Wellspring of Chaos

This is book 1 of 2 books concerning Kharl, a cooper in Brysta. Kharl and his family live the life of a not very prosperous merchant, Kharl is the best cooper in town but he doesn't get along well with everyone. When he finds a neighbor girl being attacked by ruffians his life takes a turn for the worse, as one of the ruffians is the son of the Lord of his land.
I enjoyed the story of Kharl and his family and the other characters. To me, this was not just a fantasy tale of Modesitt's world but a cautionary tale about the abuses of power in our own day. Well written and interesting.

I had to look up where in the overall history of the Saga of Recluce this book fits, especially since the last couple were actually the earliest in the internal timeline. This one jumps forward about 1700 years, and it took me a while to remember all the things that had happened (and had not yet happened).

This book starts with a bang, then settles into its main narrative. It seemed like there was less whining than in some of the books, and more action. I hope we return to Kharl's story (have not looked ahead to the next book to see if it follows this one closely in internal chronology) because it seems he has unfinished business with his sons, Jena, and Egen.

It has been any years since I last visited the world dominated by the Chaos of Hamador and the Order of Recluse so it was with some trepidation that I began reading "The Wellspring of Chaos." I had stopped reading the recluse books in the past because, quite frankly, that had started to get kind of boring. However, I have had this book on my wishlist for a long time and it arrived for Christmans (thanks Mom) so I decided to dive right in. I'm glad I did.

Like all of the Recluse novels this one is a fresh and new look at the world through a new characters eyes; this time via Kharl the Cooper. Also, as in prior novels, a good chunk of time has passed in the world since I was last there. Kharl lives in the small seaside city of Bystra which show more is run by a lazy lord and dominated by the lords 3 corrupt sons; the most notable of whom, in this story, is Egen.

Kharl is a good man and a very good cooper. He is married and has 2 sons and his own cooperage next door to a scrivner. Kharl isn't perfect however. He has a stubborn refusal to really see who he is and his sense of order is so strong that he tends to rub less honest people the wrong way. In fact Kharl's tendency to do good ends up causing him far more trouble than he could imagine thanks to Lord Egen.

However, not all of the consequences of Kharl's actions are bad. He tends to the wounded, saves potential rape victims, fights off pirates, and even destroys a few powerful enemies along the way to discovering who and what he really is.

Kharl is a well written character and I found him very likable. Likewise I found his story to be very enjoyable though the ending seemed a little too neat and tidy. I would have liked to have seen a bit more reconciliation with some of the more important people of his past. Even with that small quibble I can whole heartedly recommend "The Wellspring of Chaos" show less

I enjoyed this book a great deal. He usually follows the same formula with his Order Chaos books, and it is satisfying. This one stood out somewhat because of the main character. The main character was older. The main character had his wife murdered and was ostracized. Kharl lived homeless on the streets. Then Modesitt got him off the streets, got him a job, got him the magic touch, got him blasting bad guys, and it rolled along nicely. A good read.

I wasn't pulled in emotionally as much as in some of the other books, it just didn't seem that intense somehow. But still, a good read.

Kharl the cooper saves a neighbors daughter from rape. Then he saves a young black staffer from Recluce. The man he thwarts is the son of the local lord. Kharl's consort is killed, his sons leave him and his cooperage is taxed out of his control. He leaves, learns some about Order on his own and helps a ruler from being displaced. Gets lands and a title in another land. Probably going to be a sequel about him going back to his land and giving justice. This was the most novel" of them to date. Not much repetition and noise words."

A great new series. Very unique concept.