Rating: 
Summary: against most reviewers' opinion, a great book
Review: As other reviewers have mentioned, this isn't quiet up to the standards of Elaine Cunningham's forgotton realms books, but I don't quiet think it is fair to use extraordinary great books as a standard for comparison for every book. This is a pretty good book- perhaps not a eternal classic, but so few are- and i find it a good read every so often. If you like forgotton realms books, you should immediately buy this. If you don't, than make your own choice. But no one should criticize this novel...
Rating:
Summary: THE HARPERS vs THE RED WIZARDS!
Review: Definitely one of the BEST in the Harpers Series and one of my personal favorites, RED MAGIC sheds light and provides a great insight into the magical world of Thay and the evil Red Wizards that inhabit it! The book is so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another plane of existence and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. Jean Rabe, has truly outdone himself and has presented us with a wonderful piece of literature the likes of which could be compared with JRR Tolkien's work, RA Salvatore's The Dark Elf and Icewind Dale trilogies, and in authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies. Magic, Heroes, and Villains are all about. In conclusion, it's what Fantasy reading SHOULD be. A GREAT book indeed and a "must read" if you love Fantasy and especially if you love the Forgotten Realms! DON'T MISS IT!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Avarage Novel
Review: I believe it was a good book, but it could have been batter. The story was good and suited very well to the harpers. Although Jean Rabe could have made this a two book trilogy. That way she could have been able to make more about the characters and the story itself. The story didn't settle in one book. It would have required more.... But in whole the book was good. I recomend other Harper fans read it too.
Rating: 
Summary: worst book ever
Review: I bought two Harper books. The parched sea and this one, after reading the parched sea i expected alot from Red Magic. I couldn't get passed page 76, i read Exile (by R.A Salvatore), the puppet king (Douglas Niles) and Rainbow Six (Tom Clancy) and i couldn't get far in this book. If you see a copy, don't get tempted by the cover art, run!
Rating: 
Summary: You can tell this is one of the first Harper books.
Review: I did not like this book too much... The characters lacked depth and heart, the setting was awful and the action mediocre at best. And the story...*groans* the story, my friends, was so pointless! Whenever tension does arise in the plot it seems to be more coincidence than anything else. I would blame it all on the fact that this novel was written in the early stages of FR, while the authors did not properly know how to breathe life into RPG characters, but I have read the ingenious "Elfshadow", which came out before this "novel", so not even that excuse is valid. What "Red Magic" does do is give you an insight on character classes like the Druid or the lich, but buying a nice AD&D rules book will do that with more emotion than this book. I sure hope there will be other books about Thay, because it could sure be a very interesting background for an author who can handle it! Please do not read this book, I have and I think it decreased my life span be several months.Andreas "Good thing I learn from my mistakes" Meyer
Rating: 
Summary: A good enjoyable read
Review: I don't know what all the fuss is about; Jean Rabe has penned a good Harpers book. There are no earth-shattering revelations and your not going to find any truisms here (which is the case with most fantasy novels). The characters are constructed fairly well. The villians are truly the most developed characters. I found myself anticipating what would happen to the villians more than I did the heroes. In fact, if this weren't a Harpers book this could have made a nice starting point for a villians series. To me the story reads like a good translation of a D&D module (unlike "Against the Giants"). The characters are vibrant and colorful. I enjoyed this book and I most people would also enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: A good enjoyable read
Review: I don't know what all the fuss is about; Jean Rabe has penned a good Harpers book. There are no earth-shattering revelations and your not going to find any truisms here (which is the case with most fantasy novels). The characters are constructed fairly well. The villians are truly the most developed characters. I found myself anticipating what would happen to the villians more than I did the heroes. In fact, if this weren't a Harpers book this could have made a nice starting point for a villians series. To me the story reads like a good translation of a D&D module (unlike "Against the Giants"). The characters are vibrant and colorful. I enjoyed this book and I most people would also enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Slow but good refrence
Review: I have read the book three times. I found that, although it was slow, it did delve into the minds of the Red Wizards and, while not the most captivating book, it can give a Dungeon Master who is running a game in Forgotten Relms some insight into how the Red Wizards think.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent villains
Review: I thought the strongest point of this book was the villains and the treatment of magic. The story was relatively fast-paced, and the villains were complex. I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: The not so fearsome Thayvians
Review: If you know anything about the Forgotten Realms you likely have an itching fear when anyone mentions Thayvians. I know I do, but it's not because of this novel (Sorry Ms. Rabe). I'm sorry to say, but it was a very dry read and...flat, for lack of a better word. To bring this novel up from a 3 star rating it needed 1.) Less "down time"-the travel time seemed wanting for action, or a deepening and rounding of the characters. 2.) Passion! We see these two characters fall in love, but there's no passion, this isn't Junior High boyfriends and girlfriends, these were grown adults brought together under the impending wrath of the Thayvian Zulkirs! The passion also was severly lacking in the villains I thought. Both Maligor and Sazz Tam were hollow, and flat. Sazz Tam, arguably one of the most powerful sorcerers on all Toril was a bore! Even stuffy old Alophondar-Sage Most Learned of Cormyr has more spunk! The ending also left me blah, it felt rushed. If you love the realms and have the coin to spare, read it, it's a neat look at Thay, a look we haven't since been given (outside game material). But in all honesty, I'd pass. Hopefully the powers that be will assign someone like Greenwood, Cunningham or Denning (oh here comes the heat!) to bring us back to the feared lands of the Red Wizards, as soon as they're finished in Halruaa of course (crossing fingers over "The Mage Hound").
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