Book 3), The High Lord (The Black Magician Trilogy

The High lord is the concluding volume in Trudi Canavan's Black Magician Trilogy, and my personal favourite.

Everything about this book is unexpected, but as the reader's perceptions alter alongside those of the characters, you realise that what you have is a very cleverly constructed plot.

The novel has Trudi Canavan's trade mark fast paced action and sensitive characterisation, and makes for very rewarding reading.

The Novice continues The Black Magician Trilogy in the same fluid, fast-paced style that I liked about the opening volume, The Magician's Guild.

In the first book, the action took place mainly in the Guild and the colourful world of the slums. In The Novice, though we still see a great deal of the Guild where Sonea begins her formal education as a magician, the slums and the intriguing characters that inhabit them take a back seat. There is a brief appearance from Cery and Sonea pays her aunt and uncle a brief visit, but those who were fascinated by the thieves and their enthralling activities in the first book will be disappointed.

Instead, Trudi Canavan takes us further afield and introduces us to the different cultures and peoples outside of Imardin. We accompany Dannyl, the newly promoted assistant ambassador, in his travels around Kyralia as he performs his official duties as well as a secret task set by Lorien and Rothen to learn more of the High Lord's past.

As in the previous book, Canavan does not attempt to dazzle readers by populating her fantasy world with monstrous creatures. Neither does she bore us with endless battles and impossible escapades that are vital ingredients in other fantasy series. What Canavan gives us in abundance is great human drama as her likeable characters find themselves in "real" dilemmas that readers will find familiar. We feel for Dannyl as he tries comes to terms with his sexuality and we sympathise with Sonea as she is forced to keep up a façade to protect those that she loves.

There were just two things that (slightly) marred my enjoyment of this book. First, the previous book painted Sonea as a worldly character, one used to the harsh realities of life having grown up in relative poverty. In The Novice, however, she transforms into a wimp as she lets Regine, the book's primary antagonist, bully her constantly. She is hesitant to fight back- surely her training from the thieves would have taught her to defend herself more readily?

My second moan is less a criticism and more of a sign of my impatience. We hardly learn anything new about Akkarin, the High Lord. Canavan gives a few hints here and there but Akkarin remains very much an enigma by the end of the book. I guess all will be revealed in the third and final book in the series. I've already pre-ordered my copy - and so should you!

when i picked this book up, the question "how was Canavan going to close the series with little to no loose ends?" was floating arround in my head.

Canavan used very intesting ways to tie together the major plot lines so that they could be solved in the relativaly same pages and events. not to give anything away, but there are @ least three twists that you most likely won't see coming.

one thing though. THE TRUE ANTAGONIST SHOWS UP AND REVELS LOADS OF WEAKNESSES IN THE GUILD. sorry I love to get chewed out for giving away some parts of the story. oh yeah, major players do die in here.

Sonea, now a novice directly under the care of the High Lord, is a bit too trusting after a while. After he gets the books to her, she forgets all of her notions and in the end, falls in love with the very High Lord she hated in the beginning? Also, during this series, the enemies are not explained very well, as they kind of weave their way in and out of the story, except that the Magician's guild had triumphed against them. Also, things fall into place a bit too quickly for my taste, as only a chapter after they leave, they're already on their way back.
With Rothen and the ring, I don't believe Sonea had enough suspicion of him. She KNOWS that the murderer has a red ring on and when she sees him, all she does is wonder. She doesn't follow him, she doesn't spy on him. She's not doing anything. Sonea in this case is kind of being fed the information. She's fed the information that the High Lord gives her to make her use the 'higher magic'. She's fed the information on how to use it and then is thrust into the situation of exile. Along the way, she ever so conveniently falls in love with Akkarin and they do their thing, making her pregnant. Before they were exiled, I see no or very rare times where she mentions of a possible crush on him or the changing from a teacher to something more.
Other than those things, this book is very gripping, the action is exciting, and the Ichani are as evil as Trudi can get them. All in all, a very good book.

After 2 books of not so important and pretty predicatable plot, finally, a little twist in the story! The only annoyance as always are the narrations deviating from Sonea's plot. Danyl was poorly developed character, his story did not tie in well at all. Finally though High Lord's secrets are revealed! Too bad we only got to meet akkarin in the last third of the series and got to spend so little time with him. Really, this series was a great page turner, couldn't put it down, but had some majar flaws (lots of boring and redudant explanations, undeveloped secondary characters, pacing issues, lots of magical/fanatasy cliches) but what redeemed it all for me in the book was the fact that I really couldn't put it down and the High Lord's appearance in the plot. Mostly more of a young adult fanatsy book, light and easy to read, nothing too deep involved.

