Endgames

Imager Portfolio #12

by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Endgames is the twelfth novel in L. E. Modesitt, Jr's, New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series the Imager Portfolio, and the third book in the story arc that began with Treachery's Tools and Assassin's Price.

Solidar is in chaos.

Charyn, the young and untested ruler of Solidar, has survived assassination, and he struggles to gain control of a realm in the grip of social upheaval, war, and rioting. Solidar cannot be allowed to slide into social and political turmoil that will leave the High Holders with their ancient power and privilege, and the common people with nothing.

But the stakes are even higher than he realizes.

The Imager Portfolio
#1 Imager / #2 Imager's Challenge / #3 Imager's Intrigue / #4 Scholar / #5 Princeps / #6 Imager's Battalion / #7 Antiagon Fire / #8 Rex Regis / #9 Madness in Solidar / #10 Treachery's Tools / #11 Assassin's Price / #12 Endgames

Other series by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
The Saga of Recluce
The Corean Chronicles
The Spellsong Cycle
The Ghost Books
The Ecolitan Matter

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Audiobook

576 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2019

About the author

L. 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

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final book, #12 in Charyn & Alastar's arc told chronologically in books 9-12 which take place sometime between Quaeryt & Rhenn's time again separated by centuries. Books 9 & 10 focus on Alastar & his issues while 11 & 12 focus on Charyn, the Rex around 400 A.L., with Alastar playing a supporting roll. It's neat how they & Rhenn know only a powerful, unnamed imager & looks on his works with awe. The history that Alastar, Charyn, & Rhenn know isn't completely accurate. How & why are a thread that runs through the series. This happens in the Recluce series, too. I find it fascinating.

The first 3 books take place in 755 A.L. while those in the middle are probably around 0 A.L., when the land is becoming a nation. (That's a guess. It's been a while since I read them & I don't remember dates in them. If you know, please comment.)

Charyn is facing a changing world as Rex. It's an industrial revolution with High Holders trying to keep their traditional roles. The emerging middle class (traders & manufacturers) has become a power to be reckoned with while the crafters & laborers are in an economic crunch. It's a messy time, so there is plenty of action & thought as Charyn tries to ride the tiger.

Possibly the neatest (underhanded?) thing Modesitt has done is creating a loop. I REALLY want to go back & read the first 3 books now which take place roughly 350 years after the events in this book. The 5 books in the middle take place about 450 years earlier. Next time I read this series (There WILL be a next time.) I'm going to start with book 4 & read them through. After this one, I will read the first. I do NOT recommend this order for a first read. The first few books describe how imaging works & set the stage too well, but I know that now so I'll be more interested in following the social & economic threads that Modesitt has spun. He does such a great job of it, too.

His thoughtful trends & meticulous attention to detail is appreciated. I'm reading another popular fantasy book now that has a neat system of magic, lots of action, & keeps stepping on itself with plot holes & nonsensical actions. None of that in this series. Highly recommended.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruling Solidar is a real pain. An undeclared civil war, piracy, assassination attempts, religious and economic revolts, and sheet music.

One of those is not like the others.

But fortunately, one of those makes all the rest worth it.

I don't know, but I think this was one of the sweeter books. And I got into the rough economic revolution. :)

As always, Modesitt is very comfortable/comforting.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billed as the last Imager book, Endgames starts where Assasin's Price ended and goes for a few crucial months with an epilogue set decades in the future; enjoyable but very slow and quite repetitive and predictable by the end (regarding its main villains, motives and even resolution etc), it packs a lot of emotional punches along the way and lots of other goodies (including more references to Vaelora and more anticipation of Rhenn's times) ; still not sure how using Charyn's pov and having imagers just as background worked out finally, but I definitely enjoyed the long book in 2 volumes of which this is the second half, quite a lot overall and much more than the Alastar books, especially the last one there which was the weakest Imager book by far. Ultimately this series volumes rests on the main character and while Rhenn and Quaeryt are still my favorites, Charyn was considerably more interesting than Alastar

Overall recommended, but read first the original Imager books and the Quaeryt ones if not done so

[Bryan Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Modesitt Jr, has clearly made this an effort to end the Imager Portfolio forever with this novel. This one suffers from the same major problem that #11 did, mainly, it's not about Imagers. It is instead about Rex Charon (OK names, good grief, I can't keep up with his names so like _ALL_ Modesitt Jr books I mentally replace the names in the book with ones that I can actually say out loud if I wanted too. This review will reflect my names for the characters not his. You can probably tell who the characters are if you read the book too, but if not just comment and I'll explain.)

