Synopsis: At Crydee, a frontier outpost in the tranquil Kingdom of the Isles, an orphan boy, Pug, is apprenticed to a master magician - and the destinies of two worlds are changed forever. Suddenly the peace of the Kingdom is destroyed as mysterious alien invaders swarm through the land. Pug is swept up into conflict but for him and his warrior friend, Tomas, an Odyssey into the unknown has only just begun. Pug's destiny is to lead him through a rift in the fabric of space and time to the mastery of the unimaginable powers of a strange new magic.

The Short
Magician is full of magic, intrigue and epic battles. The fast paced story telling kept me hooked while the intertwining storylines kept me wanting more! Characters will make you laugh, cry and huff in frustration, but you'll fall in love with them all the same. The writing style and epic adventure I similar to Tolkien but Feist has easily created a world of his own.

The Long
Magician was a hefty book but don't let that put you off. From the first page you are completely sucked into the world of Midkemia and the lives of all the characters. There are an array of different characters, all from different backgrounds, which really helps with building and explaining the world in which this novel takes place. Each character also has their own personal traits which flow effortlessly off the page and really make it feel like the story is taking place right in front of you.

This edition places Book 1 and Book 2 together but Feist has still made it clear when one book ends and the next begins. Book 1 - Magician: Apprentice - had a slow start and I questioned a few times whether I should keep reading. I'm so glad I persisted! Another thing that put me off at first was the length of the chapters, many are over 30 pages long and being someone who must finish a chapter before putting the book down became somewhat of a challenge. There were many times where I had to leave a chapter half way through but Feist has written this book in a way that is easy to put down and pick back up - multiple paragraph breaks throughout chapters.

Book 2 - Magician: Master - was epic. Characters were developing, war was raging, love was brewing and magic was growing. I read Book 2 in a matter of days and the lengthy chapters soon didn't seem long enough. I loved that Feist has written these books spanning over nine years. You would think things would be missed out, and although there were sections I would have liked to be fleshed out more, the writing and explanations Feist provided made for easy time-travel reading.

One thing that has intrigued me throughout these two books is the character of Macros. I won't give too much away! Macros is such an intriguing character and I made so many similarities between him and another key character that I was almost hoping they were one and the same. As the story evolved Macros turned from character to a somewhat narrator and although he wasn't great with explanations, you couldn't help but trust him.

For those that enjoy romance in their fantasies, do not stray! This book has plenty of heart racing and heart wrenching romances. Although the romances were skimmed over and didn't have too much detail, you could still see them evolve throughout the two books. Plus, you could watch as the characters grow from awkward teens suffering from infatuation to adults understanding the difference between love of family, friends and lovers.

The ending of these two books was so satisfying. Although some beloved characters died, many of my favourites are ready for the next adventure. You could probably leave the series with this edition and be happy, however there are still two more books in the series! I've just started Book 3 and I can't wait to see what happens next!!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Magician. It certainly wasn't what I expected, but I loved how exciting and fun this book was. If only I could be a Great One...