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Imager Portfolio #3
Imager's Intrigue
In Imager, the first book of the Imager Portfolio, we met Rhennthyl, an apprentice portrait artist whose life was changed by a disastrous fire. But the blaze that took his master€™s life and destroyed his livelihood revealed a secret power previously dormant in Rhenn; the power of imaging, the ability to shape matter using thought. With some trouble, he adapts to the controlled life of an imager. By Imager€™s Challenge, Rhenn has become a liaison to the local law forces. He finds himself in direct conflict with both authorities and national politics as he tries to uphold the law and do his best by the people of his home city. Now, in Imager€™s Intrigue, Rhenn has come into his own. He has a wife and a young child, and a solid career as an imager. But he has made more than one enemy during his journey from apprentice painter to master imager, and even his great powers won€™t allow him to escape his past.
495 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2010
191 people are currently reading
1061 people want to read
About the author
L.E. Modesitt Jr.
191 books2,586 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 183 reviews
January 3, 2022
While I see a lot of similarities to the Recluse saga, at least in how the storytelling takes its sweet time, building steadily from humble beginnings to impressive martial and political power, what this does a bit better to the other series is simple:
It takes its sweet time... more.
Mind you, this isn't a complaint. By now, after reading nearly three dozen novels by Modesitt, I've found that I really enjoy his style. From that point on, I simply trust in the characters and the story to lead me somewhere good.
And it does. I don't even care anymore that the MCs always tend to be TOO good at what they do. And at least so far, this one definitely fits the bill. He's outlasting all his allies and burying his enemies so well that we're now headed to the big stage of war.
The losses aren't direct, or at least not too direct. We'll see how things shape themselves later.
It takes its sweet time... more.
Mind you, this isn't a complaint. By now, after reading nearly three dozen novels by Modesitt, I've found that I really enjoy his style. From that point on, I simply trust in the characters and the story to lead me somewhere good.
And it does. I don't even care anymore that the MCs always tend to be TOO good at what they do. And at least so far, this one definitely fits the bill. He's outlasting all his allies and burying his enemies so well that we're now headed to the big stage of war.
The losses aren't direct, or at least not too direct. We'll see how things shape themselves later.
March 22, 2017
March2017 Review: An excellent ending to a wonderful trilogy. Don't be fooled by there being a 4th book. This is the last one in this time (the latest in the series so far) about Rhenn. This definitely isn't a book to start with. Too many names & intrigues going on. Without reading the first two books, this one would be too confusing & wouldn't have the same impact. Modesitt has a lot of threads left over from the previous books & they all come together here with as much resolution as a realistic fantasy can have.
June2014 Review: Again, wow. Such a complex world with complete economies & even a really neat take on religion. I should have mentioned both in earlier reviews, especially the latter. The idea of the Namer being evil due to spreading misconceptions, leading people into fallacy. Very well done.
The mystery is great as are the problems for the hero to solve. The understated power & limits on his power are fantastic. Using it would only destroy what he wants to save in a very real & practical way.
This is the last of the first trilogy that follows Rhenn. Kind of a shame, but Modesitt doesn't like to take his characters into idiocy which I applaud. The man has done enough & while his story obviously continues, it's probably pretty boring to write about. Love it.
On to the next which takes place about 700 years earlier, I believe.
June2014 Review: Again, wow. Such a complex world with complete economies & even a really neat take on religion. I should have mentioned both in earlier reviews, especially the latter. The idea of the Namer being evil due to spreading misconceptions, leading people into fallacy. Very well done.
The mystery is great as are the problems for the hero to solve. The understated power & limits on his power are fantastic. Using it would only destroy what he wants to save in a very real & practical way.
This is the last of the first trilogy that follows Rhenn. Kind of a shame, but Modesitt doesn't like to take his characters into idiocy which I applaud. The man has done enough & while his story obviously continues, it's probably pretty boring to write about. Love it.
On to the next which takes place about 700 years earlier, I believe.
August 2, 2013
I have liked almost everything I've ever read by Modesitt, some more than others but in general I find I can count on him for a good novel. This one (as well as the 2 earlier books in the series) was (were) no exception.
We have followed the life and career of Rhenn (Rhennthyl) from the first book in this series as events built up around him and he in turn developed his powers as an Imager. Said events have continued to swirl and are coming to a boil here. Rhenn must deal with saboteurs, recalcitrant politicians, traitors, a street drug so strong it kills, repeated assassination attempts, constant intrigue (see the book's title) in the midst of a war. This book picks up five years after the close of the last, Rhenn and his wife Seliora (very much a co-protagonist) now have a child and they'd like to have a more sedate home life. That of course isn't in the cards.
I like these books (as the 5 star rating might have intimated to you) and while there are a couple of small "niggles" (this one may have been a bit more "florid" than the first 2) there's nothing that bothered me or that I thought/felt took away from the story. Given the time in the future I can see myself going through these again. I got to know the characters here, Modesitt for example still has Rhenn go to church several times in the books and he always reflects on whether he believes in "The Nameless" or not. It finally made me laugh I wanted to assure both the writer and the character, "Okay I get it, your agnostic." The world in the book is well constructed and it holds up with no big holes in logic or continuity. The characters are real to the reader, the plot while intricate works and doesn't trip over itself or have to pull something from nowhere to tie itself up. (no, deus ex machina here).
So, as you may have guessed, I like the books, I recommend the books. I try not to hand out a lot of 5 star ratings, but this is one. 5 stars.
We have followed the life and career of Rhenn (Rhennthyl) from the first book in this series as events built up around him and he in turn developed his powers as an Imager. Said events have continued to swirl and are coming to a boil here. Rhenn must deal with saboteurs, recalcitrant politicians, traitors, a street drug so strong it kills, repeated assassination attempts, constant intrigue (see the book's title) in the midst of a war. This book picks up five years after the close of the last, Rhenn and his wife Seliora (very much a co-protagonist) now have a child and they'd like to have a more sedate home life. That of course isn't in the cards.
I like these books (as the 5 star rating might have intimated to you) and while there are a couple of small "niggles" (this one may have been a bit more "florid" than the first 2) there's nothing that bothered me or that I thought/felt took away from the story. Given the time in the future I can see myself going through these again. I got to know the characters here, Modesitt for example still has Rhenn go to church several times in the books and he always reflects on whether he believes in "The Nameless" or not. It finally made me laugh I wanted to assure both the writer and the character, "Okay I get it, your agnostic." The world in the book is well constructed and it holds up with no big holes in logic or continuity. The characters are real to the reader, the plot while intricate works and doesn't trip over itself or have to pull something from nowhere to tie itself up. (no, deus ex machina here).
So, as you may have guessed, I like the books, I recommend the books. I try not to hand out a lot of 5 star ratings, but this is one. 5 stars.
August 20, 2012
Aptly titled, which might put off some
In the interest of full disclosure, the reader should know that while I don't consider myself a Modesitt fan-boy, it's very rare that I don't love his work. So, a 3 of 5 star rating for Imager's Intrigue is, coming from me, a big deal. As I thought about why I wasn't thrilled with this novel, I finally decided on the following:
1. It seemed out of place. True to its title, Imager's Intrigue is all about Rhenn unravelling schemes and machinations, and not so much about Rhenn being a hands-on imager. To be fair, we still get to see Rhenn in action, but it's really not the point of this book. In fact, the largest action sequence in the story doesn't even involve (directly) Rennn. Not to say that a book of intrigue is a bad thing, but it is a significant departure from the rhythm established in the prior two books. I found it jarring, and since it really wasn't what I was looking forward to, a bit disappointing.
