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Corean Chronicles #4
Alector's Choice
Alector's Choice, book four of the Corean Chronicles, continues the epic fantasy series by L. E. Modesitt, Jr., author of the bestselling Saga of Recluce. Enter this new and exciting world.Millennia ago, a magical disaster caused the fall of a civilization, the end of a golden age. New civilizations emerged from the ancient destruction and chaos, knowing little of the past or the disaster. Corus today is a world of contending countries, humans, and supernatural creatures. It is a place of magical powers, and of a few people who are talented enough to use them.Alector Dainyl is the fourth highest ranking military officer of the Duarchy, and Captain Mykel is a young officer potentially Talented and unaware that, should he ever discover that Talent, his life is forfeit. Rebellion spirals out of control, spurred by treachery, corruption, and greed.The Corean ChroniclesLegaciesDarknessesSceptersAlector’s ChoiceCadmian’s ChoiceSoarer’s ChoiceThe Lord-Protector’s DaughterLady-ProtectorOther series by this The Saga of RecluceImager PortfolioThe Spellsong CycleThe Ghost BooksThe Ecolitan MatterAt the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
640 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
65 people are currently reading
677 people want to read
About the author
L.E. Modesitt Jr.
191 books2,590 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 43 reviews
November 8, 2017
An excellent start to a new trilogy on the same world, but quite some time in the past & told from 2 points of view; an Alector & a human. It's great to pick out places that were ruins in the first trilogy & see what they looked like when they were thriving. Plus, there are other changes, questions, & themes that are quite chilling.
It's an amazingly complex world with some really interesting issues that are occasionally punctuated by a short chapter from a manual on ruling by the highest Alector. Here's an example that I could see being written by almost any of our current crop of politicians, if they could write so well. Just insert 'president' or 'senator' for 'alector'. Worse, it describes the rest of us all too well.
What then is the role of belief for an alector in these times and those to come? Understanding the hold that belief lays upon the undiscerning is the first step. There are beings who discern and those who do not. Those who discern are, in the normal course of events, of the alectors, although we must admit that not all alectors are as discerning as they should be, and some discern not at all. Likewise, not all people of the lands are undiscerning, and, as will be discussed later, those of the lands who are discerning are most dangerous and must be handled with the greatest of care.
Whether alectors or peoples of the lands, those who do not discern are but the highest of the animals. Because they are like unto the cattle of the fields and the sheep in the meadows, a discerning alector’s role is to care for them. They must be fed, and they must be kept happy and healthy. They must also come to understand that not all their desires can be satisfied, and therein lies the role of justice and discipline, for, as in the case of animals, one cannot appeal to the reason of an undiscerning individual, for one such has no true ability to reason. Rather, such an individual wants and feels, then uses a crude form of logic to rationalize those desires. The most dangerous are those who are skilled with the tools of logic and reason and yet have no true understanding of the universe that surrounds them, for they will use such logic to make themselves the center of their limited world, regardless of the cost to others—or to themselves.
Most important, because not all desires can be satisfied, an alector must also offer comfort to the undiscerning. One of those comforts is that of faith, the comfort of the irrational, the comfort of believing that a supreme being cares for each and every being who prays to this deity. An alector may claim, “But I care for those for whom I am responsible.” That should indeed be true, but the truth as such does not offer comfort to the undiscerning, for an alector is not seen as supreme being.
It matters not that an alector ensures that murderers are caught and punished, or that food is shared equitably so that none starve. It matters not that an alector provides justice and a land where the industrious prosper. The undiscerning will not praise the alector for such; they will claim that all the benefits provided by the alectors are the “will of the deity.”
For these reasons, a truly wise alector will always align himself with the perceptions of the undiscerning. He will not claim credit for what he has done, but will remain modest, and assert that he was but carrying out the will of the deity, “the One Who Is,” or “the Almighty,” or whatever divine appellation the undiscerning of that time and place have adopted. By so positioning himself he will reduce unrest among those over whom he is placed to care, and thus minimize the use of force and applied justice.
Views of the Highest
Illustra
W.T. 1513
The sheer arrogance & egotism is offset only by the chilling reality of the words. Very well narrated & totally engrossing. I can't wait to get to the next one.
