BobQuasit reviewed Master of the Five Magics by Lyndon Hardy
The interactions of magic: An enjoyable, engrossing read
4 stars
"Master of the Five Magics" (1980) by Lyndon Hardy
Not every good book has to be a classic for the ages. Sometimes a good, light, enjoyable read is exactly what you need.
And that describes Lyndon Hardy's "Master of the Five Magics" to a T. It's the story of Alodar, a journeyman thaumaturge in a fantasy world. Alodar has a problem: his father was a noble, but was cast out of the aristocracy long before. Now Alodar harbors a secret determination: to win the hand of Queen Vendora and by so doing, erasing his family's disgrace.
His path isn't an easy one. As a journeyman thaumaturge, his status isn't high. But war plagues the kingdom, and if he can serve the Queen he hopes to parlay that into being accepted as a suitor for her hand.
But that's the general plot. The specifics are where things …
"Master of the Five Magics" (1980) by Lyndon Hardy
Not every good book has to be a classic for the ages. Sometimes a good, light, enjoyable read is exactly what you need.
And that describes Lyndon Hardy's "Master of the Five Magics" to a T. It's the story of Alodar, a journeyman thaumaturge in a fantasy world. Alodar has a problem: his father was a noble, but was cast out of the aristocracy long before. Now Alodar harbors a secret determination: to win the hand of Queen Vendora and by so doing, erasing his family's disgrace.
His path isn't an easy one. As a journeyman thaumaturge, his status isn't high. But war plagues the kingdom, and if he can serve the Queen he hopes to parlay that into being accepted as a suitor for her hand.
But that's the general plot. The specifics are where things get interesting, because the book is effectively a series of really interesting and fun puzzles.
There are five schools of magic:
• Thaumaturgy, in which manipulation of a part of an object gives control over the whole
• Alchemy - many repetitions produce only some correct results
• Magic - years-long rituals are required to produce perfect enchanted objects
• Sorcery - the art of commanding the will of others
• Wizardry - the dangerous art of summoning and commanding demons
Each school is described clearly with the applicable principles for each. As Alodar proceeds from one adventure to another, each bringing him a little closer to the hand of the Queen, he moves from one school of magic to another—discovering along the way synergies between the schools that no one else ever anticipated.
In other words, this is a •thinking• book. Puzzles layered on puzzles, developing new levels of meaning as the plot moves along. It's a damned good book and I've found it fun to re-read many times.
A few notes:
There are two sequels. They're both good, but as is often the case they're not •quite• as good as the first one. They're still worth reading, though!
I'll note that while Alodar is included in the two sequels, he's not the main character in either.
Lyndon Hardy rewrote the book years after it was published as a "2nd edition". I'm sorry to say that the rewrite is NOT an improvement by any means. Stick with the original.
Fortunately the original edition is available to borrow available to borrow for free at the Internet Archive. archive.org/details/masteroffivemagi0000hard
Happy reading! 🤓📖
