Review: Masters of Magic - Chris Wraight

Title Masters of Magic
Author Chris Wraight
Pages 300
Year 2008
Reading Time 8 (April 2010)
Rating 8.5 out of 10

This is the year of Black Library for me. I really want to read more than I was reading... In 2007 I read 23 BL books, in 2008 10 books and in 2009 only 8. Since it is my favourite universe I do enjoy reading books in it I want to make ammends and read more of them... After all I have all their books so why shouldn't I read more books? Since I read several books at the same time my goal is to have on BL book at any given time... This year so far I have read 6 books and I am currenly reading the anthology Lords of Valour...

This was the second book I read with magicians... It was also the first book of Chris Wraight and so far he's got my approval. It was better without doubting than Magestorm. The plot, the characters and the use of magic was pretty good. The only problem with this book is the end for I hope that a sequel will be written...

There are some interesting characters starting with Lothar our main character who is a grey wizard. This characters needs a sequel so we can find what happens to him. Even Katerina Lautermann (Amethysts Wizard) needs a book of her own. I know that a Ludwig Schwarzhelm will have his own book in a couple of months. I am looking forward to it.

The book starts with an attack against the fortress of Helmgart (Gemmel's Legend anyone?) by a huge horde of orcs with a powerful sharman. Here we meet Lothat and Helmut who fight for the empire. Then Helmut is killed and the survivors of the attack flee to the Empire. With Lothar is Karsten the castellan (another interesting character). From there we go to Altdorf and the intrigue between the factions within the colleges. Then we are again back to Lothar were we meet yet another wizard called Joachim an amber Wizard and one of the most powerful wizards travelling the lands of the Empire. There is also intrigue between two imperial generals for the fighting the orcs.

There are simple too many points of views that we get to know the head of several characters... That's why I said that some of them needed their own book. In the climax there are four wizards fighining besides the army (each one with their own ideal/purpose)... Grey wizard Lothar Auerbach is there from the beginning. Katerina the Amethyst wizard. Ambrosius, Gold Wizard and the infamous Marius an Amber Wizard.. All of them are rivals (with the exception for Lothat who only wants revenge) and an fight between them can start anytime...

In the end as I said before there are several plot lines that get no answer and another book is needed. But I enjoyed it. Believe me... I think Chris Wraight really knows how the Empire works and all the intrigues that befalls it. The fighting in the end was long but a good one and I didn't thought that the end was rushed as some of the BL tend to be.

The Grey Wizards draw from shadows and mostly deal with illusions.

The Gold Wizards draw from minerals, such as within the earth, and may change the forms.

The Amethyst Wizards are weakest, until death begins. They draw from chaos and deal with mainly shadows, deception, and death.

The Amber Wizards draw from nature, its various beasts and forests.