It's an amazingly complex world with some really interesting issues that are occasionally punctuated by a short chapter from a manual on ruling by the highest Alector. Here's an example that I could see being written by almost any of our current crop of politicians, if they could write so well. Just insert 'president' or 'senator' for 'alector'. Worse, it describes the rest of us all too well.
What then is the role of belief for an alector in these times and those to come? Understanding the hold that belief lays upon the undiscerning is the first step. There are beings who discern and those who do not. Those who discern are, in the normal course of events, of the alectors, although we must admit that not all alectors are as discerning as they should be, and some discern not at all. Likewise, not all people of the lands are undiscerning, and, as will be discussed later, those of the lands who are discerning are most dangerous and must be handled with the greatest of care.
Whether alectors or peoples of the lands, those who do not discern are but the highest of the animals. Because they are like unto the cattle of the fields and the sheep in the meadows, a discerning alector’s role is to care for them. They must be fed, and they must be kept happy and healthy. They must also come to understand that not all their desires can be satisfied, and therein lies the role of justice and discipline, for, as in the case of animals, one cannot appeal to the reason of an undiscerning individual, for one such has no true ability to reason. Rather, such an individual wants and feels, then uses a crude form of logic to rationalize those desires. The most dangerous are those who are skilled with the tools of logic and reason and yet have no true understanding of the universe that surrounds them, for they will use such logic to make themselves the center of their limited world, regardless of the cost to others—or to themselves.
Most important, because not all desires can be satisfied, an alector must also offer comfort to the undiscerning. One of those comforts is that of faith, the comfort of the irrational, the comfort of believing that a supreme being cares for each and every being who prays to this deity. An alector may claim, “But I care for those for whom I am responsible.” That should indeed be true, but the truth as such does not offer comfort to the undiscerning, for an alector is not seen as supreme being.
It matters not that an alector ensures that murderers are caught and punished, or that food is shared equitably so that none starve. It matters not that an alector provides justice and a land where the industrious prosper. The undiscerning will not praise the alector for such; they will claim that all the benefits provided by the alectors are the “will of the deity.”
For these reasons, a truly wise alector will always align himself with the perceptions of the undiscerning. He will not claim credit for what he has done, but will remain modest, and assert that he was but carrying out the will of the deity, “the One Who Is,” or “the Almighty,” or whatever divine appellation the undiscerning of that time and place have adopted. By so positioning himself he will reduce unrest among those over whom he is placed to care, and thus minimize the use of force and applied justice.
Views of the Highest
Illustra
W.T. 1513
The sheer arrogance & egotism is offset only by the chilling reality of the words. Very well narrated & totally engrossing. I can't wait to get to the next one.
March 20, 2015
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Despite believing what Bill said about the “shampoo-rinse-repeat” nature of Modesitt’s COREAN CHRONICLES, I gave Alector’s Choice, the fourth book in the series, a try since it has just been released in audiobook format by Tantor Audio and they sent me a review copy.
If you’re interested in reading Alector’s Choice, you should know that you don’t need to read books 1-3 first. Alector’s Choice begins a trilogy that’s a prequel to the rest of the series. In fact, if you haven’t read the other books in the series, you are likely to enjoy this book a lot more than I did since my main complaint is that it’s too similar to the previous novels.
The story follows two protagonists. The first is Mykel, a competent soldier who gets caught up in a war that he doesn’t understand. His superior is an idiot and Mykel has to figure out how to do his duty, which is to obey his superior, while still holding true to his moral code. The second is Dainyl, an alector who, like Mykel, is also rising in the ranks of his peers. Also like Mykel, he has reasons to hide his magical skills from others. Both men are confused about the changes that are occurring in Corus and what their roles in those changes might be. Are they being set up as tools? Or scapegoats?
Unfortunately, I have to say that I completely agree with Bill about the repetitiveness. Mykel is indistinguishable from Alucius, the hero of the previous three COREAN CHRONICLES novels. The way his power starts to develop, the way he wills arrows to their targets and makes things explode, the way he interacts with his superiors, the way he treats the soldiers under him, the way he mops his forehead, the way he knows where enemies are but doesn’t know how he knows — it’s all the same. Modesitt even uses the same story-telling techniques, such as the way he tells us what other characters think of Mykel by having Mykel overhear what they say to each other as he walks by a crowd… everything was so familiar and, for that reason, disappointing.