Loved the first book as we followed Sonea's journey through the Magician's Guild training & her relationships w/ Cery, Rothen & the High Lord. I didn't really think there was much in the 2nd book. Although this last book wanders a bit, it wraps things up nicely and offers us a bit of romance as well. (No SPOILERS here) I'm actually reading over certain parts in the beginning as they are hints of things to come! Recommended.

Again this is not my favorite series, it has potential but I would have liked to see her create more of a structured and thought out "fantasy world". Additionally she ties up loose ends, but in a vague unsatisfying way. I'd buy a second series of the same characters, because I think she has promise... However as I said before you'll like Magic's Pawn (The Last Herald-Mage Series, Book 1) and the 2 or 3 interrelated series much better than this...

Though the symphony Trudi Canavan created in her series "The Black Magician Trilogy" began slowly, the final novel "The High Lord" was faster paced and introduced a more involved melody. Canavan answered all the questions she'd previously raised as well as some she presented in this final chapter.

Sonea finally comes to understand the larger picture of the happenings in the kingdom of Kyralia. What is more she is able to make a positive contribution with her magic.

Though Canavan used some elements that are as common as the Coke jingle to create her melody the song she composes is enjoyable. However some of the melody lines were a duplication of effort as several of the characters trace the same steps that Sonea takes at the beginning of the book. More positively, the book ends on its own note without the common final melody presented in so many stories. All in all, Canavan's "The High Lord" is an uplifting end to a symphony that began rather slowly.

The trilogy is wonderful. I'd rather have had four books (no, make that five, no make that ...) the characters are wonderful and the plot is gripping.

Unfortunately, the end is a bit more rushed than I would have liked, and the characters we've come to know and care about are left just beginning to rebuild. I wanted it to go, on, to a fourth book, to see what the Guild does to recover and move on ...

but how can I complain? This series was one of the most enjoyable new contributions to the genre that I've read. I am very much looking forward to more Trudi Canavan books.

I loved the first two books of the Black Magician Trilogy and waited eagerly for the last book to be published. I rushed to buy The High Lord the day it came out. Imagined my dismay at finding this final book to be full of loose ends. The story was not very cohesive and the ending just seemed to stumble along, then trail off, then come to a complete halt-- if that is possible! I hated the ending, and not only because it wasn't what I had wanted but because it just plain sucked. I don't know if Canavan plans on continuing this saga in another book or trilogy but that would just be even more disappointing... I hate when authors leave their story full of holes (not cleverly tantalizing blanks at that, but gaping spaces) to be filled in during a completely different series with other sets of main characters. There is a difference between cliffhangers and plain bad plotting.

I can't say that this book was a complete waste because Sonea and the High Lord eventually came to the understanding that I had been hoping for, but there was a lot to be desired.

The Trilogy was certianly good, the story kept me engrossed until the end. But thats where the trouble started, there was so much build up and history yet the final fight is incredibly brief and uninteresting. The ending ties up very few things with the exception of Ambassador Dannyl, they all left on annoying hangings that left you unsure of even what state the country and guild were in or where they were headed.

With this book, Ms. Canavan brings her series to a close. A fantastical Horatio Alger story, Sonea rises from direst poverty to excellence, esteem and even love. This is very satisfying fluff. The characters are well drawn and the plot nicely convoluted, with just enough twists to keep you entertained for the length of the book.

I liked the book but the ending was a disepointment. The good guys won but what happend next? Didn't the auther bother to wright more. I actually think this book as incomplete. The book has some other flaws but not as anying as the end. It's a thrilling read and the whole trilogy is very good.

I recommend this triogy to all my friends but warn them of some booring sideplots and the end is cut to short.

I have liked reading this book it deals with black magicians, discovery of black magic, assasins, invasion and expulsion not neccesary in that order. The plot is fast moving unlike in the previous book and there are many new concepts of how black magic works. I justed wished that there were also a normal invasion instead of simple magical one

I truly loved this series. I was disappointed when I finished the last book and discovered that there are no new ones pending. Akkarin ended up being my favorite character so the ending was a bit of a surprise...can't say more but this is a MUST READ!

I really love this series, I'm hoping The Traitor Spy trilogy answers questions. It felt like it had the wrong ending and things didn't make sense. But putting all that aside this series was amazing and i would read it again.

The High Lord is about a novice magician called Sonea. She has been forced to cohabitate with the High Lord, Akkarin. He practises black magic secretly and has taken her as a hostage. She despises him, until he starts giving her knowledge and slowly she starts to like him. A brilliant book with a funny romantic ending.

After reading the third book in the Magician Trilogy, all I can say is that it leaves you pinting for more. If you havn't yet started to read 'The Apprentice', do yourself a favor and do so now. An excellent read.