Rightio, so I have finally managed to read a book! After years of just raging at being unable to control other people's stories I managed to actually just enjoy the creative awesomeness of another author. I chose to read
The Magician's Apprentice by Trudi Canavan
First of all, bonus points for being Australian. I mean, like, major Loubo brownie points.
Honestly I'm not biased >.>
^.^
She has quite a hefty series of books which are magical fantasy, based in a brand new fictional world.
Its not a Harry Potter style book, before anyone thinks it is! It shares the magical element but this is definately a more adult-orientated fiction. Some of the key themes weaved into her stories include politics, gender views, social class and regional discriminations.
As for the political aspects, the book features a heavy conflict between two of several nations, or maybe more accurately it is one nation against the rest. The two main nations, Kyralia and Sachaka have similar class structures when it comes to magical and non-magical people but when it comes to their authority and rights there is a rift between them. The distinction between Kyralian servants and Sachakan slaves is made apparent from the beginning, and made simple to remember by those titles. Canavan's work gives the reader an insight into the lives of landowners, magicians, country-leaders, servants, slaves and people of all origins which really strengthens the divides that exist between the distinct countries and their views on how a country should function.
The main character from the story's beginning is a young 'healing' (medical) enthusiast called Tessia. She has high ambitions of being what is effectively a doctor in Canavan's world, though named a 'healer'. Of course, she is restricted by gender and the old-fashioned views that women were not to be holding any positions of significance, except those who are magicians, though that is still a status inferior to the male equivalent. Both Tessia and another character in a parallel strand, Stara present the anti-female approach to the world in the book, however Canavan makes sure that these particular women don't just roll over and take it, they stick up for themselves where they can and make massive contributions to the story through their efforts and use of magic. Canavan does not take an anti-male approach to her writing, she writes about a shifitng paradigm where we see more and more women becoming powerful and influential, to the point of striving for equality. I found it very interesting, especially when the book shifts from a female-to-male perspective, to see the female characters show strength and resilience, and then for the male to underestimate them.
The actual magic elements of the story is not quite what I like in stories, though that is mainly just a matter of my preference, not a bad comment on Canavan's ability. In fact, her story is deep and gripping to the point that, perhaps, the magic was not needed, but the fact that she includes it just adds that extra element which adds unique events to her written conflicts and expressions of power between characters and class. If your looking for a highly active and imaginative display of magical feats then this may not be the book for you; most of the magical displays do not go beyond the kind of 'force' abilities like moving things, shielding things, and launching projectiles of heat or force. Like I said though, that is just a matter of my personal preference, though I still really enjoyed the book for what it was, it achieves exactly what it is meant to, I can't talk against it for doing something it wasn't made to do. Canavan's imagery in the magical conflicts in the book are still great, her balance of creative imagery in the magical context is just right as to not overload the reader when she has so many deep and interesting characters and societies to be following.
Her writing is easy to follow and is mature, she has a brilliant way of portraying the intricate struggles of her world's societies and races which keep the story interesting by swapping between different characters, also a good way of building the suspense of characters in dangerous situations.
For a book that is not action-loaded and that focuses on themes that I am not very good at writing, I really enjoyed and would recommend it to all you awesome peeps.
Check her out on twitter or on her website or something.
DO IT
