Explore Legacy Of Kings (The Magister Trilogy, #3) Constructed By C.S. Friedman Presented In Paper Edition

had actually avoided this one for awhile, because after loving the first book, and moderately enjoying the second, I'd seen too many reviews which suggested that this last book in the trilogy would be another step suckwards.
But it was on the "good new reads" shelf as I walked by at the library, so I grabbed it and so very, very glad that I did.
It was the kind of compelling read that begged me to skip a night out on the town, I just had to finish the book.
Satisfying all the way thru to the very end, this one is well worth the read if you've read the first two books.
And if you haven't, this awesome conclusion helps make the whole trilogy a great read, Legacy of Kings by Celia Friedman

This fantasy novel, the third in the Magister trilogy, brings the relationship between Magisters sorcerers centre stage.


Struggling to trust each other, even in the interest of the greater good, and intensely territorial, sparks fly whenever two Magisters end up in the same place, as Colivar quickly discovers.


"'We are incapable even of talking facetoface with our own kind without bestial instincts taking control of us.
What kind of law do you envision for us How do you propose to punish transgressors'
But those words died on his lips, unvoiced.
Because the suggestion, mad as it was, struck a chord deep within him, A human chord. "

Meanwhile, female Magister Kamala is facing the difficult choice of whether to embrace her birthright, a terrifying force that will ensure her physical safety, if she can defeat the Souleaters.


"She'd thought herself immune to such emotions and it was deeply disturbing to feel it take root with her now, spreading like a gangrenous infection through her psyche.
It made her want to take the foul creatures in her naked hands and tear them limb from limb.
"

Siderea has control of the Souleaters for now and is looking to use them to expand her existing empire.


"The fact that the Sleep had nothing to do with the gods, and everything to do with the male Souleaters who circled restlessly about Jezalya, feeding upon everything outside the borders, was a secret no one but Siderea needed to know.
Like dogs on a leash, the great beasts circled restlessly about their mistress, sucking Jezalya's enemies dry, "

Friedman has quite a rhetorical style, which I rather liked once I'd got used to it.
Her style suits the dramatic interplay between Magisters and scholars like Salvator they may appear physically unassuming but their powers will determine the fate of whole nations.


There was a strong intellectual feel to this novel, coming from the focus on characters whose skills lie in sorcery rather than brute force on the battlefield, which I appreciated.
The characterisation was also very strong, These heroes and villains are feisty!

I also liked the delicate portrayal of the spiritual side of human life.
Fantasy does quite often deal with religion, but this was far subtler than those novels that use religious themes or topics as an excuse to push their own particular world view.
It gave you room to think for yourself and that's never a bad thing,

Enjoy!
The last of the Soulfire trilogy, Friedman, yet again, provides an excellent culmination to a refreshingly interesting and satisfying series of books.
All of the threads from the previous two novels are brought together in this climax and nicely wrapped together.
I dont mind a story that ends well, and I found this worked well, If you want to get nitpicky, her premise of sourcerers whos powers are obtained by using the life force athra of unwilling and unknowing volunteers is not much of a moral conundrum here.
It is brought up and there are characters who deem it a sin, but it is also not the main focus of the plot.
Her writing is always layered and complex allowing for these kind of considerations as the story moves along and after you are done reading.
I don't know why I read this trilogy

over so many years, I should have read them all together at once because I LOVED THIS SERIES SO MUCH! The final book did NOT disappoint and I adored it.
I couldn't put it down until it was finished, Low key obsessed with Coliver now and Kamala was amazing as always, This trilogy is definitely in my favorites now, Intensely satisfying conclusion to the Magister trilogy, Superbly crafted, relentless, engrossing. Highly recommend this book and the series, just okay.out ofstars.

C. S. Friedman may be one of the most underrated fantasists working today, Her original and compelling settings, fantastically developed characters and ability to keep a story moving while never taking it exactly where the reader expects makes every one of her works an absolute pleasure to read.


As the war between humankind and the Souleaters continues to develop, strange alliances are forged and new dangers come to the surface.
King Salvator will have to reconcile himself with the deadly Magisters, who in turn will be forced to deal with the secret Magister Kamala Colivar and Ramirus will be forced to resolve their differences and the origins of the very power that binds the world together will be called into question as the forces of good align themselves against the Witch Queen and her new and deadly alliance with the ikati.


Friedman can't be accused of doing anything predictable, nor can it be said this third volume isn't ambitious.
If anything, Friedman may have opened up a few too many cans of worms in the first two volumes of The Magister trilogy, and some of the plot ends feel a bit too neatly nipped and tucked as this third volume comes to a close, just as a few characters from the large cast seem to be shuffled aside and nearly forgotten in all of the chaos of the final battle.


Still, this is a small quibble, Friedman is a master storyteller, and any fan of epic fantasy is only doing themselves a disservice by not checking out her impressive body of work.

This is the third and final book in the Magister series, I liked how this series wrapped up but also thought that this was the weakest book of this trilogy.
The story progressed very slowly and was flatout boring at points, I did like how things pulled together though even if it was a bit predictable,

I listened to this on audiobook and all the audiobooks for this series have been very well done.
Rodgers does a great job with character voices and emotion and I really enjoyed listening to this series on audiobook.


This book deals with what you would expect based on the first two books, Kamala and the other Magisters must cooperate together in order to stop the Soul Eaters from gaining a hold in their land and destroying it.
This will require Kamala to come clean on her status as a Magister,

For this series as a whole the world building, complex characters, and intricate storyline were amazing.
This is a great epic fantasy series with a very oldschool fantasy feel to it,

My main complaint is that this final book just could have been a bit more concise.
It bounces between a ton of characters and this was distracting and drew out the story even longer.


Overall this was a good wrapup for this series, I would recommend this series to those who enjoy “oldschool” epic fantasy, This book does get a bit drawn out and long, I have pretty much read everything Friedman has written now and am eager to see if she takes on another series at some point.

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