Ordermaster

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.. Tor Books, $27.95 (494pp) ISBN 978-0-7653-1213-6

In Ordermaster, the picaresque 13th entry in L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s Saga of Recluce and the immediate sequel to Wellspring of Chaos (2004), Kharl the cooper, now lord of Cantyl, successfully battles chaos-wielding white wizards, turns a whole mountain into glass, quashes a rebellion and studies law. Spiked with the author's customary pop psychology and propelled by rapid-fire plot spurts, this tale of a humble artisan's rise to mageship will likely leave YA fantasy readers hungry for more. .

Featured Fiction Reviews

Robert Seethaler

The beautiful latest from Seethaler (A Whole Life) revolves around the diverse patrons of a Viennese café. In summer 1966, war orphan Robert Simon, now 31 and tired of manual Continue reading »

Roisín O'Donnell

Irish writer O’Donnell debuts with a wrenching and scrupulously realistic narrative of a Dublin-based mother who, after years of emotional and sexual abuse, decides to leave her Continue reading »

Dino Buzzati

These captivating stories selected by Venuti and written over a 50-year-period by Buzzati (1906–1972) exhibit the author’s interest in fantasy, futility, and fate. In “Seven Continue reading »

Maggie Su

In Su’s marvelous debut, a Taiwanese American woman sculpts a seemingly perfect partner out of a sentient blob. Two years after failing out of college, Vi works as a hotel Continue reading »