the men need it in troubled times. These two propositions, that very rich people are too greedy and there is no God, might dent Modesitt’s popularity in his homeland
Oddly, perhaps, no particular connection is made in the books between the Nameless and the Pharsi. The latter are a separate race mingled in with society as a whole but sometimes persecuted. They are very intelligent, work hard and tend to do well in business. Quaeryt has Pharsi blood, as does his wife. It is hinted that Pharsi genes are more likely to produce an imager. Pharsi women are sometimes given to having visions of future events. Vaelora, Quaeryt’s wife, has them very occasionally.
Modesitt is interested in the day-to-day realities of life. His dashing heroes notice if the porch has been swept and the shutters are on straight when assessing a person. Order is not only important in the Saga of Recluce, it’s important in all his works as a sign of worthiness. On arrival in Extela, one of the first thing’s Quaeryt does is have the paperwork sorted out in order to get things organised. This comes even before reviving the civic patrol to keep the peace. ‘Conan strode pantherishly across the room: ‘Fetch the purchase ledger clerk,’ he growled’ is not a line that Robert E. Howard ever wrote. It just goes to show that fantasy comes in many guises and this is not the worst. It’s hard to sit down and read one of Modesitt’s books if you haven’t washed the dishes, made the bed and paid all those bills on the mantelpiece. He makes you feel guilty about not being efficient. You feel you might be a villain in one of his stories or at least someone upon whom the hero could not rely.
I found ‘Princeps’ better than ‘Scholar’ because the first prequel seemed to hit a slow patch in the middle and this one did not. In fact, the middle bit where Quaeryt is struggling to govern a province was the best part. The last third rattles to a satisfactory conclusion but I won’t give away the plot. All in all, a very enjoyable read and there’s a lot more for Quaeryt to do before the position of imagers gets anywhere close to that which they have attained in the first three books of the Portfolio. So more prequels to come, which is good news for fans.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/
October 8, 2022
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
Promoted to princeps (deputy governor) of a newly pacified region of the kingdom, Quaeryt is quickly promoted to governor of a region devastated by a volcano. Using his secret imaging powers to deal with sleaze and corruption, Quaeryt succeeds so well and quickly that he is again moved on, just as he was settling in.
Review
I’ve found recent (and even not so recent) Modesitt books to be a slog, and certainly books #2 and 3 in this series felt interminable. Happily the pace picked up again with book #4, which took us back into the past of the world. Happily again, this book keeps that pace. It has many of the same irritating stumbling blocks as Modesitt’s recent books, but simply more happens in this one. By the standards of earlier books in the series, this moves at a breakneck pace.
It’s also interesting because there’s more magic system discovery in the book, continuing a trend from book #4. One ability (the ability to image attitude) is not discovered, and seemingly comes out of left field, without even the faintest logical tie to the magic system that’s being developed. But our protagonist legitimately investigates and discovers other aspects of imaging in a reasonably methodical and interesting way. (Though what he discovers reminds me very strongly of late Recluce books.) There’s also far less of the vague philosophy of the Nameless in the book, if only because Quaeryt is so busy being expert at things he acts modest about.
He also continues his low moral course, trusting himself with power over other’s lives without much compunction. His wife, the king’s sister, applauds him for it, and pretty much everyone in the book seems to take the attitude that well, bad people need to be punished, regardless of the law. Quaeryt comes right and and says this a few times. Happily, in this book Modesitt does take a least a little time to lay foundations for the character’s future character development, for good or ill. It’s certainly not at the heart of the book, and it’s pretty thinly staged, but at least there’s an effort that was largely absent in the previous book.
The fact that Quaeryt is an imager, but not known to be one is at the heart of the book, a pretence that is increasingly untenable and incredible – imagers are widely known, yet virtually no one suspects Quaeryt of powers – as the book progresses. Thankfully, Modesitt finally acknowledges this and drops the charade at least somewhat, late in the book. On the minus side, Quaeryt does have the same repetitive interaction with his wife over and over, in which one of them (usually him) does something completely innocent and inoffensive, and the other takes umbrage, but magnanimously lets it go … this time. That and, of course, the repeated conversations with supporting actors. Thankfully, in this book fewer of them are about how surprising it is that a scholar is so good at anything at all. Though there is quite a lot about clothing color. In this rigid world, all scholars always wear brown and brown only. Clothing color is an utterly reliable indicator of class and societal role.
