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The Saga of Recluce #12
Wellspring of Chaos
"An intriguing fantasy in a fascinating world." ―Robert Jordan , New York Times b estselling author of The Wheel of Time ® series Kharl is the best cooper in Brysta, one of the major cities in Nordla, and his life has been as ordered and dependable as his barrels. His trouble begins when he saves a neighbor's daughter from the violent advances of two upper-class men. Then he rescues an actual rape victim he finds unconscious in an alley, a blackstaffer ― a young expatriate mage ― from Recluce, and that makes his wife very uneasy. The culprit in both cases turns out to have been Egen, the cruel and corrupt son of the local ruler. When the blackstaffer is mysteriously murdered in Kharl's cooperage, Kharl is jailed, tried, and flogged, and in a shocking turnaround released ― and his consort executed for the murder, which she did not commit. Egen again. Kharl ends up on the run, with just a handful of coins and a few clothes, but he also takes the slain woman's black staff and her book, The Basis of Order , which explains the principles of its power. The diligent cooper is about to learn a new, very different skill. L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s bestselling fantasy novels set in the magical world of Recluce are among the most popular in contemporary fantasy. Each novel tells an independent story that nevertheless reverberates though all the other books in the series, to deepen and enhance the reading experience. Rich in detail, the Saga of Recluce is a feast of wondrous marvels. Saga of Recluce #1 The Magic of Recluce / #2 The Towers of Sunset / #3 The Magic Engineer / #4 The Order War / #5 The Death of Chaos / #6 Fall of Angels / #7 The Chaos Balance / #8 The White Order / #9 Colors of Chaos / #10 Magi’i of Cyador / #11 Scion of Cyador / #12 Wellspring of Chaos / #13 Ordermaster / #14 Natural Order Mage / #15 Mage-Guard of Hamor / #16 Arms-Commander / #17 Cyador’s Heirs / #18 Heritage of Cyador / #19 The Mongrel Mage (forthcoming) Story Recluce Tales Other Series by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
The Imager Portfolio
The Corean Chronicles
The Spellsong Cycle
The Ghost Books
The Ecolitan Matter
The Imager Portfolio
The Corean Chronicles
The Spellsong Cycle
The Ghost Books
The Ecolitan Matter
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2004
74 people are currently reading
1797 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 73 reviews
June 13, 2021
Strange, this. L. E. Modesitt Jr.'s fantasy does NOT go the route of so many other major modern fantasies. I know this. I've experienced it many times.
And I'm really quite unable to compare it to its contemporaries despite having so many of the same marketing techniques. They are NOT standard. They give us wonderful stories within a full-out history of this world, weaving and interweaving between each other with a different kind of goal in mind. No uber-story. But there is an uber-theme.
Balance. And that's not even that surprising, but as we continue on with this series, we keep seeing new aspects of the same idea, diving deeper into other aspects and shifting, refreshing, viewpoints.
This one goes back to the Order side of things and really blows us away with a true underdog character that goes through a TON of tragedy, underscored by having lived a good life and losing it all.
Honestly, I got rather emotional with this one. You could call me a big fan of this series now.
At all times there is a very huge feeling of calm even in the face of tragedy. Few novels can actively BALANCE us even as it balances the story, but this author has that knack. I always seem to take something very positive out of them.
I totally recommend it.
And I'm really quite unable to compare it to its contemporaries despite having so many of the same marketing techniques. They are NOT standard. They give us wonderful stories within a full-out history of this world, weaving and interweaving between each other with a different kind of goal in mind. No uber-story. But there is an uber-theme.
Balance. And that's not even that surprising, but as we continue on with this series, we keep seeing new aspects of the same idea, diving deeper into other aspects and shifting, refreshing, viewpoints.
This one goes back to the Order side of things and really blows us away with a true underdog character that goes through a TON of tragedy, underscored by having lived a good life and losing it all.
Honestly, I got rather emotional with this one. You could call me a big fan of this series now.
