From Publishers Weekly
Once again Modesitt (Colors of Chaos, The Spellsong Cycle series) returns to the fantasy world of his popular Saga of Recluce series, now with the first book in a new story line set in Recluce's past. The only thing standing between the Empire of Cyador and destruction is the power of the Magi'i, who wield the energies of chaos to defend the land against invading barbarians and the ancient dark forces of the Accursed Forest. Lorn, the son of a high-ranking Magi'i, finds the magical order's many rules too constricting and is sent off to join the Lancers and fight Cyador's countless enemies on the borderlands. That distance doesn't remove him from the constant intrigues and power struggles back home in Cyan, however. While Lorn battles to survive barbarian raids and attacks from the Accursed Forest's worst nightmares, his lover, the merchant Ryalth, works to build her business despite threats from unscrupulous rivals. Though Lorn survives and, by the end of the book, manages to take Ryalth as his consort, it's clear that Modesitt has much more in store for his characters. True to form, the author delivers a complex plot wrapped around finely textured settings and intriguing characters. Fans of previous Recluce novels will find this new series darker in tone--and Lorn is quite a bit more ruthless than the usual Modesitt hero--but they won't be disappointed. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Judged lacking in the loyalty and dedication necessary for a position as one of the elite mages of Cyador, Lorn receives an assignment to the Mirror Lancers who protect the land of Cyador from the barbarian frontier--a tour of duty that often results in an early death. The latest in Modesitt's popular "Recluce" series begins a new cycle in the history of a world based upon the delicate balance of chaos and order. The author's talent for combining large-scale action with the minutiae of his characters' daily lives infuses his story with a veracity often lacking in the genre. A good choice for most fantasy collections, particularly where the series is popular. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Modesitt begins another new saga, a spin-off from his best-selling and magisterial Recluce series. The setting is the empire of Cyador, and the protagonist is Lorn, a talented youth from a magus family who is diligent in his studies but too independent-minded to suit the High Magi'i. So he is commissioned an officer of lancers and sent to fight barbarians on the frontier, which is by no means a sinecure. Much of the rest of the novel is taken up with scene setting; developing Lorn as officer, magus, and lover; introducing people and places in Cyador; and hinting at some of the high-level intrigue going on behind the curtains, so to speak. The ending reeks strongly of cliffhanger, and still the book stands up well enough on its own, especially for readers coming to it from the Recluce saga--a numerous band. Fantasy collections, take note. Roland Green


From Kirkus Reviews
Tenth installment of Modesitt's huge Saga of Recluce fantasy (Colors of Chaos, 1999, etc.). Recluce is an admittedly superior potboiler series with an exceptionally well worked-out magical backdrop. Its popularity, however (and that of other, similarly endless series), provokes a more general question: do the fans really prefer endless small variations on a single doorstopper theme? Orsince they're easier, cheaper, and more convenient to market than stand-alone books with new settings and ideasdo publishers encourage authors to write them? -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"The bzyantine nature and political scheming of a declining empire are wonderfully woven into the most compelling of tales."--Romantic Times

FROM OUR EDITORS

Chaos Thrives
In Magi'i of Cyador, the highly anticipated new addition to L.E. Modesitt's Recluce saga, readers are treated to another narrative thread drawn from the colorful tapestry of a series brimming with all the enchantment and exploits we've come to expect from the author. Along with Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind, Modesitt has been establishing himself as one of the notable authors of the extended fantasy mega-series, turning out huge, action-packed, magic-filled novels of sword and sorcery. Magi'i of Cyador is a sweeping high-fantasy adventure, bound to delight Modesitt fans and garner him new readers as well.

Lorn, the son of Magus Kien, is a proficient student who wields a great sorcerous skill, although he lacks the proper passion to ever become one of the truly great Magi'i. Lorn has the power of suggestion at his command, and needs only offer an "opinion" to thugs and thieves so that they are forced to obey him. The Magi'i guard the Towers of Chaos, which harness the wild energies of chaos, fueling all fireships, war wagons, and weapons. All of Cyador depends on the Magi'i and their chaos glasses, which detect storms and warring forces from afar. Barbarians to the Northeast constantly attack and attempt to cross the Great Eastern Highway. Chaos thrives on the other side of the barrier within the towers, and no one knows what will happen if the towers ever fail. As it is, they are pushed to their limits in holding back the barbarian hordes.

