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Description edit see section history

"We should expect this young woman to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician."

This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move... read more

Summary edit see section history

Sonea is a beggar-child from the slums of Imardin, the famed capital of Kyralia and home of the Magician's Guild. Orphaned and taken in by an aunt and uncle, Sonea has grown up running with childrens' street gangs and picking pockets. She possesses a noble heart, however, and is only trying to... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Sonea is a beggar-child from the slums of Imardin, the famed capital of Kyralia and home of the Magician's Guild. Orphaned and taken in by an aunt and uncle, Sonea has grown up running with childrens' street gangs and picking pockets. She possesses a noble heart, however, and is only trying to make the best of her situation.

Enter the Magician's Guild - a group uniformly hated by the lower castes of society, owing mainly to the magicians' disregard of those not magical, and to the yearly Purge - an event in which all members of the lower classes are rounded up and cast out of the city.

Sonea and her friends are resisting the Purge one year when a seeming miracle occurs - the stone Sonea had thrown, assuming it would bounce off the magicians' protection spells just like every other stone has, passes through the barrier, knocking one of the mages unconcious. Sonea is forced to run for her life, convinced the magicians will kill her if they ever find her...

Characters edit see section history

  • Sonea: A "dwell" (someone who lives in the slums) with the undiscovered potential to become an extremely powerful magician.
  • Lord Rothen: An alchemist (purple robes) and teacher
  • Lord Dannyl: An alchemist (purple robes) and former pupil of Lord Rothen, who is willing to use unorthodox methods to find Sonea and who has her best interests at heart.
  • Cery: Friend of Sonea's whose full name, Ceryni, is that of a type of small rodent. His father was once a Thief
  • Lord Lorlen: Administrator (blue robes) for the Guild. Long time friend of High Lord Akkarin.
  • Fergun: Warrior magician (red robes) who dislikes slum dwellers.
  • Harrin: A slum-dweller who loves harrassing the Magicians. Leader of Harrin's gang
  • High Lord Akkarin: High Lord (black robes) of the guild. The most powerful magician in the city.
  • Lord Yaldin: Old magician in the Guild. Married to Ezrille
  • Tania: Lord Rothen's servant girl
  • Donia: A young woman, the daughter of a tavernmaster. Harrin's friend
  • Jonna: Sonea's aunt.
  • Burril: One of Harrin's gang
  • Ravi: Member of the Thieves
  • Lady Vinara: High Magician for the healers (green robes) ranking member of the Guild.
  • Ranel: Sonea's uncle.
  • Jerrik: Add a description of this character.
  • Harrill
  • Gorin: One of the leaders of The Thieves
  • Lord Solend: An old historian (magician) who explains the natural development of magical ability to the magicians.
  • Lord Osen: The Administrator's assistant.
Show all 21 characters
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Organizations edit see section history

  • The Magicians Guild: The only organization allowed to have anything do to with Magic in all the Allied Lands. The Guild dominates one quarter of Imadrin.
  • The Thieves: An organized group of criminals that dominate the slums. Their leaders take the names from Animals.

First Sentence edit see section history

It is said, in Imardin, that the wind has a soul, and that it wails through the narrow city streets because it is grieved by what it finds there.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Maps

Part One

1 The Purge
2 The Magician's Debate
3 Old Friends
4 The Search Continues
5 The Reward
6 Underground Encounters
7 Dangerous Alliances
8 Messages in the Dark
9 An Unwelcome Visitor
10 Taking Sides
11 Safe Passage
12 The Last Place They'd Look
13 Powerful Influence
14 An Unwilling Ally
15 One Way, or the other ...

Part Two

16 Introductions
17 Sonea's Resolve
18 Away from Prying Eyes
19 Lessons Begin
20 The Guild's Prisoner
21 A Promise of Freedom
22 An Unexpected Offer
23 Rothen's Friend
24 Unanswered Questions
25 A Change of Plans
26 The Deception Begins
27 Somewhere Under the University
28 The Hearing Begins
29 To Dwell Among Magicians

Epilogue
Lord Dannyl's Guide to Slum Slang
Glossary

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 4 in Black Magician Trilogy. (standard series)

Preceded by The Magician's Apprentice, and followed by The Novice.

This book is in Young Adult. (community list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Trudi Canavan (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Joanna Jabłczyńska (Narrator)
  2. Les Petersen (Cover Artist) - Cover art (ISBN: 0-7322-7095-2)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: HarperCollins/Voyager
Country: Australia
Publication Date: 24 October 2001
ISBN: 0732270952
Page Count: 520

Classification edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Mentions prostitutes, sex, love, homosexuality (something the author seems to like to discuss), murder, and assassination. All these things are mention without much detail.

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • The Magician's Apprentice
  • The Ambassador's Mission

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • The Magician's Apprentice

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