At all times there is a very huge feeling of calm even in the face of tragedy. Few novels can actively BALANCE us even as it balances the story, but this author has that knack. I always seem to take something very positive out of them.
I totally recommend it.
March 8, 2022
3.25 stars
I was somewhat worried when I started this novel that by its end, I would know far more about barrel making (cooperage) than I ever wanted to know. Unfortunately for Kharl and fortunately for me, Kharl's life goes to hell in a handbasket and he must abandon his business. No more barrel making! Yay!
Still, Modesitt treats his main character rather roughly. His wife is executed, he is given a lashing, his taxes get raised to an outrageous amount, his sons abandon him, and he experiences the wrath of a corrupt nobleman. He spends time as a beggar, hoping that a ship, captained by a maybe friend, will come in before the Watch finds him. If he got boils, he'd be equal with Job.
Strangely, I liked Kharl better than most Modesitt protagonists, despite his lack of emotion about all that has happened to him. He's very typical of the main characters in this series: stoic, hard working, steady (to the point of being boring), with concealed talents and very firm values that he refuses to compromise. He is told by two or three people along his journey that he must discover his purpose and find himself.
This story was much less plodding than most in the series. A fair amount of time is spent on a ship, so there's a fair bit of nautical jargon that I could have done without, just as I quickly tired of all the barrel staves at the beginning. But at least it wasn't a military tale, so there was a great deal less “Yes, ser"-ing. Blessed be.
The ending was somewhat surprising, as Kharl seems to pull a rabbit out of his hat, suddenly stronger and better than had been hinted earlier. But I should have expected it, it is part of the pattern this author uses. A determined self righteous man, overcoming an unjust system.
Book Number 444 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project
I was somewhat worried when I started this novel that by its end, I would know far more about barrel making (cooperage) than I ever wanted to know. Unfortunately for Kharl and fortunately for me, Kharl's life goes to hell in a handbasket and he must abandon his business. No more barrel making! Yay!
Still, Modesitt treats his main character rather roughly. His wife is executed, he is given a lashing, his taxes get raised to an outrageous amount, his sons abandon him, and he experiences the wrath of a corrupt nobleman. He spends time as a beggar, hoping that a ship, captained by a maybe friend, will come in before the Watch finds him. If he got boils, he'd be equal with Job.
Strangely, I liked Kharl better than most Modesitt protagonists, despite his lack of emotion about all that has happened to him. He's very typical of the main characters in this series: stoic, hard working, steady (to the point of being boring), with concealed talents and very firm values that he refuses to compromise. He is told by two or three people along his journey that he must discover his purpose and find himself.
This story was much less plodding than most in the series. A fair amount of time is spent on a ship, so there's a fair bit of nautical jargon that I could have done without, just as I quickly tired of all the barrel staves at the beginning. But at least it wasn't a military tale, so there was a great deal less “Yes, ser"-ing. Blessed be.
The ending was somewhat surprising, as Kharl seems to pull a rabbit out of his hat, suddenly stronger and better than had been hinted earlier. But I should have expected it, it is part of the pattern this author uses. A determined self righteous man, overcoming an unjust system.
Book Number 444 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project
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June 24, 2014(This review was written in 2004.)
I read my first L.E. Modesitt Jr. book back in the early nineties, right around the same time Robert Jordan was getting popular. My first thought, upon seeing The Magic of Recluce, was that Modesitt looked like a Jordan clone. He had the same cover artist, same publisher, and same general “feel.” I read the book, and found it interesting, but wasn’t overwhelmed.
During the next ten years, however, I grew increasingly impressed with Modesitt as a writer. He took a different route from Jordan—instead of letting his series become increasingly bloated, he followed a more Anne McCaffrey series paradigm. While there are some fifteen Recluce books out now, many of them are stand-alones, and those that have continuing characters are formed into sub-series set within the world. Modesitt has written consistently and professionally, proving to his readers that he deserves their trust.
