skwolcott's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ngreads's review against another edition
4.0
I find it difficult to explain how I felt about this one.
The Magic Engineer is one of the books that I kind of just wanted to get out of the way, since the premise didn't exactly excite me. I didn't go into it feeling like I would love it, basically.
This is not a bad book. In fact, it's still very good. There are a lot of things to love and appreciate about it. However, this was extremely slow.
Holy crap. I never thought I could learn so much about smithing and engineering from a fantasy novel. The research was done. I could feel the hours of research that went into this book.
Anyway, here's what I liked:
- Dorrin is a really unique protagonist. Something I appreciate about the Recluce books is how unconventional the protagonists are among epic fantasy leads, where they tend to be peaceful tradesmen or traders rather than travelling warriors. We still get more combat focused characters in this (like Brede and Kadara), but for most of the book we just spend time with Dorrin as he lives his life as an order-bound smith and healer. It felt more like a slice-of-life story set in a fantasy world. I found that I really cared about his struggles and his dreams, even though he wasn't exactly in an action plot line. He's just a sweet character trying his best to help people and live his life in peace.
- As always, this was another exploration of the magic system and world of Recluce, and the magic system remains solid and interesting.
- This is the first book to have Cerryl appear, the protagonist of one of the later entries in the series, and I am VERY excited to read his story now.
- Once again, the research that must have gone into this book is incredible. The details about smithing and healing and such go much farther than most stories would ever take them, which was quite the surprise.
- This book was one that was hard to put down. I was surprised how engaged I was when I was in the process of reading it.
What I didn't like:
- The other Recluce books I've read have been slow, but this is the first time that I could really feel how slow the pace was. Even though it all paid off in the end, there were a lot of scenes that I felt could have been trimmed or removed. A lot of repeated information happened, where I felt like I was just being told the same information all over again, especially in the beginning and some areas of the middle. It really slowed down the read for me.
Overall, this was another good Recluce read. Not my favourite, but I'm still glad I read it, and look forward to continuing with this hefty saga.
The Magic Engineer is one of the books that I kind of just wanted to get out of the way, since the premise didn't exactly excite me. I didn't go into it feeling like I would love it, basically.
This is not a bad book. In fact, it's still very good. There are a lot of things to love and appreciate about it. However, this was extremely slow.
Holy crap. I never thought I could learn so much about smithing and engineering from a fantasy novel. The research was done. I could feel the hours of research that went into this book.
Anyway, here's what I liked:
- Dorrin is a really unique protagonist. Something I appreciate about the Recluce books is how unconventional the protagonists are among epic fantasy leads, where they tend to be peaceful tradesmen or traders rather than travelling warriors. We still get more combat focused characters in this (like Brede and Kadara), but for most of the book we just spend time with Dorrin as he lives his life as an order-bound smith and healer. It felt more like a slice-of-life story set in a fantasy world. I found that I really cared about his struggles and his dreams, even though he wasn't exactly in an action plot line. He's just a sweet character trying his best to help people and live his life in peace.
- As always, this was another exploration of the magic system and world of Recluce, and the magic system remains solid and interesting.
- This is the first book to have Cerryl appear, the protagonist of one of the later entries in the series, and I am VERY excited to read his story now.
- Once again, the research that must have gone into this book is incredible. The details about smithing and healing and such go much farther than most stories would ever take them, which was quite the surprise.
- This book was one that was hard to put down. I was surprised how engaged I was when I was in the process of reading it.
What I didn't like:
- The other Recluce books I've read have been slow, but this is the first time that I could really feel how slow the pace was. Even though it all paid off in the end, there were a lot of scenes that I felt could have been trimmed or removed. A lot of repeated information happened, where I felt like I was just being told the same information all over again, especially in the beginning and some areas of the middle. It really slowed down the read for me.
