Kellen Tavadon, son of the Arch-Mage Lycaelon, thought he knew the way the world worked. His father, leading the wise and benevolent Council of Mages, protected and guided the citizens of the Golden City of the Bells. Young Mages in training-all men, for women were unfit to practice magic-memorized the intricate details of High Magic and aspired to seats on the council. Then he found the forbidden Books of Wild Magic-or did they find him? The three slim volumes woke Kellen to the wide world outside the City's isolating walls. Their Magic was not dead, strangled by rules and regulations. It felt like a living thing, guided by the hearts and minds of those who practiced it and benefited from it. Questioning everything he has known, Kellen discovers too many of the City's dark secrets. Banished, with the Outlaw Hunt on his heels, Kellen invokes Wild Magic-and finds himself running for his life with a unicorn at his side. Kellen's life changes almost faster than he can understand or accept. Rescued by a unicorn, healed by a female Wild Mage who knows more about Kellen than anyone outside the City should, meeting Elven royalty and Elven warriors, and plunged into a world where the magical beings he has learned about as abstract concepts are flesh and blood creatures-Kellen both revels in and fears his new freedom. Especially once he learns about Demons. He'd always thought they were another abstract concept-a stand-in for ultimate evil. But if centaurs and dryads are real, then Demons surely are as well. And the one thing all the Mages of the City agreed on was that practicing Wild Magic corrupted a Mage. Turned him into a Demon. Would that be Kellen's fate? Deep in Obsidian Mountain, the Demons are waiting. Since their defeat in the last great War, they've been biding their time, sowing the seeds of distrust and discontent between their human and Elven enemies. Very soon now, when the Demons rise to make war, there will be no alliance between High and Wild Magic to stand against them. And all the world will belong to the Endarkened.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Outstanding Series:
I was surprised by how fun and engaging this Obsidian series was. Most readers of fantasy will enjoy it. Given the absence of sex, this is actually a pretty good gift for the younger set 12 and older. That said, the next Phoenix series was a little weak. I read it since I invested the time so far, but it was derivative of the first series and didn't seem very original or deep.
The Best Book in the Trilogy:
The first novel in The Obsidian Trilogy is surely the best. The events are all well paced, the writing fluid, and the characters interesting. This book opens the reader's mind to many great and fantastic elements. Where the next two books become muddled and focus on military events, this book follows the story of young Kellen and his trials and tribulations. Even the final segment of the book involves a small group of heroes. This is a great novel, and well worth the read even if the next two books... more info
Worth reading - Another enjoyable trilogy:
Another trilogy by Mercedes Lackey, co-authored by James Mallory. Book 1: The Outstretched Shadow
Book 2: To Light A Candle
Book 3: When Darkness Falls Lackey and Mallory create a new world for everyone to enjoy and visualize. A trilogy that captures your interest - although fast moving. Clues to the ending are gathered through out the three books. The adventures of Kellen and his troupe are filled with anticipation - building until the very end. A good read - worth every word... more info
Unsurprising but not bad:
This is honestly your basic journey-to-adulthood fantasy formula, and anyone who's expecting innovation will be disappointed. That said, it's much better than Lackey's usual solo work (recently anyways) and I enjoyed it for what it was, though the pacing really drags at the beginning and end. It actually appears to have been edited, which is sadly no longer something to be taken for granted, and while the main characters are unrealistically perfect they're at least shown with enough flaws that it doesn't... more info
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