- ISBN13: 9780765360076
- Condition: New
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Product Description
Although Rhennthyl is the son of a leading wool merchant, he has spent years becoming a journeyman painter. With his skill and diligence, Rhenn stands to be considered for the status of master artisan. Then, his entire life is transformed when his master patron is killed in a flash fire, and Rhenn discovers he is an imager—one of the few in the entire world who can visualize things and make them real.
He must leave his family and join the Collegium of Imagisle. Imagers live separately from the rest of society because of their abilities (they can do accidental magic even while asleep), and because they are both feared and vulnerable. In this new life, Rhenn discovers that all too many of the “truths” he knew were nothing of the sort. Every day brings a new threat to his life.
James Daniel @ 11:01 pm
L.E. Modesitt, Jr., begins a new series in the same vein as Recluse. The parallels with Recluse are undeniable and formulaic, but they’re also the reason that the Recluse series is successful. Remember, when we first read The Magic of Recluse back in 1991, a primary point of interest was introducing a system of magic without actually detailing how it worked, first. We discover, along with the protagonist, how it works, oh, so very slowly.
The same thing happens, here. We have a protagonist in a coming-of-age story. He doesn’t fit in where he is, and his adventures consist of his finding his own way. I won’t explain the magic, because that would spoil the book for those who are interested. Suffice it to say that it’s very subtle, and the plot is suitably more subtle than those of the Recluse books.
Another large part of the fun in a new series such as this is gaining the flavor of a new imaginary world. This is almost-France in the Renaissance. A keen reader will recognize famous names, slightly modified, such as Descartes and Poincare. A strength of the author’s approach is the detail with which he describes the environment, the food, the art, etc., giving the reader sufficient detail to imagine what the world is “really like.” Of course, while such is a strength in the eyes of some readers, others will find this approach to be tedious and boring. If you like reading fantasy novels in order to explore a new world, this is right up your alley. If you prefer your fantasy to be more like Indiana Jones or Star Wars (the movies, not the mishmash of the extended universe), with fast-paced action without requiring much background detail, then you’ll not appreciate this story.
Another forte of Modesitt’s is the combination of magic and philosophy. In this universe, the philosophy is more separate (Recluse’s order vs. chaos had very moralistic overtones, in which chaos-wielders tended to be evil, for example). The philosophy here is an exploration of people, principles, and social interaction in general.
Modesitt’s primary weakness is also evident, here: the character development isn’t as good as one might wish, for a novel that introduces a new world. With good character development (e.g., David Eddings’ Belgariad), a reader will quickly get a sense of liking and disliking certain characters, and after time, will feel as if one actually knows these very real people. Modesitt’s characters, while not undeveloped, still feel like abstractions, slightly too perfect, with no real sense of humor or jocular interaction taking place between them. In all physical, philosphical and artistic aspects, Modesitt’s creations feel real and alive – but the people feel a bit more “animatronic”.
I give the book 5 stars, however, because my standards for character development are very high, and I am -so- relieved to read a fantasy story without vampires, without werewolves, and without having it turn into a “romance novel” for a few pages, I can forgive this novel for not meeting this particular standard of excellence.
Arthur W. Jordin @ 1:49 am
Imager (2009) is the first novel in the Imager Portfolio series. It is set on the world of Terahnar, where some people have the ability to rearrange matter into imagined shapes and properties. The various societies range from autocracies to republics. The technology is about equal to that of the late nineteenth century AD.
Solidar is the most powerful nation on Terahnar. It is the only country that has organized Imagers into a Collegium Imago. Other nations either destroy imagers as evil workers or do not provide any standing to such talents.
In this novel, Rhennthyl D’Culthyn is the eldest child in the family of a rich wool and cloth merchant. Rhenn is nearing his graduation from the grammaire, but definitely does not want to be part of his father’s business. Luckily, Rousel — Rhenn’s younger brother — wants to take on this responsibility, so Rhenn can follow his desire to become an artist.
In this story, Rhenn becomes an apprentice of Master Caliostrus, a respected Portraitist. He gets only room and board for his labors. Master Caliostrus has recently acquired another apprentice, but Rhenn continues to do the most menial jobs.
Ostrius — son of Master Caliostrus — is a lazy journeyman, so Rhenn also does the chores that Ostrius neglects. Rhenn is learning from his master, but very slowly. The wife of Caliostrus doesn’t cook all that well and Rhenn misses his mother’s meals.
After five years, Rhenn becomes a journeyman. He is still doing the menial chores that require a precise hand, such as preparing the pigments. Ostrius is too sloppy and lazy to do them himself. Rhenn also notices that his imagination can cause changes in his paintings.
Recently, Caliostrus has allowed Rhenn to take some commissions for portraits. He does some excellent work on young girls with cats. Then he gets a commission on a portrait of a junior factor.
During a Guild affair, Seliora — a young upholsterer — asks Rhenn to dance. She is an excellent dancer — much better than he — and Rhenn thoroughly enjoys dancing with her. He looks forward to meeting her again.
One day Rhenn is preparing red ochre in a workshed despite harassment from Ostrius. He is thinking some very unkind thoughts about the man. Then the upper story of the house explodes into flames, killing Caliostrus and Ostrius. Rhenn manages to rescue others from the blazing house.
Now Rhenn is a journeyman without a master. He tries to get a position with other Portraitist masters in the city, but without success. So Rhenn finally applies at the Collegium Imago. They take him on as a first level Imager.