Wellspring is the latest in the Recluce series. It takes place some number of years after the last sub-series, and stands completely on its own, not requiring any previous—or further—reading in the world to enjoy. The book represents one of the directions I think that fantasy should go in the future. It isn’t about the end of the world or a traditional quest—it is the story of a person, a single viewpoint character, struggling to make his way in a fully-realized fantasy world.
This character—Kharl—shares some characteristics with a traditional fantasy hero. He begins the story relatively low in the social hierarchy. (He’s a cooper.) He has latent magical abilities that he doesn’t realize, and the progression of the story will require him to leave his comfortable home in search of who he truly is. At the same time, however, he is a very original character for a fantasy story. Not a young man by any means, Kharl is presented as a simple family man. His search to “find himself” feels far less like a quest than it does a realistic presentation of a man cast out of house and home, trying to make his way as best he can and deal with events that threaten to completely overwhelm him.
One of Modesitt’s strengths is the detail he includes in his writing. He knows this world, and he gives us the sense that he also knows what it is like to be a cooper. This is the kind of book that could really only have been written following several large series set in the same setting, for while it doesn’t seem to really advance any major world-based issues (except, perhaps, for some sections at the very end) it does draw upon a world that has been developed and expanded over a decade’s time.
The book isn’t groundbreaking, and it does have a few problems. This book presents somewhat simplified view of good and evil—order mages are good, chaos mages are bad. Other Recluse books are far more interesting in the way that they deal with good/evil. In this book, however, anything that is destructive—from a person with an angry temperament, to weapon that has a flaw in its forging—emanates chaos to those who can see it. This sense is exacerbated by Kharl’s simple, ‘honest craftsman’ temperament. Though he struggles with his purpose and his situation, Kharl is a remarkably good man who just doesn’t have to bother with moral struggles. Everything is very black and white (though, of course, in Recluce black means Order and white means Chaos.)
The book does tend to meander a bit, without a clear sense of purpose, though in this particular case I’m willing to forgive this as a quirk rather than a detraction. The wandering plot adds to the feel of Kharl’s struggle. Modesitt’s writing is very good on the paragraph-by-paragraph level, and that makes the short chapters move very quickly and interestingly. I do think the book could have been served by a 10–15% cut, as some of the sections felt even more unconnected than the rest. However, it was a good read overall, and it was nice to enjoy something that was simply a product of a master writer telling a fine story.
I read my first L.E. Modesitt Jr. book back in the early nineties, right around the same time Robert Jordan was getting popular. My first thought, upon seeing The Magic of Recluce, was that Modesitt looked like a Jordan clone. He had the same cover artist, same publisher, and same general “feel.” I read the book, and found it interesting, but wasn’t overwhelmed.
During the next ten years, however, I grew increasingly impressed with Modesitt as a writer. He took a different route from Jordan—instead of letting his series become increasingly bloated, he followed a more Anne McCaffrey series paradigm. While there are some fifteen Recluce books out now, many of them are stand-alones, and those that have continuing characters are formed into sub-series set within the world. Modesitt has written consistently and professionally, proving to his readers that he deserves their trust.
Wellspring is the latest in the Recluce series. It takes place some number of years after the last sub-series, and stands completely on its own, not requiring any previous—or further—reading in the world to enjoy. The book represents one of the directions I think that fantasy should go in the future. It isn’t about the end of the world or a traditional quest—it is the story of a person, a single viewpoint character, struggling to make his way in a fully-realized fantasy world.
This character—Kharl—shares some characteristics with a traditional fantasy hero. He begins the story relatively low in the social hierarchy. (He’s a cooper.) He has latent magical abilities that he doesn’t realize, and the progression of the story will require him to leave his comfortable home in search of who he truly is. At the same time, however, he is a very original character for a fantasy story. Not a young man by any means, Kharl is presented as a simple family man. His search to “find himself” feels far less like a quest than it does a realistic presentation of a man cast out of house and home, trying to make his way as best he can and deal with events that threaten to completely overwhelm him.