On the positive side, the addition of the second protagonist was helpful to change things up a bit (but not enough) and to give a different perspective of Modesitt’s world. Also, I think readers who like this series will be happy to learn a little about the ancient history of Corus. It’s so secretive that even the alectors don’t know how they arrived on their world or how long they can continue to live there. I’m a little curious about where this is going.
The audiobook (Tantor Audio) is mostly well narrated by Kyle McCarley. I say “mostly” because his voices for women and young boys are unappealing. I don’t think listeners would imagine Mykel’s love interest to be a desirable woman because of McCarley’s sinister sounding voice for her. But he does a great job with the men. (Oh, and, as usual, there’s some atrocious cover art on the audio version.)
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Despite believing what Bill said about the “shampoo-rinse-repeat” nature of Modesitt’s COREAN CHRONICLES, I gave Alector’s Choice, the fourth book in the series, a try since it has just been released in audiobook format by Tantor Audio and they sent me a review copy.
If you’re interested in reading Alector’s Choice, you should know that you don’t need to read books 1-3 first. Alector’s Choice begins a trilogy that’s a prequel to the rest of the series. In fact, if you haven’t read the other books in the series, you are likely to enjoy this book a lot more than I did since my main complaint is that it’s too similar to the previous novels.
The story follows two protagonists. The first is Mykel, a competent soldier who gets caught up in a war that he doesn’t understand. His superior is an idiot and Mykel has to figure out how to do his duty, which is to obey his superior, while still holding true to his moral code. The second is Dainyl, an alector who, like Mykel, is also rising in the ranks of his peers. Also like Mykel, he has reasons to hide his magical skills from others. Both men are confused about the changes that are occurring in Corus and what their roles in those changes might be. Are they being set up as tools? Or scapegoats?
Unfortunately, I have to say that I completely agree with Bill about the repetitiveness. Mykel is indistinguishable from Alucius, the hero of the previous three COREAN CHRONICLES novels. The way his power starts to develop, the way he wills arrows to their targets and makes things explode, the way he interacts with his superiors, the way he treats the soldiers under him, the way he mops his forehead, the way he knows where enemies are but doesn’t know how he knows — it’s all the same. Modesitt even uses the same story-telling techniques, such as the way he tells us what other characters think of Mykel by having Mykel overhear what they say to each other as he walks by a crowd… everything was so familiar and, for that reason, disappointing.
On the positive side, the addition of the second protagonist was helpful to change things up a bit (but not enough) and to give a different perspective of Modesitt’s world. Also, I think readers who like this series will be happy to learn a little about the ancient history of Corus. It’s so secretive that even the alectors don’t know how they arrived on their world or how long they can continue to live there. I’m a little curious about where this is going.
The audiobook (Tantor Audio) is mostly well narrated by Kyle McCarley. I say “mostly” because his voices for women and young boys are unappealing. I don’t think listeners would imagine Mykel’s love interest to be a desirable woman because of McCarley’s sinister sounding voice for her. But he does a great job with the men. (Oh, and, as usual, there’s some atrocious cover art on the audio version.)
October 23, 2014
Chronologically, this is the fourth book that happens well before the original trilogy that begins with Legacies. I guess it is no longer a trilogy, although the first 3 & the next 3 books each seem to form one, but there is a new book coming out "The Lord-Protectors Daughter" & I'm not sure where it will fall in the chronology. I think it is the start of a third trilogy & I plan to buy it.
Usually, I don't like second trilogies, but this is an exception. Told from the opposing view point of the first trilogy, it gives a lot more depth to the overall story. The moral dilemma's of right & wrong are well set off by responsibility & greed. All are shown in a practical, daily setting. The hero has limited resources, set responsibilities & must deal with life on its terms. He's in a pretty tough spot, without much wiggle room.
The setting is unique to this series. There is an old order that is dying, a set of invaders & the new 'native' species, which is ascending. The first trilogy was told from the POV of one of the ascending natives, this second from one of the invaders.
The hero is the typical Modesitt hero - nothing new there & if you don't like him in other books, you won't like him here. Basically, he's the same person on the opposing side. It's actually nice as it takes away some of the variables & makes the point even clearer - sometimes there are no right answers & you need to do the best you can with what you have.
It's not great literature or particularly deep, but it is very entertaining. Well worth reading.
