The Novice

The Black Magician Trilogy, Book 2

By: Trudi Canavan

Narrated by: Richard Aspel

Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

The sequel to The Magicians' Guild, one of Bolinda's top-selling audio books. The High Lord, Book 3 in the trilogy, is scheduled for publication in audio late 2008.

Sonea knows the other novices in the Magicians' Guild all come from powerful families, but she also knows she can turn to Rothen and Dannyl for help when she needs it. That is, until somone starts spreading malicious rumors about her - and Akkarin, The High Lord, steps in.

Promoted to Guild Ambassador, Lord Dannyl leaves for the Elyne court. His first order from Administrator Lorlen is to resume, in secret, High Lord Akkarin's long-abandoned research into ancient magical knowledge. Not knowing the true reason for his journey, Dannyl is soon facing unexpected dangers.

Meanwhile, Sonea has almost forgotten the High Lord's dark secret, but keeping the truth hidden may be a grave mistake.

©2004 Trudi Canavan (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"...a wonderfully and meticulously detailed world, and an edge-of-the-seat splot, this book is a must for lovers of good fantasy." - Jennifer Fallon

good but really?

The book is entertaining, but a caution. If you dont not appreciate hints about homosexuality, or perhaps do not want your children hearing about it, do not get this book.

Dramatic music

All in all I like the story but you could lose the dramatic music in between seens

like chips, you can't consume just one

This should probably be categorized as young adult. The story is OK, the narration is good. The different character's voices are well distinguished. This is book 2 of three and as such is best consumed as part of the series. I enjoyed it, a light romp mostly but Sonea's foil is the kind of villiian you grow to loathe.

Misunderstood

I have been reading through the reviews, and I am surprised at some of them. I think that this book is under-appreciated. This book is not a fast paced action book, much like the first one the plot points are subtle and aren't approached directly. If you like quick action, battles and a fast moving plot, this might not be the story for you.

However, this book is very good at what it does. It is a discovery of the university, and the characters. This book is heavy on the characters, and their interactions with each other. There isn't a quick explanation but more of a mystery as the characters discover each other's purposes.I definitely recommend this book if you enjoyed the first one and are interested in how the story develops. I will say that it leads to on to a wonderful finish to the trilogy. I would not consider this a 'filler' book though the events that Sonea goes through is important to having a base for the rest of the series.

To really enjoy the story I would recommend that the reader go in with an understanding of what to expect. I also enjoyed Richard Aspel's narration not the best but his voice was pleasant to listen to and he gave some depth to the characters.

second book is great

The first book to a bit to get into, but I really enjoyed this one! I cared about the characters a lot, and there was lots of suspense and a couple of different plots. Going for the third one now.

outstanding representation of magic

I listened to the first book and procured the second at the soonest available opportunity. The plot thickens with the second installment, adding depth of character too many of the individuals focused upon. I will be obtaining the third installment right away.

Wonderful Read!

Kept me on the edge! Love the narrarator! So far a wonderful series! I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan and of course nothing compares but this is truly a great series!

Bullies in Magic School

I know some others may have given this book in the series harsh reviews but the book is actually very entertaining. I think what might make others think the book is boring or not good is that the subject is about bullying, discrimination and persecution. The main characters faces an unending volley of pranks, and abusive behavior from her classmates as she discovers how much more powerful she is compared to the others. Being that she isn't from the same class as they are (she's from the slums and they are of noble birth) it becomes all too easy for others to fall in line with her bully. I like the way the author makes you as the listener/reader uncomfortable as she gives glimpses of the main characters thoughts and emotions regarding the events that unfold. On top of the bullying there is real danger that a black magician may find out she knows his secret - which is why she cannot prove her innocence when accused of thieving. I found the book very entertaining and did get some satisfaction at the end for the heroine. The only thing that might need improving is the cadence of the reading - but as this is the second book I am used to it so it doesn't really bother me at all and is only a minute problem (if any).

Addictive Fantasy Series!

What did you love best about The Novice?