Rex Charon is isolated and lonely and there are parts of his story that I enjoy. Mostly the slow burn romance with a local heir Alancia. She is typical of the competent, intelligent, and uncompromising women leads in Modesett Jr stories and I liked her and the letter campaign between her and Charon.

This is much less of an action story and much more of a study in politics. That is far less interesting that most of the stories in the portfolio of an Imager coming into their own power and changing the world because of it. Charon also displays some strange ignorance's even though he is supposed to be intelligent. For example, he wondered several times who is behind the new newssheets in town and despite easily having the resources to find out and cultivate them he acts like it's an impossible thing to know and just accepts that he'll never know. Ridiculous. I hate intentional incompetence just because the plot demands it.

The biggest problem that dropped this story from three stars to two stars is the way the story wraps up. Too many elements were covered too quickly, for example the wound Charon suffered that limited his ability to play the piano and was an important part of the relationship with Alancia was completely un-dealt with as part of the final third of the story. Also, the sudden rush to marry between the two characters felt out of character for both of them after how slowly the relationship developed. And finally, the exposing of Charons enemies and the changes that it lead to in the world were entirely dealt with by a few sentences at best and a single page epilog.

The way it finished it gave me the impression that Modesitt Jr is tired of the Imager world and just wants it to go away now. Of course, he does have a history of coming back to his worlds from time to time so maybe someday there will be more. I'll be cautious about adding more to my collection though after the way the last two supposed-to-be-Imager books went.

[Shane Jardine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been a huge fan of L.E. Modesitt, Jr’s books ever since I stumbled across The Magic of Recluce at the library back when I was a teenager. While I do enjoy the Saga of Recluce the most, I still enjoy reading the Imager Portfolio quite a bit because it’s a nice change of pace from Recluce and I’ve always loved the magic system that it has. So I was pretty excited to receive my copy of Endgames in the mail a couple of weeks ago which I promptly sat down and read in a single sitting.

Endgames has proven to be one of those books that has left me struggling to decide and put into words exactly how I felt about it. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed reading the book and thought it has all the trademarks of what makes Modesitt’s books so fun to read. It’s well written and Modesitt clearly put as much thought and detail into this book as he does everything else he writes. For the most part, I found the story interesting and thought it was full of characters that had been fleshed out in great detail. There was just something about it that made me enjoy it less that I expected to and it took me a few days to figure out just what it was.

The main issue I had with this book is that it didn’t quite feel like it was part of the imager Portfolio despite the fact that it obviously took place in the same world as the rest of the books. While Charyn was an interesting character he wasn’t an Imager like I expected him to be and the Imagers weren’t in the book as much as I expected for a series named after them. The Imagers were kind of shoved into the background of the story and felt kind of like they were kind of just tacked on and unnecessary. I’ve always found the magic system in this book weird and interesting so the fact that it was lacking throughout most of the story was just really disappointing to me.

I may not have enjoyed this book as much as I expected or wanted to, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is a fan of L.E. Modesitt Jr’s. Though, I would definitely recommend that everyone starts with the first book in the series so they aren’t’ too lost.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Originally posted at www.archeddoorway.com

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imager Portfolio draws to a fascinating conclusion!

The culminating volume in The Imager Portfolio, and the final story of a sub series of three, when Solidar was under Charyn's rule. An historical note if you like on the life of the last Rex.
Charyn continues to struggle with the personal, social and political threads that threaten the well being of Soldar. I love the thought and soul searching he displays as he brings his considerable intellect to the problem of ruling and how to change things politically for the better. His is a visionary's view for what Solidar has the potential to become if he can only break the stranglehold of the High Holders.
As he looks towards a more democratic way of being, that vision puts him at odds with many. For the traditionalists the idea of power is a seductive notion. For Charyn's it's a burden.
Charyn has survived one assassination attempt, and how to move forward and stay alive in order to bring about the changes he contemplates will be a challenge. He is like a chess master, steps ahead of others, seeing the long term consequences. Although sometimes he falters. At the same time he looks to his personal life and searches for a companion who will be his mainstay.
As always Modesitt provides us with a dense, deeply personal, and thought provoking read. Not to mention the intrigue!