Usually, I don't like second trilogies, but this is an exception. Told from the opposing view point of the first trilogy, it gives a lot more depth to the overall story. The moral dilemma's of right & wrong are well set off by responsibility & greed. All are shown in a practical, daily setting. The hero has limited resources, set responsibilities & must deal with life on its terms. He's in a pretty tough spot, without much wiggle room.
The setting is unique to this series. There is an old order that is dying, a set of invaders & the new 'native' species, which is ascending. The first trilogy was told from the POV of one of the ascending natives, this second from one of the invaders.
The hero is the typical Modesitt hero - nothing new there & if you don't like him in other books, you won't like him here. Basically, he's the same person on the opposing side. It's actually nice as it takes away some of the variables & makes the point even clearer - sometimes there are no right answers & you need to do the best you can with what you have.
It's not great literature or particularly deep, but it is very entertaining. Well worth reading.
May 30, 2017
This is the fourth book in Modesitt's fantasy series, "The Corean Chronicles," and begins a new story arc, set long before the first three books in the series. This time the story switches between two protagonists: Mykel and Dainyl. I think both were intended to be likable, but, while I did indeed like Mykel, I didn't take to Dainyl. I didn't actively dislike him, but neutrality is not sufficient to keep me caught up in a story. As a result, I enjoyed half of the book (Mykel's part) very much, and found myself wanting to skim through the other half.
March 27, 2017
Loved it!!!
This is an amazing military high fantasy story. I greatly enjoyed it. LE Modesitt jr is a truly gifted author. This story is in depth and engaging. It will go up there with my favorite reads. On to the next in the series.
This is an amazing military high fantasy story. I greatly enjoyed it. LE Modesitt jr is a truly gifted author. This story is in depth and engaging. It will go up there with my favorite reads. On to the next in the series.
October 9, 2017
Modesitt writes good complex fantasy with interesting takes on magic and its uses. This story is a complex military novel. A rebellion is rising in an island off the main continent, and the burden of putting it down falls on the shoulders of an alector (part of the ruling race of the world) who has more magical talent than his superiors know about; and a young captain in the troops sent over to quell the rebellion. The rebels are armed with weapons they're not supposed to have access to. There is much more goin on than meets the eye, and the alector and the captain are both pushed to their limits to bring things under control. The rebellion is finally quashed, but the mystery remains for further treatment in the following novel.
September 3, 2022
If you have read one Modesitt Jr. book you have a good understanding of them all... i must say I liked the first three books of this series and overall Chaos-Order books... but this is kind of off to me... the book is a prequel to the first 3 and all five books will cover what happened before... struggle to conquer unused world, battles with local rebels and economics... money, people and things... too many battles and not enough passion... in the first part of the series there was logical`ish journey of a hero but here we have 2 main characters and I really didn't care what they do or where they end up... and well corruption is rampant everywhere :D
Also, it took much longer to get through this book!
Also, it took much longer to get through this book!
January 25, 2018
Although it comes as a bit of shock to jump back several thousand years in the history of Corus, the two new main characters are well built-up and the reader's sympathy is soon engaged. The interest is now to discover how the old Duarchy came to grief, and what part these characters play in that cataclysmic event…
September 6, 2021
Another great book in the Corean Series
This is the prequel to the first three books in the series. For those who enjoy reading series novels, this series is both satisfying and challenging reads. It challenges the reader’s imagination while satisfying the reader’s desire to escape the ordinary by carrying the reader on a journey of adventure in another universe.
This is the prequel to the first three books in the series. For those who enjoy reading series novels, this series is both satisfying and challenging reads. It challenges the reader’s imagination while satisfying the reader’s desire to escape the ordinary by carrying the reader on a journey of adventure in another universe.
April 12, 2018
See my other Corean series reviews. This book has the same world, but different characters and is set centuries earlier. More surprises in store if youve read the other Corean books, and if you have not it stands on itsnown just fine.
May 26, 2020
Too much “death” in this one for me. It is interesting if you get past all the, to me, senseless killing.
It won’t keep me from reading the following books tho. I like the Peterson’s too. They seem so beautiful when described but they are deadly in the intent of battle.
It won’t keep me from reading the following books tho. I like the Peterson’s too. They seem so beautiful when described but they are deadly in the intent of battle.
February 20, 2019
It was okay not brilliant.