Although Magus Kien dreads it, he eventually chooses to make his son Lorn into a lancer officer, a task that sends Lorn to the frontier to fight the barbarians. While this might seem a punishment, Lorn readily accepts his position. Though he must leave behind his love, Ryalth, and despite the dangers, Lorn enjoys his newfound freedom. On the border he studies and learns more about the barbarians and becomes intent on leading Cyador into a new age of liberty. But Lorn's political enemies aren't satisfied with simply his mere departure and plan further mayhem for the young mage.

Modesitt has long explored the war between White Chaos and Black Order magic, and now gives us a new perspective on the feuding powers. Cyador has appeared as menacing and expansionist in previous novels in the series. Here, though, we see another example of an ever-changing, fascinating, and believable account of world-building. The fact that the planet was colonized by explorers from a crashed starship is only alluded to, aside from occasional "manual excerpts," which allows this facet of the saga to remain a mystery of sorts. Modesitt masterfully weaves a complex tale filled with high-energy action in a voice just as often profound as it is evocative.

Modesitt provides the reader with a tense and deeply absorbing novel of intrigue, paying special attention to the cause and effect of civil strife. The book gives us a thoughtful narrative of war and rebellion tempered by the numerous well-defined viewpoints of those involved, whether soldier, civilian, or magician. Modesitt's storytelling ability is singular in its balance of conflict, suspense, and secular reflection, and gives us a richly textured high fantasy novel combining adept characterization with a highly charged plot. MAGI'I OF CYADOR is another powerfully vivid chapter to the versatile, enticing, and ever-growing Recluce saga.

--Tom Piccirilli

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Magi'i of Cyador is the beginning of a new story arc from the rich depths of the history of Recluce. It is the story of Lorn, a talented boy born into a family of Magi'i.

A fastidious student of remarkable talent, Lorn lacks the single most coveted attribute required of a Magus of Cyador: unquestionable loyalty. Lorn is too independent for his own good. So he's made into a lancer officer and shipped off to the frontier to fight off the all-too-frequent barbarian raids -- a career that comes with a 50% mortality rate. His enemies don't expect him to survive￯﾿ﾽ

Lorn is a fresh, new character who will enrich one of the most important fantasy series of the decade: the Saga of Recluce.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA

Modesitt once more spins a multilayered coming-of-age story that examines both a society and its use and misuse of power. This latest entry in The Recluse Saga takes the reader back to humanity's first centuries on the continent of Candar, long before the settlement of Recluse, when the wielders of chaos lived in the white city of Cyad, pulling energy from their broadcasting towers to seal off their land from intrusion by the forces of order. Lorn, the eldest son of the Magus Kien, is a boy who easily masters the demands of school and sport. His seemingly effortless achievements alarm the senior Magi'i, who pull him from magus training and assign him to military service. As a Lancer officer, Lorn is assigned to protect the borders of Cyador from intrusion by invading barbarians in the north and marauding wildlife from the Great Forest on the east. This mysterious eastern land will be known in the future as Naclos--where order and chaos exist together. Before leaving on his first assignment, Lorn rescues and falls in love with a Trader girl, Ryalth, who opens the mysteries of commerce to him. As Lorn fights off attacks by barbarians, wild beasts, plotting supervisors, and assassins, he begins to comprehend the machinations of the three ruling classes of Cyador society--Magi'i, Lancers, and Traders--and begins to realize only he possesses the vision to keep his people from destruction. This fast-moving fantasy belongs on the shelf of every library that serves young adults. It offers an action-packed plot, with an involving cross-class love story and a thoughtful allegory of the price paid for exploitation. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broadgeneral YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2000, Tor, Ages 16 to Adult, 444p, $27.95. Reviewer: Marsha Valance

Library Journal