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Summary: PERFECT - FEIST CAPTURES YOU FROM THE FIRST PAGE !!!
Review: From page one to the last page of his last book, you cannot put it down. I never really enjoyed fantasy, but since a friend introduced me to his work, I haven't bought anything else. Feist writes in a language that I understand, and not something that died out with my great great great grandfather. He is the best!
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Summary: Fantasy has been compared to plausible reality in this book.
Review: I haven't read any other author that has come this close to making me feel as if I was really in the story with the characters. It took me a few books of the saga to get used to the feeling I got when I would finally set the book down. I would feel as if I had just been in an alternate reality rather than reading a story. I was able to really believe the happenings within the storyline to the extent of getting emotional along with the characters. If this book could do that to me, then it must be wonderfully written. I have read many books in my youth and none have touched my heart and soul as this book and the saga it is a part of. I look forward to more of this fine land that Mr. Feist has created and will enjoy whatever toil and trouble he may brew up for us next.
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Summary: Pretty Good, gets better on 2nd book.
Review: Most of the previous commments below touch one or another part of me. Personally, I was hoping Pug's growth and magic would be revealed in this book-it wasn't. You must read the second book to find more. Also I like the author-his stories don't seem to drag you down with irrelevant and boring information. I wished he would of shown more of Pug's involvement in the Wars. The book was hard to put down, but I feel the second book is better. I hope this author does not forget about Pug and go off writing about everyone else's adventures. All in all, you might like this series. I do.
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Summary: Fun to read, but where's the originality?
Review: Feist may have the best overall writing style of any science-fiction author today. He writes and describes well, without bogging the reader down with too many unnecessary details. His books are exciting, and enjoyable to read. In fact there is only one problem with his books: they are totally devoid of any originality. Feist's books posess no uniqueness, and he recycles all the familiar elements, not even twisting them into new and different patterns as Robert Jordan does. His books are fun to read, but do not hold up to the classics of science fiction.
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Summary: One of the best I have ever read
Review: I read the authors prefered edition. This book stands on its own. Nothing comes near it. The whole series is incredible.
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Summary: I love this book.
Review: This book is simply fabulous, it introduces the characters of a fantasy epic which will be remembered as one of the best.
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Summary: A stunning panorama spanning two worlds
Review: To compare this work to Tolkien, does not do justice to Raymond E Feist. He stands on his own merits as an author of imagination who will often be mimicked but never surpassed
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Summary: Some of the best fantasy I've read!!
Review: This book was tons of fun to read. The storyline is fun, exciting and fast paced!! After the first book, you can't wait to dive into to the next ones. ENJOY!!!
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Summary: One of the best Fantasy books I have ever read!
Review: I was first introduced to the Riftwar series by a friend, who let me borrow a game, Betryal at Krondor. I had no idea how to play it, so, he showed me the book. I am not an avid reader of fantasy books, but this one just caught my eye from the first chapter. Raymond E. Feist develops his characters fantastically, and with so many human emotions. (Something that, i am sorry to say, has disappeared from many fantasy books lately.) Although it gets kind of slow in the middle, (The reason for the 9) this book shouldn't be passed. I truly recommend this book to anyone, not just fantasy buffs.
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Summary: A foundational novel, underdeveloped but intriguing.
Review: In "Magician: Apprentice", Raymond Feist lays the groundwork for a fascinating series of novels, with broad scope, interesting characters, and a deeper level of detail than many fantasy works. However, particularly in this first and foundational novel, the plot is relatively slow and the characters are as yet undeveloped. If this volume is taken in isolation, I think it must rate fairly low on the scale. It is the knowledge of the rest of the series awaiting which allays this somewhat, since much of the material (especially in the author's Preferred Edition) is necessary for the more enjoyable tales of the next three volumes. Despite the author's claim that the novel itself arises from the desire for "a rollicking...tale", I would not rate this work of fantasy alongside J.R.R Tolkien, Guy Gavriel Kay, or others in my first picks list. As an aside note, it is when I take into account not only the Riftwar saga as such, but also the subsequent books set in Midkemia, and the "Empire" series, co-authored by Feist and Janny Wurts, that the real richness of the Midkemian Universe becomes evident. While the Tsurani culture borrows heavily from oriental culture, and many aspects of the topography and political nature of the Midkemian world are not developed (especially the Empire of Great Kesh, which is given very short shrift in all but one of the books), all in all the descriptions of the Valheru legacy, the world of Kelewan and it's vicious political organization, the interesting discourses on the arts magical, and the later development of characters such as Jimmy the Hand, Arutha, and Tomas give the series a vast sense of the heroic combined with occasional gripping scenes of reality.
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