2. It felt repetitive. I'm not sure how many times the reader needs to be reminded about the Rhenn's morning calisthenics rituals, or how important it is that imagers sleep in lead-lined rooms or have to read prayers to The Nameless, but in these areas (and others) I felt like Modesitt went a little overboard. I'll give Modesitt the benefit of the doubt and assume that he was trying to convey that the structure of Rhenn's days are routine (wake up, exercise, read reports while taking hack to work...), but enough already.
3. It got a little preachy. Modesitt explores the relative merits of capitalism, free-trade, benevolent monarchies, the military industrial complex and tax law. Oh, and women's rights. Can't forget women's rights. Suffice to say, the reader is left with little doubt as to where the author stands on these issues, and his arguments are a bit ham-handed.
Despite these issues, I still heartily recommend this series, and this book, to friends and strangers. The world is expertly crafted. The (many) characters are nuanced, true to their motives and so well presented that most readers will (continue to) care about what happens to all of the primaries. The overall story arc, while a bit predictable, still has enough surprises that the reader can't take anything for granted. And if a lecture on the impact of land valuation is not something you want to sit through, just skip it. Unlike several books I've read of late where I find myself skipping over large sections of smut and am left with little to call a story, even if you skim through all of the "boring" in Imager's Intrigue you are still left with a lot to enjoy.
In the interest of full disclosure, the reader should know that while I don't consider myself a Modesitt fan-boy, it's very rare that I don't love his work. So, a 3 of 5 star rating for Imager's Intrigue is, coming from me, a big deal. As I thought about why I wasn't thrilled with this novel, I finally decided on the following:
1. It seemed out of place. True to its title, Imager's Intrigue is all about Rhenn unravelling schemes and machinations, and not so much about Rhenn being a hands-on imager. To be fair, we still get to see Rhenn in action, but it's really not the point of this book. In fact, the largest action sequence in the story doesn't even involve (directly) Rennn. Not to say that a book of intrigue is a bad thing, but it is a significant departure from the rhythm established in the prior two books. I found it jarring, and since it really wasn't what I was looking forward to, a bit disappointing.
2. It felt repetitive. I'm not sure how many times the reader needs to be reminded about the Rhenn's morning calisthenics rituals, or how important it is that imagers sleep in lead-lined rooms or have to read prayers to The Nameless, but in these areas (and others) I felt like Modesitt went a little overboard. I'll give Modesitt the benefit of the doubt and assume that he was trying to convey that the structure of Rhenn's days are routine (wake up, exercise, read reports while taking hack to work...), but enough already.
3. It got a little preachy. Modesitt explores the relative merits of capitalism, free-trade, benevolent monarchies, the military industrial complex and tax law. Oh, and women's rights. Can't forget women's rights. Suffice to say, the reader is left with little doubt as to where the author stands on these issues, and his arguments are a bit ham-handed.
Despite these issues, I still heartily recommend this series, and this book, to friends and strangers. The world is expertly crafted. The (many) characters are nuanced, true to their motives and so well presented that most readers will (continue to) care about what happens to all of the primaries. The overall story arc, while a bit predictable, still has enough surprises that the reader can't take anything for granted. And if a lecture on the impact of land valuation is not something you want to sit through, just skip it. Unlike several books I've read of late where I find myself skipping over large sections of smut and am left with little to call a story, even if you skim through all of the "boring" in Imager's Intrigue you are still left with a lot to enjoy.
February 7, 2011
Five years have passed since we last saw Rhenn. He's married and has a daughter now. He's continued to climb the ladder at Image Isle and now resides with his family and a servant in a house on that island.
We see more of the dark side of covert operations in Solidar and how Rhenn responds when thrust into leading and architecting strategies that lead to long term victories and continued prosperity for Solidar and it's Imagers.
All the Imager novels to date have been related in the first person from Rhenn's point of view, which limits my knowledge to what he shares with me. I often feel as if I'm missing much of the story, because what he takes for granted as common knowledge, I do not, and what he focuses on may or may not be relevant to what I desire to know. So, I get frustrated and bored and miss a seemingly unimportant piece that later completes the puzzle.
The ending, or the resolution designed and personally carried out by Rhenn, disturbed me. Perhaps I'm naive and want our world, or any world I immerse myself in, to be more forgiving, more understanding. I firmly believe the only things you can change are yourself; you can't change others no matter how much you want them to change. Rhenn believed change needed to occur now, and only extreme measures, including the use of deadly force, could meet his needs, which he equated with the continued prosperity of Solidar and by extension, imagers. Again, absolute power tempts to corrupt absolutely, for we learn that Rhenn is now the most powerful Imager alive.
This may be the last novel in the Imager Porfolio devoted solely to Rhenn. I got the feeling at the end that the focus of any future books would steer away from Master Rhennythl.
We see more of the dark side of covert operations in Solidar and how Rhenn responds when thrust into leading and architecting strategies that lead to long term victories and continued prosperity for Solidar and it's Imagers.
All the Imager novels to date have been related in the first person from Rhenn's point of view, which limits my knowledge to what he shares with me. I often feel as if I'm missing much of the story, because what he takes for granted as common knowledge, I do not, and what he focuses on may or may not be relevant to what I desire to know. So, I get frustrated and bored and miss a seemingly unimportant piece that later completes the puzzle.
The ending, or the resolution designed and personally carried out by Rhenn, disturbed me. Perhaps I'm naive and want our world, or any world I immerse myself in, to be more forgiving, more understanding. I firmly believe the only things you can change are yourself; you can't change others no matter how much you want them to change. Rhenn believed change needed to occur now, and only extreme measures, including the use of deadly force, could meet his needs, which he equated with the continued prosperity of Solidar and by extension, imagers. Again, absolute power tempts to corrupt absolutely, for we learn that Rhenn is now the most powerful Imager alive.
This may be the last novel in the Imager Porfolio devoted solely to Rhenn. I got the feeling at the end that the focus of any future books would steer away from Master Rhennythl.
December 17, 2018
“I may be a powerful imager, but that doesn’t mean I can save people from their own weaknesses and stupidity. I have enough trouble trying not to do stupid things myself.”
A complex, slow-developing end to the first three stories in the Imager series. (The next book is a prequel.) The protagonist keeps telling us he doesn’t get it--and reviews the disjointed puzzle pieces he does have ad nauseam--then he gets it and acts. And the reader is left to connect the dots.
“What we know and what we feel, deep inside, aren’t the same. People are like that. Sometimes it’s the ones closest to you--especially close friends and family--who hurt you the most.”
Modesitt is a master storyteller. Plan to get sucked in and dragged along. Plan to enjoy it. But don’t start with this book; start at the beginning.
“You are rather insistent, Maitre Rhennthyl.” “I know. It’s one of my faults. I also have the habit of resolving matters on my own if others don’t.”
A steampunk 007. Raises the issue: when one person is judge, jury, and executioner, how will the public good be protected. Who guards us from the guardians?
“There will be enough of the truth out there that people will be satisfied. They never want the whole complicated truth. Never. They say they do, but they always run from it.”
A complex, slow-developing end to the first three stories in the Imager series. (The next book is a prequel.) The protagonist keeps telling us he doesn’t get it--and reviews the disjointed puzzle pieces he does have ad nauseam--then he gets it and acts. And the reader is left to connect the dots.
