Series
Genres
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Thriller. HTML:A worthy pupil . . . A dangerous quest To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. But though his courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, he was ill at ease with the normal ways of wizardry. Yet Pug's strange sort of magic would one day change forever the fates of two worlds. For dark beings from another world had opened a rift in the fabric of spacetime to being again the age-old battle between the forces of Order and Chaos. Praise for Magician: Apprentice�??Totally gripping . . . A fantasy of epic scope, fast-moving action and vivid imagination.�?��??The Washington Post Book World�??Most exciting . . . A very worthy and absorbing addition to the fantasy field.�?��??Andre Norton �??The best new fantasty in years . . . has a chance of putting its aughor firmly on the trone next to Tolkien�??and keeping him there.�?��??The… (more)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1982-11
2006-04
Publication
Oslo Tiden c1997
Pages
361
ISBN
8210041770 / 9788210041778
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member electrascaife
Pug and his friend, Tomas, are coming of age in the castle/keep of Duke Borric, and must stand for the choosing of apprentices. Tomas gets picked to be trained as a soldier, but Pug is left unchosen until the resident wizard decides to take him under his wing. And so they begin their lives as
Pug and his friends are great characters, and their adventures make for a very enjoyable read. The book nicely sets up the series, and I may even keep going with it eventually, but I have to say that Feist has cribbed *heavily* from Tolkien, so much so and so blatantly so that it passes from annoying into amusingly ridiculous. After they discover that their world is potentially under an immense threat from a strange evil race, Pug, Tomas, the wizard, and a ranger (ahem) set out on a long journey to bring the question of what should be done about it to Those in Charge. On the way, they try to cross through a mountain pass but have to backtrack because of heavy snowfall (ahem) and instead decide to take the path that leads underground and through the dwarf mines (AHEM), where they run into a giant heap of trouble from a deep and secret Evil Thing (seriously?). Meanwhile our hobbits, er, Pug and Tomas, get separated and start separate journeys, and Tomas stumbles onto a dragon hoard complete with dragon, and comes out the other side of the encounter with Magic Chainmail (oh ffs, REALLY?!). So, yeah. It's like Feist doesn't even try to cover the fact that he's cheating heavily off Tolkien's test paper. But in the end I didn't even mind because Feist's original bits are pretty darn entertaining and he at least weaves the Tolkien bits in nicely to his own story.
Show More
apprentices, dealing with noble bullies, a spoiled princess, and the oncoming threat of an invasion from another world.Pug and his friends are great characters, and their adventures make for a very enjoyable read. The book nicely sets up the series, and I may even keep going with it eventually, but I have to say that Feist has cribbed *heavily* from Tolkien, so much so and so blatantly so that it passes from annoying into amusingly ridiculous. After they discover that their world is potentially under an immense threat from a strange evil race, Pug, Tomas, the wizard, and a ranger (ahem) set out on a long journey to bring the question of what should be done about it to Those in Charge. On the way, they try to cross through a mountain pass but have to backtrack because of heavy snowfall (ahem) and instead decide to take the path that leads underground and through the dwarf mines (AHEM), where they run into a giant heap of trouble from a deep and secret Evil Thing (seriously?). Meanwhile our hobbits, er, Pug and Tomas, get separated and start separate journeys, and Tomas stumbles onto a dragon hoard complete with dragon, and comes out the other side of the encounter with Magic Chainmail (oh ffs, REALLY?!). So, yeah. It's like Feist doesn't even try to cover the fact that he's cheating heavily off Tolkien's test paper. But in the end I didn't even mind because Feist's original bits are pretty darn entertaining and he at least weaves the Tolkien bits in nicely to his own story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member molliewatts
Pug is an ordinary kitchen boy, an orphan in the kingdom of Crydee, the western-most duchy of Midkemia. He and his best friend, Tomas, await the day they will be selected for an apprenticeship, marking their ascent into adulthood. Tomas is chosen to apprentice as a soldier, while Pug, to everyone's
Feist's style of writing is a bit different from what I am used to reading. It seems to lack a certain depth and emotion, almost as if he is just skimming the surface of description - like a man lacking imagination (not trying to sound sexist). The magic that is alluded to is mentioned only briefly and then shunted aside with no real development. It is a quick read, though, and once I got used to the writing I enjoyed the book enough to make me want to read the sequels.