January 13, 2021
The Corean Chronicles are interesting, and I enjoyed this one. There are some elements that became a bit predictable, but it didn't change my enjoyment of it.
October 18, 2022
A reread, I just like his work a lot.
April 3, 2023
Nothing really new to say. I read these as 14 book series with 2 and 3 book micro-series within that. So. I like the series. I'll read more
February 6, 2013
4th book in Modesitt's "Corean Chronicles," this is actually a prequel set a few thousand years before the first three books. So you get to see what the world was like before the mysterious "cataclysm" mentioned in the earlier books.
Modesitt once again explores the development of "talent" within his characters. The basics of the magical/mystical talent are similar to those in Modesitt's "Imager Portfolio" books, though the "mechanics" differ slightly in this series. In this book, there are two main characters: one is an "alector" (an immigrant of sorts from another world, dependent on the creation of "life force" by native people, animals, and plants) and another is a "lander" (descendent of another kind of immigrant, bioengineered to live on the world of Corus and provide life force for the alectors). Their "talents" work in different ways and the emergence of lander talent threatens the control - indeed the very existence of - the alectors.
The alector learns how to use his talents in order to find out what's behind his assignment to "observe" as a lander military force puts down a lander rebellion on a distant island. The lander, a mid-level officer of this force, develops his talent in order to survive the assignment, though this development is mostly unconscious. One source of tension is whether the alector will discover the lander's development of talent before the lander can develop enough to protect himself. (The laws of the land require the alector to kill any lander evidencing talent.) Meanwhile, both characters recognize, at different points, that they've been set up to fail in suppressing this rebellion.
The book is an enjoyable enough read, but I did not like the fact that neither character learns just WHY they were set up to fail, much less by whom. All they really learn is that they are pawns in a dangerous game -- whatever the reasons why they were set up, they apparently have nothing to do with the characters as individuals. The subsequent books will likely reveal more of the who and the why, but the sense in this book that both characters were "damned if you do, damned if you don't" was frustrating to me.
Modesitt once again explores the development of "talent" within his characters. The basics of the magical/mystical talent are similar to those in Modesitt's "Imager Portfolio" books, though the "mechanics" differ slightly in this series. In this book, there are two main characters: one is an "alector" (an immigrant of sorts from another world, dependent on the creation of "life force" by native people, animals, and plants) and another is a "lander" (descendent of another kind of immigrant, bioengineered to live on the world of Corus and provide life force for the alectors). Their "talents" work in different ways and the emergence of lander talent threatens the control - indeed the very existence of - the alectors.
The alector learns how to use his talents in order to find out what's behind his assignment to "observe" as a lander military force puts down a lander rebellion on a distant island. The lander, a mid-level officer of this force, develops his talent in order to survive the assignment, though this development is mostly unconscious. One source of tension is whether the alector will discover the lander's development of talent before the lander can develop enough to protect himself. (The laws of the land require the alector to kill any lander evidencing talent.) Meanwhile, both characters recognize, at different points, that they've been set up to fail in suppressing this rebellion.
The book is an enjoyable enough read, but I did not like the fact that neither character learns just WHY they were set up to fail, much less by whom. All they really learn is that they are pawns in a dangerous game -- whatever the reasons why they were set up, they apparently have nothing to do with the characters as individuals. The subsequent books will likely reveal more of the who and the why, but the sense in this book that both characters were "damned if you do, damned if you don't" was frustrating to me.
February 19, 2015
Alector's Choice by L.E. Modesitt, jr
This is book four of the Corean Chronicles. The origins of Corus's problems are clearly exposed in this book. A new cast of characters presenting the other side of the equation. This books viewpoint is from the villain's point of view which, as you may guess, is rather different than the point of view of the first three books.
Point of view may be somewhat simplistic. This volume shows some of the origins of the problems faced by Alucius, the main protagonist, up to this point. This is set several thousand years before the first three books.
Dainyl is of the ruling class and is highly but circumspectly talented. Talented refers to the ability to manipulate time, energy or matter. Mykel is a steer, one of the herd, who is unaware of his own talent until one of the native Soarers points it out to him.
Modesitt has the ability to take contrary points of view from book to book in the same series. I find that quite thought provoking.
I am an admitted admirer of Modesitt's style and work. There is a common thread of honor and responsibility through his work. His characters struggle to maintain their core identities and to remain truly humble in spite of increasing power.