This tale lets Rhenn discover his talents as an Imager. It also confronts him with a secret threat to the Collegium and Solidar. He is attacked and injured several times as he advances through the ranks of the Collegium.
The story has the characteristic feel of the author’s works. For example, Rhenn has strong talents as an Imager. He also enjoys fine dining and mentions the menu of many meals. Moreover, the female lead — Seliora — has a strong part in this story.
The ending is most satisfactory, but also leads into the next volume: Imager’s Challenge. Read and enjoy!
Highly recommended for Modesitt fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of exotic magic, political intrigue, and true romance.
-Arthur W. Jordin
E. A Solinas @ 3:59 am
It sounds like the ultimate deus ex machina: hey, look at me, I can make and teleport stuff with the power of my mind!
Fortunately, L.E. Modesitt Jr. avoids that particular usage in “Imager,” the first book of a new series with the theme of “imaging.” He spends the entire book creating a semi-realistic fantasy world with Renaissance French flair, complete with guilds, social customs, subcultures, a tinge of romance and plenty of politics… but unfortunately he never really bothers with much beyond that.
Uninterested in the wool trade, Rhennthyl is apprenticed to a master artist, and soon learns that his skills are too formidable — and too honest — for his surly master. But then Rhenn’s master and his son are killed in an explosion… mere seconds after Rhenn was imagining it. Frightened of the consequences, he rushes to Imagisle, where the “imager” mages live and work — they are people who can shape reality with the power of their thoughts.
Becoming an imager has its own challenges, as Rhenn must learn to regulate, control and shape his powers, while learning all about philosophy, law and the strict rules (spoken and unspoken) that imagers live by. And though he personally has some problems with angry, jealous students, there are bigger problems facing the land of Solidar and the city of L’Excelsis — including a serial killer murdering young imagers, and a brewing war between other lands.
Modesitt loves to create elaborate fantasy worlds, often with a set theme — music, colour, and in this case the power of imagery (whether art or magic). And “Imager” has a wonderfully intricate world based on France of some centuries ago (except with guns) — salons of haughty, cutthroat aristocrats, merchants dickering over money, the semi-ostracized Pharsi, and plenty of beautiful artwork. What’s more, he gives great attention to the structure of these societies, and the politics of surrounding regions.
Perhaps most importantly, Modesitt comes up with a semi-plausible number of restrictions for the imagers, as well as society’s intense discomfort with them.
Unfortunately, all that detail and realism leads to… boredom. The plot crawls by at a snail’s pace, with lots of descriptions of the daily life of young imager students, which basically involves a lot of drills and studying. And every few chapters we get very long philosophical conversations about God (or “the Nameless”), law, morals, art, and the intricacies of making imager shields. Modesitt spices things up a little with the hints of encroaching war and some cloak-and-dagger intrigues for talented images, but it’s not enough to give this book a real plot.
The cast has a lot of sprightly, quirky or memorable characters, ranging from the warmhearted Seliora to snotty rich boys. Unfortunately Rhennthyl is not one of them: he’s too passionless and aimless, and he observes the world with clinically cold eyes. He even kills four men and cripples a fourth over the course of a few months, but never experiences a single twinge of guilt or shock — even when facing his late master’s widow.
“Imager: The First Book of the Imager Portfolio” has a brilliant setting and beautifully detailed framework, but its sluggish pace and aimless hero bog it down badly. At least it ends with the promise of more interesting tales to come.
booksforabuck @ 4:37 am
Unwilling to work for his father as a wool factor, Rhennthyl apprentices as a portrait painter. The death of his master in an explosion Rhennthyl feels responsible for leaves him talented but unable to find a new master to complete his Journeymanship. But Rhennthyl has noticed that he has at least a bit of the magical talent of imaging and crosses the bridge of hope to the college of imagers hoping he’ll be able to find a position. Once there, he finds himself pushed to his limits, trained in different aspects of magic, and used as a stalking horse for those who seek to destroy the imagers. Indeed, it isn’t long before one or more assassins is after Rhennthyl, attacking him almost every time he leaves the campus. Which he has to do pretty often as he’s fallen for a beautiful (and wealthy) girl.
Author L. E. Modesitt, Jr. seems to specialize in stories of young men who feel out of place and who finally find their position in a place that once held their greatest fears. Fortunately, he does this very well. Modesitt’s strength comes in his world-building and IMAGER gives us an intriguing world with an interesting magical system, various competing nations governed by different institutions (theocracy, oligarchy, despotism, oligarchic republic, etc.) A strong romance adds to the story’s interest and lets us see Rhennthyl as something beyond a collection of unusually strong magical abilities. Most young men feel a degree of alienation and wish they were uniquely strong, wish beautiful young ladies would seek them out, wish their talents could be recognized, that they could be trained by stern but kind masters who’d unveil the secrets they know exist. Modesitt’s strength as a writer is in capturing these universal feelings and giving them his own special magic. It helps, of course, to be a fan of world-building. There is definitely a lot more world here than the actual plot requires.
Fans of Modesitt’s RECLUSE series may find IMAGER familiar. Modesitt isn’t really breaking new ground here, but he’s doing a fine job in reclaiming his strength.
John Wahlquist @ 7:09 am
A thoroughly enjoyable book – the first time (and the second). Modesitt spins a good yarn and I’m looking forward to the next installment in the series. The one quibble I have is that, as usual in a Modesitt story, the principal character works far harder and is more dedicated to his work by far than the “normal” person. But then, the “normal” person is usually content to float through life trying to stay within a “comfort” zone and that just wouldn’t make much of a story, would it?