The Ambassador's Mission

Please don’t be put off by the cover of this book. It’s actually a lot better than the generic fantasy painting of a man-in-a-hooded-cloak would suggest. This is the first book in a new trilogy from Trudi Canavan and takes place after the events of The Black Magicians Trilogy. The story itself is interesting, even if you are not totally familiar with the earlier series, and will keep you turning the pages as the tension mounts and the story unfolds. Expect conspiracies, daring-do, and magic. Canavan is good at pacing her stories and makes sure that the story unfolds while still leaving you wanting more. Also Canavan’s writing style means that the reader is never bombarded by words or events, and the reader is never left drowning beneath pointless descriptions and minute detail. All in all I enjoyed reading this and look forward to the rest of the series.
One for genre fans, I just wish Orbit had put a better cover on it.

The Magician's Apprentice

Trudi Canavan writes big fantasy novels. Inside you will find war, magic, family conflict and a quest, and The Magician’s Apprentice is no different. Set hundreds of years before Canavan’s best selling The Black Magician trilogy we follow Tessia as she tries to find her place in the world.
Tessia wants to be a healer like her father, but her mother and society would rather she settled down. A chance visit to the local magician changes everything when it is discovered that Tessia has magical ability. She then becomes his apprentice and a whole new world opens up before her, one she never dreamed possible. While this is going on, events in the outside world are coming to a head and they will have far reaching consequences for everyone, and Tessia finds herself in the middle of it all.
The Magician’s Apprentice is good solid fantasy and should appeal to genre readers, and fans of Canavan’s previous books. Don’t be put of by the large size of the book as the pages quickly go by as the story builds.