I highly recommend.
Site: http://www.lemodesittjr.com/
This is book four of the Corean Chronicles. The origins of Corus's problems are clearly exposed in this book. A new cast of characters presenting the other side of the equation. This books viewpoint is from the villain's point of view which, as you may guess, is rather different than the point of view of the first three books.
Point of view may be somewhat simplistic. This volume shows some of the origins of the problems faced by Alucius, the main protagonist, up to this point. This is set several thousand years before the first three books.
Dainyl is of the ruling class and is highly but circumspectly talented. Talented refers to the ability to manipulate time, energy or matter. Mykel is a steer, one of the herd, who is unaware of his own talent until one of the native Soarers points it out to him.
Modesitt has the ability to take contrary points of view from book to book in the same series. I find that quite thought provoking.
I am an admitted admirer of Modesitt's style and work. There is a common thread of honor and responsibility through his work. His characters struggle to maintain their core identities and to remain truly humble in spite of increasing power.
I highly recommend.
Site: http://www.lemodesittjr.com/
June 5, 2012
I really enjoyed reading this book, and found it very hard to put down.
It helped me to enjoy other books in the Corean Chronicles involving the Alectors more because it showed a non-evil side to them. While reading other books in the series I did not like the Alector characters because they were always portrayed as cold and evil. This book shed light onto their society and ways of life that allows the reader to connect with them as we've been allowed to do with the other characters in the series.
L.E. Modesitt Jr. has always done a good job of introducing some interesting "bad guys" into the beginnings of his book series, allowing the reader to develop strong opioions of them, and then introducing a book about these "bad guys" later on that totally changes your perception of everything that has happened so far in the series. Allowing you to feel compassion for these "bad guys" as the series progresses.
It helped me to enjoy other books in the Corean Chronicles involving the Alectors more because it showed a non-evil side to them. While reading other books in the series I did not like the Alector characters because they were always portrayed as cold and evil. This book shed light onto their society and ways of life that allows the reader to connect with them as we've been allowed to do with the other characters in the series.
L.E. Modesitt Jr. has always done a good job of introducing some interesting "bad guys" into the beginnings of his book series, allowing the reader to develop strong opioions of them, and then introducing a book about these "bad guys" later on that totally changes your perception of everything that has happened so far in the series. Allowing you to feel compassion for these "bad guys" as the series progresses.
August 20, 2013
I am always worried about not stopping with the first book in the series if it was good because I don't want to be disappointed later, but no book in this series disappointed me, and I feel best for having read them all. The story comes full circle and answers any questions and loose ends by the end of the series.
One of my favorite series ever. I loved the main character and seeing how he would outsmart his troubles. I loved a lot if the descriptions about the world, and the magic is genius and fairly original. I don't usually care for political/war issues, but they were do character-centered that I felt it added to the story considerably. The author clearly spent a long time organizing the backstory. I've had a hard time finding books I like this much except with this author.
One of my favorite series ever. I loved the main character and seeing how he would outsmart his troubles. I loved a lot if the descriptions about the world, and the magic is genius and fairly original. I don't usually care for political/war issues, but they were do character-centered that I felt it added to the story considerably. The author clearly spent a long time organizing the backstory. I've had a hard time finding books I like this much except with this author.
March 15, 2015
Despite believing what Bill said about the “shampoo-rinse-repeat” nature of Modesitt’s COREAN CHRONICLES, I gave Alector’s Choice, the fourth book in the series, a try since it has just been released in audiobook format by Tantor Audio and they sent me a review copy.
If you’re interested in reading Alector’s Choice, you should know that you don’t need to read books 1-3 first. Alector’s Choice begins a trilogy that’s a prequel to the rest of the series. In fact, if you haven’t read the other books in the series, you are likely to enjoy this book a lot more than I did since my main complaint is that it’s too similar to the previous novels.
The story follows two protagonists. The first is Mykel... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
If you’re interested in reading Alector’s Choice, you should know that you don’t need to read books 1-3 first. Alector’s Choice begins a trilogy that’s a prequel to the rest of the series. In fact, if you haven’t read the other books in the series, you are likely to enjoy this book a lot more than I did since my main complaint is that it’s too similar to the previous novels.