“What we know and what we feel, deep inside, aren’t the same. People are like that. Sometimes it’s the ones closest to you--especially close friends and family--who hurt you the most.”
Modesitt is a master storyteller. Plan to get sucked in and dragged along. Plan to enjoy it. But don’t start with this book; start at the beginning.
“You are rather insistent, Maitre Rhennthyl.” “I know. It’s one of my faults. I also have the habit of resolving matters on my own if others don’t.”
A steampunk 007. Raises the issue: when one person is judge, jury, and executioner, how will the public good be protected. Who guards us from the guardians?
“There will be enough of the truth out there that people will be satisfied. They never want the whole complicated truth. Never. They say they do, but they always run from it.”
March 3, 2018
4.5 stars
November 16, 2023
Works as a standalone and a continuation from the first two books. Enjoyable but looking forward to a change up in the main character for the rest of the series
July 27, 2010
Imager’s Intrigue, the third novel in L.E. Modesitt’s IMAGER PORTFOLIO fantasy series, starts a few years after the events of Imager’s Challenge. The young master imager Rhenntyl is now a successful Captain in the Civic Patrol, which makes this new novel initially feel very similar to the previous book in the series. He’s also happily married to Seliora and has a 3-year-old daughter, which is a refreshing touch, because how many fantasy heroes are ever shown with a young family like this?
The first third of Imager’s Intrigue is extremely exciting and possibly the most enjoyable part of the series so far. By now, Rhenn has become a fascinating, well-rounded character, and his adventures in the city of L’Excelsis, dealing with an increase in drug overdoses due to a suspiciously stronger variety of elveweed, lead up to a stunning mid-novel climax.
After this, the novel slows down considerably as the main intrigue, which again combines local Solidar politics with an international plot, quickly gets very intricate. There’s lots of politics in this middle third of the book, and it occasionally feels a bit crowded and confusing when Modesitt Jr. introduces the various players. Many of them have similar-sounding names (thank goodness for the handy character list at the front of the book) and the connections between all those different actors initially aren’t always clear. Because of L.E. Modesitt Jr.’s familiar first person p.o.v., reading that part of the novel can be as confusing for the reader as experiencing the events seems to be for Rhenn — but rest assured that all the different strands are connected and resolved more than satisfactorily in the end.
Another recognizable L.E. Modesitt Jr. feature is the focus on the everyday details of the protagonist’s life. Especially in the first part of the novel, the author consistently includes Rhenn’s daily routine in each chapter, including the imager group workout in the morning, dropping off his wife and daughter at their place of business, reading the newspaper during the rest of the coach ride to work (which also provides a handy way to keep the reader informed of the international situation), and so on. All of this information is even included when nothing eventful happens, and as a matter of fact, Modesitt Jr. will only rarely write things like “the rest of the week was routine” and instead usually describe that routine in some detail. Even though this may sound a bit dry and even boring, it’s strangely enjoyable to read because it genuinely helps the reader’s understanding of, and immersion in, the hero’s world and mindset.
One of the most interesting aspects of the IMAGER PORTFOLIO series is its setting: Solidar is a country in the middle of its industrial revolution, with new technologies such as steam engines and machine manufacturing gaining ground and changing the power base in an already complex society. Socially, this creates tension between the guilds, landholders, merchants, and owners of manufactories — and of course the existence of the Collegium Imago makes things even more complicated. Interestingly, the series will now, in typical L.E. Modesitt Jr. fashion, take a step in a different direction: according to the author’s website, the next novel, tentatively titled Scholar, is the first book in a trilogy set well before the events of the first 3 Imager novels, in the time before Solidar was unified.
I would have liked to read more about Rhenntyl too, but on the other hand, things are neatly wrapped up by the end of Imager’s Intrigue... and knowing L.E. Modesitt Jr.’s skill and experience in showing and connecting different eras of his fantasy worlds, it’s hard not to get excited about a few books set in the past of this already fascinating fantasy universe. A brief conversation towards the end of Imager’s Intrigue contains a brief mention of historical figures like Rex Regis and Rex Caldor, and Rhenn is actually compared to a “warrior imager champion” called Bilbryn, so my guess is that’s where we’re heading in Scholar (which is expected for Fall 2011, but first we’re getting treated to a standalone SF novel, Empress of Eternity). Count me excited.
(This review was also published on Fantasy Literature - www.fantasyliterature.com on 7/27/2010)
The first third of Imager’s Intrigue is extremely exciting and possibly the most enjoyable part of the series so far. By now, Rhenn has become a fascinating, well-rounded character, and his adventures in the city of L’Excelsis, dealing with an increase in drug overdoses due to a suspiciously stronger variety of elveweed, lead up to a stunning mid-novel climax.
After this, the novel slows down considerably as the main intrigue, which again combines local Solidar politics with an international plot, quickly gets very intricate. There’s lots of politics in this middle third of the book, and it occasionally feels a bit crowded and confusing when Modesitt Jr. introduces the various players. Many of them have similar-sounding names (thank goodness for the handy character list at the front of the book) and the connections between all those different actors initially aren’t always clear. Because of L.E. Modesitt Jr.’s familiar first person p.o.v., reading that part of the novel can be as confusing for the reader as experiencing the events seems to be for Rhenn — but rest assured that all the different strands are connected and resolved more than satisfactorily in the end.
Another recognizable L.E. Modesitt Jr. feature is the focus on the everyday details of the protagonist’s life. Especially in the first part of the novel, the author consistently includes Rhenn’s daily routine in each chapter, including the imager group workout in the morning, dropping off his wife and daughter at their place of business, reading the newspaper during the rest of the coach ride to work (which also provides a handy way to keep the reader informed of the international situation), and so on. All of this information is even included when nothing eventful happens, and as a matter of fact, Modesitt Jr. will only rarely write things like “the rest of the week was routine” and instead usually describe that routine in some detail. Even though this may sound a bit dry and even boring, it’s strangely enjoyable to read because it genuinely helps the reader’s understanding of, and immersion in, the hero’s world and mindset.
One of the most interesting aspects of the IMAGER PORTFOLIO series is its setting: Solidar is a country in the middle of its industrial revolution, with new technologies such as steam engines and machine manufacturing gaining ground and changing the power base in an already complex society. Socially, this creates tension between the guilds, landholders, merchants, and owners of manufactories — and of course the existence of the Collegium Imago makes things even more complicated. Interestingly, the series will now, in typical L.E. Modesitt Jr. fashion, take a step in a different direction: according to the author’s website, the next novel, tentatively titled Scholar, is the first book in a trilogy set well before the events of the first 3 Imager novels, in the time before Solidar was unified.
I would have liked to read more about Rhenntyl too, but on the other hand, things are neatly wrapped up by the end of Imager’s Intrigue... and knowing L.E. Modesitt Jr.’s skill and experience in showing and connecting different eras of his fantasy worlds, it’s hard not to get excited about a few books set in the past of this already fascinating fantasy universe. A brief conversation towards the end of Imager’s Intrigue contains a brief mention of historical figures like Rex Regis and Rex Caldor, and Rhenn is actually compared to a “warrior imager champion” called Bilbryn, so my guess is that’s where we’re heading in Scholar (which is expected for Fall 2011, but first we’re getting treated to a standalone SF novel, Empress of Eternity). Count me excited.
