It's like eating candy - you know it's not really good for you, but it's really hard to stop. ( )

This is the sixth book in ‘The Imager Portfolio’ so beware spoilers for previous episodes. The first three books are set in a different time with a different hero. The latter three, including this one, are set in a previous era and our hero is Quaeryt, a scholar and imager in the service of Bhayar, Lord of Teralyn. Earlier success means that Quaeryt is now married to Bhayar’s sister, Vaelora, and holds the nominal rank of sub-commander in the army, though his actual importance is higher because of his power. Imagers can create objects with their minds and also make actual objects disappear. So they can ‘image’ a piece of metal into your brain so you die or, more subtly, smoke and pepper into the ranks of enemy soldiers to make fighting more difficult. Quaeryt has been extending his skills for years and is now a formidable force. He commands a group of six other imagers of lesser skill. In fact, it is not generally known that Quaeryt himself is an imager, though some now suspect it.

This book starts immediately after the end of ‘Princeps’, the previous volume in ‘The Imager Portfolio’. After repelling an attack from the neighbouring nation of Bovaria, ruled by the evil Rex Kharst, the Telaryn forces are now engaged in an invasion of that country. Marshal Deucalon leads a large army up the north side of the river Aluse while Commander Skarpa leads a lesser force up the south side. Skarpa, an old companion of our hero from previous books, has Quaeryt and the imagers on his team. The likeable hero and his retinue of well-regarded comrades makes this a pleasing tale of good companions struggling together against a nasty foe.

Essentially, though, this is a war story, a detailed account of a long campaign invading another country. Modesitt has military experience and there’s a lot of attention paid to the landscape and how it affects battle tactics. There is also a degree of cynicism about the politics of military campaigns. The level of technology here is about that of civil war England, with pikemen, cavalry, muskets and a few cannon. Modesitt is realistic about the logistics of conflict, making sure the men are supplied with food and, if possible, get a good night’s rest before a big event. The descriptions of battle are not visceral, I’m glad to say. This is not a writer who lingers lovingly over the spurting blood and the organs flopping out. Modesitt is more likely to note that our troopers cut down the enemy forces and leave it at that. He is similarly vague about bedroom antics. Quaeryt and his wife sometimes allude to the fact that they had a good time last night or are looking forward to going to bed but we never go there with them. This is no bad thing in my view and actually, combined with the author’s reflections on morality and good government, makes the books suitable reading for young adults.

There are minor criticisms. My understanding of the pseudo-science of imagery is that they do not create from nothing but use atoms from the surrounding environment. So, if they image a bit of iron, it is utilising iron from the rocks around or from some other source. Imaging clouds of pepper into enemy forces would indicate that there has to be a good supply of the stuff nearby, which doesn’t seem possible. Pepper is not that common in quantity. A small complaint but Modesitt is usually pretty good at making his fantasy logical. I would also have liked a map of the campaign. There’s a map of Lydar, the continent on which the action takes place, but it doesn’t show the smaller towns involved in the conflict. Admittedly, I read an advance uncorrected proof and this might have been put right in the final version. Again, this is not a big issue, particularly as the author describes the landscape in such detail.

Modesitt’s style of narration, a day by day account of his hero’s actions, does not make for breathless excitement but it does forge a bond between the reader and the protagonist and gives a sense of solid reality to the proceedings that is somehow satisfying. These works lack the sex, violence, treachery and corruption that make for a gripping, money-spinning fantasy television series and, in fact, I can see how some readers might not appreciate Modesitt’s restrained approach. But for the many who do, including me, this is another solid contribution to his formidable output and a good read, too.

Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/

This is the sixth installment in American fantasy writer L.E. Modesitt’s Imager series. In it, Quaeryt continues to advance his goals of making the continent of Lydar a safe place for imagers (the magicians of this world), Pharsi (an ethnic minority), and scholars (a much maligned group of scribes and thinkers). Quareyt is a member of all three in one way or another.

Bhayar, Lord of Telaryn, considers Quaeryt a friend and a competent ally. He is also his brother-in-law, but it is mainly for his imaging abilities, loyalty, and intelligence that Bhayar makes him a subcommander in his army.

In this book, Quaeryt is nurturing a small group of other imagers who are junior officers under his command. They, and the rest of Bhayar’s army, are invading the neighboring kingdom of Bovaria, which is ruled by the ambitious and thoroughly despicable Rex Kharst.

The story is essentially a five hundred-page narrative of the military campaign that brings Bhayar’s army to the capital of Bovaria. It relates, sometimes with almost too much attention to detail, Quaeryt’s journey, his stays at inns, his consumption of lager (for mostly medicinal purposes), and the magically augmented scouting missions, engineering efforts, skirmishes, and battles in which he is involved.

Modesitt’s strength is his world building. The setting has a solid feel, as if it might really be able to exist in some alternate reality with slightly different physical laws. The magic system used is interesting. It’s not just wand waving and reciting bits of mock-Latin. There is some effort to maintain the basic principle of conservation of energy, although in this book I thought this was being stretched by instances of impressive dirt shifting and bridge building. Any details on those would involve spoilers, though, so I’ll say no more about them — or about the ending, which I thought could have benefited from a final confrontation with Kharst.

The prose, however, is unexceptional. The writing is serviceable but not elegant. It certainly isn’t beautiful. There are few, if any, instances of clever word play or poetic imagery, and there is no attempt at humor. The characters are stiff, formal, and their dialog is comparable to that in the old TV series ‘Dragnet.’

There are also no grand ideas floating beneath the surface. The book conveys no deep, philosophical insights and little by way of social commentary. Quaeryt is portrayed as being less prejudiced, more considerate, and more intelligent than most other characters in the book, which places him on the moral high ground and which is why the reader cares about him and his success.

I would not call this a great book, but it is engaging enough to keep you entertained for a few evenings. If you’ve read the others, you’ll want to read this one. I did, and I’ll probably read the next.
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Modesitt begins to fall into a pattern now with his series, that will take 5 books to tell of the conquest of the continent. The logic used by our hero to justify that conquest is such that victors always will use. That they have the better way. Through example, for our hero and those who share his ability which most are bigoted against, it is probably so. Still one can see how those who rule can twist ideals to their will.

It is perhaps part of being and portraying the human condition that we evolve to be closer to a just and fair society and that there are those who suffer so that we can achieve it. Even if we rewrite history to suit our needs, if does seem that we come ever closer to a better ideal than what existed before.

Here we see that Imagers are doing much to aid in securing that future that will be fair for them. Yet it is a heavy burden for only one man to craft and that is perhaps where this suffers a little. Why can not our hero find those who can think as well as he and aid in crafting what the future requires. Even the USA's founding fathers were a group, not just one man. And there were more very intelligent and heroic men who got us to this Democracy than just one person. Even with a Kingdom that is ruled, those who consult others, those not of like mind, built stronger entities, and as we know very well, governance is about choices that boost up one segment, and detract from another. It all has a price. It is not win-win all the time.

That is one failing as is the near repetitiveness of the pace and development found in previous volumes in the series. ( )

Another excellent addition to the series. We're still following Quaeryt & likely will be in the next book, too. Definitely read these in published order.

I was a bit disappointed with the ending in some ways, others not. It was a bit too abrupt & I'm not sure it really solved some of the issues that were harped on in the book. I guess I'll find out in the next one, [b:Antiagon Fire|16059444|Antiagon Fire (Imager Portfolio, #7)|L.E. Modesitt Jr.|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367749501s/16059444.jpg|21846206]. Any discussion of it would be a spoiler, so please drop by the Modesitt group to do so.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/33849-l-e-modesitt-jr
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