Show More
surprise, is chosen to apprentice the magician, Kulgan. Pug has a boyhood crush on the Princess Carline, but soon finds her to be snobbish and willful. After rescuing her one day from trolls, he finds himself awarded a title and land, eating meals with the Duc and his family, a peer of the realm and an object of fascination for the princess. When a mysterious ship crashes upon their shores, Pug and the others realize they are on the brink of invasion by an alien nation from another world, the Tsurani, a warlike people driven by powerful magicians. The Duc of Crydee sets out for the far East in the hopes of warning the king, taking both Pug and Tomas with him. Along the way the boys get separated, Pug continuing on with the duc and Tomas wintering in the mountains with the dwarves - during this time both boys begin to discover their destinies. The story ends on a cliffhanger, with Pug being captured by the Tsurani and taken to their world.Feist's style of writing is a bit different from what I am used to reading. It seems to lack a certain depth and emotion, almost as if he is just skimming the surface of description - like a man lacking imagination (not trying to sound sexist). The magic that is alluded to is mentioned only briefly and then shunted aside with no real development. It is a quick read, though, and once I got used to the writing I enjoyed the book enough to make me want to read the sequels.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Karlstar
One of the top fantasy novels. In typical fashion, it mainly concerns 2 young boys who live in a castle on the frontier of the Kingdom. When the Kingdom comes under attack, the two boys, previously unremarkable, both end up becoming heroes in very different ways. The main characters, Pug and Thomas
Show More
are remarkable, but so are the other supporting characters - Arutha, Martin, Amos Trask, and many others. The start of a very long series, but it gets off to a very good start. One important thing to remember is that this was written long before the Wheel of Time, before Game of Thrones, before Sword of Truth - before most of the huge modern fantasy epic series. Show Less
LibraryThing member goldnyght
I don't enjoy the Kingdom books as much as I enjoy their sister books on Kelewan, but Magician Apprentice is a well-written book.
LibraryThing member Radella
It's a strange mix that ends up making this book. Take your typical fantasy complete with orphan boy, frontier castle, elves and dwarf mines. Then toss in a random rift between worlds and an alien people that are as same as they are different and you have this book. While it is fairly captivating,
Show More
I was equally frustrated. While I know there are books that follow in the series, the end of the book left me completely unsatisfied. The dangling plot lines dangled just a bit too much for my liking, and I'm not so attached to the characters that I want to read the next book... Show Less
LibraryThing member bookwormteri
Not the best, not the worst. I have to get through the first one to read the rest of the series, which I am told is excellent. I have to have the background before I go on.
LibraryThing member debs4jc
This first book in a series follows a young boy as he develops into a man--and into a powerful magician. Pug grew up in the idyllic town of Crydee, in a medieval atmosphere of dukes and kings and swords. He is apprenticed to the local magician, and in later events becomes involved in the political
This tome is full of lots of great suspense and adventure, the political manuverings parrallel the best intrigues of history. Pug is an intriguing character as he grows and develops under trying circumstances. He seems a bit heartless at times, but when you consider the circumstances he was forced into there are reasons for his actions. This is a great series to get into for fans of swashbuckling fantasy adventures, but it is quite lengthy and occasionally I felt bogged down in the story.
Show More
infighting of the time while on a trip to visit the king. Pug is also there when a "rift" is discovered--a rift that turns out to be the portal to another world. This tome is full of lots of great suspense and adventure, the political manuverings parrallel the best intrigues of history. Pug is an intriguing character as he grows and develops under trying circumstances. He seems a bit heartless at times, but when you consider the circumstances he was forced into there are reasons for his actions. This is a great series to get into for fans of swashbuckling fantasy adventures, but it is quite lengthy and occasionally I felt bogged down in the story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Palunboy
A great book set in a medieval style society. A boy caught between two worlds warring and learning magic from both. I can't recommend this book enough!
LibraryThing member michaeleconomy
I read this book back in middle school, and decided to reread it recently to see if i would still like it.I think its still pretty good, maybe not as cool as it was back then, but my taste in reads have shifted a bit in the last decade.
LibraryThing member aethercowboy
The First Church of Tolkienism welcomes you. Today's sermon will deviate a little slightly from our current coverage over the validity of "The Hunt for Gollum" and what Tolkienologists have to say about it.
Today, we're visiting the more apocryphal passages of the Legendarium, those believed to be
Feist, for those of you not familiar with the lesser prophets, stands apart from the others, such as Terrance of Brooks, First and Second Eddings, and Stephen The Son of Donald, as his epistle is not, as with the others, at times easily confused with works penned by Tolkien.
