Written by John Berten
Book: Imager’s Challenge
Author: L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
Though he seemed destined to become a master artisan, Rhennthyl’s rare ability to visualize objects and cause them to materialize has altered his life’s course completely. Rhenn is an imager, one of the select few on Terahnar, and this is his story.
After recovering from injuries inflicted during his foiling of a plot masterminded by the Ferran envoy, Rhenn is appointed as the imager liaison to the Civic Patrol of L’Excelsis, but this “promotion” is far from glorious, and, owing to the displeasure of the Commander of the Civic Patrol at having a liaison from the Collegium, it leaves him on patrol in the streets of the city’s worst district. What is worse is that Rhenn has made powerful enemies since realizing his ability as an imager, and now one of the High Holders intends to destroy Rhenn and his entire family. His only hope is in alliances with the family of the woman whom he cherishes. Their success as merchants and underworld connections may be the only thing that can help Rhenn win against those who would destroy him and all that he holds dear, but will this be enough, and can Rhenn find a way of compromising the intentions of his foes without making more enemies? What will it take to protect the ones he loves? Find out in the next installment of the Imager Portfolio, Imager’s Challenge.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr. is an accomplished author of more than forty science fiction novels. Imager’s Challenge is the second book in what he has dubbed the Imager Portfolio. This engaging and developed fantasy series is set in L’Excelsis, the capital city of the most powerful nation on Terahnar, a world of Modesitt’s ingenious contrivance where magic rules in secret. Modesitt has been treating readers to the brilliance of his magical realms in various science fiction series since the early 1970s. The Imager series bears testament to his ability as a writer to captivate readers with imaginative and exciting tales that unfold on faraway worlds, and, in his writing, Modesitt achieves a level of genuine character development that is not typical of other works in the science fiction genre. According to the Library Journal, “the author’s skill in portraying the humanity of characters who possess the power to destroy others with a thought adds a level of verisimilitude and immediacy rarely found in grand-scale fantasy.”
If you are a reader of science fiction and fantasy, then the likelihood that you are no stranger to the work of Modesitt seems great. Loyal fans of Modesitt will greatly enjoy this newest novel in his latest fantasy series, but if you are an avid science fiction reader and yet your familiarity with Modesitt’s work is nonexistant, it is likely that you will still quickly learn to appreciate the potency of his science fiction. The Imagers Portfolio and its latest installment, Imager’s Challenge, comes highly recommended for fantasy and science fiction readers everywhere.
