Canavan, T. (2001-3). The novice, the high lord, and the magicians' guild. New York: Eos.

01/31/08 - 02/19/08
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I thought I would review the three novels in this series as a group (since I've been so bad about keeping up with this). I've found my taste in novels changing substantially across recent years. As recently as five years ago I would probably have given these novels three or four stars, but at this point they are not that satisfying. My main problem with them is that the complexity of the characters and the story line is somewhat lacking. There were a few nice twists, but the richness of the setting and the amount that happens in the story somehow fell flat. J and I are reading Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey together and I was struck by the contrast in the pacing and the way that Carey builds up the moments of tension within the plot compared to the style of writing by Canavan. As a freshman effort these books are quite good, but hopefully Canavan will develop further as she continues writing.