He is, in fact, considered the least of the tolkienoid prophets, minimally retelling the tales we all know and love from the Legendarium.
In his epistle, The First Book of Magician: Apprentice, he tells a tale that crosses some controversial lines with many experts. The tales of the Legendarium do not condone cross-dimensional traveling. Such tales dwell too close to the teachings of the Moorcockadans.
Nevertheless, this epistle tells the tale of a lowly boy named Pug, who is apprenticed to a magician, and who is rather indifferent to such a vocation. Shortly after the discovery of of a strange rift in the universal fabric, allowing soldiers from a strange new world to march on their land, the people of the land attempt to retaliate. However, it is not an our world versus their world, as the treachery of the dark elves waylays their plans, yet the boon of the dwarfs give succor. A nation at war with itself and with another world gives rise to many facets of drama.
On the whole, scholars believe this work to be greatly inspired by Tolkien, but not to the point in which it would be considered too similar. Such writings may appeal to those who find works considered "Fantastic" to be of value, but may fall short of the expectations of devout Tolkienians and their families.
May the light of the silmaril constantly light your paths.
Today, we're visiting the more apocryphal passages of the Legendarium, those believed to be
Show More
penned not by Tolkien the Greater (or even Tolkien the Lesser), but instead by the Prophet Feist.Feist, for those of you not familiar with the lesser prophets, stands apart from the others, such as Terrance of Brooks, First and Second Eddings, and Stephen The Son of Donald, as his epistle is not, as with the others, at times easily confused with works penned by Tolkien.
He is, in fact, considered the least of the tolkienoid prophets, minimally retelling the tales we all know and love from the Legendarium.
In his epistle, The First Book of Magician: Apprentice, he tells a tale that crosses some controversial lines with many experts. The tales of the Legendarium do not condone cross-dimensional traveling. Such tales dwell too close to the teachings of the Moorcockadans.
Nevertheless, this epistle tells the tale of a lowly boy named Pug, who is apprenticed to a magician, and who is rather indifferent to such a vocation. Shortly after the discovery of of a strange rift in the universal fabric, allowing soldiers from a strange new world to march on their land, the people of the land attempt to retaliate. However, it is not an our world versus their world, as the treachery of the dark elves waylays their plans, yet the boon of the dwarfs give succor. A nation at war with itself and with another world gives rise to many facets of drama.
On the whole, scholars believe this work to be greatly inspired by Tolkien, but not to the point in which it would be considered too similar. Such writings may appeal to those who find works considered "Fantastic" to be of value, but may fall short of the expectations of devout Tolkienians and their families.
May the light of the silmaril constantly light your paths.
Show Less
LibraryThing member harpua
This was a fun book. I've got quite a few Feist sitting on my shelf mostly because it felt right. I always felt Raymond Feist seemed to rank up their with the greats of epic quest Fantasy with the likes of Weis and Hickman, Brooks and Jordan in terms of pure enjoyment but I since I had never read
Here we have the typical rise from obscurity and poverty to power in the kingdom mostly through circumstance and the awakening of a hidden and misunderstood power, fighting against an evil and vicious foe. This is just the beginning volume of the Riftwar saga, in fact it's the first half of the first volume as it was split for publishing in the US, but if this book is any indication of the rest of the trilogy then I have something to look forward to.
On the downside; this is not deep, the twists and turns so far you can see from a mile away, and you can see some of the newness that comes with being the first work of an author (this is a strength as much as a weakness).
I'm already moved on to book two (or book 1b if you will) and am looking forward to the journey.
Show More
him, I didn't have any proof. Well now I do, at least from this first volume, I can say I enjoyed this as much as any of the other epics. Here we have the typical rise from obscurity and poverty to power in the kingdom mostly through circumstance and the awakening of a hidden and misunderstood power, fighting against an evil and vicious foe. This is just the beginning volume of the Riftwar saga, in fact it's the first half of the first volume as it was split for publishing in the US, but if this book is any indication of the rest of the trilogy then I have something to look forward to.
On the downside; this is not deep, the twists and turns so far you can see from a mile away, and you can see some of the newness that comes with being the first work of an author (this is a strength as much as a weakness).