A MacMillan-Tor / Forge ARC via NetGalley

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the assassination of his father, Charyn becomes the Rex of Solidar at a young age and iis ill prepared to deal with the conflict between High Holders, factors, and workers to which mix is a new religious sect is added. Just months after the revolt that resulted in his father's death he has to try to prevent another revolution as Solidar changes. Modesitt has added his usual bit of romance to this excellent read.
April 2020: The drawback is that Endgames grabbed me and I read to the wee hours of the morning.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

There’s a saying about war being diplomacy by other means. Endgames feels like a story about politics being civil war by other means. Alternatively, one could extend the metaphor that Lois McMaster Bujold proposed of SF as fantasy of political agency and expand that to speculative fiction, which includes fantasy, as, well, fantasy of political agency. Because most of the Imager Portfolio in general, and this book in particular, is certainly all about the politics.

However, unlike the traditional epic fantasy, neither this book nor this series focuses on the adventures of a “chosened one”. Instead, the protagonists of this series often feel, particularly from their own perspectives, more like the “stuck one”. The person who finds themselves the linchpin of epic events they did not plan on. And they would generally rather that the cup had passed to someone else – at least until they decide that whoever might have been stuck into their position instead would have done even worse.

The events in Endgames directly follow the events in the previous book, Assassin’s Price. There was an assassin in that book, and the person who was assassinated was the Rex. Now his oldest son, Charyn, is Rex, trying to stay alive in the midst of the continuing chaos.

Unlike the previous heroes in this series, Charyn did expect to be in the position he now occupies. Someday. Eventually. Just not quite so soon, or in the midst of quite so big a crisis. As the saying goes, “the king is dead, long live the king.” But when you’re the second king in that phrase, and not the first one, if you love your father – and Charyn did – you hope that when the first king dies it occurs peacefully, in his bed, after a long and fruitful life. Not in his prime, at the hands of an assassin.

An assassin who is now gunning for you. And who may be much closer than you’d like to think.

So Charyn is busy in this book. First, he is shoring up his internal defenses, trying to stay one step ahead of whoever is trying to kill him. Second, he is attempting to guide his country into the future. A future that he alone envisions, and one that will be much different from its past.

Not that the future won’t come whether Charyn guides things or not, but it’s a question of what that future will be. The High Holders, who are the hereditary aristocracy and the major landholders, want the future to look like the past. A past where they were on top of the heap and could grind anyone they wanted under their heel.

But Solidar is changing. The Factors, who are the business class, are amassing greater and greater power – mostly by getting richer and richer. But it’s happening because Solidar is going through its version of an industrial revolution and power is flowing towards them and away from the aristocracy – as occurred in Great Britain during its Industrial Revolution.

Charyn recognizes this shift in the tide, while at the same time seeing the need to regulate some business practices for “the greater good” – a greater good that is explicitly NOT the good of the aristocracy, but the good of Solidar as a whole.

He’s aiming toward a compromise that serves everyone. If he lives long enough to bring it to fruition. If he survives the dagger aimed at his heart from much, much closer than he imagined.

Escape Reading A: I read this in a day. All 576 pages of it. And pretty much immediately upon receipt four long months ago. I’ll also confess that I had to wipe away a tear at the end. The only reason I’m not grading it higher is that it would be impossible for a new reader to get into the series at this point. As the title implies, this is an endpoint for the series. Possibly THE endpoint, but when asked the author said that he was still deciding. I hope he decides in favor of MORE IMAGERS!

But Endgames is certainly the ending of this middle sequence of the series. Interested readers can begin the Imager Portfolio at one of three places. Either the first published book of the series, Imager, the first book of the internal chronology of the series in Scholar, or the first book of this subseries, Madness in Solidar, which is the middle sequence in the internal chronology.