One of Modesitt’s strengths is the detail he includes in his writing. He knows this world, and he gives us the sense that he also knows what it is like to be a cooper. This is the kind of book that could really only have been written following several large series set in the same setting, for while it doesn’t seem to really advance any major world-based issues (except, perhaps, for some sections at the very end) it does draw upon a world that has been developed and expanded over a decade’s time.
The book isn’t groundbreaking, and it does have a few problems. This book presents somewhat simplified view of good and evil—order mages are good, chaos mages are bad. Other Recluse books are far more interesting in the way that they deal with good/evil. In this book, however, anything that is destructive—from a person with an angry temperament, to weapon that has a flaw in its forging—emanates chaos to those who can see it. This sense is exacerbated by Kharl’s simple, ‘honest craftsman’ temperament. Though he struggles with his purpose and his situation, Kharl is a remarkably good man who just doesn’t have to bother with moral struggles. Everything is very black and white (though, of course, in Recluce black means Order and white means Chaos.)
The book does tend to meander a bit, without a clear sense of purpose, though in this particular case I’m willing to forgive this as a quirk rather than a detraction. The wandering plot adds to the feel of Kharl’s struggle. Modesitt’s writing is very good on the paragraph-by-paragraph level, and that makes the short chapters move very quickly and interestingly. I do think the book could have been served by a 10–15% cut, as some of the sections felt even more unconnected than the rest. However, it was a good read overall, and it was nice to enjoy something that was simply a product of a master writer telling a fine story.
September 24, 2017
This takes us to Brysta, Nordla, a place that has been mentioned, but one we've never visited before about 60 years after the events in The Order War (C14, P4). There is a whole new cast of characters starring Kharl, a cooper, who does what is right & is punished for it. This is currently the 15th chronologically & was the 12th published (C15, P12). We also get to visit Austra. Neither place seems that different than any part of Candar.
Recluce is certainly mentioned as are the after effects of the previous book. They're interesting. Recluce is now exiling people again too, but this focuses on a regular guy who tries to do the right thing & finds out that can be a real problem. He also discovers that he has some abilities with Order which is an even bigger problem.
The main theme for this & the next book (They're another duology within the series.) is the difference between the law & justice. It's something people tend to confuse & lump together since they should be ideally, but never are in practice. Modesitt gives plenty of good examples as Kharl makes his way in a hard world.
For a list of the current chronology of this series, see my review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Recluce is certainly mentioned as are the after effects of the previous book. They're interesting. Recluce is now exiling people again too, but this focuses on a regular guy who tries to do the right thing & finds out that can be a real problem. He also discovers that he has some abilities with Order which is an even bigger problem.
The main theme for this & the next book (They're another duology within the series.) is the difference between the law & justice. It's something people tend to confuse & lump together since they should be ideally, but never are in practice. Modesitt gives plenty of good examples as Kharl makes his way in a hard world.
For a list of the current chronology of this series, see my review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December 14, 2025
This book differs a bit from the typical Recluse formula. The main character is a cooper in his 30's with a wife and 2 sons at the beginning of the story.
Kharl is a good honest man who tends to try and do good when he can. As it turns out that tendency will cost him everything.
Kharl is a latent order mage who has no idea. His innate order means he does very good work producing barrels, but also that anyone with chaos tends not to trust him.
This is a journey of enlightenment for him even though he has no clue he is actually seeking it.
Kharl is a good honest man who tends to try and do good when he can. As it turns out that tendency will cost him everything.
Kharl is a latent order mage who has no idea. His innate order means he does very good work producing barrels, but also that anyone with chaos tends not to trust him.
This is a journey of enlightenment for him even though he has no clue he is actually seeking it.
June 11, 2022
WARNING SPOILERS BELOW THE AREA MARKED SPOILERS
READ CAREFULLY
This description is repetitive but I'm in a hurry.
This is the first book in the Recluse series that I really didn't like. At least the first part.
The first part was depressing and went on way too long. You can skip the first part if you read the official summary from the publisher below then pick up the book at Chapter 36.
