Since I have read this book previously and enjoyed it, I felt like I'd be in for the same treat. Unfortunately, this series is failing to live up to what I remember it to be. Pug as a slave and a Great One was great. A powerful plot string and an intriguing look into another culture. Every other plot line in the book, however, failed to interest me. I skipped entire sailing and pirating sections of unimportant travel, as well as overly descriptive battle scenes. Tomas' plight was interesting, though having known what happened previously, I failed to pay too much attention. Some books benefit from multiple points of view, this one did not. With Pug being the only character deep enough for me to care about, I failed to enjoy glimpses of anyone else. Hopefully the secondary characters will gain a little more life and interest in future books, or I'm not reading for much longer. For Pug's journey alone this book is worth 3 stars, barely.

Pug was taken prisoner on the battlefields in Midkemia and now, several years later, he has persevered through work as a slave in the swamps of Kelewan. He is transferred to an easier position as a house slave and life is beginning to look up when he is brought to the attention of one of the strange and powerful magicians of this world!

Meanwhile, the battle still continues on. Arutha seeks help from the Prince of Krondor, only to find that he has been disposed. With the help of Jimmy the Hand, Arutha has to find a way to smuggle Princess Anita out of the city.

Tomas fights alongside the dwarves and the elves, growing more and more like the fabled Dragonlords day after day. Can nothing reverse his transformation? And can anything bring this terrible war to an end?

Embark into high fantasy at its best. Meet dragons, elves, dwarves, magic, princesses, kings, princes, and pirates. This book is packed full of action and intrigue. It has a lot of pages but it's not long; it's EPIC!

This book is the second in a series. One book immediately precedes it and two others feature many of the same characters and have their roots in the plot of this book.

If buying it used, check for the words "Author's Preferred Edition" on the cover! A few scenes were added back in after the first two books proved to be successful - the extra scenes add from this book were really good and give you a deeper understanding of the world of Kelewan and its links with Midkemia.

In MAGICIAN: MASTER we get the triumphant second half of Feist's first novel. Fast-paced and huge in scope, this was quite an undertaking for a new writer, but was carried out almost flawlessly. In this second half of the story, we find the young boys from APPRENTICE develop into their full potential, becoming heroes of astounding proportions. We also get a nice conclusive ending to the primary story. While they technically make up only the first half of the 4-book Riftwar Saga, the story is effectively ended here and you aren't forced to continue on with the story if you don't have the mind to.

Some reviewers have commented that they don't like how MAGICIAN was split up into two separate novels, but IMO it makes a lot of sense and actually helps the presentation. MASTER is a much more epic-feeling part of the story than APPRENTICE, taking place over a longer time frame and chronicling events occurring all over two unique worlds. The scope and pacing of the two books are very different from each other, and the transition between them would result in a rather jarring experience if they were read as one book. I can't really say which of the two I like better (both are top notch) as they are in reality quite different from each other. APPRENTICE was centered around young men growing and learning from their first experiences, while MASTER is more about realizing their full potential and taking the weight of the world on their shoulders.

I first read these books about 15 years ago, and they have maintained their appeal during that time. A fun, fast, and magical read, these first two books by Feist rank up in my all time favorite fantasies.

Magician: Master, is the second book in the Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist. In this fantastic epic fantasy, we see the main character, Pug, transform from a peasant boy with seemingly limited potential into a powerful magician. During this transition, we watch as the plot twists and turns and progresses. I had a very hard time putting this book down when I first read it over 12 years ago, and on subsequent reads, it still had the same affect for me.

Overall, I find the most compelling aspect of the story is the setting. In the first book, Magician: Apprentice, Raymond Feist weaves an expansive setting in his world of Midkemia. As if that is not enough, Magician: Master throws the reader into yet another hugely expansive world/dimension called Kelewan, while at the same time continuing the exploration of Midkemia. Seeing new cultures and traditions represented in the book, and watching the main character adapt and adjust, helps the reader get into both the plot and story, as well as into the characters emotions.

While many fantasy novels (or any fiction for that matter) follow similar threads of coming of age, Raymond Feist is able to add another layer into his story through the well-thoughout development of his rich universe. I thoroughly enjoyed Magician: Master, and it also motivated me to proceed through all of the books written by Raymond Feist.

I believe any fantasy lover would quickly become a fan of Raymond Feist by reading Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master.

"Magician: Apprentice" and "Magician: Master" were entertaining, but my impression is that Feist cares more for his characters than he does his story. If you want only virtuous, very likable characters, happy endings and G rated banter between hardened warriors then he's your kind of writer. He's very good at this "safe" epic fantasy genre though (and I don't mean that disparagingly), and he does manage to keep things interesting. I prefer a little more reality and darkness and moral flavor in my fiction, personally. "Magician" was like Star Wars without the Empire. Or rather, Star Wars with a misunderstood Empire that's really good, but just set in its ways and in need of reform. It's the kind of adventure fantasy that I imagine aging, virginal, matronly English professors would enjoy ... if it had a bit more shear literary merit.

Never-the-less, if you like the kind of fiction I've described or you just want a change of pace, it's at the very least entertaining reading. Feist is a good story teller, even if he plays softball with his main characters, protecting them from any real tragedy.