Endgames is a very political story. That’s true for much of this series, but particularly this subseries in general and this book in it in particular. Charyn is caught between a rock and several hard, sharp and pointy places. We see the story from inside his head, so we understand just where he’s coming from and just how difficult a position he is in at all times.

Everyone has an agenda. Including, admittedly, Charyn himself. But each of the factions that Charyn has to juggle has an agenda that benefits them alone, where Charyn’s agenda is a sometimes desperate attempt to do what’s best for everyone. Or at least what is a reasonable compromise for everyone.

Most of the factions do not want to compromise and their feet will have to be held to the fire – at least metaphorically – in order to make that happen. Charyn is fortunate that the imagers are on his side and perfectly capable of providing that fire – literally if necessary.

The contrast between events as directed by Charyn and current events in the US is also a stark one. As the person at the top of the pyramid Charyn could arrange the situation to benefit himself and his allies only. The laws of the time allow that possibility. But it is not good governance. The best course involves compromises between a lot of people whose interests do not seem to coincide. That he manages to make it happen in spite of each faction’s self-interest is a joy to watch – even though the personal cost is incredibly high.

If you like epic fantasy with lots of politics, this series could be your jam. It certainly is mine!

[Glenn Martyn Otto · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual

As usual, a slow burn, that builds to climax. I have read all of Modesit's books and only regret that he only manages two a year.

[Kennethkiffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fitting end to this arc of the Imager Portfolio. Hope this won't be the end of this series.

[Daniel Shellenbarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

So we come to it, the 12th and final book in the Imager Portfolio. To be blunt, this book is too long. Not because I don't like long books but because there's a LOT of repetitive conversations in this book that go over the same material again and again and again. Every conversation between Rex (aka King) Charyn and his brother could be replaced by "they had the same argument and neither changed their opinions" after 50 pages or so in, or those between Charyn and Alyncya could be replaced by "they hinted at their personal interest but both weren't ready to make a commitment and instead they talked about poetry, religion, economics, and politics". The book goes into excruciating detail of the events of the book and the problem is that for most of the book, these events while interesting, don't require that level of intense analysis for the reader to feel fully comfortable with them. Basically, there's a sort of luddite/workers revolt going on of crafters who find that they can't compete with assembly line manufacturing but are also angry because the manufacturers (aka Factors) are paying ridiculously low wages, not promoting any sort of quality control and maintaining horrific working conditions. Simultaneously there's a religious movement developing, demanding that the choristers (aka priests) be held accountable for their finances and hypocrisy and threatening to do the accounting with violence if no one else does anything. At the same time, the High Holders (nobility) and the Factors are angry that the Rex is getting serious about closing their tax loopholes. And, of course, the undeclared naval war with Jariola and a combination of drought and flooding continues to sap the treasury. It's not a great time to be Rex, particularly as someone seems to be still trying to assassinate Charyn and there's no clear rationale for the failed attempts. Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a badly written book, I enjoyed reading it whenever I picked it up, it just feels VERY repetitive and bloated by sequences that feel like slightly rewritten copies of other sequences and by discussions of economics and political theory that just seem a bit too prolonged for their own good. Even so, I gave it 4/5 stars (though 7.5/10 is probably more accurate) and it brings the series around nicely back to where it began. I will say that after completing the series, none of the prequel books were as interesting as the initial trilogy, but Modesitt has still done an impressive job of fleshing out the history of his realpolitik fantasy world without losing the best parts of what made the series intriguing and it's mostly down to the fact that I didn't find any of the prequel protagonists quite as interesting or likeable.

[Mark Zodda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting end to the Imager series, which really doesn't feature the imagers at all. Not much action, this book instead focuses on tying together the events of the last couple of books, but in a way that leaves the world of the imagers open for follow-up stories. In a way it seems odd that a book this long can feel rushed at the end. Okay, but recommended only for fans of the series and L.E. Modesitt Jr.

[Jennifer Gottschalk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A weighty tome heavy on philosophy and intrigue but very light on action.

Dedicated fans of Modesitt will most likely enjoy this installment of the Imager Portfolio although I preferred earlier books in the series.

In short, the story was much more drawn out than necessary but the ending was deeply satisfying.