You can read this review which gives spoilers for the first part even though it's an official description. So I guess the publisher doesn't mind telling that much.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/sho...
What's good about that description is that it allows you to skip the boring parts of the book which is more than 1/3 of it.
If you try to start from the beginning and get bored, you can skip ahead.
SPOILERS
Before Chapter 36, it's just random running around without much happening, imo.
After his betrayal Kharl goes on the run. He befriends a young urchin named Jeka and they run together.
One of the powerful people seeking them is a white wizard.
You can start reading (or listening) with Chapter 36 when they go on the offensive against the wizard.
I don't know if it gets any better but it seems to be picking up. I'll post more later. Probably.
--
OK, I'm almost finished with the book and it got much better after the spoiler section I mentioned above. At that point, it's classic LEM, so I'm happy. In fact, he does a nice little tour of the world that I wish would have gone on longer. I added an extra star.
READ CAREFULLY
This description is repetitive but I'm in a hurry.
This is the first book in the Recluse series that I really didn't like. At least the first part.
The first part was depressing and went on way too long. You can skip the first part if you read the official summary from the publisher below then pick up the book at Chapter 36.
You can read this review which gives spoilers for the first part even though it's an official description. So I guess the publisher doesn't mind telling that much.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/sho...
What's good about that description is that it allows you to skip the boring parts of the book which is more than 1/3 of it.
If you try to start from the beginning and get bored, you can skip ahead.
SPOILERS
Before Chapter 36, it's just random running around without much happening, imo.
After his betrayal Kharl goes on the run. He befriends a young urchin named Jeka and they run together.
One of the powerful people seeking them is a white wizard.
You can start reading (or listening) with Chapter 36 when they go on the offensive against the wizard.
I don't know if it gets any better but it seems to be picking up. I'll post more later. Probably.
--
OK, I'm almost finished with the book and it got much better after the spoiler section I mentioned above. At that point, it's classic LEM, so I'm happy. In fact, he does a nice little tour of the world that I wish would have gone on longer. I added an extra star.
December 16, 2014
weaker Recluce book though as it is set in the last (so far) period covered before the finale, it presents an interesting snapshot of the world
the standard fare though this time with an older lower class man discovering he is a powerful mage...
for some reason the hero doesn't really work that well, at least in comparison with other duologies
the standard fare though this time with an older lower class man discovering he is a powerful mage...
for some reason the hero doesn't really work that well, at least in comparison with other duologies
April 28, 2024
I just keep rolling along in these, and though some things change, much remains the same.
Though a man named Kharl was the villain in the last book, "Wellspring of Chaos," it turns out, is the first of two books with a protagonist named Kharl. Kharl lives on a continent we have not been to before, Nordla, and is an ordinary cooper with no idea that he actually has Dark magic powers. ("Dark" means "order" in L. E. Modesitt, Jr.,'s world, as opposed to the White of "chaos.)
Those powers don't help him much in this book, as he struggles with an evil son of the local lord, and his own mistakes. As always, the protagonist is hard-working, modest and strong-willed, but in this book, he is tested more than before.
Also of interest is that this book is set some 1,600 years later than book No. 11, and if I recall correctly, slightly ahead of the time that the first book was set in. Rifles and cannons make an appearance, and technology is advancing, which impacts the ability of mages to control events.
On to volume 13 ...
Though a man named Kharl was the villain in the last book, "Wellspring of Chaos," it turns out, is the first of two books with a protagonist named Kharl. Kharl lives on a continent we have not been to before, Nordla, and is an ordinary cooper with no idea that he actually has Dark magic powers. ("Dark" means "order" in L. E. Modesitt, Jr.,'s world, as opposed to the White of "chaos.)
Those powers don't help him much in this book, as he struggles with an evil son of the local lord, and his own mistakes. As always, the protagonist is hard-working, modest and strong-willed, but in this book, he is tested more than before.
Also of interest is that this book is set some 1,600 years later than book No. 11, and if I recall correctly, slightly ahead of the time that the first book was set in. Rifles and cannons make an appearance, and technology is advancing, which impacts the ability of mages to control events.
