Trudi Canavan

First of all I must say that although I only rate this novel three and a half stars, I enjoyed this book a lot and I am about to start the second installment of the series today.
"The Magicians' Guild" starts with a very poignant scene that draws you in immediately. After that, the world of Kyralia is established within a few chapters: The rich and poor citizens, the thieves who live in an underground system of tunnels, and the magicians, who are supposedly there for the safety of the city show more but are hated by the poor. Sonea, the protagonist, is one of those poor townspeople and her family has just been evicted from their home. She fiercely hates the magicians, so it is a shock when she discovers that she can perform magic, too - and it is an even bigger shock to the magician's guild because no one of lower rank is expected or desired to be a magician and it would upend the social design of Kyralia if it became known that there are common people who are capable of working magic... Thus, Sonea has to flee.
What I liked about this book is the style that is flowing and easy to read. It is also a book with many shades of grey and not a strict good/bad characterization, which I always appreciate. Sonea is a great character and the world building is plausible and thorough, including the sociological aspects that really stand out.
Unfortunately, though, I found the first two thirds of the novel dragging a lot sometimes. I just wanted the story to proceed and Sonea's situation to change. There were also too many characters in the beginning, and it was a bit confusing. I would have wished for a more distinctive description of characteristics in the beginning.
However, I loved the last third of the novel and there are all the positive points I mentioned before, so I will definitely continue the series. In addition, this book ends with a really exciting revelation, so I cannot wait to see what happens next and to learn how Sonea develops and, hopefully, grows more confident. show less

Antipodean Salt

When the Third Doctor takes Jo 'BloKarting' in the Australian outback, they are startled to find grotesque statues made of salt, depicting figures and animals in various scenes of distress. But in this future desert is everything what it seems?

By far the shortest (so far) of the Time Trips, Trudi Canavan has nevertheless managed to provide a real flavour of two of what are clearly her favourite subjects: her home country and the Third Doctor. And like a good rum and raisin ice show more cream, these disparate flavours have blended together surprisingly well. Anyone expecting an epic fantasy akin to Canavan's other works is likely to be disappointed, but someone looking for a good yarn will be in for a treat.

The story has been kept simple, necessary to provide a good adventure in so few pages, while the small cast has been sketched in nicely and time given to develop these a little where appropriate. Getting the dog's viewpoint on occasion is a nice touch that adds to the mix.

To say too much more would spoil the plot, so I'll simply say I found Salt of the Earth to be short, straightforward and good fun; an entertaining evening's read. Worth the relatively low asking price. I hope Canavan will find the time to write a longer Doctor Who, I think she could do it rather well. show less

Another new author for me; I've seen Trudi Canavan's books around before, so now I've finally dipped a toe in and read one. I whizzed through this one, because I've been hanging onto my library books for so long, I can't renew them anymore, and I have to say that (at just over 500 pages), this was quite easy to read. It's nicely written; engaging, but not too complicated, and the language and plot flow smoothly.

In the country of Kyralia, magicians are supposed to be taken from all walks of show more life to be trained in the Guild, but for a long time, the practice has been that only those from the Houses are tested for the gift, and so it is assumed that only the rich can become magicians.

Every winter, the Guild magicians hold purges in the capital city of Imardin, to indiscriminately clear the slum areas, and this causes resentment amongst the slum dwellers. One year, Sonea throws a rock at the magicians with all the weight of her anger behind it, and it breaks through the magicians' shield to knock a magician unconscious. Stunned that the unthinkable has happened, other magicians reflexively respond with fire. Knowing she has been seen and fearing for her life, she goes into hiding, at the same time trying to learn how to use her burgeoning powers - unaware that they will destroy her unless she is taught to control them. The magicians of the Guild have to search the slums in a race against time to save her and the people around her, to try to convince her to trust them and to return with them to the Guild so that they can help her.

(June 2012)
4**** show less

The second book in a trilogy, which I prefer over the first. This book is tough to review without giving major plot points away. Where the first book appeared to deal with a direct story of good vs evil, the second book has more layers, complicating the plot in excellent ways, making the reader ask the same questions as many characters come to debate. I often reserve 5 out of 5 scores only for books I adore and cannot stand to part with, but this book escalates the tale in book 1 to a new show more and more satisfying level. Whereas when I finished Book 1, I mostly delved into the second book out of curiosity, I now need to read the last of the trilogy to learn the outcome. With one or two perfect twists, I’ve enjoyed this much more than I expected to. An excellent blend of religion, and politics, and the dangerous quality of blind faith. show less