[Klobetime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike most of the Imager Portfolio, the plot here is more political than magical. The times, they are a changin', and the land of Solidar is experiencing an industrial revolution which in turn is causing the rank and file workers and crafters to lose their jobs to cheap imports and increasingly mass-manufactured goods. The ruling class is struggling to maintain their civic dominance, and the new middle class of factory owners and bankers are just tasting power for the first time and reluctant to give in to the rioting lower class people. The ruler over all this recognizes that change needs to happen and is slowly trying to modify the government to include representation from everyone, causing broad strife and upheaval (and a few assassination attempts).

The plot is rather pedestrian for Modesitt, with heavy introspection and long descriptions of practicing a musical instrument rather than battles, action, and intrigue. That said, the debate on a minimum wage was pretty interesting as was the one on church versus state. The arguments on either side largely came from two sources: negotiations in council meetings and the press. The players in council had fairly predictable points of view with the king forcing a compromise, but more fascinating was the role the press had in reporting the results of the meetings (not having access to the discussions, just the outcomes). There are two newspapers, one reasonably fair and unemotional, and the other radical and biased (think AP vs. Fox News). This dichotomy demonstrated quite well how people can and will spin situations according to their own worldview, facts be damned. Modesitt's exploration of the proper limits of power and the role of economics in social change was not only compelling, but very appropriate with our real-world political situation.

While well-written and entertaining, this novel is a bit disappointing simply because the actual magic takes a back seat to politics. It felt a little more like a separate, parallel story set in the same universe as the other books than the conclusion to the entire series. If you are looking for a fantasy novel with a heavy dose of world-building and exposition, this is a great choice. If you are looking for an exciting adventure with battling magicians and powerful villains, maybe look elsewhere.

First Sentence:

On Lundi morning, the sixteenth of Juyn, Charyn was up earlier than usual, most likely because the day promised to be particularly hot, a reminder that the first days of spring, heralded by the Spring-Turn Ball, were some three months gone, and there wasn't that much of summer left.

[Yev · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book of the series began a couple months later. Charyn was the protagonist once again. I hadn't thought it much in the previous book, which doesn't mean it wasn't present. I may have been simply oblivious, but the bulk of the protagonist's behavior in this is political. In some ways he's little more than a narrative device than to explore political ideals and aside from a few other matters becomes nearly an entirely political being. That also included his courtship, but she was into that. Maybe I didn't notice as much since I was almost entirely in agreement with what he wanted to do, within the context of the world.

The primary subject this time was labor relations. There was a version of the Luddites, which were a labor movement rather than being anti-technology, despite the latter being the dominant narrative. Religious reformation was a secondary subject and had similarities to Martin Luther's ninety-five theses. There's also more and more about tax policy.

Many topics were discussed, some of which were: price controls, water pollution, consumer protection, anti-dumping duty, minimum wage, auditing, tax evasion, news media, child labor, workweek hours, inequality, exploitation, economic violence, industrialization and steam engines. There's considerably more than that, but the ideas involved in several of these are oft repeated, the repetitiveness of which I noticed more this time. Issues are rarely solved the first time they are discussed though.

I greatly appreciated the epilogue as it was the kind I preferred at the end of a series. Overall this was an enjoyable series, though it certainly had times where I found it lacking. Its primary purpose was to be a fun read, though these last two books changed that somewhat to be very more about exploration of ideas relative to the series of the whole. I would've preferred it if the entire series was more similar to them.

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Modesitt’s protagonists and Charyn is no exception. He has the steady good sense and even temperament that is the hallmark of many of this author’s main characters. As ever in a Modesitt book, we get a progression of everyday details alongside the ongoing drama which tends to build slowly. I don’t know anyone else who writes fantasy in quite so much detail and gets away with it. However, the question has to be with this particular offering – is there just too much detail silting up the pace?

Unfortunately, I would have to say yes. While there were still many elements that I enjoyed and I found it difficult to put this book down, I also found myself skipping the love letters that passed between two of the main characters, along with the long-winded philosophical questions they discussed. I don’t dive into a high fantasy adventure to read several pages about the nature of evil being discussed between the protagonists – I would rather it was played out within the action. However, it wasn’t a dealbreaker and at no time was I tempted to DNF the book because I still cared about the characters and I really wanted to know how it was going to work out.

