Princeps: Imager Portfolio Series, Book 5

If you liked the original three books in the series, you will like this one as well. Like the first three books, the world of the Imagers is getting a firmer resolution in this book. The things observed in the first three books are being gradually built and it would appear we will soon see a world very similar to the one in the first three books. We also begin to see how that world came about. If you are to enjoy this book, you should read book # 4 that lays the groundwork for what is seen in this book. Beware: This book leaves the story off at a critical point when the world of Imagers is about to see great changes (or so it seems).

Princeps picks up shortly after Scholar leaves off and continues to follow the life of Quaeryt as he develops his Imager abilities. He figures out new ways to use his powers in various different roles and he becomes an important tool for Lord Bhayar. This book is not as boring as Scholar but it is also nowhere near as interesting as the first 3 in the series.

Why is that? In the first 3 books the magic and abilities of the Imagers was more fully flushed out and we learned about those powers along with the main character. Rhennthyl was a likeable character and it was easy to put yourself in the story and imagine what it would be like to explore your new found magical powers and struggle to understand the rules around the use of such powers. There are powerful Imagers teaching the newbies and it is interesting to see how they discipline themselves and how the world deals with the fact that Imagers exist.

In the new series Quaeryt is not very likable, sometimes uses his powers in morally questionable ways, and is represented as the only Imager to ever figure anything out. Apparently all other Imagers take their powers for granted and only he pushes the boundaries of what is possible. That doesn't sit well with me and I don't find myself rooting for him or wondering what I would do in his place. It is this disconnect that has me enjoying these books much less than the first three.

If you liked Quaeryt in the last book and enjoyed the role he plays in defining Imager abilities then you should like this book even more. However, for me I do not agree with the other reviews stating that this book is up the standards set in the first 3. It's better than Scholar but still not on par with the others in the series.

William Dufris does another solid job on the narration.

If you liked the original three books in the series, you will like this one as well. Like the first three books, the world of the Imagers is getting a firmer resolution in this book. The things observed in the first three books are being gradually built and it would appear we will soon see a world very similar to the one in the first three books. We also begin to see how that world came about. If you are to enjoy this book, you should read book # 4 that lays the groundwork for what is seen in this book. Beware: This book leaves the story off at a critical point when the world of Imagers is about to see great changes (or so it seems).

easy, enjoyable,different.

I can't say that there was one special part of this book.

he enjoy the book

none

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I enjoyed this book more than the 4th in this series. Now that I understand that this book was meant to be a precursor to the first 3 books in the series things are a little easier to put in perspective. I tend not to like precursor book but I like Modesett's character creation (although some have an odd feeling of being done before). There seems to be a little less praying and naming or maybe I've just become better at tuning those parts out. Narration didn't noticeably affect my listening experience but I still think a better job could be done with the contrast between character voices.

Well written and a very good performance!
This latest installment lives up to all the other books in the series. I still however like the first two the best.
I am looking forward to the next book that will bring us another step into this wonderful world.
I also love the treatment of magic here. its a novel approach and makes the book all the more interesting.

Yes I will listen again. Probably a few times waiting for the next one. How could he do that? Leave it where there is plotting and planning going on, it was almost stopping in the middle of the story.

If you are looking for a good story with occasional explosions of activity and a steady storyline development, the whole Imager series (up to the 5th book) is brilliant.

Initially, i thought the story a bit slow to develop, but i found myself reluctant to stop listening. Using my iPhone to listen, i resented phone interruptions by the occasional customer calling. Great Story, good characters, brilliant narrator.

If i were to 'critique' anything, it would be the very short ending after the completion of the books climatic ending. Not quite abrupt as many, but an additional chapter or half rounding of the story with something other than "more to come" or "they lived happily ever after" would be nice.

That said, i am hanging out for the next installment; BRING IT ON!