I'm already moved on to book two (or book 1b if you will) and am looking forward to the journey.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jgaiser
What a way to get back into Fantasy.. Who could ask for more. Magicians, Elves, Dwarfs, Young love, Swords and Aliens from another world. This is not Tolkien, but Feist can put together a rollicking story. For those who complain about feeling left hanging, blame it on the American publishers. The
Show More
books (Apprentice and Master) were written as single book, but the publisher thought it too long and split it in two. Already well into book 2. Show Less
LibraryThing member thedenathome
Feist writes a compelling adventure tale of intrigue, battle, alternate worlds with well drawn characters. Not afraid to shift perspectives and jump forward years at a time, he nonetheless maintains a plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Romance, training for war, for a career, to
I would perhaps raise the issue that the female characters are not as fully drawn as the male characters. He tries, but they tend not to have the richness of interior thoughts and concerns as the males of Magician's Apprentice.
He does do surprising things though: [SPOILER ALERT!!!!] the central characters leave the flow of the story for many pages at a time. However, he does tend to stick to one point of view for lengthy stretches which aids in the cohesiveness of the story telling.
I was captivated. I do intend to read the other 4 books of the series...and in short order!
Show More
understand magic and strange powers and strange ways of a foreign invader are intertwined with political intrigue and the simpler contests of people trying to gain an advantage for the place they want to hold in their own spheres of life.I would perhaps raise the issue that the female characters are not as fully drawn as the male characters. He tries, but they tend not to have the richness of interior thoughts and concerns as the males of Magician's Apprentice.
He does do surprising things though: [SPOILER ALERT!!!!] the central characters leave the flow of the story for many pages at a time. However, he does tend to stick to one point of view for lengthy stretches which aids in the cohesiveness of the story telling.
I was captivated. I do intend to read the other 4 books of the series...and in short order!
Show Less
LibraryThing member Krumbs
Loved this book when I was younger, and in rereading it I can see why. It doesn't speak to me the same way anymore, so time to get it off my shelf to make room for other things!
LibraryThing member Whiskey3pa
Good writing and average-to-good story. Felt like it was just about to really take off and then did not. For all that I did read it all and will read the next to see if it lives up to the potential.
LibraryThing member SMG-VLowe
It took me ages to read this book, but at the end it almost had Tolkien standard. It took a while to get into the plot though.
LibraryThing member kimmy0ne
A great introduction novel to an enthralling series of books
LibraryThing member Alisbookshelf
If you like fantasy you will love this book as much as I did. This is one of the first real fantasy books I read that I fell in love with and immersed myself in. I read this book in one day and couldn't put it down. The way Raymond E. Feist uses the words to create a dream like world captured me
The main reason I started reading this one was that my brother was reading them and he told me pretty much that I would love them and had to read them. He let me borrow this one and that was it I was hooked.
I loved following the characters in their world and getting to know more about Pug ( the main character). I love the wars and the love in this story.
The way Feist writes is so vivid that every detail I could see in my head like I was sitting down and watching a movie instead of reading a book. I love with a writer can hold you and create the images in your head.
The twists and turns of this amazing book will keep you on your toes, I know it did for me. The way Feist, creates his own world ( love the map of the world in the front of the book) is so detailed that you feel like you are almost there walking through the trees with Pug and Kulgan, you almost feel as if you in Krondor itself. This is a wonderful saga that I could read all over again and it would still hold that magical feeling to it!
I loved the different races of characters in this book, like other fantasy books, there are plenty of elves, dwarfs, regular people, even amazing magicians. I couldn't get enough of the different characters in Feist's books!
I really hope you all read this book if you haven't. I know you wont be sorry!
Show More
inside its depths and held me still until the last word was finished and then I had to have the next book. (The Review for the other books will come soon) It was a good thing my brother had most of the books by Raymond E. Feist. I was able to get right into the next book and the story continued. The main reason I started reading this one was that my brother was reading them and he told me pretty much that I would love them and had to read them. He let me borrow this one and that was it I was hooked.
I loved following the characters in their world and getting to know more about Pug ( the main character). I love the wars and the love in this story.
The way Feist writes is so vivid that every detail I could see in my head like I was sitting down and watching a movie instead of reading a book. I love with a writer can hold you and create the images in your head.
The twists and turns of this amazing book will keep you on your toes, I know it did for me. The way Feist, creates his own world ( love the map of the world in the front of the book) is so detailed that you feel like you are almost there walking through the trees with Pug and Kulgan, you almost feel as if you in Krondor itself. This is a wonderful saga that I could read all over again and it would still hold that magical feeling to it!