Modesitt unfortunately continues his one-dimensional treatment of the society’s underclass, the Pharsi. Always discriminated against (for no clear reason), they dare to defend themselves, and Quaeryt (who is himself Pharsi) protects them and only them. It’s implied, for example, that Pharsi women are not to be molested by the soldiers. Other women, apparently are fair game. And Pharsi seem to be genetically suited to commerce. Overall, I found it grating, and only the fact that the Pharsi hold the key to a mystery redeems their role in the story.
While not up to Modesitt’s best, the series is at least back to pleasurable reading.
Summary
Promoted to princeps (deputy governor) of a newly pacified region of the kingdom, Quaeryt is quickly promoted to governor of a region devastated by a volcano. Using his secret imaging powers to deal with sleaze and corruption, Quaeryt succeeds so well and quickly that he is again moved on, just as he was settling in.
Review
I’ve found recent (and even not so recent) Modesitt books to be a slog, and certainly books #2 and 3 in this series felt interminable. Happily the pace picked up again with book #4, which took us back into the past of the world. Happily again, this book keeps that pace. It has many of the same irritating stumbling blocks as Modesitt’s recent books, but simply more happens in this one. By the standards of earlier books in the series, this moves at a breakneck pace.
It’s also interesting because there’s more magic system discovery in the book, continuing a trend from book #4. One ability (the ability to image attitude) is not discovered, and seemingly comes out of left field, without even the faintest logical tie to the magic system that’s being developed. But our protagonist legitimately investigates and discovers other aspects of imaging in a reasonably methodical and interesting way. (Though what he discovers reminds me very strongly of late Recluce books.) There’s also far less of the vague philosophy of the Nameless in the book, if only because Quaeryt is so busy being expert at things he acts modest about.
He also continues his low moral course, trusting himself with power over other’s lives without much compunction. His wife, the king’s sister, applauds him for it, and pretty much everyone in the book seems to take the attitude that well, bad people need to be punished, regardless of the law. Quaeryt comes right and and says this a few times. Happily, in this book Modesitt does take a least a little time to lay foundations for the character’s future character development, for good or ill. It’s certainly not at the heart of the book, and it’s pretty thinly staged, but at least there’s an effort that was largely absent in the previous book.
The fact that Quaeryt is an imager, but not known to be one is at the heart of the book, a pretence that is increasingly untenable and incredible – imagers are widely known, yet virtually no one suspects Quaeryt of powers – as the book progresses. Thankfully, Modesitt finally acknowledges this and drops the charade at least somewhat, late in the book. On the minus side, Quaeryt does have the same repetitive interaction with his wife over and over, in which one of them (usually him) does something completely innocent and inoffensive, and the other takes umbrage, but magnanimously lets it go … this time. That and, of course, the repeated conversations with supporting actors. Thankfully, in this book fewer of them are about how surprising it is that a scholar is so good at anything at all. Though there is quite a lot about clothing color. In this rigid world, all scholars always wear brown and brown only. Clothing color is an utterly reliable indicator of class and societal role.
Modesitt unfortunately continues his one-dimensional treatment of the society’s underclass, the Pharsi. Always discriminated against (for no clear reason), they dare to defend themselves, and Quaeryt (who is himself Pharsi) protects them and only them. It’s implied, for example, that Pharsi women are not to be molested by the soldiers. Other women, apparently are fair game. And Pharsi seem to be genetically suited to commerce. Overall, I found it grating, and only the fact that the Pharsi hold the key to a mystery redeems their role in the story.
While not up to Modesitt’s best, the series is at least back to pleasurable reading.
April 20, 2022
The following is filled with structural spoilers to help you understand whether it's something you'd want to read. With this kind of story, the concept and the details thereof seem to matter much more than anything else.
The first 15% or so is Quaeryt becoming accustomed to being the Princeps and newly married. The marriage is awkward throughout the book, but that's to be expected since his lord showed up unannounced one day and presented his teenage (19/20) sister to him (29/30) as his wife. Vaelora, his new wife, agreed to this because her grandmother had a vision and told her as a child that she would.
