Scholar

The Fourth Book of the Imager Portfolio

By: L. E. Modesitt Jr.

Narrated by: William Dufris

Hundreds of years before the time of Imager, the continent of Lydar is fragmented. Years of war have consolidated five nations into three-Bovaria, Telaryn, and Antiago. Quaeryt is a scholar and friend of Bhayar, the young ruler of Telaryn. Worried about his future and the escalating intrigues in Solis, the capital city, Quaeryt persuades Bhayar to send him to Tilbor, conquered ten years earlier by Bhayar's father, in order to see if the number and extent of occupying troops can be reduced so that they can be re-deployed to the border with warlike Bovaria.

Quaeryt has managed to conceal the fact that he is an imager, since the life expectancies of imagers in Lydar is short. Just before Quaeryt departs, Bhayar's youngest sister passes a letter to the scholar-imager, a letter that could well embroil Quaeryt in the welter of court politics he had hoped to leave behind. On top of that, on his voyage and journey to Tilbor he must face pirates, storms, poisonings, attempted murder, as well as discovering the fact that he is not quite who he thought he was. To make it all worse, the order of scholars to which he belongs is jeopardized in more ways than one.

©2011 L. E. Modesitt, Jr. (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Perhaps the best so far in this consistently fascinating series." ( Kirkus)

Great start to the Imager series

Great characters and thoughtful development of the world of Imagers. I really liked seeing the start of new talents and the foundations of the imagers. An excellent start to the series.

Very well crafted indeed!

Well written tale with twist and turns. I confess to being surprised. A very enjoyable read!

Great book very well read

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I usually listen on my way to and from work. I found myself listening in the parking lot because I did not want to interrupt the story.

Worth it

Pretty good story, if a little stilted. I would have liked a little less agonizing about the nameless. Maybe there's a reason for it in the next few books?

Well Done and Thoughtful

This series continues to be well written. Despite the fact that it is fantasy it remains a surprisingly thoughtful and deep series with characters that demand admiration. Well done indeed.

Munchies

In typical Modesitt fashion food takes center stage. As a prequel this book sheds some of the structure imposed by prior books allowing the hero to explore his world and superpowers without stifling the plot with invulnerability.

Quiet Achiever and well worth listning

In a time (seemingly) before the previous 3 books and totally independent of those (to my mind), Scholar start of slowly but steadily. That said, this is another story i could not easily put down. Modesitt weaves a world and story in tradition of the best Wordsmiths and the narration of Dufris suits the style and adds to the ambiance.

Although it is all one story line, many sub-plots and characters are woven into the telling and most of them add up to the intimate ending in some way. It is uncanningly interesting in a quiet and steady way.

Having already read the 5th book which follows this one, i am hanging out for the 6th book.

fantastic couldn't put it down

enjoyed the book couldn't put it down. looking forward to hit listening to the next book

Excellent imager story

Satisfying struggle to develop powers, position coupled with happy ending. Best imager story so far.

Great read!

Loved it more than I expected to. Looking very much forward to the next one!