I was surprised at where the story went, with real poignancy during the aftermath of the action. This is one of the aspects that Modesitt handles really well – because we are pulled into his stories by following the day to day routines of his characters, it matters when bad things happen to them. Overall though I enjoyed this one and know that the next time I have an opportunity to get hold of another Modesitt book, I will jump at it. He may not always get the balance absolutely right, but he remains one of my favourite authors.

While I obtained an arc of Endgames from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
7/10

[Mary Soon Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Endgames" is the twelfth book in Modesitt's Imager Portfolio, a fantasy series set in a world where a tiny fraction of individuals--Imagers--have a magical ability to create things that they imagine. It's the second book in the series centered on Charyn, born the eldest son of the ruler of Solidar. Out of forty fantasy novels that I've read by Modesitt, the two about Charyn are the only ones whose protagonist lacks fantastical abilities. Charyn, especially in this second book, is trying very hard to do what is best for his country, against considerable opposition, and he does so without possessing even a modicum of magic.

As is probably clear by the number of books I've read by Modesitt (more than forty, since I've read some of his science fiction as well as most of his fantasy), I like his books very much. The style of "Endgames" might be perceived by some as dry; its pacing might be perceived as slow. I found it neither. That Charyn's efforts entail patience and diligence increases the book's immersive realism for me. Most of Modesitt's protagonists are, like Charyn, male, but his secondary characters include strong, intelligent, interesting women, and happily "Endgames" is no exception to this. His books usually also include a romantic thread. In "Endgames" much of the romance was conducted via letters and poetry, and this was handled nicely.

Modesitt is a thoughtful author, one who thinks out the economic, political, religious, cultural, and technological background of his stories. His fantasy oeuvre quietly examines the use and abuse of power, and the effect of different legal and political systems, though most of his other books do include more action and a higher bodycount than Charyn's story, which may give them broader appeal. I highly recommend the Imager Portfolio series in its entirety, and "Endgames" in particular.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I really hated to see the Imager Portfolio series end, this was a fitting close.

Not much imaging in this final book. Instead it follows Charyn who had gone from crown prince to king (rex) much younger than expected, following his father's assassination.

Neither Charyn's father nor grandfather had died in their beds.

This is a society with High Holders [the aristocracy], Factors [merchants], the Rex, a High Council, and the common workers. AND the imagers [magic users who can physically create anything they can imagine. Fortunately, firmly on the Rex's side]. The industrial revolution has started and change has been coming to Solidar with a vengeance.

Traditional rule by the Rex and High Holders has been threatened repeatedly in the recent past by High Holder rebellions (each wanting to put a different candidate on the throne, leading to brief civil wars).

Charyn, however, is open minded enough to surreptitiously become a Factor in his own right (before he became Rex) and supports a Factor inventing the steam engine, eventually to power Solidar’s warships.

Charyn also listens to his people after he becomes Rex. Which is new.

Both the High Holders and Factors clamor to share power with Charyn. So, he brings Factors into the High Council. And he finds that by having 5 High Holders and 5 Factors on the High Council for the first time each group is hearing the other's complaints and petitions first hand. Which proves to be a good thing.

Charyn has had enough, however. His most fervent wish is to live long enough to be the LAST Rex Regis of Solidar.

So, this is Charyn's coming-of-age tale and what a well-wrought tale it is!

[Frode · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this is #12, it is helpful to the reader to have read at least book #11 first. It is the end of the series, and I have enjoyed all twelve of them. #12 has a satisfying ending to not only this book but to the series as a whole.

The Rex, young Charyn, has his hands full with High Holders and factors at odds plus workers and crafters in conflict with the factors. Then there is an undeclared sea war going on and a new religious group called True Believers are agitating for changes. Add to that a conspiracy to topple him and a love story. It's pretty entangled, but the various threads come together and are either resolved or promise to be. Some problems are left to be solved at the end of the book, but the epilogue makes it clear these were taken care of in some fashion.

There were no real surprises for me since the details were provided in bits and pieces like a good mystery. Modesitt continues to pay attention to how people dress and what they eat. There are various discussions about decision making and governing policies, some in person and some through letters. The author poses moral and civil questions; answers or alternatives are discussed or manifested by actions of the characters.