The next 60% or so is Quaeryt's day to day life working on his next assigned project, rebuilding and setting to order a town partially destroyed by pyroclastic flow from a recent volcanic eruption. It's wasn't quite how I wanted it to be, though I don't know what that would be, but I found it quite nice anyway. He personally fills a surprising number of roles until he can find someone more suited for them. He's the governor, civil patroller (police), justicer (judge), chorister (priest), and whatever other role is required. He really just does everything. There can be no doubt that this is competence porn. Sometimes there are still problems that the law is unable or unwilling to address that need to be resolved. Quaeryt solves all of those thorny issues the only way he seems to know how, assassinations. He briefly wonders whether doing so is sustainable and the ethics of the matter.
The last 25% or is military action where Quaeryt is assigned to quickly train a squad of imagers to cause as much devastation as possible to the enemy forces. Considering how successful he is with that, I have to wonder just how much outright slaughter there will be in the following books.
The first 15% or so is Quaeryt becoming accustomed to being the Princeps and newly married. The marriage is awkward throughout the book, but that's to be expected since his lord showed up unannounced one day and presented his teenage (19/20) sister to him (29/30) as his wife. Vaelora, his new wife, agreed to this because her grandmother had a vision and told her as a child that she would.
The next 60% or so is Quaeryt's day to day life working on his next assigned project, rebuilding and setting to order a town partially destroyed by pyroclastic flow from a recent volcanic eruption. It's wasn't quite how I wanted it to be, though I don't know what that would be, but I found it quite nice anyway. He personally fills a surprising number of roles until he can find someone more suited for them. He's the governor, civil patroller (police), justicer (judge), chorister (priest), and whatever other role is required. He really just does everything. There can be no doubt that this is competence porn. Sometimes there are still problems that the law is unable or unwilling to address that need to be resolved. Quaeryt solves all of those thorny issues the only way he seems to know how, assassinations. He briefly wonders whether doing so is sustainable and the ethics of the matter.
The last 25% or is military action where Quaeryt is assigned to quickly train a squad of imagers to cause as much devastation as possible to the enemy forces. Considering how successful he is with that, I have to wonder just how much outright slaughter there will be in the following books.
Read
December 6, 2020Princeps returns us to the story of Quaeryt, who has thwarted the plots in Tilbor, and been rewarded for his efforts by being made Princeps of the area, and being wed to the lovely Vaelora, sister of Lord Bhayar. Quaeryt may be the perfect match for the strong-willed and intellectual woman, and as the story begins they are settling well into domesticity and he is doing an admirable job of keeping the place running smoothly.
Unfortunately, this idyl cannot last, and Bhayar soon needs Quaeryt to uproot his life once again to travel to Extela, where a volcanic eruption has devastated the old capital of Telaryn, to assume temporarily the post of Governor. Quaeryt and a regiment of troops make the long journey, with his wife by his side, and try to restore the city to some semblance of order. The previous governor and many of the city officials were corrupt, and so Quaeryt faces some special challenges in establishing the only kind of rule he can - a just and orderly one. He has some difficulties with various High Holder and merchant factors, but seems to be succeeding despite this, when Bhayar has a new job for him.
He is to leave the city to a replacement governor and join Bhayar's troops on the border, where he will train a squad of imagers in the unfamiliar task of sabotaging the war plans of the Bovarians, who are determined to invade Telaryn.
The book moves steadily through Quaeyt's personal growth, and begins to lay the foundation for the future of imagers that we saw in the first few books of the portfolio. A wry and pleasant, yet philosophical, tale.
Unfortunately, this idyl cannot last, and Bhayar soon needs Quaeryt to uproot his life once again to travel to Extela, where a volcanic eruption has devastated the old capital of Telaryn, to assume temporarily the post of Governor. Quaeryt and a regiment of troops make the long journey, with his wife by his side, and try to restore the city to some semblance of order. The previous governor and many of the city officials were corrupt, and so Quaeryt faces some special challenges in establishing the only kind of rule he can - a just and orderly one. He has some difficulties with various High Holder and merchant factors, but seems to be succeeding despite this, when Bhayar has a new job for him.
