The Magicians' Guild: Book 1 of the Black Magician (Black Magician Trilogy, #1)

by Trudi Canavan

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 of her rage behind it. To the amazement of all who watch, there is a flash of blue light and the stone passes straight through the barrier and cracks a magican on the temple, rendering him unconscious. After five hundred years of order, the guild's worst fear has been realised - 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.

• ISBN10: 190423366X
• ISBN13: 9781904233664
• Publish Date: 1 September 2005 (first published 27 January 2004)
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Out of Print: 9 July 2013
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: ATOM
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[clairelm]

This was a re-read for me. I first read The Magician's Guild several years ago and had enjoyed it so much, I wanted to read it again. A few weeks ago, I finally found a copy of the trilogy and got started!

The Magician's Guild follows the path of Sonea, a 'dwell' who lives in the city slums. During the annual Purge, she gets roped in to throwing stones at the Magicians who enforce the exodus. That's when things get interesting. She discovers she's got magical powers, the same powers only seen in those same Magicians. From that point on, she's in a race against the Guild, desperately trying to hide from them, while they desperately search for her. Because what she doesn't know is that without their help, her magic might kill her.

I loved the characters, particularly Sonea, Rothen and Dannyl. The gradual increase in Sonea's trust and affection for Rothen is lovely to read, particularly when she has to wrest with the dilemma she is forced into towards the end of the book. The supporting characters were well written as well, and the range of attitudes between the characters was very realistic.

Although this is a relatively un-violent book, there is plenty to keep it fresh and interesting and made it frustrating when I had to put it down. The lack of serious romantic distraction is refreshing as well, there is no love triangle to cause unnecessary angst and confusion.

Definitely a great read, even a second time around. I'm already on to the next one!

★★★★★ 5 stars

[g2pro]

A fun series.