The personal relationships are interesting, particularly in the regial family. Charyn tries hard to do what is right, but there is resistance on various fronts from various factions. He has to work at drawing them together. No sex, some violence, a fair amount of intrigue and dishonesty, one swear word, some real evil people, some stupid and very biased folks, and a few level-headed ones: I think it is a good mix.

[Paul Calhoun · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've seen Solidar form with a Rex (though not all the way - sad that section never got completed but understandable), we've seen it at the height of industrialization with no Rex, and now we get the finale for the middle connecting those two parts of Solidaran history.

Modesitt's histories rhyme, and this is apparent in the visionary Rex, intelligent and challenging noble woman, and Imagers who are keeping things moving smoothly. It's a continuing exploration of the philosophies of politics and law which make up the majority of his Recluse, Imager, and Corean books. It's been a nice break to have the protagonist be a non-magician, and to see the culmination of some of those hard choices bite people in the butt. Charyn is a remarkably well adjusted person given how many of his family members he's personally seen to, how many guns have been aimed at him, and how unstable most of the male line in his family seems to be.

That all said, it would be nice to have a matriarchy other than Westwind and the other one in Recluse, or at least a more egalitarian fantasy civilization. Let's see some expansionist, authoritarian women out there who need a philosophically challenging man (or woman) to keep them in check!

[Dale Moorhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endgames, as the last book in the series, ties up the Imager series nicely and left me feeling like Solidar would continue to thrive for a while, possibly several generations, before neglect, stupidity and laziness set in again and another crisis developed. It also sets the stage for another series set in Solidar's future and if that comes to pass I will eagerly read it to see how things turned out.
Mr. Modesitt Jr. writes at a mature level which for me is much more enjoyable than the "See Dick run. See Dick catch the ball." level that all too many authors try to pass off as literature. His stories also build gradually so don't expect everything that matters to happen in the first two or three chapters.
He builds his characters with weaknesses and strengths that give them depth and describes their relationships such that they are vibrant and real. The author also does a meticulous job in building the settings of his stories to the extent I can close my eyes and visualize them and the characters in them. I've even been able to cook some of the dishes he describes his characters eating.
Thank you once again Mr. Modesitt

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Endgames” eBook was published in 2019 and was written by L.E. Modesitt Jr. (https://www.lemodesittjr.com). Mr. Modesitt has published more than 70 novels. This is the 12th novel in his “The Imager Portfolio” series.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in another world. The primary character is Charyn. I like the chosen cover art. He is the young ruler of the kingdom of Solidar.

Charyn is trying to save the kingdom from returning to rule by the High Holders which will leave the common folk with nothing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 18 hours I spent reading this 566-page fantasy. I have read other Modesitt novels and I have enjoyed them all. Modesitt is certainly an author I would recommend for any interested in fantasy. I wish I had read the prior 11 novels in this series, but this one reads pretty well on its own. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not care for this book and if another appears in the series, I likely won't read it. This book did not deal, except peripherally, with imagers. Maybe Modesitt has run out of ideas without being derivative. For a book that is not particularly complex in either story line nor characters, it took far too long to read. Boredom kept me away and only a sheer desire to complete the last 20% (so as not to have "wasted" my time reading the first 80%) kept me going. It was a book in which there were NO surprises. Well, one. His ongoing affair at the start of the book with a much older woman which, predictably, must end with her, predictably, getting set up in a good life through his, predictable, magnanimity because of his, predictable, warm remaining admiration for her. And every other turn of the book remained predictable. And boring.

Considering how much I enjoyed the other offerings in the Imager Portfolio, this was a huge let-down. It honestly makes me wonder if Modesitt is having serious health problems hindering his ability to write. I genuinely hope not and I do hope this is a one-off and not the beginning of an unfortunate pattern.