The story follows two protagonists. The first is Mykel... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
August 18, 2022
On my second read, I listened to the Tantor audio book, the voice actor used this somewhat hokey UK accent, meh.
This is a new arc that starts before the Great Cataclysm, you could start from here if you wanted to. In addition to the military action, the world's rulers are trying to increase the lifeforce so that they can prepare for a mass influx of refugees from another world that they had plundered. Bad farming practices and other ecological crimes rate the death penalty. Also there's a running political thread one good rulers, which is interesting. Some magic, but it's very limited for the most part. A decent adventure read.
This is a new arc that starts before the Great Cataclysm, you could start from here if you wanted to. In addition to the military action, the world's rulers are trying to increase the lifeforce so that they can prepare for a mass influx of refugees from another world that they had plundered. Bad farming practices and other ecological crimes rate the death penalty. Also there's a running political thread one good rulers, which is interesting. Some magic, but it's very limited for the most part. A decent adventure read.
February 5, 2011
The second half of the 6-book Corean Chronicles. I found the first three to be excellent, and the second set has started off well with Alector's Choice. Essentially prequels to the first three books, these lay down a great deal of the history of the world of Corus, full of political intrigue. The world and magic system are very different from Modesitt's Recluce series, and while I wouldn't call it a fast read, Alector's Choice isn't plodding the way some of the later Recluce books could be.
January 16, 2009
Almost as good as the first Corean trilogy - takes place thousands of years before the first set of books. Has two protagonists, and while I prefer only one in the books that I read, both of the story lines maintained my interest, especially when the two protagonists interacted with each other. I am curious what is going to happen in the rest of the series and to see who ultimately joins the upcoming rebellion. I recommend this to anyone who likes their fantasy military-heavy.
June 30, 2015
A return to Acorus in the far distant past.
Insight into the world as it was through the eyes of an Alector and one of Modesitt's "young men on a journey" (which to be fair he does write very well).
I like this story in much the same way that of the Recluse Series my favourites are Fall of Angels and the Cyador duology, the world building is fabulous and the technology/magic duality that LEM writes so well is here too.
Insight into the world as it was through the eyes of an Alector and one of Modesitt's "young men on a journey" (which to be fair he does write very well).
I like this story in much the same way that of the Recluse Series my favourites are Fall of Angels and the Cyador duology, the world building is fabulous and the technology/magic duality that LEM writes so well is here too.
May 26, 2016
One the world of Acorus things are not right. Life force is not being generated fast enough, miners are disappearing as mine production goes down, armed rebels are attacking government troops, and the ancients have made an appearance. Into these troubled waters, Colonel Dainyl and Captain Mykel must put things right while staying alive as both friend and foe oppose them. This fourth book of the Corean series is past paced jumping between the adventures of the two main characters.
June 27, 2020
With the life force of the planet Ifryn almost exhausted, its population is about to migrate to Corus, where the eight-foot Alectors, a superior race with psychic powers, are overseeing the biological preparation of this new world. Unfortunately, the migration will reduce the status of the powerful Alectors, while the Corus natives, known as indigens, will move so far down the social ladder as to be barely visible.
June 30, 2008
A bit on the boring side, but I plodded through since I had read the other books in the series. Was a bit disappointing to find out that this book takes place generations before the others. Basically flips back and forth between two characters and I never got into it, but I didn't have anything else to read and wasn't able to get to the library.
January 6, 2009
So far not my most favorite, still the same old struggle against the truly odd duck and the one who's the pet. It is still a good series. Makes me glad that we don't have to eat Bread, cheese, dried beef and flat fish....with ale...
I prefer the bread, cheese, beef stew and red punch of the Recluse book faire...
I prefer the bread, cheese, beef stew and red punch of the Recluse book faire...
September 18, 2008
I quite liked Modesitt's early stuff - but this is a bit tired. Fantasy authors often seem to write to many follow up books (See Stephen Donaldson - why would you spoil such a perfect series with a poor sequel?)... I may yet enjoy this if some clever twist appears, but it feels a bit samey at the moment.
September 13, 2025
It's been a while since I've read this series, but it remains one of my favorites of Modesitt's works. Excellent worldbuilding, fun characters, tons of action. If you haven't read it before I do recommend starting with book 1 in the series, since this second trilogy (books 4-6), while being a prequel, would spoil some of the most interesting twists and reveals in the first series.
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