I loved the different races of characters in this book, like other fantasy books, there are plenty of elves, dwarfs, regular people, even amazing magicians. I couldn't get enough of the different characters in Feist's books!
I really hope you all read this book if you haven't. I know you wont be sorry!
Show Less
LibraryThing member willowcove
The beginning of an epic classic.
LibraryThing member s001bjw
Great start to a really good fantasy series.
LibraryThing member SnakeVargas
I read this book when i was 14 and i loved it. Then. I re-read it several years later, and didn't care for it nearly as much. This book and its direct sequal, Magician: Master, are the only two of R.E. Feist's books i can stomach. Most of them read like somebody's roleplay session transcribed.
LibraryThing member MiaSquires
To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. But though his courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, he was ill at ease with the normal ways of wizardry. Yet Pug's strange sort of magic would one
Show More
day change forever the fates of two worlds. For dark beings from another world had opened a rift in the fabric of spacetime to being again the age-old battle between the forces of Order and Chaos. Show Less
LibraryThing member mossjon
I am kicking myself for not reading this novel when published, my only excuse being I was a teenager with no funds and no connections (remember the state of the Internet in 1982?). I lived twenty miles away from the nearest library back then. If my mom didn't own the book, I didn't get to read it.
This story overflows with likable characters: Pug, Tomas, Carline, Roland, Arutha, Kulgan, Meecham, just to name a few. The pacing skips, trots, canters, gallops, crashes, walks, jumps, and flies. The magic system teases you through Pug's apprenticeship, yet we glimpse broader examples through Kulgan and the invaders. The classic fantasy races make an appearance via elves (both light and dark or good and bad as you prefer), dwarfs, goblins, trolls and dragons.
The world building interwove seamlessly with the narrative as we followed along with Pug and Tomas as they ventured along with the Duke's expedition to seek aid to stave off an invasion of aliens from his royal kin over the mountains and east of his far western holding of Crydee. The aliens control rifts between their world, Kellewan, and Midkemia, where the Kingdom reigns through the Duke's royal relatives. Through these rifts, the aliens establish a bridgehead and proceed to slowly encroach upon Midkemia, first to mine metals in the mountains east of Crydee, and then to expand westward to gain access to the sea.
The book ends abruptly, but understandably so, since the original publication was one large volume, not the two we see today published as Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master. I look forward to reading the second half of this opening salvo in the Riftwar Saga next month.
Show More
This story overflows with likable characters: Pug, Tomas, Carline, Roland, Arutha, Kulgan, Meecham, just to name a few. The pacing skips, trots, canters, gallops, crashes, walks, jumps, and flies. The magic system teases you through Pug's apprenticeship, yet we glimpse broader examples through Kulgan and the invaders. The classic fantasy races make an appearance via elves (both light and dark or good and bad as you prefer), dwarfs, goblins, trolls and dragons.
The world building interwove seamlessly with the narrative as we followed along with Pug and Tomas as they ventured along with the Duke's expedition to seek aid to stave off an invasion of aliens from his royal kin over the mountains and east of his far western holding of Crydee. The aliens control rifts between their world, Kellewan, and Midkemia, where the Kingdom reigns through the Duke's royal relatives. Through these rifts, the aliens establish a bridgehead and proceed to slowly encroach upon Midkemia, first to mine metals in the mountains east of Crydee, and then to expand westward to gain access to the sea.
The book ends abruptly, but understandably so, since the original publication was one large volume, not the two we see today published as Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master. I look forward to reading the second half of this opening salvo in the Riftwar Saga next month.
Show Less
LibraryThing member michaelbolan
This is the book that started me reading again. I had read a lot as a kid, way beyond my supposed reading age, and the I stopped. For over a year, I read nothing. This from a kid who had read the back of the cereal box... Magician piqued my curiosity (Apprentice was released in the UK as one volume
Show More
with Master) and started me off on my journey. Now I read a book a week, and have written three in two years. I blame you, Mr. Feist! Show Less
LibraryThing member readafew
This is the beginning of a great epic. We meet the boy Pug growing up in the Dutchy of Crydee. Things turn strange when a very unusual foreign ship crashed into the beach during a storm. It disappeared under the waves after Pug and Tomas rummaged and found a couple little clues as to the origin and
Show More
intentions of the ships crew. The intentions were not benevolent to the citizens of the Kingdom. Show Less