The Black Magician Trilogy was a sale purchase on a whim and I loved the series so much I went straight onto the The Traitor Trilogy (sequel trilogy) then was so empty when I finished the 6 books that when I tried to start a new book, I couldn't, so just start The BMT again - and things I didn't pick up on before added further dimension to the story the second time!

Sonea is a slum-dweller who is driven from city each year by Magician's in The Purge and develops a hatred toward them that causes her own powers to develop on her own. Sonea is a powerful female character, who is surrounded by other fantastic characters such as Rothen, Dannyl, Dorrien, Tayend, Lady Vinara, I could go on!

Richard Aspel took some getting used to and the way he said 'room' drove me mad for the first few hours. He does give great dimension to each character though and does the female voices well. In the later series he mispronounces a few names which bugged me, but all-in-all was a great narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sonea, she rose from nothing and is a strong and wilful protagonist. She is intelligent and loyal, but not to the point that she doesn't make mistakes - she makes plenty! :)
I would name my second-born girl Sonea if I could (Arya from Eragon and ASOIAF would be first!).

Which scene was your favorite?

A scene in the University when she takes on a number of other novices is fantastic, though it can get so frustrating because I wanted to dive into the books and knock a few heads about.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Many moments throughout the series were moving, there are a few great surprises in the book that saw me giggling or blubbering to myself down the highway while I was listening. I won't write much else or I'll spoil it!

Any additional comments?

Should definitely be on 'best of' list of fantasy novels for women - due to Sonea's strong character as the main protagonist. Despite knowing a movie would never live up to the books, I would love one made just so I could put it on at night for 2 hours rather than re-listening to 100+ hours of books!

Wonderful high fantasy story, excellent narration

This was a spectacular continuation to the Black Magician series. After reading the first book in the series I wasn’t sure if I would continue it; but I am so glad I did. This book is much better than the first one and incredibly interesting and engaging.

I listened to this on audiobook and I really love the narrator of these books. He is a pleasure to listen to and does an awesome job with character voices and emotion. I would highly recommend listening to this series on audiobook.

There is so much tension throughout this book, it just about kills you. Sonea, Lord Robin, and the Administrator know a deadly secret about the High Lord Akkarin that they are desperately trying to keep secret. As if this isn’t enough stress Sonea’s fellow classmates have taken a strong dislike to her. Sonea remains admirable through the book; she is smart and resourceful but continues to get caught up in events that test her. I loved her character and my heart just broke for her throughout this book; there were a couple of times I just wanted to scream “Enough, give the girl a break and some happiness!”

Much of the story is also told from Dannyl’s perspective. I adored his parts of the book just as much as Sonea’s. Dannyl does a lot of traveling and ends up on a quest to trace Akkarin’s travels and find out more about the ancient history of magic. These parts of the book had a lot of adventure and history involved in them and I loved them. Both Sonea and Dannyl develope love interests in this book; much of that is in the background but it was nice for these characters to have some happiness in midst of all of their trials.

The only thing that really irked me throughout this book was everyone’s fear and assumption that The High Lord Akkarin was evil. Yes, Sonea saw him practicing black magic but did anyone ever try to figure out why Akkarin would do that? Throughout the book Akkarin remains alof, intimidating, and at times strict and even a bit cruel. However, he is never outright evil and I can’t help but believe he isn’t the problem in this book. It bothered me that all the magicians and novices that know his secret just assume that he is evil without finding out if maybe he has a greater ulterior motive. It made me disappointed in the intelligence of the surrounding characters and seemed short-sighted to me. I was especially disappointed in Robin and the Administrator.

The other thing I found frustrating was how all the magicians turned a blind eye to how Sonea was tormented by her classmates; at times this torment is so severe as to be torture. I found it disturbing that the adults in this book are okay with the students ganging up on and torturing one young girl.

Overall aside from the above two complaints I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The whole book is written in a fantasy style that feels a bit older to me (like 90’s epic fantasy) and I enjoyed it a lot. There is some excellent world-building in here along with a complex plot and characters that are easy to engage with and relate to. The book ends on a cliffhanger that will absolutely kill you; I want to read the third book immediately! I would recommend to fans of classic fantasy.