On to volume 13 ...
August 2, 2018
One of the best in the Recluce series so far!
A different approach in a familiar style, this is one of my favourites in the Recluce saga. It is probably the most unpredictable so far as well, which gives it a different feel to most of the others.
The characters are excellent, as usual, except I think they are even better than usual in this book. The trials of the hero character were authentic and painful to endure as a reader at times. I felt angry and frustrated at the injustices, and once or twice I was overwhelmed with emotion, both good and bad. If you like the Recluce books so far, you will LOVE this one. It’s the most page-turning in the series yet.
I am buying the sequel immediately and staying up late to start reading it.
A different approach in a familiar style, this is one of my favourites in the Recluce saga. It is probably the most unpredictable so far as well, which gives it a different feel to most of the others.
The characters are excellent, as usual, except I think they are even better than usual in this book. The trials of the hero character were authentic and painful to endure as a reader at times. I felt angry and frustrated at the injustices, and once or twice I was overwhelmed with emotion, both good and bad. If you like the Recluce books so far, you will LOVE this one. It’s the most page-turning in the series yet.
I am buying the sequel immediately and staying up late to start reading it.
May 14, 2017
I had to look up where in the overall history of the Saga of Recluce this book fits, especially since the last couple were actually the earliest in the internal timeline. This one jumps forward about 1700 years, and it took me a while to remember all the things that had happened (and had not yet happened).
This book starts with a bang, then settles into its main narrative. It seemed like there was less whining than in some of the books, and more action. I hope we return to Kharl's story (have not looked ahead to the next book to see if it follows this one closely in internal chronology) because it seems he has unfinished business with his sons, Jena, and Egen.
This book starts with a bang, then settles into its main narrative. It seemed like there was less whining than in some of the books, and more action. I hope we return to Kharl's story (have not looked ahead to the next book to see if it follows this one closely in internal chronology) because it seems he has unfinished business with his sons, Jena, and Egen.
April 5, 2019
This book really grabbed me early on but unfortunately it sorta loosened it's grip sometime after. The last couple of books kept raising the stakes but this book sorta set high stakes and then I felt like while the character mastered certain things in the universe the risk became lessened. I mean it wasn't written that way but that's the way I felt.
At one time this was a 5 star read where I couldn't put it down and while it never wasn't enjoyable I thought the characters were all 'ok' I landed on 5 stars because it's a compromise for the 5 star parts and the rest of the 3 star parts.
At one time this was a 5 star read where I couldn't put it down and while it never wasn't enjoyable I thought the characters were all 'ok' I landed on 5 stars because it's a compromise for the 5 star parts and the rest of the 3 star parts.
August 7, 2022
I've read this in the past and it's at least as good as I remember. I'm a big fan of Modesitt's Recluce series, and Wellspring of Chaos doesn't disappoint. I do like the different perspective, that of an older man, settled in life only to have things upended, as opposed to the usual "young man must go out into the world and find himself" kind of story.
Only bad thing to say about it is this book is very much setup for the events of its direct sequel, Ordermaster, and many things are left unresolved, with not as much happening throughout the story as some of the other novels in the series.
Only bad thing to say about it is this book is very much setup for the events of its direct sequel, Ordermaster, and many things are left unresolved, with not as much happening throughout the story as some of the other novels in the series.
April 15, 2019
Summary: Another classic from Modesitt, A sort of mature coming of age book. Close to all things ordered are good, all things chaos are evil. Really good descriptions and brilliant build up from nothing/
Plotline: Not too many surprises, but well thought out
Premise: I really like the Recluce magic system, works well and is fundamental to all parts of this story.
Writing: Simple and elegant
Ending: Oh yes!
Pace: Never a dull moment!
Plotline: Not too many surprises, but well thought out
Premise: I really like the Recluce magic system, works well and is fundamental to all parts of this story.
Writing: Simple and elegant
Ending: Oh yes!
Pace: Never a dull moment!