(This review was also published on Fantasy Literature - www.fantasyliterature.com on 7/27/2010)
September 4, 2022
2 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
Rhenn, a portraitist become imager mage, has been working as a law enforcement officer, but the pressures of coming war force him to take a more active role.
Review
Confirmation that this series will be a very long slog. Pretty much everything I said about the previous book, Imager’s Challenge , remains true. This is a long and tedious slog through Rhenn’s day to day activities: endless reports about what he’s wearing and what he has for breakfast, many conversations that go nowhere and yet somehow are meant to add up to a convincing body of evidence, and many moments in which Rhenn is ‘forced’ to do terrible things, but it’s all okay, because he means well.
If the series is meant to build to an ending in which a good man has somehow become evil, I think it may have peaked early. Rhenn does a bad thing, blames someone else, and, well, ends and means.
There’s one brief sequence in which there’s action, and the book becomes interesting, but it doesn’t last. I don’t generally look for action-based books, but I found myself longing for more of it here, if only to cut off the endless tide of quotidian detail. This book includes all the pointless small talk other authors leave out. Literally – we’re treated to invitations to galas, discussion of what to wear, announcement at the galas, who talks to whom at the galas, what they said, post-gala analysis of who said what to who and what they meant. And then another gala, and another. There’s seldom anything of consequence said, but Rhen has a lot of ‘feelings’ about what should happen. And of course, he’s always right.
The book tries to be even-handed; some of the supporting cast are boys, some are girls. But when they’re girls, it’s always pointed out: “One of the taudis-kids–she was a girl–told me,” a character reports. It’s not relevant that she’s a girl; it’s just Modesitt making sure we know that not all the characters are male. If he hadn’t pointed to it, I would never have assumed they were. At least until I ran into the ‘shop-girls’, or the idea that ‘putting a female on any Navy ship would have created too many problems’. It’s too bad, but… sexism, what can you do?
There’s just an incredible amount of trivia, with Rhen always sure there’s ‘something about it’ that he can’t quite spot. Neither can we, because we never get the key information. I suppose that maybe it’s an accurate representation of a true law enforcement endeavour, but it’s deadly dull to read. And what little real information we get is delivered with a verbal tic: at the end of the conversation, having said there’s nothing of import, a character invariably says, “Well, Maitre Rholyn did say something.” And when asked about an action, no one ever says yes; they say, “We can do that.” And if there’s a third party, after the conversation, they will invariably turn to Rhenn and say, “You weren’t all that easy on him, Rhenn.” Who then shrugs and goes home to lunch. There’s endless worrying about problems (e.g., a new, strong, dangerous drug) and very little action.
Summary
Rhenn, a portraitist become imager mage, has been working as a law enforcement officer, but the pressures of coming war force him to take a more active role.
Review
Confirmation that this series will be a very long slog. Pretty much everything I said about the previous book, Imager’s Challenge , remains true. This is a long and tedious slog through Rhenn’s day to day activities: endless reports about what he’s wearing and what he has for breakfast, many conversations that go nowhere and yet somehow are meant to add up to a convincing body of evidence, and many moments in which Rhenn is ‘forced’ to do terrible things, but it’s all okay, because he means well.
If the series is meant to build to an ending in which a good man has somehow become evil, I think it may have peaked early. Rhenn does a bad thing, blames someone else, and, well, ends and means.
There’s one brief sequence in which there’s action, and the book becomes interesting, but it doesn’t last. I don’t generally look for action-based books, but I found myself longing for more of it here, if only to cut off the endless tide of quotidian detail. This book includes all the pointless small talk other authors leave out. Literally – we’re treated to invitations to galas, discussion of what to wear, announcement at the galas, who talks to whom at the galas, what they said, post-gala analysis of who said what to who and what they meant. And then another gala, and another. There’s seldom anything of consequence said, but Rhen has a lot of ‘feelings’ about what should happen. And of course, he’s always right.
The book tries to be even-handed; some of the supporting cast are boys, some are girls. But when they’re girls, it’s always pointed out: “One of the taudis-kids–she was a girl–told me,” a character reports. It’s not relevant that she’s a girl; it’s just Modesitt making sure we know that not all the characters are male. If he hadn’t pointed to it, I would never have assumed they were. At least until I ran into the ‘shop-girls’, or the idea that ‘putting a female on any Navy ship would have created too many problems’. It’s too bad, but… sexism, what can you do?
There’s just an incredible amount of trivia, with Rhen always sure there’s ‘something about it’ that he can’t quite spot. Neither can we, because we never get the key information. I suppose that maybe it’s an accurate representation of a true law enforcement endeavour, but it’s deadly dull to read. And what little real information we get is delivered with a verbal tic: at the end of the conversation, having said there’s nothing of import, a character invariably says, “Well, Maitre Rholyn did say something.” And when asked about an action, no one ever says yes; they say, “We can do that.” And if there’s a third party, after the conversation, they will invariably turn to Rhenn and say, “You weren’t all that easy on him, Rhenn.” Who then shrugs and goes home to lunch. There’s endless worrying about problems (e.g., a new, strong, dangerous drug) and very little action.
I was most disturbed that, while, the book seems to be showing Rhenn’s path toward moral compromise, it actually doesn’t. Rhenn is moral and ethical, until, suddenly, he’s not. No trail, no foundation; just an abrupt change that he barely acknowledges. Others around him see it, but do nothing about it. And while Rhenn regularly admits flaws, they’re all of the “I wasn’t quite as perfect as usual today” variety.
Maybe it’s because I was reading this at the same time as old Heinlein stories, but I saw a surprising similarity – both deal with capable heroes who are sure that their way is the only right way, and that authoritarianism is fine, so long as they’re the ones in charge.
Overall, a very hard book to finish. I’ll likely read the rest, because I’m cheap and persistent. I bought the books, and by god I’ll get my money’s worth. But it won’t be easy.
NB: It looks like the next book is a prequel. So maybe there's still hope for the series.
November 11, 2020
I like the author, and I mostly have enjoyed the series, but not this one so much. Even though parts of this were great fun, most of it wasn't, and that wore me down. I got tired of it. My emotion on finishing was relief.
I think I won't read the sequels.
I really love the action scenes, which is what keeps me coming back to books in this series as well as the previous Recluce series, but the pace became tedious. The novel runs to 650 pages, but only a fraction of those, maybe 200, or 300 tops, move the plot forward. IMO.
Rhenn and his wife and some of the other characters are interesting and complex, and the setting is well realized, but the unnecessary detail and extraneous exposition--all of which you think might include important information but mostly doesn't--wears on the reader. We know what happens on almost every day, whether it matters or not, as if the book was written on a calendar. Why do we need to know the topic of the sermon every week? Whether he exercised this day or that? Why do we have philosophy class conversations at every meal? Clearly, he worked how the bureaucracy functions to a significant degree, but does the reader need to read about it? Or be told how water rights or banking are managed? A little of that goes a long way; a lot of it makes one start skipping pages.
I never skip pages. I did that here.
And I repeat--I like the author. I've read 8 or 9 books by him and wish him well. He has signed some of these books for me.
Others have liked this book, and I liked it enough to finish, so I dunno. YMMV. Maybe you'll like it. Me, I'm gonna wait for the Readers' Digest version of the rest of his books.
I think I won't read the sequels.
I really love the action scenes, which is what keeps me coming back to books in this series as well as the previous Recluce series, but the pace became tedious. The novel runs to 650 pages, but only a fraction of those, maybe 200, or 300 tops, move the plot forward. IMO.
