Rating: 
Summary: What Came Before
Review: The Stars Asunder is the sixth novel written in the Mageworlds series. At this time, however, it is the first in internal chronological sequence. This series has evoked a mysterious past from the very first volume. While Doyle and MacDonald have filled in some of the backstory in The Gathering Flame, now we are told the story of Arekhon Khreseio sus-Khalgath sus-Peledaen, the Professor, at a time 500 years before The Price of the Stars.The eiran seem to be silvery threads to those with the ability to see them. They are the forces of life and luck and can be manipulated by Mages. Long ago, individual efforts of many short-sighted individuals have caused a Great Sundering of the eiran, leaving The Gap Between separating the survivors and their worlds. In the Mageworlds, circles still manipulate the eiran, but, in the rest of the human worlds, the Adepts consider the eiran as a force of nature and manipulation of the threads is believed to be an abomination. Garrod syn-Aigal is a Void Walker, able to cross even interstellar distances through the Void, and Yuvaen syn-Deriot is his Second. They are determined to perform a Great Working to bridge The Gap Between and make whole the broken eiran threads within the galaxy. They begin by recruiting Mages for a new circle based at Demaizen Old Hall and the eiran brings them from all walks of life. Among the new Mages are Iulan Vai, Narin Iyal, Ty, and Arekhon. Iulan Vai is Agent-Principal of the sus-Radal family, working in the shadows to gather information. Narin is the First of the Amisket Circle, protecting the fishing town and its fleet. Ty is a young nobody's-child from the Port Street Foundling Home, who has to find a means of livelihood. Arekhon, the younger brother of Natelth, the head of the sus-Peledaen family's senior line, is leavimg his family business to become a mage. Each is facing an uncertain future before the eiran brings them together. The Demaizen Circle is the only remaining independent Mage circle that is performing Great Workings. All the others are bound to the noble houses or doing only minor workings. The Demaizen Circle is beholden only to Garrod, who is the last of his family, but their efforts may provoke even the Gods themselves against them. The Mageworlds stories belong to that gray area between science fiction and fantasy, mixing Technology and Talents, much like the interstellar adventures of Andre Norton and Lisanne Norman. Recommended for all Mageworlds fans and anyone who enjoys stories of great magic, political intrigue, and exotic cultures.
Rating:
Summary: What Came Before
Review: The Stars Asunder is the sixth novel written in the Mageworlds series. At this time, however, it is the first in internal chronological sequence. This series has evoked a mysterious past from the very first volume. While Doyle and MacDonald have filled in some of the backstory in The Gathering Flame, now we are told the story of Arekhon Khreseio sus-Khalgath sus-Peledaen, the Professor, at a time 500 years before The Price of the Stars. The eiran seem to be silvery threads to those with the ability to see them. They are the forces of life and luck and can be manipulated by Mages. Long ago, individual efforts of many short-sighted individuals have caused a Great Sundering of the eiran, leaving The Gap Between separating the survivors and their worlds. In the Mageworlds, circles still manipulate the eiran, but, in the rest of the human worlds, the Adepts consider the eiran as a force of nature and manipulation of the threads is believed to be an abomination. Garrod syn-Aigal is a Void Walker, able to cross even interstellar distances through the Void, and Yuvaen syn-Deriot is his Second. They are determined to perform a Great Working to bridge The Gap Between and make whole the broken eiran threads within the galaxy. They begin by recruiting Mages for a new circle based at Demaizen Old Hall and the eiran brings them from all walks of life. Among the new Mages are Iulan Vai, Narin Iyal, Ty, and Arekhon. Iulan Vai is Agent-Principal of the sus-Radal family, working in the shadows to gather information. Narin is the First of the Amisket Circle, protecting the fishing town and its fleet. Ty is a young nobody's-child from the Port Street Foundling Home, who has to find a means of livelihood. Arekhon, the younger brother of Natelth, the head of the sus-Peledaen family's senior line, is leavimg his family business to become a mage. Each is facing an uncertain future before the eiran brings them together. The Demaizen Circle is the only remaining independent Mage circle that is performing Great Workings. All the others are bound to the noble houses or doing only minor workings. The Demaizen Circle is beholden only to Garrod, who is the last of his family, but their efforts may provoke even the Gods themselves against them. The Mageworlds stories belong to that gray area between science fiction and fantasy, mixing Technology and Talents, much like the interstellar adventures of Andre Norton and Lisanne Norman. Recommended for all Mageworlds fans and anyone who enjoys stories of great magic, political intrigue, and exotic cultures.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: This book is like a patchwork quilt with the seams way too obvious and disratcing. It was cobbled together, forced, lacking spark. Stick to the greats.
Rating:
Summary: Interestig filling in of the backplot
Review: This is a good story that kept me riveted. I would, however, read these books in the order they were written and not in their story-based chronological order. The story, while trying not to, seems to depend upon one's previous knowledge of the Mageworlds universe to really be interesting. I can hardly wait for the sequel to this book!
Rating:
Summary: Interestig filling in of the backplot
Review: This is a good story that kept me riveted. I would, however, read these books in the order they were written and not in their story-based chronological order. The story, while trying not to, seems to depend upon one's previous knowledge of the Mageworlds universe to really be interesting. I can hardly wait for the sequel to this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Fine Space Opera with real Mages
Review: This is an exciting and colourful adventure story, set in a universe where high technologies such as spaceships and robots interact seamlessly with what appear to be magical powers. As such it could be regarded as a book on the diffuse borderline between SF and Fantasy, though the rigorous approach to the use of the magical system, as well as, to be sure, the space-going setting, gives the book a feel that is distinctly SF. Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald have been publishing their Mageworlds series of unabashed Space Opera since 1992. The books feature a conflict between the Republic and the Mageworlds, both loose associations of solar systems, separated by a large starless gap. The first five books have all been from the point of view of the Republic. This book is set some 500 years prior to the preceding books, and it is set mostly in the Mageworlds, prior to their contact with the worlds of the Republic. While the Mageworlds appear to be the "bad guys" in the other books, in this book we see the action through their eyes, and their motivations are a usual human mixture of noble and venal. The story follows several threads: one involving 'Rekhe, a young man of the eus-Peledaen family, who becomes a mage; another involving his mentor, Garrod, who plans to cross the ancient gap caused by the "Sundering of the Galaxy"; another involving 'Rekhe's lover's fleet career; and a complicated thread involving political machinations concerning the domination of the star fleet families over Mageworlds trade. The story takes a while to get going, because there are many threads to initiate. But eventually Garrod makes his exhausting quasi-magical trip across the gap, and 'Rekhe persuades his family to sponsor a trip to the world Garrod finds. But the technological situation across the "sundering" is rather different from what the Mageworlds are used to, and it isn't at all clear if this contact will be a good thing. At the same time, the various plots coming to a head back home threaten to disturb the settled, somewhat peaceful, order of the Mageworlds. The conclusion is exciting and satisfying. The plots turn out to be more convoluted than expected, and in a sensible way. The authors manage to make the people of the Mageworlds believable and basically good, while at the same time setting them up to be the villains they become in future books. The various characters are also believable, and mostly likeable, even when they act in questionable ways.
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