[Dennis (nee) Hearon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminds me of a favorite old sweater. I have others that are newer and more vibrant. Still others that employ the latest technology to keep me warmer. But there is something about that old sweater that is somehow comforting. Nothing much happens in this book. Yet, the writing style of the author is familiar, the characters are drawn with emotional depth and the "romantic" aspects are old fashioned yet somehow endearing. Modesitt continues to rely on quotes from fictional books or excerpts from letters between the characters to carry much of the exposition of the plot, a trait I am finding to be more annoying with every repetition. It is even questionable whether this book even belongs in "The Imager Portfolio" since the imagers, who provide much of the interest and originality of the series, play a secondary (if not tertiary) role in the story. Thus while I will continue to revisit the author's works, I hope he can dig deep and find a little more innovative narratives for the future.

[Barbara Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the twelfth and likely final book of a very long series, and is probably not for everyone, but I enjoyed it very much, though not quite as much as some of the other books in the series. Like the rest of the Imager books, there is a lot of political philosophy, a lot of mystery and intrigue, strong but frustrated female characters, and a satisfying resolution after many tensions. As in earlier books (Scholar and Princeps), there is a courtship conducted almost entirely by letter, which is a good excuse for all sorts of musings. What there is not is much imaging, or even much interaction with imagers, so though the main character has their support, he is mostly wrestling with the same sorts of problems and resources as in the real world.
The pace is slow, and most of the action comes at the end, but if you've enjoyed the rest of the series, it is worth reading, and may just send you, like me, to re-read all the others.

[Paul Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book hard to put down, and was thankful that I chose to read it over vacation where I could stay up late.

It's interesting that this (and the last couple) of book in the Imager Portfolio didn't do much with the actual Imagers, but instead dealt with the Rex and how Rhenn's environment came to be. In this book, Modesitt combined his love of Fantasy with his love of other fiction mostly by leaving the fantasy part (i.e. the magical part) out of the story almost altogether. I missed it, otherwise this review would have been 5 stars.

The story itself is very well done, and the main character is well drawn. Not so much his paramour, Alyncya, who didn't have nearly has much to do with the main plot as other side characters have in the past, and I found that to be unfortunate as well.

All that said, if you liked the other Imager books, you will like this one.

[Vincent Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of the Portfolio is upon us (or at least the current arc).

This 12th volume of the Imager Portfolio closes the book on the 3rd arc of the series, and makes a great stopping point for the series, which I think Modesitt wanted. It's, as usual, long and convoluted, until the various bits of the plot emerge and then the dramatic conclusion closes it brutally. It shouldn't be a surprise since that's been the format of the last books, but as usual, Modesitt makes it work even if it is formulaic.

I still miss the imager-centric stories. While writing about the Rex was a nice variation, it's the Imager Portfolio, not the Solidar Portfolio... But that's not enough to bring the rating down to 4.

[William Bentrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endgames by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Modesitt is a philosopher. He hides it behind his works of fiction but in his works he explores relationships, economic systems, the dangers of power and more. This book follows up with the Rex of Solidar. Charyn is a very young Rex who do to assorted tragedies and treacheries ended up as Rex.
The friction between High Holders and Factors is exacerbated by both religious upheaval and labor force problems. Charyn’s efforts to evoke change seem to penalize everyone, himself included.
Modesitt tends to be wordy but he provides a truly in-depth character study along with philosophic underpinnings for actions and decisions.
This was an enjoyable read.

[Groucho42 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still enjoy Recluse, but this series was just ok and then the final book of the series kind of dribbled over the line. This was too repetitive of the earlier books, said nothing new, and took a long time to not say it. The romance was almost identical to that of Quaeryt and Vaelora, the focus on the piano was very over done, and the amount of poetry was a space waste. Oh, yeah, and Bhayran was, over multiple books, a spoiled and annoying character while I didn't once see his parents or brother even attempt to discipline him. His ending was telegraphed early and was no surprise.

It was amusing that Charyn was trying to create the IRS, and there were a few other things that caused a minor smile; but overall this was disappointing.

[Henry Lazarus · Rating 3 out of 5]

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. writes usually about people with powerful magic trying to improve their world. Endgames (hard from Tor) is about Charyn, Rex of Solidar who has political power to deal with a new industrial uprising, a religious fight against corruption, and numerous assassination asttempts. While he does have some help from Imagers, he mainly has to work out the problems himself while new to the job after his father’s assassination. There’s also wooing his future wife through letters and chance meetings. This is a quiet tale with little action, but I enjoyed it. Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press