He is to leave the city to a replacement governor and join Bhayar's troops on the border, where he will train a squad of imagers in the unfamiliar task of sabotaging the war plans of the Bovarians, who are determined to invade Telaryn.
The book moves steadily through Quaeyt's personal growth, and begins to lay the foundation for the future of imagers that we saw in the first few books of the portfolio. A wry and pleasant, yet philosophical, tale.
July 23, 2021
Scholar/imager Quaeryt, ordered by Lord Bhayar of Telaryn to subdue the unruly High Holders of the conquered province of Tilbor, led troops in battle and was promoted to Princeps. Now Telaryn is threatened by Rex Kharst of belligerent Bovaria; unfortunately the city Extela has been devastated by a volcanic eruption, so Bhayar orders his troops to readiness while dispatching Quaeryt as governor of the province. So Quaeryt has the all-but-impossible job of restoring the city's essential functions even though the people are starving, the provincial treasury is missing, the police are all in hiding, and the High Holders are only concerned with taking advantage of the situation. Quaeryt must also deal with the aristocratic inclinations of his difficult wife Vaelora, Bhayar's sister. After working miracles of rebuilding while mightily displeasing the entrenched power structure, Quaeryt receives orders from Bhayar to take his three regiments to Ferravyl, where the Bovarian invasion is imminent. Once again Modesitt shows us how one determined, principled man may achieves his aim--and the price that he inevitably must pay.
June 24, 2012
Posted at: Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust: PRINCEPS could be called "Diary of a Provinical Governor"
PRINCEPS
Book Five in The Imager Portfolio
L E. Modesitt, Jr.
TOR/Macmillan May 22, 2012
E-book, Hardcover (496 pages) and Audio
Disclosure: Sent by Publisher around release date. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions, except as noted, are my own.
As I read this book by the well-known and best selling L. E. Modesitt, Jr., I thought that if I ever need to know how to get necessary things done after a natural disaster in an impolitic but honest way, Princeps would be a great guide. As I hint in my post title, it reads almost as a day to day
account of Quaeryt's and Vaelora's lives. Occasionally a few days may be skipped over but the narrative is often This Day was uneventful, or, That day Quaeryt did this or that.
Most of the story is about a young man of uncertain birth gaining power through his intellect, an arranged marriage to the leader of the nation, chance and magic. He never expected to marry or to have any power or wealth. His race, Pharsi, is discriminated against and he himself is an especially rare Pharsi with white-blond hair and black eyes (so I don't get the cover of the audio edition). His wife, and the sister of the ruler, is also part Pharsi. They both have some supernatural abilities: she has visons, and he can wield a special type of magic. I didn't know if there was a suble play on the phrase "far-seeing" for Pharsi or whether there's a connection in Modesitt's mind for the Persian language, Farsi.
Between being stymied by people in power and the racial discrimintation Quaeryt endures I was sadly reminded of our own current political situation.
While the "diary" part got a bit boring for me, it was necessary to the plot for building relationships that would serve Quaeryt when they move again to the last tenth or so of the book where something other than a bureacrat's life is detailed. In combat relationships and trust are so important and it turns out to be the case here.
One issue with creating a fantasy world is where one draws the line between that world's linguistic conventions and our own. In PRINCEPS, I was introduced for the first time to Modesitt's Imager Portfolio World, with two moons and strange names with lots of "ys" and odd combinations of consonants. When I hear them in my head, it makes me crazy to not know how to pronounce them correctly. The country in question, Telaryn, also has its own mythology. Their Deity is called the Nameless (or not called the Nameless) and the theology is well established and defined. The moons seem to have some mythos as well. So then, given that our days of the week and months are based in our mythology, why did Modesitt decide to use our Greco-Roman naming convention for the Days of the week and months as described below? This annoyed me throughout the story. If you are going to go through the trouble to create everything else, why not this?
There is a lot of violence in the story, but it is not graphic and is sometimes off-page. He suggests the pleasant intimacies of a happy marriage but no sex. I did not note cursing. So, while not labeled YA a teen could read it without being debauched. But the long account of how Quaeryt smartly accomplishes his job but then ticks everyone off may be overly long and complicated for a teen (or an adult). The politics are complex and subtle.