Rhenn and his wife and some of the other characters are interesting and complex, and the setting is well realized, but the unnecessary detail and extraneous exposition--all of which you think might include important information but mostly doesn't--wears on the reader. We know what happens on almost every day, whether it matters or not, as if the book was written on a calendar. Why do we need to know the topic of the sermon every week? Whether he exercised this day or that? Why do we have philosophy class conversations at every meal? Clearly, he worked how the bureaucracy functions to a significant degree, but does the reader need to read about it? Or be told how water rights or banking are managed? A little of that goes a long way; a lot of it makes one start skipping pages.
I never skip pages. I did that here.
And I repeat--I like the author. I've read 8 or 9 books by him and wish him well. He has signed some of these books for me.
Others have liked this book, and I liked it enough to finish, so I dunno. YMMV. Maybe you'll like it. Me, I'm gonna wait for the Readers' Digest version of the rest of his books.
July 10, 2010
the 3rd Rhenn novel from the Imager series - the next Imager novel will go quite a while back in time with new characters
I loved the first two which form a duology with a definite ending but kind of needing to be read together; this one starting some 5 years later is more of a standalone, though it uses some of the back story. The ending again is definite like the one from book 2, but there is scope for more of course, though I would expect another gap of 5-10 years at least in the story and since the author is now working on the earlier set trilogy, i guess we will have to wait a while for more Rhenn...
More Ferran mischief, though this time it really gets serious and it's up to Rhenn to save the day as usual though of course the far-sight flashes from his wife help too...
I tend to think that this series is LE Modesitt's best at least as fantasy goes and Imager 3 has all the things from the previous volumes - intrigue, assassinations, complex plots, great characters in Rhenn and Seliora first and foremost, but also Iryel and some of the other Imagers
Again it's a book i could talk a lot about - i will have a full review next week, or the week of its publication (July 20) - but I would not want to spoil too much.
For people who like 'complete" series, Imager so far has a pretty complete duology (Imager, Imager's Challenge) and a reasonably standalone Imager's Intrigue so I strongly recommend them...
I loved the first two which form a duology with a definite ending but kind of needing to be read together; this one starting some 5 years later is more of a standalone, though it uses some of the back story. The ending again is definite like the one from book 2, but there is scope for more of course, though I would expect another gap of 5-10 years at least in the story and since the author is now working on the earlier set trilogy, i guess we will have to wait a while for more Rhenn...
More Ferran mischief, though this time it really gets serious and it's up to Rhenn to save the day as usual though of course the far-sight flashes from his wife help too...
I tend to think that this series is LE Modesitt's best at least as fantasy goes and Imager 3 has all the things from the previous volumes - intrigue, assassinations, complex plots, great characters in Rhenn and Seliora first and foremost, but also Iryel and some of the other Imagers
Again it's a book i could talk a lot about - i will have a full review next week, or the week of its publication (July 20) - but I would not want to spoil too much.
For people who like 'complete" series, Imager so far has a pretty complete duology (Imager, Imager's Challenge) and a reasonably standalone Imager's Intrigue so I strongly recommend them...
October 23, 2020
Imager Rhennthyl becomes a target as he is suddenly advanced to a higher leadership position with the Imagers. As a Civil Patrol captain he cleaned up a district in the city. As war looms he must deal with murder, treason, and terrorism. It was a fair read mirroring our societies with new names for common things.
March 31, 2021
While at first I was disappointed that this book starts a full five years after the last book left off, I grew to appreciate the time gap. We didn't have to watch all five years of Rhenn developing as an imager and working with the Civic Patrol. The story was everything I could have wished for, and fit Rhenn's character and development in the series. I think probably my biggest complaint is that this is the last book about Rhenn. While the main plot was resolved fine, I want to see more of Rhenn in the situation he is left in at the end of the book. All in all, not a bad complaint to have. This was a highly enjoyable series and I certainly recommend it!
I imagine I will get to the prequels at some point, but I am not super motivated to do so at the moment. Still, I have the stack of books in my basement, so I may get to them sooner than I anticipate!
I imagine I will get to the prequels at some point, but I am not super motivated to do so at the moment. Still, I have the stack of books in my basement, so I may get to them sooner than I anticipate!
November 14, 2024
This brings the first arc of this series to an end. I really enjoyed the first two installments, but the slow-burn approach sputtered out for me in this one. I have enjoyed L.E Modesitt's slice-of-life approach thus far but did not feel the characters were strong enough in this arc to sustain three books of slow build-up. That said, the world-building was still great. Everything is very believable and well thought out, and the plot is solid. I will definitely continue with this series soon!
December 3, 2018
I finished listening to this right before Thanksgiving. I didn't remember as much of the plot of this one as I did the first two, but I absolutely loved it all over again.
November 6, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
I guess this series has grown on me. I liked this one better than book two, but I don’t think I’ll read the complete series. I’m quite satisfied with this trilogy.
I guess this series has grown on me. I liked this one better than book two, but I don’t think I’ll read the complete series. I’m quite satisfied with this trilogy.
September 26, 2019
https://delivreenlivres.blogspot.com/...
Toujours une grosse réussite cette série.
Rhenn a bien grandit depuis le premier tome. Il est maintenant un Imager à part entière, avec femme et enfant. Il travaille dans la police d'un des quartiers les plus difficile et son association non officielle avec les trois chefs de gangs du coin, qui le respectent et ne veulent pas s'en faire un ennemi après ce qu'il c'est passé dans le tome précédent, a un peu pacifié la zone.
Mais une toute nouvelle drogue fait son apparition arrivant par les ports, et en même temps d'autres faits étranges se produisent dans le pays. Par exemple les entrepôts à grains éloignés du rivage sont mis à feu et en conséquence les réserves de nourriture de la marine du pays diminuent, ou tout les fils aînés des grandes familles de Parsis (un peuple de commerçant à moitié nomades) sont assassinés les uns après les autres dans tout le pays, et toujours dans une ville ou se trouve un port important.
Rhenn se doute qu'il y a quelque chose par derrière, d'autant plus qu'en dehors de ces faits il ne se passe rien nulle part, tout est bien trop calme. Il se pose plein de questions sur la situation et n'arrive pas à démêler les fait et à trouver ce qui apporte une telle tension dans l'air partout en ville.
Petit à petit on passe vraiment dans une situation globale au bord du chaos. Tout les pans de la société sont en train de bouger, aidés par une séries d'attentats et de fausse rumeurs propagées dans le peuple qui est sur le point de se soulever. Rhenn et ses collègues se lancent dans l'analyse complète de la situation, très complexe, et qui part dans tout les sens.
Est-ce un fait naturel du fait que la société veut changer? Est-ce plusieurs ennemis extérieur qui tentent de propager le chaos pour que le pays ne puisse pas aider ses alliés qui sont en train de se faire envahir? Est-ce dans le but de l'envahir aussi par la suite? Est-ce un problème interne entre les free-holder (bourgeois très riches qui se révoltent parce qu'ils ne peuvent pas faire ce qu'ils veulent) et les High-holder (les nobles qui ont plus ou moins tout les droits)? Est-ce un complot plus personnel contre le Collegium (le conseil des mages)?
Comme les tomes précédent on est dans une fantasy très calme, avec une intrigue qui joue plus sur les cotés politique et diplomatique qu'action. On passe énormément de temps à analyser la situations car un imager doit toujours réfléchir avant d'agir tellement sa place est contestée et que la moindre mauvaise action pourrait faire basculer le pays, qui est le seul pays qui accepte ouvertement les Imagers, dans le chaos. Ceux ci se démènent dans l'ombre pour le protéger, et se protéger par la même occasion.
