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Title: Colors of Chaos (Saga of Recluce) |
Review of Colors of Chaos (Saga of Recluce)
- The biggest fantasy from L. E. Modesitt, Jr. to date, Colors of Chaos is the story of the White Chaos wizard Cerryl: his education in life and love, and his rise to power in the magicians guild of Fairhaven. This is the direct sequel to The White Order, which told of Cerryl's boyhood and youth, and takes place at the same time as the events in Modesitt's earlier novel, The Magic Engineer. Yet it stands alone, the longest Recluce novel, a portrayal of the growth and change of character and of the strengths and weaknesses of an age-old civilization held together by the power of magic. Ceryl, now a full mage in The White Order, must prove himself indispensible to Jeslek, the High Wizard. Whether through assassination, effective gorvernance of occupied territory or the fearless and clever direction of troops in battle, Ceryl faces many harrowing obstacles, not the least of which is Anya, the plotting seductress who's the real power behind the scenes of the white wizards. With his wits, his integrity, and the support of his love, the Black healer Leyladin, he must survive long enough to claim his rightful spot within the ruling heirarchy of the White Order. This is a must-read for followers of the Saga of Recluce, offering a unique, sympathetic point of view of the White Chaos wizards-the forces that throughout history have opposed the magicians of Recluce.Colors of Chaos is the ninth book in the saga of Recluce.
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Comments for Colors of Chaos (Saga of Recluce)
- Posted on 2007-09-03
Not Free SF Reader
Cerryl, from The White Order, is all grown up here and in a position of power. In this book, we see a lot of the same important events of The Magic Engineer, but from the Chaos Side.
It seems that diplomacy is something that will be important in his future. Politics and taxes, all that sort of thing.
What is interesting is that despite the Black and White names, it is all just grey, depending on whose viewpoint is shown at the time.
Score: 3
- Posted on 2006-01-07
Excellent
I've always been a fan of this series, but this may well be my favorite to date. The tie-in from the "other side of the fence" is very enlightening, and nicely written.
I found myself thinking, "Why don't Cerryl and Dorrin just get together and talk? They want the same thing...", as if these were two real people.
Any book that can make me forget I'm reading a book, is an excellent book indeed.
Score: 4
- Posted on 2005-11-28
A Great Read
I just finished a re-read of this book (along with its immediate predecessor The White Order), and I now remember why these two are probably my favorites out of the entire Recluce series. Modesitt is in top form here -- the characters are real people making hard decisions as well as they can (not always perfectly), and you truly feel for them, even as you see their weaknesses. The main character (Cerryl the mage) is especially memorable.
Another nice aspect of this book is the parallel with The Magic Engineer. Though I did not enjoy that book as much as this one, seeing the "other side of the story" was quite interesting, as it sheds light on the fact that the characters in both are simply doing the best they can in their respective situations. There are some "better" and "worse" characters, but they show up in all the various countries, trades, and magical abilities, and no character is simply good or evil.
If you are interested in this book, be sure to read The White Order first, as Colors finishes the story that it begins. No other knowledge of Modesitt's Recluce series is necessary, though a read through The Magic Engineer in advance is illuminating. These books will stretch your imagination, make you think, and (best of all) make you glad that you read them.
Score: 5
- Posted on 2004-06-18
Probably the best of the series so far.
This book along with the previous book, The White Order, make up a really great story about the white mage Cerryl. While every other book in the series is written from the perspective of the Blacks and portrays all chaos wizards to be totally evil (which most of them seem to be), these books provide a look into the workings of the Whites. It turns out that not all whites are truly evil and in fact many have very honorable ambitions to help the world rather than take it over. The Colors of Chaos was especially interesting because it told the same story as The Magic Engineer (with Dorrin the smith) exept from the perspective of Cerryl. It shows how there are two sides to every coin and that peole from both sides (except a few such as Jeslek & Anya) actually believe that they are on the side of good. In this story, told from the perspective of the Whites, Dorrin the smith and Recluce seem to be the bad guys because of their support of rulers who refuse to pay the road tariffs (to the detriment of all of Candar).Also, Modesitt's writing style has come a long way from his earlier novels and this book was much more interesting and gripping than its predecessors... I strongly reccomend this book for any Modesitt fans or fans of fantasy in general (although I believe that you'll have a much better appreciation of this one if you read the others in the series first). This book does much to patch up the complex story of the Recluce Saga.
Score: 5 - Posted on 2003-11-27
Another Great Read from Modesitt
This book is absolutely thrilling. It has great political and economical intrigue. It is made great by the qualities and the diversity of the main character, Cerryl. He is a young white mage in the city of Fairhaven. He was a Patrol Mage, an assassin, and a temporary governor of a recently captured city.
The strengths and weaknesses of Cerryl made the book good but how money and economics influenced the course of action made this very realistic. The political backstabbing made the book very interesting.
Also another book written by the same author blended into this story but was told by the good side. This book was written from the evil side.
Coming to a conclusion this book is a great read. It is not very easy to follow but is still great.
Score: 5