June 10, 2018
Nice to visit so many of the other islands on the map for a change. Yes it's another person discovering powers, but the character is complex and sympathetic and the way he perceives order and chaos is very different.
January 1, 2022
A good story, though the same story with different characters seems to be becoming pretty repetitive in this series. The difference this time around is the protagonist is middle aged instead of young.
January 5, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this character from Modesitt. Kharl seems more relatable than most of his typical mains, with an almost Count of Monte Cristo vibe. As usual, this is typical Modesitt pacing, language, and structure. Content: Probably between a PG and PG-13.
March 7, 2022
Modesitt departs from his typical 'youth coming of age' formula for this book, but still follows the 'novice encounters hardship, discovers latent talent, overcomes obstacles, fights for what is right, reaps modest reward' pattern. I love it.
July 28, 2022
I loved that this novel could be part of the worldview or stand entirely alone. I feel there's more to the story; as a story by itself there are strings to tie up. Regardless of all that, the character and world building are excellent and the writing was rich and engaging.
October 30, 2017
Hmm, just like the potato chips, can't stop with just one.
Enjoying the series. Binge reading them.
Enjoying the series. Binge reading them.
November 7, 2017
Excellent! The second volume with this main character is waiting...Kharl the cooper becomes an Ordermaster....
December 18, 2017
Another one that seems to have been written by a different author, longer chapters,no verbal sound effects, good story, bit of a tearjerker but I liked it. Good teaching one about life too.
February 18, 2019
Great book
As always, another engrossing, can't put down book. It was excellent!
I look forward to reading the next book, definitely worth your time.
As always, another engrossing, can't put down book. It was excellent!
I look forward to reading the next book, definitely worth your time.
May 18, 2019
Carl is an interesting character.
February 16, 2020
Continuing to reread through the Recluce series. Still enjoying the character building.
August 11, 2020
An excellent read.
Modesitt is a master storyteller and Kharl is another character to get to know in the Recluse series. Enjoy the story!
Modesitt is a master storyteller and Kharl is another character to get to know in the Recluse series. Enjoy the story!
November 10, 2020
Good read, introduced many new characters and included some older characters as well.
February 6, 2022
Good storyline and different from the others with young people discovering they were mages. Took a lot longer for action but thst may be why I liked I to
October 7, 2023
excellent read
July 8, 2025
I feel the first part is the best.
March 10, 2017
This is the twelfth book in Modesitt's fantasy series "The Saga of Recluce," and I found it a thoroughly enjoyable installment. I very much liked the main character, Kharl, who starts the book as a married cooper with two sons, the oldest about fifteen years old. Kharl stands out from all the other Modesitt protagonists I've met, who begin childless and wifeless--and often very young--and later find a partner they desire. A refreshing change.
Collectively the Recluce series builds a cohesive world, spanning many centuries, multiple lands, and both sides of the central division between two forms of magic: black/order (usually the good guys) and white/chaos (usually the bad guys). I particularly like how the books include the less grandiose side of life: from Kharl the cooper, to carpenters, sailors, smiths, mill boys, scriveners, traders, and even, in some depth, how Fairhaven's sewers work. While the setting doesn't approach the mythic magnificence of Tolkien's Middle-earth or Le Guin's Earthsea, it comes to feel solid and real and satisfying, and I'm looking forward to returning to it ... just as soon as I finish the other novel that I've been reading (Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee).
Collectively the Recluce series builds a cohesive world, spanning many centuries, multiple lands, and both sides of the central division between two forms of magic: black/order (usually the good guys) and white/chaos (usually the bad guys). I particularly like how the books include the less grandiose side of life: from Kharl the cooper, to carpenters, sailors, smiths, mill boys, scriveners, traders, and even, in some depth, how Fairhaven's sewers work. While the setting doesn't approach the mythic magnificence of Tolkien's Middle-earth or Le Guin's Earthsea, it comes to feel solid and real and satisfying, and I'm looking forward to returning to it ... just as soon as I finish the other novel that I've been reading (Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee).
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