Mais cette fois ci la menace a l'air bien réelle et nécessite des actions ouvertes. D'ailleurs on ne peux pas dire que Rhenn fait les choses à moitié quand il se lance dans une tache.
Dans le livre certaines personnes disent que les gens ont peur de lui et je les comprend parfaitement. C'est un personnage hyper raisonnable, qui ne cherche jamais le conflit, qui veut toujours faire les choses pacifiquement quand il le peut, mais il ne faut pas le chercher et quand ça ne marche pas, il fonce.
Et cette fois ci c'est son pays et son existence qui est en danger donc il met les moyens. Sa réaction est efficace et surtout très brutale. D'ailleurs c'est un personnage finalement très gris, il n'hésite pas à aller à l'encontre de la loi pour obtenir justice tout en restant très droit et fidèle à ses propres valeurs.
J'avais déjà adoré les deux premiers tomes mais celui ci est d'un niveau au dessus. En fait à coté les deux premiers font limite office d'introduction. On apprenais à connaitre le monde et à le comprendre, maintenant il faut plonger dedans tête la première pour résoudre cette énigme la qui est la grosse menace.
J'ai passé un excellent moment, et je suis même un peu triste de quitter Rhenn car c'était le dernier tome avec ce personnage. La série et l'univers se poursuivent avec d'autres que je tenterais bientôt.
17.5/20
Toujours une grosse réussite cette série.
Rhenn a bien grandit depuis le premier tome. Il est maintenant un Imager à part entière, avec femme et enfant. Il travaille dans la police d'un des quartiers les plus difficile et son association non officielle avec les trois chefs de gangs du coin, qui le respectent et ne veulent pas s'en faire un ennemi après ce qu'il c'est passé dans le tome précédent, a un peu pacifié la zone.
Mais une toute nouvelle drogue fait son apparition arrivant par les ports, et en même temps d'autres faits étranges se produisent dans le pays. Par exemple les entrepôts à grains éloignés du rivage sont mis à feu et en conséquence les réserves de nourriture de la marine du pays diminuent, ou tout les fils aînés des grandes familles de Parsis (un peuple de commerçant à moitié nomades) sont assassinés les uns après les autres dans tout le pays, et toujours dans une ville ou se trouve un port important.
Rhenn se doute qu'il y a quelque chose par derrière, d'autant plus qu'en dehors de ces faits il ne se passe rien nulle part, tout est bien trop calme. Il se pose plein de questions sur la situation et n'arrive pas à démêler les fait et à trouver ce qui apporte une telle tension dans l'air partout en ville.
Petit à petit on passe vraiment dans une situation globale au bord du chaos. Tout les pans de la société sont en train de bouger, aidés par une séries d'attentats et de fausse rumeurs propagées dans le peuple qui est sur le point de se soulever. Rhenn et ses collègues se lancent dans l'analyse complète de la situation, très complexe, et qui part dans tout les sens.
Est-ce un fait naturel du fait que la société veut changer? Est-ce plusieurs ennemis extérieur qui tentent de propager le chaos pour que le pays ne puisse pas aider ses alliés qui sont en train de se faire envahir? Est-ce dans le but de l'envahir aussi par la suite? Est-ce un problème interne entre les free-holder (bourgeois très riches qui se révoltent parce qu'ils ne peuvent pas faire ce qu'ils veulent) et les High-holder (les nobles qui ont plus ou moins tout les droits)? Est-ce un complot plus personnel contre le Collegium (le conseil des mages)?
Comme les tomes précédent on est dans une fantasy très calme, avec une intrigue qui joue plus sur les cotés politique et diplomatique qu'action. On passe énormément de temps à analyser la situations car un imager doit toujours réfléchir avant d'agir tellement sa place est contestée et que la moindre mauvaise action pourrait faire basculer le pays, qui est le seul pays qui accepte ouvertement les Imagers, dans le chaos. Ceux ci se démènent dans l'ombre pour le protéger, et se protéger par la même occasion.
Mais cette fois ci la menace a l'air bien réelle et nécessite des actions ouvertes. D'ailleurs on ne peux pas dire que Rhenn fait les choses à moitié quand il se lance dans une tache.
Dans le livre certaines personnes disent que les gens ont peur de lui et je les comprend parfaitement. C'est un personnage hyper raisonnable, qui ne cherche jamais le conflit, qui veut toujours faire les choses pacifiquement quand il le peut, mais il ne faut pas le chercher et quand ça ne marche pas, il fonce.
Et cette fois ci c'est son pays et son existence qui est en danger donc il met les moyens. Sa réaction est efficace et surtout très brutale. D'ailleurs c'est un personnage finalement très gris, il n'hésite pas à aller à l'encontre de la loi pour obtenir justice tout en restant très droit et fidèle à ses propres valeurs.
J'avais déjà adoré les deux premiers tomes mais celui ci est d'un niveau au dessus. En fait à coté les deux premiers font limite office d'introduction. On apprenais à connaitre le monde et à le comprendre, maintenant il faut plonger dedans tête la première pour résoudre cette énigme la qui est la grosse menace.
J'ai passé un excellent moment, et je suis même un peu triste de quitter Rhenn car c'était le dernier tome avec ce personnage. La série et l'univers se poursuivent avec d'autres que je tenterais bientôt.
17.5/20
February 17, 2017
I have really enjoyed the first three books in the series. He uses an interesting form of magic power that seems that could be used even more. I'm interested to see to what other uses it can be used for.
I'm glad that there are many books in this series for me to enjoy!
I'm glad that there are many books in this series for me to enjoy!
August 27, 2022
In Book #3, Rhennthyl is forced to grow faster than was comfortable for him, with a war to bring under control. Modesitt is an expert at long fantasy series -- good news for readers who have kept up with the College of Imagers.
My favorite fantasy read of 2011. Also rewarding as a reread.
The Imager Portfolio trilogy is my favorite Fantasy Read of 2012 and 2016.
Read 6 times, listened 6 times
My favorite fantasy read of 2011. Also rewarding as a reread.
The Imager Portfolio trilogy is my favorite Fantasy Read of 2012 and 2016.
Read 6 times, listened 6 times
February 17, 2025
Wheels within wheels. Very complicated plot. Best read shortly after reading the first two books of the series. This is actually the final book of the series, chronologically. Books 4 and later all take place long before Imager.
December 11, 2021
This is my favorite of the Imager series.
The characters are superbly drawn, and the world so detailed and coherent that I get sucked in and there aren't any jarring notes to shake me out.
I finished the book and was saddened by the realization that this was likely to be the last interaction with this family and period of time. It was just really well done.
The characters are superbly drawn, and the world so detailed and coherent that I get sucked in and there aren't any jarring notes to shake me out.
I finished the book and was saddened by the realization that this was likely to be the last interaction with this family and period of time. It was just really well done.
September 29, 2016
If I had been able to do half stars, this would have gotten a 4.5. I'm a bit disappointed with the Modessit wrapped things up but that was the only fault I could find with this book or the previous two.
Read
October 22, 2021If we take out the philosophy and justifications, it seems that the protagonist essentially bullied everybody into doing what he wants, by the right of his magnificent might.
Not sure if I like the morale that comes out of it.
