The Black Magicians Trilogy

Trilogy Description:

Book 1 – The Magicians Guild

Each year the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city streets of beggars, urchins and miscreants.  Masters of the disciplines of magic, they know that no one can oppose them. But their protective shield is not as impenetrable as they believe.

As the mob is herded from the city, Sonea, a young street girl, furious at the authorities’ treatment of her family and friends, hurls a stone at the shield, putting all her rage behind it. To the amazement of all who watch, there is a flash of blue light as the stone passes through the barrier and cracks a magician on the temple, rendering him unconscious.

After five hundred years of order, the guild’s worst fear has been realized – an untrained magician is loose on the streets. She must be found, and quickly, before her uncontrolled powers unleash forces that will destroy both her and the city that is her home.

“If this young woman is a natural, we should expect her to be more powerful then the average novice, possible more powerful then the average magician… she will be a considerable danger to the city,”

“Then we must find her – and those who have taught her.”

“If she is a rogue, we are bound by the law to bring her and her teachers to the king.”

“She’s barely more then a child.”

“If she is a rogue, we will apply the law.”

Book 2 – The Novice

Sonea knew the other novices in the magicians guild came from noble families and that, as a former slum-dweller, she could expect to be treated as an outsider, but she little realised the level of animosity she would face from her fellow students.

The sons and daughters of the most powerful families in the realm, her classmates seem determined to see her fail – even if they have to engineer her failure themselves. Dannyl and Rothen offer Sonea what help they can, but when someone starts spreading malicious rumours about her, Akkarin, The High Lord, steps in to put a stop to it. Sonea may soon wish she was still enduring the taunts other peers, for in accepting the protection of the guild’s high lord she may have embraced a far bleaker fate. It seems that Akkarin harbours a secret that is far darker then his magician’s robes. Taken into his confidence, Sonea must keep the truth hidden. But by doing so, is she showing loyalty to the head of her guild, or making the worst mistake of her life?

     

Book 3 – The High Lord

Sonea has learned much at the Magicians’ Guild and the other novices now treat her with grudging respect. But she cannot forget what she has witnessed in the High Lord Akkarin’s underground chamber – or his warning that the realms ancient enemy is growing in power once more.

As Akkarin reveals more of his knowledge, Sonea does not know who to believe, or what she most fears. Could the truth really be as terrifying as the High Lord claims? Does an ancient power threaten them all? Or does the guild face a threat from a much closer source?

“Why are you showing me these books?” Akkarin’s eyes bored into her own, and she looked away.

 “You want to know the truth,” he said. He was right. Part of her wanted to ignore the books. But she did want to know.

Personal Appeal

I was given The Magicians Guild the year it was released as a Christmas present and with it having such a gripping blurb (hence its usage above as it speaks for itself) and quite frankly, a very eye catching cover design, I dropped my current reading material for it. As with all Canavan’s books, I was hooked right from the first few pages and I just could not put it down. I just had to finish it and even then I just could not wait for The Novice to be in my hands and the same subsequently for The High Lord. I even lost count with the amount of people I lent my copy too and all said they went out and purchased the next two in the trilogy.

This Trilogy I count among my top five favorite of all time and I don’t see it budging even though I consider Trudi Canavan’s The Age of the Five a close contender.

The Author – Trudi Canavan

Trudi Canavan is, in my opinion, one of the best Fantasy writers of our time. Along with the publications of The Black Magicians trilogy and The Age of the Five, her Prequel to BMT (The Magician’s Apprentice) and her new Trilogy set a generation on from that of BMT (The Traitor Spy), follow Canavan with such glee leaving her fans enchanted. I’m sure we will see many more novels in the years to come.  

Review Rating – 5 out of 5 Stars

Canavan’s other publications mentioned in this review will also be reviewed at a later date.