Overall, this was another good Recluce read. Not my favourite, but I'm still glad I read it, and look forward to continuing with this hefty saga.
craftingrama's review
3.0
When I first started this I thought it was screwed up with the first book I listened to and then checked online and found out I wasn't the only one that noticed it. I'm not sure why the author didn't put this and the past book together and got rid of the repeats and the fluff and made a better book. I've a few times that its like the author took an original and then ripped it apart and added waste in attempt to make more books or at least its how I would have wrote it. Too many short chapters, too much filler and too much flopping around as if there was more then one writer for this series. Can't tell the amount of times I've gotten confused with what was written previously. The damn thing is it does have potential to be a good series but I'd put em together and cut it in half
heyt's review against another edition
3.0
Dorrin's tale is somewhat familiar to the tales before his and yet wonderfully different. In this we see the traditional coming-of-age-in-exile but also Dorrin's forging of a new path for Order.
Admittedly, this one took me a bit longer to get into but once it got going it was just as hard to put down as the tales before it.
Admittedly, this one took me a bit longer to get into but once it got going it was just as hard to put down as the tales before it.
nikolawannabe's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book just as much as the first two, but the first half of the book had a lot of the same story elements as the first book, which felt weird. I might have read this book first, actually.
katmarhan's review against another edition
4.0
In some ways, I feel like I'm reading the same book over and over as I work my way through the Saga of Recluce. This is the third book in the series, although the published order does not follow the internal chronograph of Recluce and its world. Each book features a relatively young person who must, through assorted travels and travails, learn the lessons of the Balance between Order and Chaos. This book features a young smith who is also a healer. In addition to an overall engaging story, there is more information on smithing than I would ever need to know, just as the first book included information on woodworking.
I plan to read the rest of the Recluce books, but not without lots of other books in between to break up the sameness.
I plan to read the rest of the Recluce books, but not without lots of other books in between to break up the sameness.
ewbanh's review against another edition
4.0
I think I enjoy these books for a vague, neurotic, nostalgic reason. Rereading them, so much of it is problematic--the female characters are particularly poorly written and the male protagonists always long-suffering and misunderstood. But I really like certain parts (usually the equivalent of a Rocky montage training scene). The ending is real bad. Whatever, I enjoy these books like I enjoy donuts.
vaderbird's review against another edition
4.0
re-read
3.5
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
3.5
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
anitad's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book to fulfill the goal read a your favorite book from a past popsugar challenge. Just now realized i completely read this prompt wrong. This is not my favorite since i have never read it before. Side note: i would have probably picked ben her for this prompt. The actual goal i thought i was fulfilling was read a book to fulfil you favorite past popsugar challenge. which would be read the next book in a series. I did like this book. it is a series of about 21. They (so far) have been able to stand alone. i'm sure it will take a long time to work through the whole series, but i look forward to the challenge.
tome15's review against another edition
4.0
Modesitt, L. E., Jr. The Magic Engineer. Saga of Recluse No. 3. Tor, 1995.
In L. E. Modesitt’s Recluse world, there are two sorts of magic, white and black. White magic is the magic of chaos and disorder. Black magic is the magic of order and healing. Into this world comes Dorrin, a healer who believes that “black iron” and machines can be elements of order. He is exiled from the black-magic centered island of Recluse to the mainland, where he combines his talents as a healer with blacksmithing and designing and building machines on sound engineering principles, to the consternation of wizards both white and black. Modesitt is a fine storyteller with a procrustean imagination. The Recluse series has been running now for more than a quarter century and as of 2019 comprised 21 volumes. So, if you need a fantasy series to rival Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan in scope, you could not do better than take yourself to the island of Recluse.
In L. E. Modesitt’s Recluse world, there are two sorts of magic, white and black. White magic is the magic of chaos and disorder. Black magic is the magic of order and healing. Into this world comes Dorrin, a healer who believes that “black iron” and machines can be elements of order. He is exiled from the black-magic centered island of Recluse to the mainland, where he combines his talents as a healer with blacksmithing and designing and building machines on sound engineering principles, to the consternation of wizards both white and black. Modesitt is a fine storyteller with a procrustean imagination. The Recluse series has been running now for more than a quarter century and as of 2019 comprised 21 volumes. So, if you need a fantasy series to rival Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan in scope, you could not do better than take yourself to the island of Recluse.