As the fifth in this series it would probably be best read in order, but there is enough back-story for it to stand-alone. I understood it, even when I was annoyed by the missing background. But, if each volume were as drily diarist I would never have gotten this far in the series.
I certainly wouldn't say that it was my favorite read or sub-genre, it was a solid high fantasy novel. I did not feel anything really happened until the last 70 pages. Quaeryt learned that getting things done in a highly political situation is often tricky and thankless; that you never do enough for the poor and the wealthy are ticked off if they lose profits. It is a fable for our time.
And, Modesitt is very successful so the tales must be enjoyed by many, many people.
PRINCEPS
Book Five in The Imager Portfolio
L E. Modesitt, Jr.
TOR/Macmillan May 22, 2012
E-book, Hardcover (496 pages) and Audio
Disclosure: Sent by Publisher around release date. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions, except as noted, are my own.
The thrilling follow-up to Scholar—in which, after discovering a coup attempt and preventing a bloody civil war, Quaeryt was appointed princeps of Tilbor—begins a new episode in the young Imager's life. Now second only to the governor, and still hiding his powers as an Imager, Quaeryt is enjoying his new position, as well as his marriage to Lord Bhayar’s youngest sister, Vaelora, when a volcanic eruption devastates the old capital of Telaryn.
He and his wife are dispatched to Extela, Telaryn’s capitol city, to replace the governor killed in the eruption. Quaeryt and Vaelora must restore order to a city filled with chaos and corruption, and do so quickly. The regiment under his command must soon depart to bolster Telaryn’s border defenses against a neighboring ruler who sees the volcanic devastation as an opportunity for invasion and conquest.
http://us.macmillan.com/princeps/LMod...
As I read this book by the well-known and best selling L. E. Modesitt, Jr., I thought that if I ever need to know how to get necessary things done after a natural disaster in an impolitic but honest way, Princeps would be a great guide. As I hint in my post title, it reads almost as a day to day
account of Quaeryt's and Vaelora's lives. Occasionally a few days may be skipped over but the narrative is often This Day was uneventful, or, That day Quaeryt did this or that.
Most of the story is about a young man of uncertain birth gaining power through his intellect, an arranged marriage to the leader of the nation, chance and magic. He never expected to marry or to have any power or wealth. His race, Pharsi, is discriminated against and he himself is an especially rare Pharsi with white-blond hair and black eyes (so I don't get the cover of the audio edition). His wife, and the sister of the ruler, is also part Pharsi. They both have some supernatural abilities: she has visons, and he can wield a special type of magic. I didn't know if there was a suble play on the phrase "far-seeing" for Pharsi or whether there's a connection in Modesitt's mind for the Persian language, Farsi.
Between being stymied by people in power and the racial discrimintation Quaeryt endures I was sadly reminded of our own current political situation.
While the "diary" part got a bit boring for me, it was necessary to the plot for building relationships that would serve Quaeryt when they move again to the last tenth or so of the book where something other than a bureacrat's life is detailed. In combat relationships and trust are so important and it turns out to be the case here.
One issue with creating a fantasy world is where one draws the line between that world's linguistic conventions and our own. In PRINCEPS, I was introduced for the first time to Modesitt's Imager Portfolio World, with two moons and strange names with lots of "ys" and odd combinations of consonants. When I hear them in my head, it makes me crazy to not know how to pronounce them correctly. The country in question, Telaryn, also has its own mythology. Their Deity is called the Nameless (or not called the Nameless) and the theology is well established and defined. The moons seem to have some mythos as well. So then, given that our days of the week and months are based in our mythology, why did Modesitt decide to use our Greco-Roman naming convention for the Days of the week and months as described below? This annoyed me throughout the story. If you are going to go through the trouble to create everything else, why not this?