Not sure if I like the morale that comes out of it.
December 16, 2016
you can only have respect for his ability
June 22, 2020
In the third volume in the ‘Imager Portfolio’, our hero, Rhennthyl, is involved in everything from street level drug crime to international warfare. In the slums of L’Excelsis, Rhenn’s home city, there is a new form of elveweed hitting the streets, so strong it kills the user. As a captain in the Civic Patrol, he has to stop or at least try to stop it. Alas, as in our world, tackling the drug trade is no easy matter.
International affairs are also getting complicated for Solidar, Rhenn’s country. The Ferrans are about to invade and conquer the Jarriolans and gain control of their coal fields. The Ferrans want to conquer the world and make it all a part of their mercantilist empire based on trade and business. The Ferrans believe in ruthless commercial competition, while the society of Solidar is hampered in this by guilds, artisans, factors and High Holders, who like to do things as they always have. This cosy attitude means that the enemy is now building battleships that are far superior to those of Solidar.
The efforts of some factors to change matters and build better ships causes more trouble in L’Excelsis for Rhenn. There is much treachery and double-dealing as the ruling council is split on the issue. Most, unfortunately, don’t favour modern ships as they will cost more and that will mean raising taxes. No citizen likes to pay more taxes, especially the rich. This is a theme of the ‘Imager Portfolio’ and an issue frequently thought about by Rhenn: most people want things but are not prepared to pay the necessary price.
As usual with Modesitt, there is plenty to think about. His realistic fantasies are used, I think, to consider real world issues of economics, politics and society. At one point, a High Holder mentions to Rhenn that he lost a few thousand golds in some venture and shrugs it off. Rhenn is a high-ranking Imager and gets paid about three golds a month. He is taken aback by the inequality. Such un-American attitudes or the ‘Politics Of Envy’ as our British Tories call it, might have landed the author in trouble a few decades ago. On the whole, mind you, he evinces the traditional values of hard work, discipline, law-abiding citizenship and very tasty apple pie. High taxes spent on defence is the right policy when a nation is threatened, even though this gives rise to profiteering by the arms manufacturers, an issue which, to be fair, is raised.
Rhenn’s covert operations are pretty ruthless at times and kind of bring to mind black ops by an intelligence agency of the central kind. The bad guys are evil and deserve what they get as far as he’s concerned. There’s no soppy liberal stuff about giving them a fair trial. As they frequently try to assassinate him, this is perhaps understandable but some people might prefer a more scrupulous ‘hero’.
A good read overall. I enjoyed the start and, for the last third of the book, I almost couldn’t put it down, keen to see how the various conspiracies worked out. Modesitt does the suspense thing very well at times. There was a dull patch in the middle where I lost interest a bit and found it quite easy to put down. A casual reader might. One advantage of being an honest reviewer is that you have to press on and finish the tome at hand and in this case, it was well worth it. I advise the casual reader to persist. To be fair it’s a long book and in any extended work there are bound to be slow bits.
Modesitt is a very political writer and my politics don’t match his, so I can’t give him my unconditional approval. I can say that he has interesting ideas and writes readable and entertaining novels, including this one. Recommended, as usual.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/
International affairs are also getting complicated for Solidar, Rhenn’s country. The Ferrans are about to invade and conquer the Jarriolans and gain control of their coal fields. The Ferrans want to conquer the world and make it all a part of their mercantilist empire based on trade and business. The Ferrans believe in ruthless commercial competition, while the society of Solidar is hampered in this by guilds, artisans, factors and High Holders, who like to do things as they always have. This cosy attitude means that the enemy is now building battleships that are far superior to those of Solidar.
The efforts of some factors to change matters and build better ships causes more trouble in L’Excelsis for Rhenn. There is much treachery and double-dealing as the ruling council is split on the issue. Most, unfortunately, don’t favour modern ships as they will cost more and that will mean raising taxes. No citizen likes to pay more taxes, especially the rich. This is a theme of the ‘Imager Portfolio’ and an issue frequently thought about by Rhenn: most people want things but are not prepared to pay the necessary price.
As usual with Modesitt, there is plenty to think about. His realistic fantasies are used, I think, to consider real world issues of economics, politics and society. At one point, a High Holder mentions to Rhenn that he lost a few thousand golds in some venture and shrugs it off. Rhenn is a high-ranking Imager and gets paid about three golds a month. He is taken aback by the inequality. Such un-American attitudes or the ‘Politics Of Envy’ as our British Tories call it, might have landed the author in trouble a few decades ago. On the whole, mind you, he evinces the traditional values of hard work, discipline, law-abiding citizenship and very tasty apple pie. High taxes spent on defence is the right policy when a nation is threatened, even though this gives rise to profiteering by the arms manufacturers, an issue which, to be fair, is raised.
Rhenn’s covert operations are pretty ruthless at times and kind of bring to mind black ops by an intelligence agency of the central kind. The bad guys are evil and deserve what they get as far as he’s concerned. There’s no soppy liberal stuff about giving them a fair trial. As they frequently try to assassinate him, this is perhaps understandable but some people might prefer a more scrupulous ‘hero’.
A good read overall. I enjoyed the start and, for the last third of the book, I almost couldn’t put it down, keen to see how the various conspiracies worked out. Modesitt does the suspense thing very well at times. There was a dull patch in the middle where I lost interest a bit and found it quite easy to put down. A casual reader might. One advantage of being an honest reviewer is that you have to press on and finish the tome at hand and in this case, it was well worth it. I advise the casual reader to persist. To be fair it’s a long book and in any extended work there are bound to be slow bits.
Modesitt is a very political writer and my politics don’t match his, so I can’t give him my unconditional approval. I can say that he has interesting ideas and writes readable and entertaining novels, including this one. Recommended, as usual.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/
March 6, 2022
The first third was meh, the second ok, and the third was fun. The first story arc was unfortunately far too long. The protagonist was in the same position as he was at the end of the second book, but now he had to face his deadly foe yet: a recreational superdrug that seems to be like a combination of weed, cocaine, and heroin. Worse yet, many are dying because not-fentanyl is being mixed into it. This was easily the worst part for me and it made me groan at times. Surely this could've been handled better, regardless of my personal preferences. Eventually it ended and I enjoyed the rest considerably more, despite the abrupt and rapid pace of progression in all ways that followed.
When GRRM asked, "What was Aragorn’s tax policy?" were you at least amused by it? Well, if so, then you're in luck. There were 25 direct uses "tax" as a base word, and not a single one of them meant strenuous. An example:
There was a lot that was similar. There was also discussion about ancillary water rights, land tax, the specific details of their particular form of government, and much else. I enjoyed it.
In what I wrote about the second book, I stated that the protagonist had some villainous tendencies, though I suppose that's only my perspective. The overall tone seemed to be "you should be grateful to those who dirty their mind, body, and soul for you, and may have irrevocably lost their humanity." Which to me, is arguable, though with considerable skepticism. I previously wrote about being co-opted by the system, but that was the wrong sort of statement. It'd would've been better to have asked what happens when someone against the system becomes the system? What then is there to rebel against or blame for failure? Well, there's other systems, parts of your own system, and yourself. It seems rather uncommon that the last of those is chosen.
