In A Young Man Without Magic, Anrel Murau is just your average cynical, non-magical being living in a world where only those who control magic are deigned worthy enough to control anything else. Using this premise Lawrence Watt-Evans creates one of the more politically charged fantasy books of late. Anrel, a well-educated young man, returns home from school to find his childhood friend Lord Valin is now a bit of an anarchist. Anrel, who as a character has the lowest expectations that I’ve ever seen, just wants everything to work as it should. Then something terrible happens that thrusts him into a mean world as a fugitive carrying the cause he had first scoffed at with him.
A Young Man Without Magic is very easy to read. While some events seem like they were shuffled around to fit the outline instead of being part of a natural progression, everything works. Every time I found myself starting to get the slightest bit bored with what was happening, something exciting broke the page and I was hooked again. It’s an interesting story, too, because the characters are driving their own choices but the events very much push them into action. Normally it seems we only get one or the other, but then Watt-Evans is a seasoned story teller who’s got the talent to get a book done right.
Buy, Borrow, or Pass?
If you’re a fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans or epic fantasy in general, go ahead and Buy this one. It’s a good example of his work and a great fantasy read that can easily be finished in a couple sittings.
A Young Man Without Magic by Lawrence Watt-Evans
Publisher : Tor Books; First Edition (November 10, 2009)
Hardcover : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 076532279X
ISBN-13 : 978-0765322791