The week is seven days, based on the French equivalents: Lundi, Mardi, Meredi, Jeudi, Vendrei, Samedi, Solayi. A “glass” is roughly equivalent to 100 minutes of our time, and a quint is a fifth of a glass. There are five two-month seasons [Winter, Spring, Summer, Harvest, and Fall]. The ten months are Ianus, Fevier, Maris, Avryl, Mayas, Juyn, Agostas, Erntyn, Feuillyt, and Finitas. Each month is thirty-five days long. http://lemodesittjr.com
There is a lot of violence in the story, but it is not graphic and is sometimes off-page. He suggests the pleasant intimacies of a happy marriage but no sex. I did not note cursing. So, while not labeled YA a teen could read it without being debauched. But the long account of how Quaeryt smartly accomplishes his job but then ticks everyone off may be overly long and complicated for a teen (or an adult). The politics are complex and subtle.
As the fifth in this series it would probably be best read in order, but there is enough back-story for it to stand-alone. I understood it, even when I was annoyed by the missing background. But, if each volume were as drily diarist I would never have gotten this far in the series.
I certainly wouldn't say that it was my favorite read or sub-genre, it was a solid high fantasy novel. I did not feel anything really happened until the last 70 pages. Quaeryt learned that getting things done in a highly political situation is often tricky and thankless; that you never do enough for the poor and the wealthy are ticked off if they lose profits. It is a fable for our time.
And, Modesitt is very successful so the tales must be enjoyed by many, many people.
April 8, 2025
Since I had not read the previous books in the series I had no preconceived notions about the story and characters.
The book is an easy read. The story, while interesting, was both slow and meandering through the first two acts, as I would call the main sections.
The third and final act had all the action I would have expected for the type of book I anticipated. However, it does not make up for the general lack of action throughout the rest of the book.
I don’t see myself looking to read the previous novels.
The book is an easy read. The story, while interesting, was both slow and meandering through the first two acts, as I would call the main sections.
The third and final act had all the action I would have expected for the type of book I anticipated. However, it does not make up for the general lack of action throughout the rest of the book.
I don’t see myself looking to read the previous novels.
February 3, 2019
Modesitt, L. E., Jr. Princeps. Imager Portfolio No. 5. Tor, 2012.
Princeps is a close sequel to Scholar. Our newly married, battle-tested hero is sent north as a city administrator and soon becomes a regional governor charged with restoring order to a city recently devasted by a volcanic eruption. As always, he works hard to conceal his real powers and abilities behind a cloak of youth and incessant questions. If you liked Scholar, you will like Princeps.
Princeps is a close sequel to Scholar. Our newly married, battle-tested hero is sent north as a city administrator and soon becomes a regional governor charged with restoring order to a city recently devasted by a volcanic eruption. As always, he works hard to conceal his real powers and abilities behind a cloak of youth and incessant questions. If you liked Scholar, you will like Princeps.
February 19, 2020
Following directly after Scholar, Quaeryt gets sent to a town devastated by a volcanic eruption, acts as governor to begin to straighten things out, then gets sent to war. A very standard addition to Modesitt's world, and far better than the last one. The hero is still to cartoonishly noble, even when assassinating bad guys, but I always enjoy how the author spends more time in the mundanity of life in his world building than in the high level fluff and assumptions of other authors.
July 19, 2025
Modesitt is a master at making government and financial issues as well as ethical considerations captivating. It's hard to put down, but when I do, there's not always that 'much' that's happened? But I'm still entertained! And I feel like my brain gets a workout. This isn't the best book in the Imager portfolio by any means, but I'll definitely keep reading them. They're becoming a comfort series for me.
August 3, 2022
I did not expect to pick this series back up and get a 4 star (nearly 5 star) book. I care about the characters, I care about the plot and I think the magic system is getting better.
I don't like leaving long reviews on long series because it's book 5 and if you get to this point you already know if you are into it.
I don't like leaving long reviews on long series because it's book 5 and if you get to this point you already know if you are into it.
April 21, 2020
It had been awhile since I read the last book in the series, but I got back into it ok. I do enjoy this author, and this series in particular. It is interesting how the first two books followed an Imager at Image Isle, and then it shifts back to what is shaping up to be the founding of Image Isle.
July 19, 2017
Another solid entry in the Imager series. Quaryrt tries his hand at governing and finally ends up being involved in some Military Action. The reluctant Hero.
4 stars
4 stars
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