Thus this trilogy came to an end, though the series continues on at a different time and place with other characters. I was concerned that both the ending and protagonist's character arc would remain unfinished. That feeling lasted until I was most of the way through. Fortunately, the resolution and epilogue provided both. However, I was conflicted about the ending because it was excessive and disproportionate. I understood the rationale and I thought about what I'd think if this was done on my behalf. It's something to publicly condemn, yet to be relieved about in private. It's only human to want to avoid suffering the consequences of our own (in)actions, even if it means that many others must suffer in our stead.
Rating: 3.5/5
When GRRM asked, "What was Aragorn’s tax policy?" were you at least amused by it? Well, if so, then you're in luck. There were 25 direct uses "tax" as a base word, and not a single one of them meant strenuous. An example:
considering revising the Solidaran sales tax structure and imposing a one percent value-added tax on both the bulk sale of agricultural produce and of manufactured goods, on the grounds that the sellers of those goods were effectively exempted from the end-use sales taxes.
There was a lot that was similar. There was also discussion about ancillary water rights, land tax, the specific details of their particular form of government, and much else. I enjoyed it.
In what I wrote about the second book, I stated that the protagonist had some villainous tendencies, though I suppose that's only my perspective. The overall tone seemed to be "you should be grateful to those who dirty their mind, body, and soul for you, and may have irrevocably lost their humanity." Which to me, is arguable, though with considerable skepticism. I previously wrote about being co-opted by the system, but that was the wrong sort of statement. It'd would've been better to have asked what happens when someone against the system becomes the system? What then is there to rebel against or blame for failure? Well, there's other systems, parts of your own system, and yourself. It seems rather uncommon that the last of those is chosen.
Thus this trilogy came to an end, though the series continues on at a different time and place with other characters. I was concerned that both the ending and protagonist's character arc would remain unfinished. That feeling lasted until I was most of the way through. Fortunately, the resolution and epilogue provided both. However, I was conflicted about the ending because it was excessive and disproportionate. I understood the rationale and I thought about what I'd think if this was done on my behalf. It's something to publicly condemn, yet to be relieved about in private. It's only human to want to avoid suffering the consequences of our own (in)actions, even if it means that many others must suffer in our stead.
Rating: 3.5/5
November 6, 2017
Six word reviews:
Old man relives navel frustrations magically
More (including spoilers)
It's not often that a book series frustrates me like this. There were a few things that jarred me - like the inclusion of marines which the author obviously though everyone knew the role of but mostly I grew frustrated with what was obviously a precis of how things would have gone in the authors naval staff officers career if he had magic on hand and was effectively the most powerful being in the universe.
Any sense of achievement of listening through the drawn out detailed death by dear diary was undermined by the increasing relative power of the main character -without any development. It's just as if the exact same character from book one now had all the powers he always felt he deserved and was able to get his own way - including some out of context points in the closing chapters where we follow a series of interviews in which Rhen goes around strong arming the government into doing what he says, and who cares about the consequences (not that there really appear to be any) up to and including the genocide of millions while his team of cheer leaders stare up at him like a besotted house elf.
Rant over, there was an interesting magic system and a few flurries of interest - including seeing a character justify themselves into committing mass murder but ultimately I grew resentful of the sycophantic female characters, lack of development and the self centered, misogynistic, shallow preachy main character who I really hope is an invention and not an inadvertent reflection of the author like it appears to be.
It's a shame, I'd enjoyed the magic of recluse and legacies, but it's starting to become a predictable style. I'll give some other books a go because of the interest I found in book one, but sadly I'm a bit disheartened after this one.
Old man relives navel frustrations magically
More (including spoilers)
It's not often that a book series frustrates me like this. There were a few things that jarred me - like the inclusion of marines which the author obviously though everyone knew the role of but mostly I grew frustrated with what was obviously a precis of how things would have gone in the authors naval staff officers career if he had magic on hand and was effectively the most powerful being in the universe.
Any sense of achievement of listening through the drawn out detailed death by dear diary was undermined by the increasing relative power of the main character -without any development. It's just as if the exact same character from book one now had all the powers he always felt he deserved and was able to get his own way - including some out of context points in the closing chapters where we follow a series of interviews in which Rhen goes around strong arming the government into doing what he says, and who cares about the consequences (not that there really appear to be any) up to and including the genocide of millions while his team of cheer leaders stare up at him like a besotted house elf.
Rant over, there was an interesting magic system and a few flurries of interest - including seeing a character justify themselves into committing mass murder but ultimately I grew resentful of the sycophantic female characters, lack of development and the self centered, misogynistic, shallow preachy main character who I really hope is an invention and not an inadvertent reflection of the author like it appears to be.
It's a shame, I'd enjoyed the magic of recluse and legacies, but it's starting to become a predictable style. I'll give some other books a go because of the interest I found in book one, but sadly I'm a bit disheartened after this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2024
ImagerPortfolio3-761AL
Set five years after the events of Challenge, Rhenn and Seliora are married with one child - a three year old daughter. They live on Imagisle, and commute to work.
The action in this book is all encompassing - assaults come from many sides - because now they are using explosive devices with precision and accuracy, that reveals select training. The targets are diverse in the beginning and seemingly unrelated. But, as Rhenn reflects and studies, he comes to realize that the true target is their society, and someone is focusing on inherent weaknesses.
Solidara has to move nimbly, quickly and decisively, but in which direction? It falls to Rhenn, as it has in the past, and he has never lacked courage; he just has to ask the right questions.
On the cusp of change, with forces arrayed to resist and obfuscate but really unable to stop the advance of events, Rhenn develops a daring plan and each prong of his response to move obstruction out of the way - by means available to him. He just doesn’t think like everyone else.
Amazing. I hope this thread continues in future offerings. That will take some headspace, but I’ll wait.
Set five years after the events of Challenge, Rhenn and Seliora are married with one child - a three year old daughter. They live on Imagisle, and commute to work.
The action in this book is all encompassing - assaults come from many sides - because now they are using explosive devices with precision and accuracy, that reveals select training. The targets are diverse in the beginning and seemingly unrelated. But, as Rhenn reflects and studies, he comes to realize that the true target is their society, and someone is focusing on inherent weaknesses.
Solidara has to move nimbly, quickly and decisively, but in which direction? It falls to Rhenn, as it has in the past, and he has never lacked courage; he just has to ask the right questions.
On the cusp of change, with forces arrayed to resist and obfuscate but really unable to stop the advance of events, Rhenn develops a daring plan and each prong of his response to move obstruction out of the way - by means available to him. He just doesn’t think like everyone else.
Amazing. I hope this thread continues in future offerings. That will take some headspace, but I’ll wait.
January 30, 2024
So the first three books of the Modesitt“imager “ series chronicle the life of our hero Rhennthyl.
I won’t spoil the evolution of the character, but suffice it to say, Rhenn evolves via some very interesting adventures throughout these three books. I truly enjoyed the Socratic method that the school employed. in many ways this is kind of an adult Harry Potter.
The author takes us to the precipice of some observations and then leaves us to form our own conclusions as the protagonist forms his own.
I will be finishing this series and searching for more by this author. His description and word choice are superlative. He draws from French and Celtic roots for words and names, while painting a vivid landscape.
I won’t spoil the evolution of the character, but suffice it to say, Rhenn evolves via some very interesting adventures throughout these three books. I truly enjoyed the Socratic method that the school employed. in many ways this is kind of an adult Harry Potter.
The author takes us to the precipice of some observations and then leaves us to form our own conclusions as the protagonist forms his own.
I will be finishing this series and searching for more by this author. His description and word choice are superlative. He draws from French and Celtic roots for words and names, while painting a vivid landscape.
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