Imager's Challenge

I really enjoyed this book, the second in the Imager's series from L.E. Modesitt. I have been eagerly awaiting it since I picked up the first book on audible. This series is deeper than some, with a slower moving plot as it explores more intellectual and strategic themes, but it has plenty of action to keep you moving forward. And William Dufris is an excellent narrator. Can't wait for the next book.

Renthyl, an unusually strong imager, is getting an unusually challenging training. Forced by his superiors to avoid making normal people frightened of imagers, Renthyl is fed up with defending himself and not retaliating. He is stationed in the police corps, where he is ordered to observe and no police officer is required to take orders from him. That should curb Renthyl's tendency to handle things his own way.

As it works out, Renthyl has enemies to handle both in the neighborhoods of down-and-outers where he patrols, and in the police corps itself. Once he has learned just what hazards to image to stop his attackers and he has those enemies under control, Renthyl has no choice but to tackle (dramatically, as it turns out) the aristocrat who wants to destroy him and his family. By the end, the College of Imagers has to rethink its self-defensive policies.

William Dufris wouldn't be my first choice as a reader. He can convincingly manipulate his voice into different characters, but he has chosen to give Renthyl a superior drawl. The disadvantage of listening to these books instead of reading them is that you can't skip over the incessant menu descriptions, which are obviously Modesitt riding his hobbyhorse. Fortunately the story as a whole is an excellent one.

This was a wonderful book to listen to. The spin on how magic works is a refreshing change. The characters very likable and the villians are vile.
Loved it and want much more from L.E. MOdesitt Jr.!!

I have always had a hard time finding fantasy novels that really capture my imagination. L.E. Modesitt's stories do follow the tale of a boy who grows up to be something special pattern, but they actually move faster for me than a lot of the most successful fantasy series out there. With each series of stories that L.E. Modesitt Jr. creates, his stories become more unexpected in the way they unfold and the in the make up of the world they occur in without being too fantastic or overly detailed.
He also manages to publish a book every year, so he doesn't keep you waiting like some authors do.

I enjoyed the first book a lot. I started out enjoying this book, but after a while I felt like it was just moving soooo slooooow. It was all descriptions of food, drinks and clothes. Ok, ok, let's get on with the plot already. Maybe if I was reading it and could scan over the long descriptions it would be easier. But as it is, I would lose interest and then end up losing actual plot details. I don't mind long epic books. I do mind books that are drawn out so that you can describe food and long walks, or how the main characters brother is spoiled and his girlfriends aunt has a nice resteraunt. I listened to about half of it and then put it away.

Modesitt has such talent in creating highly detailed alternative worlds and this is a fine example. I would not call this series action adventure, some might even call it slow, but I enjoyed learning more about the characters and the details about the world they inhabit. In this installment Modesitt delves further into the religion and politics of this world which is interesting and even thought provoking. The narration matches the content; not overly exciting but credible. I look forward to future installments in the Imager Portfolio.

Didn't read the text version

The return of the bombardment from the river

there were quite a few, mostly when ren's fustration level started to grow

No, just kept me wanting to keep listening

My favourite of all the imager books. Super characters and the amazing depictions of life in the city and of police work and imagers builds up a dense work that I have enjoyed listening to twice.......with one really annoying exception. L.E.Modesitt has a few favourite phrases that are very overused in all of his novels. It's not so obvious when you read a book but listening makes the overuse very obvious.The most irritating is the way our heroes "ease" their way everywhere. With tens of different ways of describing movement Mr Modesitt has fixed on "ease" and seldom departs from it. If i had an electronic version of any of the Imager portfolio available I would be able to count the number of instances it is used, but even without that it does intrude upon my enjoyment of the books. Another example is the way Renn "inclines his head" over and over and over.Sorry, I do love the books but wish an editor had been a little more vigilant.

I liked the first and got the 2nd book right away. I like a series so I don't have to learn new characters over again. I was not dissapointed with this series. Good story, good narration. Modesitt shares an interesting world of politics and intrigue.

It is an interesting concept. Maybe a good juvenile "read" but I don't need concepts explained to me every paragraph and the dialog was infantile. A book I could and did put down.