The Novice
- 592
- Pages
- about 11 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Novice” is a middle volume that tightens its trilogy instead of merely bridging it. Sonea, the only novice from a poor background, faces rumour and hostility inside the Magicians’ Guild while Dannyl leaves as ambassador, and both gain depth here. Some readers find the High Lord too faintly drawn at this stage; the last volume is plainly being set up.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
"Even if a magician's powers surface of their own accord, he will soon be dead if he does not gain the knowledge of how to control them." Alone among all the novices in the Magicians' Guild, only Sonea comes from lowly beginnings. Yet she has won powerful allies—including Lord Dannyl, newly promoted to Guild Ambassador. But Dannyl must now depart for the Elyne court, leaving Sonea at the mercy of the lies and malicious rumors her enemies are busy spreading . . . until the High Lord Akkarin steps in. The price of Akkarin's support is dear, however, because Sonea, in turn, must protect his mysteries—and a secret that could lead a young novice mage deep into the darkness. Meanwhile, Dannyl's first order to resume High Lord Akkarin's long-abandoned research into ancient magical knowledge is setting him on an extraordinary journey fraught with unanticipated peril—as he moves ever-closer to a future both wondrous . . . and terrible.
Reading order · The Black Magician Trilogy
Full order & progress →- The Magicians' GuildStart here
7.87.8 / 10 - The NoviceThis book
8.08.0 / 10 - The High Lord
8.18.1 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.0 across 308 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 68% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Fantasy average of 8.0. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.5 | 19 | 6% |
| Hardcover | 8.0 | 289 | 94% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Novice?
It has 592 pages — longer than 57% of the ranked books in Fantasy.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Fantasy — and a score of 8.0, the closest to this book.
