The Towers of Sunset

I figure I'll start out the new year with one old book and one new. The Passage was the first book this year and the review can be found over here. The old book is one that I read a few years back.... probably high school actually. The Towers of the Sunset is L. E. Modesitt Jr's second book in the Saga of Recluce series. If you've been reading the blog over the last year you probably saw my review on the first book The Magic of Recluce. Just a note: It really bugs me that he doesn't spell it Recluse, but Recluce! Is that an acceptable spelling alternate? Guess it doesn't matter - still bugs me.

The Towers of the Sunset is not a sequel to the first book in the series. It happens to be a prequel. You follow a young wizard by the name of Creslin as he leaves his homeland and starts a new story. It's essentially the story of how Recluce came to be and how Order changed the world. Again, don't really want to give anything away, but it's enjoyable. I always felt that Modesitt should have followed Lerris from The Magic of Recluce a little more, but I hear that happens a little later in the whole Saga. In fact, I've actually started reading the books in the order of their history in the world rather than in order of their release. That's probably a better idea for anyone that's getting into these stories.

Rating: 6 CBs - Modesitt is a good writer that gives you an engaging story without 900 pages. Not that I don't want 900 pages, I just like that you can sit down and read it in a week if you aren't doing other stuff.

-D