The Magicians' Guild
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| First edition cover | |
| Author | Trudi Canavan |
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| Cover Artist | Steve Stone |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Black Magician Trilogy |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Orbit Books |
| Released | February 2004 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 469 pp (UK edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 1-84149-313-9 (first edition, paperback) & ISBN 1-904233-66-4 (hardback edition) |
| Followed by | The Novice |
The Magicians' Guild is the first fantasy novel in The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan. Published in 2001, it is followed by The Novice and The High Lord.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
Each year, the streets of Imardin are purged of the poor and homeless by the powerful Magicians' Guild, and each year, gangs of local youths protest and resist, usually without effect. But this year, one such youth manages to injure one of the magicians, revealing herself to magically gifted. What follows is the hunt for the rogue magician Sonea, who believes the guild will kill her if they find her, while the guild are far more concerned with the damage she could do to herself and others if not found in time.
[edit] Plot summary
Each winter in the city of Imardin, the streets are purged of the dwells (the city's under-class) , who are sent into the slums outside of the city's walls. Though the dwells resent this and attempt to resist, they are no match for the might of the Magicians' Guild, at least, not until one of the dwells accidentally uses magic to injure one of the magicians. Some of the magicians react instantly, managing to kill an innocent bystander via multiple stunstrikes which allegedly formed into a firestrike. Shaken by the thought that people in the city could be using magic against them, the magicians begin searching the slums to find the rogue magician before she can harm herself or others by her uncontrolled magic.
Sonea, the dwell they are searching for, is helped into hiding by one of the many gangs of thieves, but only in return for learning to use her magic to help them. Believing that the Guild wish to kill her after seeing them kill before, she persists in trying to use magic, but only with destructive results. Gradually, she begins to lose control of her powers and it becomes apparent to the thieves that she is a threat to them. Cery, Sonea's closest friend, decides that Sonea would benefit from learning at the Guild, so they sneak into the ground to eavesdrop on some of the lessons taking place. Though these aren't very helpful, Sonea witnesses something very sinister while Cery is absent: a magician in bloody clothes taking strength from his servant. Assuming he is some sort of Guild assassin, Sonea flees.
Lord Dannyl, one of the Guild magicians, makes a deal with one of the gangs of thieves, impressing on them the need to control Sonea's power. The thieves betray Sonea, revealing her location to the magicians who capture her. Lord Dannyl's former mentor, the kindly Lord Rothen, is then given temporary guardianship of Sonea to help her control her power. Aware that she has a deep distrust of magicians, Rothen tries to keep Sonea isolated from the rest of magicians until she is ready to face them, but Lord Fergun, the magician Sonea managed to wound, manages to speak with her and causes her to doubt Rothen and Dannyl's intentions. He offers to teach her full control of her power if Sonea changes her guardianship from Rothen to Fergun, and tells her that she could then return to the slums to help people: something she dearly wishes for.
When she seems hesitant, Fergun takes more drastic measures, capturing Sonea's friend Cery and keeping him prisoner in the hidden passages running throughout and under the Guild. Fergun's plan is to force Sonea to break Guild law and thus discourage the Guild from ever accepting dwells into the Guild ever again. Forced to go along with Fergun's plans, Sonea agrees to change her guardianship from Rothen to Fergun, much to Rothen's dismay. Dannyl, however, has first-hand knowledge of how treacherous and cruel Fergun can be and follows him to the entrance of the secret passages. When the Guild convene to discuss Sonea's guardianship, Dannyl enters the hidden passages against the advice of Rothen and accidentally runs into the High Lord Akkarin, most powerful magician in the Guild and also its leader. Akkarin is displeased to find another magician in the tunnels and advises Dannyl to leave.
Cery is waiting in his prison, afraid that he has been forgotten and left to die. He overhears a conversation between a stern stranger and someone he assumes to be Fergun. The other magician leaves, and the stern stranger finds the prison and releases Cery after hearing that Cery was being used to blackmail Sonea. Cery also seems to recognise the stranger (Akkarin) and in his gratitude, informs him that if ever he needs his help, Cery would be glad to give it. Akkarin accepts, although he offers Cery the chance to withdraw his offer.
Meanwhile, at the hearing regarding Sonea's guardianship, she is supporting Fergun's claim that her guardianship should rightfully be his, although Rothen is hurt and bewildered by Sonea's actions. Just as the magicians are about to confirm Fergun's guardianship of Sonea, the hearing is interrupted by Akkarin who enters the hall with Cery. Free to tell the truth, Sonea reveals that she was forced to support Fergun's claim and consents to a truth read (having her mind read) by the second highest ranking magician, Lorlen.
When Lorlen reads Sonea's mind, he is shocked to see the sinister event Sonea witnessed whilse sneaking into Guild grounds. Now realising that the bloodied man was Akkarin, and that he is both a murderer and a black magician (stealing strength from others), Lorlen warns Sonea that she could now be in danger from Akkarin. He asks her to stay in the Guild and to tell no one except Rothen what she has seen. Lorlen himself is very hurt by what he has seen in Sonea's mind, for he and Akkarin were very close friends. The truth read does confirm Fergun's blackmailing, however, and he is exiled from the Guild.
Sonea is accepted into the Guild where she will receive lessons in how to use, not just control, her power, although she enters it in the knowledge that although Fergun is gone, she is now at much greater risk from the High Lord - a magician so powerful that Lorlen is uncertain that the Guild could over power him. Deciding to remain silent for the time being, Sonea begins to prepare for lessons in the Guild.
[edit] Characters
- Sonea - a dwell (i.e. someone who lives in the slums) and an extremely powerful magician, although she is unaware of this to begin with. Friends with Cery and later, Dannyl and Rothen.
- Lord Dannyl - an alchemist (purple robes) magician, and former pupil of Rothen. Willing to use unorthodox methods to find Sonea, and has her best interests at heart.
- Lord Rothen - an alchemist (purple robes) magician and teacher, and Sonea's mentor.
- Lord Fergun - a warrior magician (red robes), disapproves of dwells being taught magic.
- Lord Lorlen - administrator (blue robes) for the Guild.
- High Lord Akkarin - Leader (black robes) of the Guild, and secretly a black magician.
- Cery - full name Ceryni (small rodent), friend of Sonea's, father was a Thief.
[edit] Release details
- 2004, UK, Orbit ISBN 1-84149-313-9, Pub date 5 February 2004, paperback (First edition)
- 2005, UK, Orbit ISBN 1-904233-66-X, Pub date 1 September 2005, hardback
