Princeps

Imager Portfolio Series, Book 5

By: L. E. Modesitt Jr.

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The thrilling follow-up to Scholar - in which, after discovering a coup attempt and preventing a bloody civil war, Quaeryt was appointed princeps of Tilbor - begins a new episode in the young Imager's life. Now second only to the governor, and still hiding his powers as an Imager, Quaeryt is enjoying his new position, as well as his marriage to Lord Bhayar's youngest sister, Vaelora, when a volcanic eruption devastates the old capital of Telaryn. He and his wife are dispatched to Extela, Telaryn's capitol city, to replace the governor killed in the eruption.

Quaeryt and Vaelora must restore order to a city filled with chaos and corruption, and do so quickly. The regiment under his command must soon depart to bolster Telaryn's border defenses against a neighboring ruler who sees the volcanic devastation as an opportunity for invasion and conquest.

©2014 L. E. Modesitt, Jr. (P)2012 Tantor

Better than Scholar but not great.

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.

Back to standard of first three books

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).

Back to standard of first three books

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).

Bring it on!

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!

Ça n est pas son meilleur livre mais j ai aimé

J ai lu beaucoup de critiques assez dures avant de me décider. Au final, certes ça n est pas le meilleur livre de la série mais j ai passé un bon moment et les fans retrouveront ce qu'ils aiment. La lecture est fantastique et ajoute beaucoup au plaisir du livre.

Repetition?

This is where the repetition of story elements becomes obvious. It is a good story, but predictable.

William Dufris is obnoxious.

The narrator, William Dufris, took consistent, flamboyant, and shitty liberties with the tone of the writting. He made every conversation an opportunity to showboat his abrasive theatricality which effectively undermined the intrigue and excitement of the plot. Excellent series by Modesitt, I deeply regret switching from hardcopy on this book because of this narration.

good book

very good book with a good plot line. it really sheds a lot of light on imaging that further develops the whole world.

absolutely despise this guy's wife.

Between the narators voice and the character itself you too can despise quaret's wife.

adore this series

I loved it one of my favorite high fantasy authors and the narrator was great too

Wonderful as always

This is a fantastic story as usual, Quaeryt is called upon to govern an area decimated by a volcano eruption, and is met with suspicion, hostility and the aftermath of years of neglect and corruption by the former governors. He is left no choice but to walk a fine line between what is acceptable and some very questionable acts. Well worth picking up scholar and then this as you won't be disappointed.